January 1996

1) Jude 3: A Defence of the Faith
2) The Little "god"
3) Lev. 8:1-13: The Kingship of the Believer
4) Satan's Fall - As Described By Edersheim

     A Defence of the Faith

     There has been and continues to be a great amount of discussion concerning the War Between the States, i. e. the War of Northern Aggression. This pastor has not made a study of that great war; however, contained in the preface and introduction of an excellent book by Robert L. Dabney -A Defence of Virginia and the Southare a couple points that must not be ignored. [1977 reprint of the 1867 book by Sprinkle Publication.] These few points are extremely applicable considering the fact that we are seeing a similar war against Christianity as was waged against the South. That war was basically a war for men's minds; the South, not realizing the importance of that war, lost the war for public opinion, and, therefore, lost a way of life. Likewise, Christianity is losing the war for men's minds. This pastor fears that Christians in general have not grasp the importance of defending the Biblical faith before the public at every opportunity; they are losing the war by default.

     Let us follow Dabney to the point where he placed his finger on the problem. We will deal extensively and exclusively with his PREFACE and INTRODUCTION, for here the parallel between what happened in that terrible war and what is now taking place against Christianity is clearly revealed. Dabney opens his book with this statement, "A discussion of a social order totally overthrown, and never to be restored here..." Moreover, he points out that, "Nothing but the hand of a retributive Providence can avail to reach" the "great anti-slavery party which now rules the hour," for their minds are deliberately made up, and "are not within the reach of reasoning." [51 In other words, the minds of men were made up, and it was to late to change them.

     Dabney rightly believed that "History will some day bring present events before their impartial bar; and then her ministers will recall my obscure little book, and will recognize in it the words of truth and righteousness..." We must say that time has arrived, for there seems to be much discussion today of what truly took place in the War of Northern Aggression. Dabney points out that "if there is indeed any future for civilized government in what were the United States, the refutation of the abolitionist postulates must possess a living interest still." [61 The facts that led to that way must be brought to light and dealt with.

     "Abolitionism lives" in the Churches, said Dabney, "and is more rampant and mischievous than ever, as infidelity... Therefore, the faithful servants of the Lord Jesus Christ dare not cease to oppose and unmask it." "Abolitionism still lives in its full activity," said he in 1867, "as Jacobinism ; is the destroyer of every hope of just government and Christian order." [61

     "The most fearful consequence of the despotic government to which the South is now subjected, is not the plundering of our goods, nor the abridgment of privileges, nor the death of innocent men, but the degrading of the helpless victims" with "the weapon of physical force of the arbitrary rulers." [7]

     Dabney concludes his PREFACE by saying that only if men will repair the mischiefs done by the North, will America be saved from "chronic anarchy and barbarism." [8] We see that Dabney indeed precisely called the shot: America has dissolved into "chronic anarchy and barbarism. " However, we happily see an increased desire in the hearts of men to uncover and know the truth behind the War between the States. And we must say that all interested in understanding that truth must read Dabney's book.

     He introduces his study by saying that those who will study nineteenth century history will find it curious "that the Christianity and philanthropy of our day should have given so disproportionate an attention to the evils of African slavery." In other words, why did not the Christian spirit in the South of that age before the war pay more attention "to the evils of African slavery."? [91 He raises the question: Why did not the abolitionists pour out their "vials of holy wrath" upon other civilized nations of the world if they were so much against African slavery? Why did the North, who professed such holy indignation against African slavery, continue very friendly relations and trade with those nations who "continued the explicit practice of slavery, in so stern a form..."? Throughout his book, he points to the utter hypocrisy of the anti-slavery crowd, for as long as there was money to be made in the African slave trade, the North refused to let it be cut off. "Then the North, having ceased to find its own interest in the slave trade and slavery, changed its ground, and began to cast about, merely from a desire of sectional power in the confederacy, for means to destroy the institution."

     In this pastor's opinion, the following leads up to the key issue of the whole war, being the most important lesson to be learned; if Christians do not read and learn, they bring their demise upon their own heads.

They ["the Yankee people," ed) made it their business to direct the whole storm of odium, from abroad and at home, on our heads. They, having the manufacture of American books chiefly in their hands, took pains to fill Europe and their own country with industrious slanders against their own brethren: and so occupied the ear of the world with abuse of us, as to make men almost forget that there were any other slaveholders. For this they had two motives, one calculated, and the other passionate and instinctive. The latter was the sectional animosity which was bred by the very intimacy of their association under one government, with rival interests. The man who learned to hate his brother, hates him, and can abuse him, more heartily than any more distant enemy. The deliberative motive was, to reduce the South to a state of colonial dependency upon themselves, and exclude all other nations from the rich plunder which they were accustomed to draw from the oppressed section, by means of the odium and misunderstanding which they created concerning us... It did not suit their selfish purposes, that Europe should know, that in this slaveholding South was the true conservative power of the American Government, the most solid type of old English character, the greatest social stability and purity , and above all, the very fountain of the international commerce and wealth; lest Europe should desire to visit and to trade with this section itself. And the readiest way to prevent this was to paint the South to all the rest of the world, in the blackest colours of misrepresentation, so as to have us regarded as a semi- barbarous race of domestic tyrants, whose chief occupations were chaining or scourging negroes, and stabbing each other with bowie-knives. The trick was a success. [ 11, 12, emp added.)

