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TheBibleInstiuteHeur CALIFORNIA Bakersfield-Wasco KAFY 550
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broadcaster Monthly Publication of the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP Vol. 3 No. 5 MAY, 1963 CONTENTS TEARS ................................................ 3 PENCILS ..... - .............. — ..... 6 FLIES ......... 7 PARABLES A N D PEARLS .......... 8 THE EPIC OF EASTER ...............11 PANEL DISCUSSIONS ............... 17 PEANUTS .......... 21 TAKING A BATH .................. 22 CANDLES .............................. 23 HANG INGS ..... 24 TA ILS .....:.... 26 SHOES ...... 28 POSTAGE STAMPS .................. 30 THE GLORY OF THE CROSS .....32 COVER: Mr. Ken Farson, Church “Press, is responsible for this interest ing air photograph of La Mirada with the Biola Campus in the center.
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STAFF President........... ........S. H. Sutherland Editor---------------- --AI Sanders Production _______ Virginia Schwepker Printing __________ ......Church Press Published monthly by the Radio Dept. BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Cal. Controlled circulation postage paid at Les Angeles, California.
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T ears cannot be defined easily. The chemist would s a y that they are a combination of sodium chloride, phosphate of lime, mucus and water. The pastor would say tears are the bleeding of a broken heart. The police officer might say they are a sign of weakness. There is much about tears
in 'the Bible. Our Saviour left only two things on earth which were a part of Himself: His tears and His blood. His tears revealed that His heart was touched with the feelings of our in firmities. He is always ready to bear our griefs and to carry our sorrows. (Continued on next page)
in the sight of the Lord and they have power with God. We also read of a sinner’s tears. In Luke 7:38 a sinful woman kneels at Jesus’ feet. She washed them with her tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Perhaps she had been standing in some dark doorway on a street of Capernaum when Jesus’ kind words were heard, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11: 28). All the men this woman had ever met came to rob her. They had added to her troubles and increased 'her sor rows. Here was a man who would give rest to her troubled heart. The alabas- THE SINGLE EYE Oh, give me, Lord, the single eye, Which aims are nought but Thee: I fain would live, and yet not I— But Jesus lives in me. Like Noah's dove, no rest I find But in Thy ark of peace; The cross, the balance of my mind; Thy wounds, my hiding-place. In vain the tempter spreads the snare, If Thou my keeper art; — Get thee behind me, God is near, M y Saviour takes my part! On Him my spirit I recline, Who put my nature on; His light shall in my darkness shine, And guide me to His throne. — Autustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778) ter box, the oriental girl’s hope chest, was crushed. Christ saw tears reveal ing her true repentance. He said in kindness, “Thy sins are forgiven thee, go in peace.” Have you been to the Saviour’s feet with your tears? Kneel there today, a subject for His mercy. He will never turn you away. There were also the tears of a king found in H Kings 20:5. We are re minded that even royalty can be wretched. Even the prominent have tears, for sorrow is universal. The tears of Hezekiah touched the heart of God. He was given 15 additional years of life. Praying with tears is usually ef
Tears (continued) His blood gives testimony to His great desire to cleanse us from every sin and stain. In the Garden, the Lord prayed with strong crying and tears. He was about to take our place and to die in our stead. Have you ever loved Him for that? Have you ever thanked Him for it? A queen’s tears are mentioned in Esther 8:3. This lovely Jewish queen presented her petition to the king for the preservation of her people. Her prayer was effective; the king was moved; the petition was granted. The request was made at the risk of her own life. Her tears revealed her ear nestness and devotion. The Scripture reminds us, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing pre cious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him.” Here we have the fanner’s tears. Salt Water seems to make the seed grow. But why should a sower be weeping? What is there about the seed or the soil that brings tears to the eyes? This passage, of course, refers to sowing the Gospel. Tears come because of the tragedy of life where there is no Christ. When God’s long-suffering ends, the sinner’s own suffering begins. There is danger ahead for the one who has not yet received the good seed of the Gospel into his heart. Tears show we believe God’s Word; the tears show that we care for the souls of lost men. We don’t see as many tears for this reason as we should. A father’s tears are mentioned touch ingly in Mark 9:24. Here is a scene of sorrow, reinacted over and over again in many homes today. Here is a wicked boy with a praying father. The father’s heart was yearning over his son; he could not be comforted. How cruel the devil is. He wrecks the life and then he laughs at the wreck. He ruins the soul and then he rejoices over the ruin. He breaks the heart and then he pours liquid fire into the wound. There is no grace in the devil’s pro gram. The father’s prayer, amid his tears, was, “Lord, I believe; help Thou my unbelief.” Such tears are precious
fective. Dry prayers come from dry hearts. Dry hearts do not produce the flowers that bloom with heaven’s grace. Hannah prayed with tears (I Samuel 1:10). She saw the great need of Israel and prayed for a son who might bring the people back to God. Although bar ren of children her heart was rich in its desires toward God. She craved to be an instrument through whom the deliverer might come. God granted the desire of her soul. How we need to weep over the needs of the church and lost men everywhere. There was a mighty preacher who had tears. In Acts 20:19 Paul was mighty in word and deed and had a HE MAKETH NO MISTAKE M y Father's way may twist and turn, M y heart may throb and ache, But in my soul I'm glad I know, He maketh no mistake. M y cherished plans may go astray. M y hopes may fade away. But still I'll trust my Lord to lead, For He doth know the way. Tho night be dark and it may seem That day will never break. I'll pin my faith, my all in Him, He maketh no mistake. There's so much now I cannot see, M y eyesight's far too dim. But come what may, I'll, simply trust And leave it all to Him. For by and by the mist will lift, And plain it all He'll make, Through all the way, tho dark to me, He made not one mistake. tender heart. He wept over the people of God night and day. His sermons were moistened with tears. Paul wept because he cared. May God give every preacher and every one of us, as soul- winners, a tender heart, moistening the eye and the spirit with tears of love and compassion. * ft ft Those who hide their treasure on earth cannot expect to find it later in heaven. * A ft By doing wrong you become God's debtor; by suffering wrong you be come His creditor.
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
Have you ever considered what would be involved in making a vio lin. What delicate precision it would take. A distinguished musician or dered a new violin. He wanted the best possible instrument card so went to a real artisan. He told him to use only the finest materials, to take all the time he needed, utilizing his utmost skill. When completed the musician tried it out. Drawing the bow across the strings, his face clouded. L ifting the instrument above his head, he brought it down on the counter smashing it into pieces. Reaching for his wallet, he gave the price to the violin maker, turned sharply and promptly left the shop. The violin maker wasn't satisfied with the pay; his entire reputation was at stake. Gathering up the fragments he skillfully and patiently put them together. Again he sent for the musician. This time, as the artist drew the bow across the strings, the frown of disapproved didn’t come. The instrument was superb. “What’s your price for this one,” he happily asked? “Nothing at all,” he heard unbelievably. “It’s the same violin you smashed to pieces. I put the fragments togeth er.” In this same way, God alone can take the fragments of a shat tered life and put them together by His omnipotent grace. Completely under the touch of the Holy Spirit, the soul bursts forth in beautiful tones, exemplary of a life in tune with Christ. The Lard Jesus wants your heart, my friend, and He’ll take it broken. He has said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I w ill give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). * ft ft To fear pain ii natural but to fear pleasure is supernatural. . . . Lightening it the brightest when the clouds are the darknest. * . * 5
O n e of my favorite hobbies is col lecting unusual pencils. While travelling around the country I find some which have a peculiar interest to me. Some pencils are long, remind ing us of those who live long lives and write upon many hearts. Some are short revealing the brevity of our days. Some pencils have large leads at their center. People, too, have large or small hearts. God wants us to have kind ten der hearts that will make an impres sion for Christ upon those whom we meet day by day. My pencils are of various colors, representing the five great races of earth. Every human being has a heart; each one has some purpose in life. Pencils, of course, do not grow in the woods. They must be made by an in telligent person. Man, too, has to be made by a Wonderful personal God. Pencils represent death. The wood was once a living thing which had to be cut down, split, trimed, painted, and made to conform to the plan of the maker. What a picture of our wonder ful Saviour. He gave up His life at Calvary that we might have eternal life in Him. A pencil must have a new heart. The wood is taken out and a new heart of graphite is inserted. The old heart of a sinner cannot be used in writing the story of God’s grace. A new heart is given to the soul who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ for sal vation. Pencils must be sharpened to be of any use. Not every Christian can say, “I am ready to preach the gospel.” The world must be laid aside. The Holy Spirit must sit on the throne of