     Let us stop and consider for a moment what he said, for the same "trick" is being successfully used today against Christianity. There were those in the North who sought to pillage the prosperity of the South, both its gold and political power. The North, therefore, did not want the world to know that anything existed in the South except "a semi-barbarous race"" of tyrants, for if the world knew the truth, it would have traded with the South, and the South would have easily been independent of the North: the North's prospect of pillage would have slipped away. Thus the ones in the North who wanted the wealth for themselves painted the South with a very black brush for the purpose of turning public opinion, both domestic and foreign, against the South.

     The pillagers from the North, "having the manufacture of American books chiefly in their hands," filled American and all Europe "with industrious slanders" against those they desired to pillage. Through their printed material, public opinion moved to the side of the thieves and plunders, and, hence, they were not only able to make their move and pillage the South with no opposition, but they had "brother against brother" to help in their insidious plunder of the South.

     Concerning the Northern plunderers work to sway public opinion, Dabney makes this key point which caught this pastor's attention, and should catch every Christian's heart:

But the South should have been impelled by the same facts to defend its institutions before the public opinion of the civilized world ; for opinion is always omnipotent in the end, whatever prejudices and physical powers may oppose it. If its current is allowed to flow unchecked, its silent waters gradually undermine the sternest obstacles. This great truth men of thought are more apt to recognize than men of action. While the true statesman is fully awake to it, the mere politician is unconscious of its power ; and when his expedientshis parties and his statutes-have all been silently swept away by the diffusion of abstract principles opposed to them he cannot understand his overthrow. ... They [the South's politicians, ed] failed to meet the Abolitionists with sufficient persistence and force on the radical question-the righteousness of African servitude as existing among us...

     Though the South's clergymen and literary men produced a number of works, the "egotism of the Yankee mind" refused to consider anything beyond "their own shallow and one-sided arguments." [13,141

"There were two courses, either of which might have been followed by our politicians, in defending our Federal rights against Abolitionism. One plan would have been to exclude the whole question of slavery persistently from the national councils, as extra-constitutional and dangerous, and to assert this exclusion always, and at every risk, as the essential condition of the continuance of the South in those councils. The other plan was, to meet that abstract question from the first, as underlying and determining the whole subject, and to debate it everywhere, until it was decided, and the verdict of the nations mind passed upon it. Unfortunately, the Southern swords of men did neither persistently." [151 "While our people were fighting the battles of a necessary self-defence, the pens of our statesmen should have been no less diligent in defending us against the adverse opinion of a prejudiced world."

     But the pens were silent, and the battle lost. The "Southern politicians usually satisfied themselves with saying that the whole matter was, according to the Constitution, one of State sovereignty..." Though the "State sovereignty" premiss was true, the results were disasters: "If the Congress had no right to legislate about slavery, then it should not have been permitted to debate it." [161 In other words, when the South lowered itself to debate what they held to be undebatable, they lost the debate in the public's eye. [161 The Constitution gave the Federal Government no power over the master-slave relationship, leaving that up to the States. If slavery as practiced in the South were morally wrong, then the North by supporting the Constitution, supported wrong. The North, therefore, should have worked to lawfully amend or appeal the Constitution or even withdrawn from the voluntary compact. Rather, the North chose to enjoy the benefits of the compact while agitating under it matters excluded from the compact. "Constitutions and laws which contravened this [Dabney refers to the higher law, the law of God, ed], ought to be lawfully amended or repealed; and it is the duty of all citizens to seek it." In other words, if the Constitution failed to forbid moral wrong, e.g. African slavery, then it is the duty of every citizen to change it.

• Unjust laws

     Dabney gives this response to unjust laws: "It would have become the duty of any private citizen, who might have been summoned by a United States officer, to act in a posse [to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law, ed], or any other way in enforcing this law, to decline obedience; and then, in accordance with Scripture, to submit meekly to the legal penalty of such a refusal, until the unrighteous law [sic] were repealed." In other words, if the abolitionists were so convinced that African slavery was morally wrong, why did not the average citizen refuse to help enforce all laws which supported slavery before the war and "submit meekly to the legal penalty of such a refusal."? Why did they not seek to change the Constitution within its framework rather than killing their fellow man?