the new heart. The Word of God must fill the mind; self must be denied. We need to ask the Lord to keep us sharp, ready for His service. I have a very large pencil in my collection which looks like it could be a wonderful writing instrument. It is, however, a hypocrite. It can make no mark at all. There are people like that who claim to be Christians; they live nice clean lives, but all of this is mere ly a form. They have never received a new heart from God; they have not been brought face to face with Jesus Christ. Some of my pencils are auto matic; the lead must be forced out. The Christian, in the hands of the Spirit of God, will find himself twisted and turned by the Lord so that he may write better than he knows. One of my pencils is very expensive while another cost only a penny. Which one do you think writes the better? That is right. They both write the same if they are held by the same hand. The Christian himself is in the hands of Christ. He may be a wealthy, well educated individual, or an in significant member of the community. Most pencils bear the name of their maker. God, too, brands His sheep with His grace and salvation. The devil leaves his mark upon men, too. How tragic this is. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can erase the marks of sin. It may be some people write a better let ter (living epistle) than others. That isn’t because they have a better pen cil, however, it is because they are con trolled by the Spirit. Let the Lord guide; not only your hand, but also your entire life day by day. 6
a 0 H H H 1 FLIES| .-
mmutes are spent daily, fighting flies. There are all kinds of flies, but flies by any names are miserable nuisances and harmful pests. The Bible tells us that, “There came a great swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt.” These were not just ordi nary house flies. Psalm 78:45 tells us, He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them.” Think of the kindness of God in not allowing the propogation of these pests to this same degree today. His restrain ing hand shows His grace and love in such a small matter as restraining the population of flies. When Pharaoh pleaded for mercy, Moses prayed for God’s delivering hand. God answered by giving marching orders (or flying orders) to the flies. They left complete ly; not a trace of them was left. Listen, did you ever try to make one fly go anywhere and have you succeeded? This is a wonderful miracle only God could perform. The fly is a strangely made creature. It has a thousand facets on its two eyes. When you approach a fly with swatter, it really sees a thousand swat ters coming after it. No wonder it moves so rapidly. A fly has a thousand hollow hairs on the bottom of its six feet. When the fly places its foot down a tiny bit of glue flows out of these hollow hairs, causing the foot to stick wherever it is walking. The horse fly lays her eggs on the front knees of the horse. She does so because the eggs are hatched inside of the horse. Who told her that the horse rarely licks its hindlegs but very fre quently licks the front? Has anyone conducted a school for flies, teaching them where to lay their eggs? Only a personal living God could impart these instincts to such an insect. Even if a man knew how to do it, he certainly worild never do it. Who would want to raise horse flies? God alone can give a fly nature an«J make it live Eke a fly. And, my friend, God alone can give you a Christian nature, the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and make you live like the Saviour. 7
7
pht of the spirit- gleaned from br how G od le flies out of Igues? “He re lies from Phar- and from his [not one*’ (Exo- oeen a land of [The flies have [rt’s children for od cleaned the ¡there remained always does a saves a person i job. When the they are gone ad transgression |e blood of Jesus aber of flies We are no end of
fAVE YOU EV ual lesson “flies?” You thoroughly clei Egypt during moved the swa aoh, from his people; there re dus 8:31). Egyj flies (and it
ruined the eyes of E*, centuries. Yet, j^ ^ H flies out at t h a ^ ^ H not one. Our ■ H I thorough job. He also does a ¿Moi Lord puts our s^HR forever. Every H i has been cover«■d bjJ Christ. Just the ordu^Ry have around tl||fh<: trouble. A gri .built up in u p mi paper, sprays, Rvatte! like. Thousand!