     The lies of the Northern pillagers were effective: By the time they were ready to move against the South (not in congress, but by armed might), the "eyes of the Northern people were" closed to any reasoning "by a forgone conclusion." [201

     "The teachings of Abolitionism," Dabney argues, "are clearly of rationalistic origin, of infidel tendency, and only sustained by reckless and licentious perversions of the meaning of the Sacred text." Moreover, he likens the Abolitionists' methods to those of the "Reign of Terror in France." [211 He warned in 1867 that the "the status of the negroes just beginning to develop itself as an agitating and potent element in the politics of America." He saw it as a serious subject of moral strife between the North and the South. [201 How right he was! He, furthermore, trusts the hands of Divine Providence to vindicate the South against the " anti- scriptural, infidel, and radical grounds upon which our assailants have placed themselves..." [221 As we mentioned earlier, Dabney clearly saw that some day honest historians would be raised up, and the South would be vindicated. We are living to see that day.

     Finally, Dabney points out that his defence of Virginia does not rest "on an assumption of a diversity of race, with is contradicted both by natural history and by the Scripture, declaring that 'God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth."' Nor does he rest any defence upon an idea that the normal or preferable condition of society is master-slave relationships. [231 Moreover, no matter how good or pure a social order, there will proceed a hideous amount of wrongs and woe "because it is administered by depraved man." [241

     Passing the points we desire to make, we will stop here and urge the reader to pursue the study of that war on his own.

• Observe:

     First, the abolitionists claimed a moral high ground, but were the very worse of hypocrites: Rather than working within the framework as provided by the founding fathers of that nation-it was destroyed by the War Between the States-for peaceful, lawful change, history shows that the pillagers chose armed conflict. Following in the footsteps of the "Reign of Terror in France," the wicked chose violence rather than lawful, peaceful means to change the Constitution. Dabney thus effectively points out the hypocrisy of the abolitionist movement. [Armed "Peace Keepers"!! The "Patriot" movement?]

     There are many today who profess a moral high ground against wickedness in high places, but they seem to be far more ready to take up arms than they are to work for change within America's remaining framework. Are they any better than the pillagers of the South? Are they any better than those who took part in the "Reign of Terror"?

     Example: The wicked abortion crowd worked quietly and steadily behind the scenes and changed the Constitution -without a Constitutional Convention, while the righteous made little attempt to defend their position in the public's mind. If the wicked can change the Constitution to suit their evil intentions, why cannot the righteous for Godly intentions? Do we get in to big of a hurry?

     Second, the South lost public opinion because it did not consistently defend its cause, and what it did write did not find its way into general circulation. However, would the defence have been more widely known if the South had pursued the debate everywhere and at every opportunity?

     Christianity has likewise lost its power in the minds of public because rather than defend its sound Biblical premise and foundation, it quietly compromised to become more acceptable to the world. However, the cause of Christ is different than the cause of the South, for those who should be defending the Christian faith are scattered throughout the world.

     If Christian ministers do not start defending their stand in their local communities, the public itself will join with the wicked in stoning Christians.

     The Christian pen that should be consistently defending the Word of God and the Christian faith is silent. By the time it is awakened, will the public's mind be totally closed by those who seek to plunder the house of God? Will the public be so totally swayed that it will itself "take up arms" against the cause of Christ? We should learn from the "Civil War" that the most rational minds can be swayed to irrational actions if lies are not countered with the Truth of God's Word.

     Admittedly, the plunderers have "the manufacture of American books chiefly in their hands..." And, yes, the plunderers have filled America and all the world "with industrious slanders" against those they desire to pillage, Christians and the church. And, yes, the wicked consistently paint Christianity with a very black brush for the purpose of turning domestic and foreign opinion against the cause of Christ. But how much blame lies on Christians who refuse to get involved in any effort to defend the Christian faith before the public?

     Christians must take up pen and paper and defend their faith at every opportunity: Letters to the editor is one means left to defend what is Scripturally right and wrong in the public's eye. "But I can't write" is an extremely poor excuse for not doing what one can do to defend the faith.

     We hear some say that the hope of Christ's literal, physical return as an armed, mighty military man to subdue all of His enemies was not new with Darby's early 1800s Plymouth Brethren. And we must agree that Darby did not originate most of the ideas he took credit for it. However, we must also add that Darby's followers sought to hide the source of a great amount of his theories. [Darby assumed as his own what was already being taught as early as 1830 by Irving. Dave McPherson, The Rapture Plot, Millennium Ell Publishers, PO Box 928, Simpsonville, SC. 29681. McPherson shows with many infallible proofs that the roots of modern dispensationalism are firmly planted in the Catholic Apostolic Church, with had strong occultic, mystic ties, 51. McPherson's book is one of the best documented books this pastor has read. It can be ordered from Thomas Williamson, 3131 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL, 60608, for $14.95. We will soon have a review of the book, Lord willing.

     Based upon the following statements by Tertullian [A. D. 14 5 - 2 2 01 defending the Orthodox Christian faith of his day against the heretic, Marcion, we must say that Darby simply, knowingly or unknowingly, developed many ideas that had been around from the beginning of Christianity. We must also say that all who clung to Marcion's heresies in those early years of Church history were not identified as Marcionites no more than we can suppose that all who cling to humanism are openly avowed Secular Humanists.

     Marcion was "the most formidable heretic who had as yet opposed revealed truth... He was a native of Sinope in Pontus, of which city, according to an account preserved by Epiphanius, which, however, is somewhat doubtful, his father was bishop, and of high character both of his orthodoxy and exemplary practice. He came to Rome soon after the death of Hyginus, probably about A.D. 141 or 142; and soon after his arrival he adopted the heresy of Cerdon." [The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 111.6, 7.1

     There are three points from the translator's 1868 preface that the reader will find interesting:

     First, "If Marcionisin is in the letter obsolete, there is its spirit still left in the church, which in more ways than one develops its ancient characteristics. What these were, the reader will soon discover in this volume; but reference may be made even here, in passing, to that prominent aim of the heresy which gave Tertullian his opportunity of proving the essential coherence of the Old and the New Testaments..." [2691

     Marcion was, accordingly, the one who sowed the heretical seed of separating the Old from the New Testaments, i.e. dispensationalizing the God of Moses from the god of the Christians: "He [Marcion, ed] anticipated the rationalistic opposition to the Old Testament and to the Pastoral Epistles, but in a very arbitrary and unscrupulous way ... ... he was utterly destitute of historical sense, and put Christianity into a radical conflict with all previous revelations of God... In His view, Christianity has no connection whatever with the past, whether of the Jewish or the heathen world, but has fallen abruptly and magically, as it were, from heaven..." [History of the Christian Church, 11.483, 484. Schaff.)

     Second, defending the Orthodox Christian Faith, Tertullian "cannot be charged with too great an obsequiousness to traditional authority..."

     In other words, because Tertullian was so close to the beginning of Christianity, he cannot be accused of defending tradition because tradition had not yet taken firm hold; he thus defended the faith once for all delivered to the saints, and that faith contained very little tradition.

• Big "G" - Little "g"

     Third, explained in a footnote is that:

He [the translator, ed] has also, as the reader will observe, endeavoured to distinguish, be the help of type, between the true God and Marcion's god printing the initials of the former, and of the pronouns referring to Him, in capitals, and those of the latter in small letters. To do this was not always an easy matter, for in many passages the argument amal gamates the two. Moreover in the earlier portion of the work the translator fears that lie may have occasionally neglected to make this distinction. [Fathers, 111.270.1

     In other words, Tertullian contended Marcion's god was neither the Old Testament's Saint's nor the New Testament's Christian's Lord God, and the translator tried to remain true to Tertullian's intention by marking Marcion's god with a small "g. " [269, 270.1 Furthermore, "Tertullian, as usual, argues from the Septuagint.." [4481.

     Book Four of Tertullian's Five Books against Marcion's heresies contains this revealing statement by Tertullian:

With what evidence would you have my Christ vindicated? Shall it come from the examples, or from the prophecies, of the Creator? You suppose that He is predicted as a military and armed warrior,(6) instead of one who in a figurative and allegorical sense was to wage a spiritual warfare against spiritual enemies, in spiritual campaigns, and with spiritual weapons: come now, when in one man alone you discover a multitude of demons calling itself Legion,(7) of course comprised of spirits, you should learn that Christ also must be understood to be an exterminator of spiritual foes, who wields spiritual arms and fights in spiritual strife; and that it was none other than He,(8) who now had to contend with even a legion of demons. Therefore it is of such a war as this that the Psalm may evidently have spoken: "The Lord is strong, The Lord is mighty in battle."(9) For with the last enemy death did He fight, and through the trophy of the cross He triumphed. Now of what God did the Legion testify that Jesus was the Son?(10) No doubt, of that God whose torments and abyss they knew and dreaded. It seems impossible for them to have remained up to this time in ignorance of what the power of the recent and unknown god was working in the world, because it is very unlikely that the Creator was ignorant thereof. For if He had been at any time ignorant that there was another god above Himself, He had by this time at all events discovered that there was one at work(11) below His heaven. Now, what their Lord had discovered had by this time become notorious to His entire family within the same world and the same circuit of heaven, in which the strange deity dwelt and acted.(12) As therefore both the Creator and His creatures(13) must have had knowledge of him, if he had been in existence, so, inasmuch as he had no existence, the demons really knew none other than the Christ of their own God. They do not ask of the strange god, what they recollected they must beg of the Creator --not to be plunged into the Creator's abyss. They at last had their request granted. On what ground? Because they had lied? Because they had proclaimed Him to be the Son of a ruthless God? And what sort of god will that be who helped the lying, and upheld his detractors? However, no need of this thought, or,(14) inasmuch as they had not lied, inasmuch as they had acknowledged that the God of the abyss was also their God, so did He actually Himself affirm that He was the same whom these demons acknowledged-- Jesus, the Judge and Son of the avenging God. [Ibid, 379, as found on the Nicene Fathers CDROM, The Electric Bible Society, P.O. Box 701356, Dallas, Texas 75370. Footnote numbers are left in, but the noted references are so obvious that we left them out.]