istry has been |ufacture of fly traps and the of qpllars are spent every year, and countiess thousands of
honor student, had been blinded accidentally at ten years of age. A beautiful young woman had promised to be his bride. A few days before their marriage the young man had an eye operation. On the wedding day the bride walked down the aisle with her father to meet her ■ future husband. Beside the young man stood one of Britain’s outstanding doctors} the person who had performed the operation. When the procession had ended and all were standing in front, the doctor cut the bandages from the bride groom’s eyes. The delicate surgery was successful. The young man had the opportunity of seeing his belov ed. But all he could say was, “A t last! A t last!” I doubt that any of those who witnessed the wedding w ill ever forget it. As believers, forming the Scriptural bride of Christ, we too, have never visably seen our blessed Saviour, yet we love Him. As Scripture states, “Whom having not seen, ye love- in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice w ith joy un speakable and fu ll of glory3’ (I Peter 1:8). * * * We must come to God as children if we are to walk as men. * * * KILLING THE RESCUER What beauty and grandeur there is in the Swiss Alps. Because of the dangers in travelling in the high country there, Saint Bernard dogs are trained to rescue those who be come wearied and may be in danger of losing their lives. One such noble animal was rescuing its 69th man. After digging him from the snow, 8
FAMILY ALTAR One o f the most important prac tices for every Christian home is that of the fam ily altar. There are a number of things that w ill happen when you follow a set pattern for devotions in your home. First of all, the fam ily altar w ill sweeten the life of every member, enriching the relationships as nothing else can do. It w ill dissolve misunderstand ings and relieve friction. It w ill hold your children to Christian ideals and determine their lasting welfare. It w ill send each forth to work for the day at school, in the home, office or factory. We w ill have a new determination, too, that whatever we do may glorify God. The fam ily altar w ill give strength to meet bravely a n y disappointments and adversities that may come. It w ill reinforce the influence and work of the church, Sunday school and or ganizations seeking to advance the cause of Christ around the world. It w ill encourage other homes to make a place for the Saviour. And above all else fam ily devotions honor our heavenly Father, expressing thanks giving for His tender mercy and His grace bestowed upon us. How long has it been since you practiced the habit? It is never too late to start, for even if you are alone, personal devotions w ill give you a new glimpse of the Lord who reminds us that “men ought always to pray and not faint.” * * * Men may be ableto polish men, but only God can cleanse them. * * * SIGHT AT THE WEDDING A t an interesting wedding in Eng land the bridegroom, a university
FIELD REPRESENTATIVE APPOINTED FOR ARIZONA
the dog stretched itself over the body of the mart, just as it had been trained to do, to impart warmth and revive the flickering sparks of life. When the man started to thaw out, in his dazed and drowsy condition, he saw the huge dog hovering over him. He mistook the animal for a wolf intent on devouring h i m . Reaching for a knife he quickly plunged the blade into the animals side. W ithout a whimper the dog crept away and bled to death. That is a very sad story, for we all love animals. There is a parallel, how ever, to the way in which man simi larly mistreats the One who came to this earth to rescue mankind from sin. The Bible talks of those who crucify the Son of God, spum ing His offer of eternal life. This is the difference, however, the freez ing man was only semi-conscious when he rejected his would-be-res cuer. Today, men deliberately and knowingly reject the Saviour. “It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment.” “Behold now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation.” “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” * * * If ignorance is bliss, more people should be shouting for joy! * * * "THEY WONT MISS ME" You may sometimes feel that your place in life is insignificant. If yoiire not in your place, however, somewhere along the line there is a gap in the hedge. “They worit miss me,” said the policeman as he skip ped a round of his patrol for an extra hand of cards. That night a store was robbed. “They won’t miss m e” said the mother as she re peatedly left her children for parties and. teas. The devil didn’t miss the children' either. “They won’t miss m e” said the man in the assembly line as he slipped away without per mission. But the airplane crashed for lack of a single bolt. “They
M r. M erv Fishback, president o f Bioltds 1963 senior class, has been appointed Field Representative for Biola and the Arizona Bible Institute. He w ill take up his duties in June and w ill have his office at A .B.I. in Phoenix, 3025 W . McDowell Road. worit miss m e” said the sentry as he slipped away from duty but the enemy surprised and massacred his comrades that very night. “They won’t miss me.” said the churcFT member, as he omitted worship one Sunday, and then another, for trivial reasons. He wondered why he no longer enjoyed a victorious Chris tian life. The Psalmist exhorts us, “O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful” (Psalm 31:23). * The Cron ii the keythat will lock the door on your sinful past. * * * TRUE FORGIVENESS A wayward young man ran away from home and followed a pathway of sin. Then one day, as the prodigcd in the Bible, he came to himself re alizing the fo lly of his existence. Writing a letter to his parents, he implored them for forgiveness. As he rocíe home on the train, a sense (Continued on next page) 9 # *