     Marcion, hence, held that the Old Testament Messiah "was predicted as a military and armed warrior, instead of one who in a figurative and allegorical sense was to wage a spiritual warfare against spiritual enemies, in spiritual campaigns, and with spiritual weapons..." Accordingly, the notion that Christ can only conquer the pagans-and will only conquer the pagans-with carnal weapons was not new with Darby; rather, it was already "in the air" when Tertullian wrote against Marcion's heresies. We should note, furthermore, that Tertullian wrote during a time when Christians were being burned and thrown to wild beasts. [4471 Tertullian continues to deal with Marcion's heresies:

Who is He that shall bestow "the power of treading on serpents and scorpions?"(17) Shall it be He who is the Lord of all living creatures or he who is not god over a single lizard? Happily the Creator has promised by Isaiah to give this power even to little children, of putting their hand in the cockatrice den and on the hole of the young asps without at all receiving hurt.(18) And, indeed, we are aware (without doing violence to the literal sense of the passage, since even these noxious animals have actually been unable to do hurt where there has been faith) that under the figure of scorpions and serpents are portended evil spirits, whose very prince is described(19) by the name of serpent, dragon, and every other most conspicuous beast in the power of the Creator. This power the Creator conferred first of all upon His Christ, even as the ninetieth Psalm says to Him: "Upon the asp and the basilisk shall Thou tread; the lion and the dragon shall Thou trample under foot."(21) So also Isaiah: "In that day the Lord God shall draw His sacred, great, and strong sword" (even His Christ) "against that dragon, that great and tortuous serpent; and He shall slay him in that day ."(22) But when the same prophet says, "The way shall be called a clean and holy way; over it the unclean thing shall not pass, nor shall be there any unclean way; but the dispersed shall pass over it, and they shall not err therein; no lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon; it shall not be found there,"(23) he points out the way of faith, by which we shall reach to God; and then to this way of faith he promises this utter crippling(24) and subjugation of all noxious animals. Lastly, you may discover the suitable times of the promise, if you read what precedes the passage: "Be strong, ye weak hands and ye feeble knees: then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear; then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be articulate." (25) When, therefore, He proclaimed the benefits of His cures, then also did He put the scorpions and the serpents under the feet of His saints--even He who had first received this power from the Father, in order to bestow it upon others and then manifested it forth conformably to the order of prophecy.(l) [388, 389, CDROM.]

     Tertullian, in opposition to Marcion's heresies, applied Isa 27:1, 35:8, 9, and Isa 35:3, 5, 6, to the New Testament Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Tertullian thus held that a god who has not, cannot and will not subdue the earth to himself through his spirit, but must through armed might, is not a god at all.

• Darby's god

     Darby presented his new view of Mat 24-including his new idea of the Jews reestablished as God's people acquired from Lewis Way- when he separated v. 14 from v. 15. The foundation for his new views, however, was not God's Word, but his own personal thoughts about the matter, e.g. "it is evident to me," "seems to me," "I judge," "I think" and "I am disposed to think." "I will recall to your memories," said Darby, "my previous division of Matthew xxiv." [Collected Writings, H.356, 357. The "church/Israel 'distinction'' was not new with Darby, though he sought to lay claim to it. It came from a Jesuit through the Irvingites. Plot, 70, 90.1

     His new view of Mat 24:21 permitted him to say, "We are here absolutely in the time of distress (predicted in Dan. xii, and Jer. xxx. 7) at Jerusalem, to be followed by the deliverance of the people of Daniel, at least of the remnant, and by the establishment of the Jews in Palestine with David (Christ) as their king. But before this unequalled period of tribulation there will be 'the beginning of sorrows.' (Matt. xxiv. 8)" [319. And thus the modern great tribulation teaching developed. He may have not originated these theories, e.g. the "Lord's soon return," but he was close enough to the foundation that he could make the claim unchallenged, Letters of J.N. Darby, II.432-434.1

     His newly introduced view of Matthew 24-and Daniel permitted him to say that the Stone of Daniel 2 has not yet struck the image, for it, said he, "shall break in pieces and consume those kingdoms in their last form, viz., under the ten kings who give their power to the beast. (Daniel ii. 40-44; Rev. xvii. 11-14.) And here," continued Darby, "I must stop to remark upon a great error which prevails, viz., that the little stone was the setting up of Christ's kingdom at the day of Pentecost, and that it has been growing into a great mountain every since; or, in other words, that the preaching of the gospel, in the present dispensation, is that which is to convert the world." [Writings, 11. 18 5.1 And thus we see that Darby thought the only way the Lord would ever be able to conquer and rule rebellious men was with a "rod of iron."

     The major founder of modern dispensationalism saw that, "Christ's appearing is not at the end (as is supposed), but at the beginning of the kingdom." In other words, "Christ has not yet taken His kingdom." [172, 161, 1843.1 Up to Darby's time, the orthodox Christian belief was that Christ had already taken His throne, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. [Eph 1:21. See also Ps 97:9 & Ehp 4:101

     His view that the stone has not yet struck the image led to his next 'logical' point: "The scripture does not speak of the universal prevalence of Christianity while the image subsists..." Hence, going against the orthodox Christian doctrine of his day, he taught that until Christ literally rules from Jerusalem on "David's throne," there is no hope for the gospel changing anything for God and Godliness.

     He saw Ps 2:8, 9, off in the future, for to him, Jesus is not and cannot be King of kings and Lord of lords until "political attention is attracted to Jerusalem" and Christ returns in judgment against the rebellious nations. [120, 121, 1221 His new theories astounded his hearers, even creating riots, but he 'kept on keeping on.' His persistence paid off, for his theories where accepted world-wide as sound Christian doctrine within 50 years- 1877.

     Over a period of time, God's people loved the release from social and civic responsibility, Jer 5:31. But what a sad situation Darby's thinking left Christians in: His teachings convinced them that gospel preaching cannot and will not subdue the world to Christ and bring about godly social change during the "Gospel Church Age." The obvious result is that Darbyite Christians are either left to "just wait" for the "Lord's soon return' [164, &c.1 midst the ruins of civilization, reaching who they can with the message of the Lord's soon return, or if they do hope to change anything for the "better," they only have a political hope.

     Darbyism has done its work, saying, "It is a great error to believe the gospel can convert the world."

     Indeed, "If Marcionism is in the letter obsolete, there is its spirit still left in the church..." Tertullian would spell the god developed and propagated by Darby with a little "g."

Might our God be with a "G"-One Who can convert the world unto Himself by His Spirit.

The Kingship of the Believer

     At the Lord's command, Moses gathers the leaders of the people together at the door of the tabernacle. Evidently, the Lord wants all the people to knowthrough their leaders-that the ones being set aside by the Lord were not set aside because of any good on their part, but because the Lord God chose them. Every piece of clothing, every action of the ceremony, as well as the oil and sacrifice pictured Christ. As we follow through the ons were commanded by the Lord, we see that there is no involved than "The Priesthood of the Believer;" will see the call of the believer to exercise Godly kingship-dominion-over every area he has any influence over: "The Kingship of the Believer."

     As an introduction, we should note that Aaron's office could typify the office of the believer, for Christ was a priest for et, after the order of Melchisedec, Ps 110:4, Heb 5:6, &c. The washings and sacrifices spoke of what Christ does for the believer, making him- the believer-both and king. The meaning of the events listed in this section are not difficult to follow:

     First, Lev 8:6 clearly speaks of washing with the water of the Word of God, washed by the blood of the Lamb, making us priests and kings to the most high God, Ps 51:2, 7; Re 1:5, 6.

• Clean Water

     A basic prophecy looking forward to Christ is found in Ezekiel 36, starting with v. 22. Sin literally scattered God's people who were under the old covenant; the promise is that the Lord will show Himself strong and holy through His people who are scattered among the heathen. The promise, v. 24, is that He will call His people unto Himself no matter where in the world they axe scattered. Ez 36:24 is obviously fulfilled in Christ, and, accordingly, has no reference to a physical location despite its wording. There are enough passages proving that Christ is the land of Ezekiel 36:24 where the clean water is sprinkled upon His people that all doubt should be destroyed, e.g. Old Testament passages, Isaiah 5:26; 11:10, 12; 18:3; 30:17, 31:9, &c.; New Testament fulfillments, John 3:14-16; 8:28; 12:32, &c.