Parables and Pearls (continued) of guilt and. fear possessed him. He bowed his head and began to weep. A man seated across the aisle sensed the difficulty and came over to help. As he heard the story, the stranger kindly said, “Thais wonderful. Now there is nothing to worry about, is there?” “Yes, but how can I really be sure my parents w ill receive me?” the outcast pondered. “You see, this train passes by our back yard. In my last letter l told them if they would forgive me, they should tie a white cloth from one of the branches of the tree. This is to be the signal telling me that l can come home. But now, w ithin just a few miles of home, I’m afraid to look; afraid what their answer might be.” The kindly gentleman said he would look for him. So that he would not miss it, the profligate explained what his home looked like. As they approached the place the man, a father himself, carefully watched for the white cloth he was sure would be hanging from a branch. Then, all of a sudden he smiled broadly and reported, “You can look now, son. There is no need to worry! You see, they have a white cloth tied to every single branch of that tree!” What a wonderful story of human forgiveness. But how it pales into insignificance when we think of what Christ has done for us. “He pardoned ALL our sins. He can celled the bond which stood against us. The bond that consisted of or dinances and which was directly hostile to us. He has taken it out of our way by nailing it to the cross. He rid Himself of all the powers of evil; and held them up to open con tempt when He celebrated His tri umph over them on the cross!” (The 20th Century N e w Testament. Colossians 2:14 and 15.) * * * Don't be so busy preparing for a "rainy" day that you miss God's sun shine of today. * * *
A flame of fire from the pulpit will soon melt any ice in the pew. * * * HOW MUCH "LESS"? Have you ever noticed how often the word “less” creeps into our con versation and becomes a part of our daily vocabulary. For instance, we have had iceless refrigerators, fire less cookers, wireless telegraphy, hammerless guns, skidless tires, and drugless prescriptions. Unfortunate ly, it appears we also are being sub jected, from liberal theological cen ters, with a bloodless Gospel, Christ- less salvation, Spiritless ministry and a powerless church. The end result is a peaceless world trying to produce a warless economy. Thank God that we have a solid core of young people who are preparing themselves here at Biola to serve Christ wheresoever He may call. Your monthly faithful ness enables us to send forth His message through them to the ends of the earth. * * * We never test the resources of God until we attempt the impossible! . . . HOW TO BUILD A BOMB SHELTER Most of our readers may not be aware that we teach our hundreds of students in the five Biola schools how to build bomb shelters. They are of a very special type. Would you like to know how to do it?-First, dig in deeply, making sure your foundation is on rock, the Rock, Christ Jesus. Then build your shel ter strong without and within pro viding walls of salvation and gates of praise. Stock it w ith the Bread of Life and the Living Water. Have plenty of fruit of the Spirit. Enter the door and qbide in peace fearing not them which can kill the body but are not able to kill the soul. A very practical bomb shelter! * * * He who will not learn of anyone except himself has a fool for a teacher.
10
AS FEATURED FRIDAY, APRIL 12, OVER 'THE BIOLA HOUR'
Easter
óodldn
erusalem lay silently beneath the The majesty and power that His eJ) evening sky; The solemn celebration of the Passover was nigh. The faithful of the city, from the great est to the least. Would honor God and Moses by the keeping of the feast. The city great began its wait, its vigil, and its prayer, And darkness fell to cast its spell on those abiding there. But deep dissatisfaction grieved the heart of Israel, For she longed for her Messiah—for her Christ, Emmanuel. For centuries she yearned to see the coming of her King, mighty reign would bring. But Jewish pride was mortified, and hope had all but failed, For scores of years with all their tears had not at all availed. But there in yonder city with its dis content and gloom, A band of Jews asembled in a fur nished upper room. A Galilean teacher was the center of the scene; Surrounded by a dozen men was Christ the Nazarene. They thought that He should surely be the chosen One of God (Continued on next page)