     Moreover, we should mention that those determined to use Ez 36:24 literally, i.e. a literal land-Palestine, MUST ALSO use v. 25 literally-sprinkling all persons in the literal land with literal clean water in order to remove all filthiness as promised by the passage, i.e. Baptismal Regeneration [If such a presumption were true, should we Ito t solid funds over to "Israel" to rent planes such as those used by the forest service to fight fires? - load them with "holy water" and sprinkle it on all "Israelites" for God! See Identifying Identity, 2 0 -2 1, by this pastor.

     Another cross reference for Lev 8:6 is Zech 13:1ff.,prophesying of the cleansing event for believers through Christ, an event which took place starting with Christ. [See also 1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:27; Titus 3:5ff.; Heb 9:13ff.; 1 John 1:7; 5:6; 1 Pe 1: 19, &c. I In that day spoke of the day of Christ in which we are now living. The prophecy's fulfillment is found in John 13:8ff.; 1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:26; Heb 9:10 & 10:22.

     Second, v. 7, Aaron's garments obviously speak of the garments provided by Christ for His people, viz. Christ's righteousness. His righteousness for the believer is prophesied in Isa 61:3, 10, and fulfilled in Rom 3:22; 13:14, & Gal 3:27.

     Third, v. 8, the breastplate and the Urim and Thummin. The prophecy is found in Isa 59:17, and its fulfillment-the breastplate of Christ's righteousness, faith and love-is found in Eph 6:14 & 1 Th 5:8. The righteousness of Christ enables the believer to correctly judge the things around him according to God's Wordhence, the Urim and Thummin. Cf. 1 Cor 2:15.

     Fourth, v. 9, the mitre, the golden plate and the holy crown. The believer crowned in this world ... ? It speaks of the office given to us through the blood of Christ.

     Moreover, we have been commanded to take the helmet of salvation, enabling us to wage an effective battle on this earth for the King. See closing points below.

     Fifth, vv. 10-12, the anointing oil-a special mixture of which duplication was forbidden-obviously speaks of anointing by God's Spirit for service. Everything-the men, tabernacle and all therein- was anointed to sanctify them: Everything is prepared for one purpose, viz. set aside for God's service and His glory. And we must say that all of creation is for one purpose, viz. to serve the Creator and do His will. Every part of creation willingly does His will, except fallen man. In addition, Christ was anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows.

     There is a clear reference to the anointing of Aaron in Ps 133:2, viz. it speaks of Christians dwelling together in unity.

     Finally, v. 13, Aaron's sons... The clothing of all of God's people with Christ's righteousness as priests is prophesied in Ps 132:9; Isa 61:6, 10. Its fulfillment is found in 1 Pet 2:5, 9.

     It goes without saying that Israel's civil rule emanated from the tabernacle until the time the kings; the priesthood also had tremendous civil authority when Christ walked upon this earth.

• Observe these few points:

1) clearly presented in this section is that the believer is set apart for a purpose: serve God, keep His commandments and witness to the world around him of the grace of God, Ecc 12:13.

• The Kingship of the Believer

2) there is more to the believer's position in Christ than simply free access to the Heavenly Father through Christ's work, i.e. "The Priesthood of the Believer." This section tells us that believers are exalted in this world in

     Christ-thus THE KINGSHIP OF THE BELIEVER. We hear much about "The Priesthood of the Believer," but let us not overlook THE KINGSHIP OF THE BELIEVER. We must not remove the following passages from God's Word. Let us start at the starting place, the Old Testament prophecy:

Isa 61:1-9 The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me, because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they migAlt be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien [shall be] your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: [men] shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7 For your shame [ye shall have] double; and [for] confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they [are] the seed [which] the LORD hath blessed.

     Isa 61:1-3 was read by Christ in the synagogue in Nazareth; when He closed the book and sat down, He said This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears, Luke 4:21 Christ, therefore, set Isaiah's prophecy in motion with His public ministry, fulfilling vv. 1-3. The next verse, v. 4 ' accordingly, must presently be in effect, unless, that is, one separates by 2000 + years, v 3 from v. 4. V. 4 says: Those whose mourning in Zion has been turned to joy and praise through the work of the Spirit of Christ shall build the old wastes cities, the desolations of many generations. The Spirit does not stop with saying that those washed in the blood of the Lamb will build the old wastes, but He continues, vv. 5-9. Obviously, vv. 5, 6, 8 & 9, are difficult to comprehend, but v. 7 is not:

For your shame /ye shall have] do uble; and [for] confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

     There are a great many New Testament passages say ing that v. 7 is fulfilled now, e.g. 2 Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory; 2 Thess 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given [us] everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. Lu 6:23 Rejoice ... ; Php 3:1 ... rejoice ... ; Php 3:3 ... rejoice...' - Php 4:4 Rejoice... Rejoice.; Col 1:24 ... rejoice .. ; 1 Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore.; Jas 1:9 ... rejoice ... ; 1 Pe 1:6 ... re joice ... ; 1 Pe 1:8 ... rejoice..., and 1 Pe 4:13 But rejoice... Isa 61-.1-3 is fulfilled, and v. 7 is fulfilled in Christ: Rejoicing in bad circumstances is a mark of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, meaning the rest of the passage is currently in effect during the "Church Age."