for human sin and shame Ere He return to God on high, the One from whom He came. He spoke to them more dearly than He ever had before, And they were grieved to think that they would see His face no more. “I go away,” they heard Him say in words of tender love; But He would send the Holy Friend, His Spirit from above. So Jesus drew Himself aside in old Gethsemane With fiery Simon Peter and the sons of Zebedee. He pled that they should watch and pray, for sorrow did abound. He went a little farther, and He fell upon the ground. In deep distress and loneliness He prayed with holy zeal; “Thy will be done,” said God the Son despite His great ordeal. But Peter and the others lay in slum ber from the start, Which added still more sorrow to His burdened heavy heart. He prayed as only He could pray; He prayed with all His might, For sorrow, anguish, grief, and pain were part of Him that night. In agony, more earnestly He sought His God in prayer, Till He was wet with bloody sweat, despite the chilling air. Three times He prayed, “Thy will be done;” three times He looked to God; Three times He saw the chosen few asleep upon the sod. Eire long He bade His men to rise; the traitor was at hand. And while He spoke, a mob appeared with Judas in command. His enemies, the Pharisees, were they behind the plan To come by night prepared to fight and take the Son of Man? He told them plainly who He was, and ere He did conclude They fell away upon the ground, be wildered and subdued. Then Judas heard the peerless voice which couldn’t speak amiss. 12
Epic of Easter (continued) Whose righteous hand would rule the land as with an iron rod. As Jesus sat among his men before the sacred meal, His heart was heavy with a weight that He would not conceal. His men had been contentious and they willed to disagree On who should be the greatest in the kingdom yet to be. The Master then rebuked His men by rising from His seat To humbly act with perfect tact — to wash and wipe their feet. The twelve disciples marveled at the manner of their Lord Whose quiet words of stem reproof were sharper than a sword. He taught a mighty lesson and He took His place again To share the sacred supper with humi liated men. But soon a spell of tenseness fell, for Jesus testified That verily, He soon would be be trayed and then denied. “Betrayed,” said He, “by one of you— betrayed and sent to die.” Then, one by one the men began to ask Him, “Is it I?” Oh, who would sell the Master to a place among the dead? Then Judas questioned, “Is it I?” He answered, “Thou hast said.” And Judas knew the words were true; his thought was brought to light. He left his place and in disgrace went out, and it was night. The men were stunned by what they saw, but failed to realize The magnitude of what was taking place before their very eyes. But Jesus knew His hour was come, and He must leave His own, Ordained of God to give His life for saken and alone. The chosen few were stirred anew as Jesus let them know The purpose of His life of love, the reason for His woe. His blood must flow for all mankind—
“Betrayest thou the Son of Man,” said Jesus, “with a kiss?” He rose in fear and then drew near to do that very thing; The jealous band most surely plan ned to take away the King. Then Simon Peter drew his sword, preparing for the end, But Jesus chose to call him off — to yield and not defend. The Lord agreed to go with them, as God His Father willed. His men forsook Him there and fled, and Scripture was fulfilled. They led Him down and into town as one would lead a beast; Securely tied, He came inside the palace of the priest. But Peter followed far behind, the brazenest of all, Till he came beside the fire in the center of the hall. He feared the end was soon to come as Jesus said it would, And sat among the servants to observe as best he could. The night wore on till nearly dawn; the council sought in vain To frame a lie depicting why the Master should be slain. They hated Him without a cause—in tent on His decease, And lied about Him many times, but Jesus held His peace. At last the aged priest addressed this Son of Abraham, “Art Thou the Christ, the Son of God” And Jesus said, “I am.” He also told how God of old would honor Him in time, And thus allowed the frenzied crowd to charge Him with a crime. Men heard the cry of blasphemy and hastened to condemn, For guilt was all but proven in the sight of each of them. They spat upon the King of Kings, and smote Him on the face, And mocked the very Lord of life to put Him in disgrace. But cruelty and mockery could never cause Him fear; The gruesome scene could only mean
that death lay very near. Now Peter sat beside the fire, anxious and afraid, And heard an accusation that a certain woman made. “This man was also with Him,” she declared upon the spot. But Simon Peter turned away and said, “I know Him not.” The rugged saint had proven faint; he rose in deep despair And tried to hide amid the throng quickly assembled there. But he was apprehended twice in but a little while, And twice again denied His Lord in very vulgar style. And met the gaze of Jesus Christ whom he had failed to own. A cock was heard, a conscience stirred, and Peter went outside To bear his grief without relief in tears he couldn’t hide. The dreadful night was over and the morning came at last. The Lord was left forsaken by the faithful of the past. The council met together to decide and shape His fate, And led Him off to Pilate in an at mosphere of hate. They lied with grim reports of Him before the judgment hall; Divinely trained, the Lord remained in silence through it all. Now Pilate marveled greatly that He answered not a word To charges more offensive than the court had ever 'heard. The governor inquired of the Kingdom and the King, And wondered that His enemies had failed to prove a thing. The scene conveyed that He was made the victim of a grudge. “What hast thou done?” the royal Son was questioned by the judge. The regal Christ again declared His case before the hall, And Pilate stated he could find no fault in Him at all. (Continued on next page) 13
The people made him more afraid than ever in the past, And he was bound to lose his ground before the verbal blast. The heart of Pilate trembled as he wondered what to do. He couldn’t honor Caesar great and honor Jesus too. He brought the Master forward to the Roman judgment seat; “Behold your King,” said he, to make the irony complete. “Away with Him, away with Him, let Him be crucified!” This cry prevailed as Pilate failed to stem the rising tide. Then, “Shall I crucify your King?” he said despite his fears. “We have no king but Caesar,” came the answer to his ears. He finally consented to accomplish their demands, And stood before the multitude to wash his guilty hands. He did concede in word and deed; he set Barabbas free, And Jesus bore the lash before the crowd in agony. They put on Him a purple robe; He wore the thorny crown, While soldiers coldly tried to drag the name of Jesus down. The men saluted Jesus with a loud sarcastic “Hail!” And tortured Him inhumanly, but all to no avail. They bowed the knee in mockery; a spitting crowd were they; They smote His head and later led the King of Kings away. The purple robe had been removed; His raiment was His own. The people sought to make Him bear His heavy cross alone. The steps of Jesus faltered on the old Golgotha road, So they compelled another man to bear the heavy load. His tortured soul was near its goal; the Man of Sorrows came To Calvary, the place where He must bear His greatest shame. But women of Jerusalem had followed 14
Epic of Easter (continued) The Lord was sent to Herod with a similar result, Though charged to be the leader of a detrimental cult. This Herod mean had never seen the Son of God before, Nor had he heard the Living Word, or seen His deeds of yore, The petty ruler brought Him forth, some miracle to see, But only went unheeded by the Man of Galilee. The men of Herod mocked Him, and the accusations rose, And Jesus seemed completely at the mercy of His foes; For Herod sought to set at nought this Man of pure report; The Lord was spumed and then re turned to Pilate and the court. The governor prepared to set this Man at liberty, For neither he nor Herod could con demn Him lawfully. Now Pilate sought to free Him by traditional release, But sentiment was moved against the mighty Prince of Peace. This shiftless 'herd of men preferred a murderer instead, And hoped to make the Master take his place among the dead. “Release Barabbas unto us,” they cried with one accord, So Pilate asked whdt he should do with Jesus Christ the Lord. A crown of thorns was fashioned for the Galilean King; While old Praetorium itself acquired a deathly ring. The swelling cry was “Crucify”; it rose without a pause, But Pilate still forbade to kill a man without a cause. “I find no fault in Him,” he said, “What evil hath He done?” The Jews replied that He had made Himself as God the Son. The governor was threatened by the leaders of the mob, And feared to think of losing his posi tion and his job.
near at hand, And wailed and wept for Jesus — this heroic, 'helpless band. They saw the Son of Man refuse the vinegar and gall, And seemed to be the only -one who cared for Him at all. The human race would turn its face defiantly away, And show its hate without the gate on this, its judgment day. The Lamb of God was sacrificed upon a cross of wood; Outside the ancient city wall the mor bid object stood. They crucified the Master with a thief on either side, And willed to make Him suffer even more before He died. Then Pilate wrote a triple note, a short and pointed thing; Above His head the title read that Jesus was the King. Transgressors He was numbered with to prove the Scriptures true, And then He prayed, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He prayed for those who cast the lot to take His clothes away; He prayed for those who hated Him, as only He could pray. Betrayed, denied, and crucified, He hung upon the cross; Upon the tree at Calvary He suf fered total loss. The people stood beholding Him—the Christ, the Undefiled, And held Him in derision while the passing crowd reviled. They told the Lord to save Himself and show His deity, While priests and others mocked again the Man of Galilee. In unbelief one dying thief assailed Him with the tongue; The other one besought the Son to save him as he hung. The Master closed the issue with a promise to redeem, Though soon His grieving heart would know the agony supreme. The load of sin for all the world would soon be His to bear;
The righteous wrath of God Himself must come upon Him there. His Father dear must turn His ear away from God the Son, And hide His face as in disgrace from Christ the Holy One. A deathly darkness veiled the earth, and day became as night; The sun itself was darkened when it should have been so bright. The light of God was blackened and the face of God was veiled; And Christ the Son of God was left forsaken as He wailed. Observers thought that Jesus sought a prophet of the past, And stopped to see if possibly relief would come at last The Son of God was on the cross, for man had done his worst, And openly rebelled against the King who said, “I thirst” They gave Him vinegar to drink; He took the bitter cup, And uttered, “It is finished,” and the ghost He yielded up. A holy flood of precious blood was shed upon the tree; For Jesus bled that stream of red for all—for you and me. The might of God was witnessed when the Lamb of God was slain; From top to bottom did He rend the temple veil in twain. The earth did quake beneath His hand, and ageless rocks were rent; And those who stood beholding truly wondered what it meant. But there was one centurion with others near the scene Who saw the death — the final breath of Christ the Nazarene. They seemed to feel the earth convulse with power divinely odd, And realized they stood before the very Son of God. Some soldiers came to break His legs according to command, But He remained unbroken by the military band. Then one drew near with ready spear and pierced the Crucified; (Continued on next page)