• PRIESTS & KINGS?

1) Those of 61:3 are the rebuilders of v. 4.

2) The rebuilders of v. 4 are the Priests of the Lord

3) The Priests of the Lord of v. 4 are identified as kings in Rev 1:6.

     Though present kingship appears not to the natural eye, look at the Word of God:

1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. (Therefore, some must teach that the Lord Jesus is not now King of the whole earth, or they must admit they are also now kings in this world!) Rev 1:5, 6 And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Re 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests. and we shall reign on the earth.

     Though some seek to place Rev 5: 10 off into the maybe distant future, both 1 John 4:17 and Rev 1:6 say it is presently in effect: How can one be a king-Rev 1:6-with no kingdom? And the same man, the Apostle John, wrote both books.

     Isa 61:5 presents an interesting thought: And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien [shall be] your plowmen and your vinedressers. This pastor- and other pastors he has spoken with-has found that many times the unsaved are more willing to help with the Lord's work than are the saved; in fact, often the unsaved will go out of their way at their own expenses to assist.

     Lev 8:1-13, pictures not only the work of Christ for the believer, i.e. free access as priest to the Most Holy Heavenly Father, but it clearly pictures crowning believers as kings upon this earth through the work of Christ, because as he is, so are we in this world

     Does unbelief prevent claiming that place in the Lord? As unbelief grows and God's redeemed relinquish their places as kings over God's creation, situations deteriorate; as situations deteriorate, His people loose more faith, and the downward spiral continues. The only hope is the Spirit of God renewing faith in the hearts of individual Christians, He 4:2.

     By the blood of Christ, God's people-not the paganshave been made kings over the whole earth. They have failed to exercise "Godly kingship" under Christ according to His Word, and have, accordingly, willingly given God's creation to the pagans by default.

     Being made kings unto God and his Father (note Christ is here called God), we are to exercise Godly authority in our areas of abilities and responsibilities: family, occupation, friendships, communities, &e. (Cf. 1 Cor 10:31.)

Pastor Need

As described by Edersheim (II.140):

     The prince of the world must be cast out. In spirit, Christ gazed on 'Satan fallen as lightning form heaven.' As one has aptly paraphrased it: 'While you cast out his subjects, I saw the prince himself fall.' It has been asked, whether the words of Christ referred to any particular event, such as His Victory in the Temptation. But any such limitation would imply grievous misunderstanding of the whole. So to speak, the fall of Satan is to the bottomless pit; every going on to the final triumph of Christ. As the Lord beholds him, he is fallen from heaven - from the seat of power and of worship; for, his mastery is broken by the Stronger than he. And he is fallen like lightning, in its rapidity, dazzling splendour, and destructiveness. Yet as we perceive it, it is only demons cast out in His Name. For still is this fight and sight continued, and to all ages of the present dispensation. Each time the faith of the Church casts out demons - whether as formerly, or as they presently vex men, whether in the lighter combat about possession of the body, or in the sorer fight about possession of the soul - as Christ beholds it, it is ever Satan fallen. For, he sees of the travail of His soul, and is satisfied. And so also is there joy in heaven over every sinner that repenteth.

     The authority and power over 'the demons,' attained by faith, was not to pass away with the occasion a that had called it forth. The Seventy were the representatives of the Church in her work of preparing for the Advent of Christ. As already indicated, the sight of Satan fallen from heaven is the continuous history of the Church. What the faith of the Seventy had attained was now to be made permanent to the Church, whose representatives they were. For, the words in which Christ now gave authority and power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the Enemy, and the promise that nothing should hurt them, could not have been addressed to the Seventy for a Mission which had now come to and end, except in so far as they represented the Church Universal. It is almost needless to add, that those 'serpents and scorpions' are not to be literally but symbolically understood. Yet is not this power or authority which is to be the main joy either of the Church or the individual, but the fact that our names are written in heaven. And so Christ brings us back to His great teaching about the need of becoming children, and wherein lies the secret of true greatness in the Kingdom. (Emph added.)

Pastor Need

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