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The Lord appeared to two of them and talked along the way To the village of Emmaus on the res urrection day. When evening came the Master stood among His very own— The men who promised faithfulness to Him, and Him alone. They saw Him stand before them, and they heard His voice divine; It was the Lord whom they adored, the true and living Vine. He showed to them His hands and side and spoke to them again, And all were glad, save Thomas, who was absent from the ten. Now Thomas had a stubborn soul that nothing might deceive; Unless he saw the risen Christ, this man would not believe. But Jesus came to prove His claim to Thomas and the rest, And suffered much that he might touch the hands that stood the test. When Thomas saw the awful marks and felt His wounded side, He recognized his Lord and God in Christ the Crucified. The Lord ordained His own to go to all the human race And preach the saving gospel of His own redeeming grace. The Lord of love is now above—the Sovereign over all, The One who gave Himself to save the children of the fall. You know about this Jesus, whom you may have long ignored, But now, would you receive Him as your Saviour and your Lord? He came to save the sinful soul; He came for you and me, And paid the price we could not pay, in blood on Calvary. 0, human soul, what is your goal? Consider while you may; But choose you must to spurn or trust the Lamb of God today. "He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come unto condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).
Epic of Easter (continued) A gory spout of blood came out with water from His side. The loved ones of the Master stood beholding from afar As the record of the prophets was ful filled without a mar. •At even, Rilate listened to a pitiful request; A man would put the Saviour to a fit ting final rest. One Joseph came to bear the frame of Jesus to his grave; With tender care he did prepare the body for the cave. His body came to rest within that sepulchre of stone; A massive boulder blocked the door to leave it there alone. But Pharisees were fearful that the Lord might yet endure, And took extreme precautions that the vault be made secure. They would not rest till every test of surety was made To seal His doom within the tomb where never man was laid. The body lay in silence till that third historic day, When the angel of the Lord came down and rolled the stone away. As women neared the vacant grave, he told them not to fear; “I know that ye seek Jesus,” and he said, “He is not here.” And then he bade them come and see the place where He was laid. They came and saw, and stood in awe, for they were sore afraid. The Lord of life is risen; He is not among the dead; The tomb is truly empty as the holy angel said. The women were commanded to go forth and tell the news To those the dear disciples of Messiah of the Jews. So off they went as they were sent to tell the chosen men That Christ arose despite His foes— He is alive again.
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Panel Distussions
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(Interesting questions sent in by radio listeners)
Q . San Diego, California — “What did Paul mean in I Corinthians 7:6, ‘But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment!’ Does it indicate the Bible is not verbally inspired? A. The seventh chapter of I Corinthi ans concerns marriage and divorce. The apostle Paul states, “To the rest say I, not the Lord.” Look at the mar ginal references for wherever he says, “Not I, but the Lord,” you will find the direct statements in the Gospels. When the Apostle indicates, “To the rest say I, not the Lord,” he is now by the Spirit of God, giving additional explanation or revelation. If God only wanted us to have what the Lord Jesus Christ gave us, there wouldn’t be any thing after the Gospel of John. There is no denial of inspiration here. The entire chapter is verbally inspired. Q . Billings, Montana — “Where are the three heavens mentioned in the Bible?” A. There are numerous mentions of heaven or heavens in the Scriptures. The context must be studied carefully in order to understand which one is being talked about. F o r instance, Psalms 104:12, “By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habita tion which sing among the branches.” Here reference is made to our cloudy atmosphere. This refers to the first heaven. The same is true of the reference in Genesis 7:11." In Deuteronomy 17:3 there is a ref erence to the second heaven or the starry firmament, “And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded.” In Psalm 119:89, however, there is
the reference to God’s dwelling place or the third heaven. “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” This is the very throne of God. Q . Billings, Montana — “I f Ezekiel 38 deals with Russia and Palestine in the future, why are such antiquated imple ments as horses and swords used? Why does it not speak of bombs, guns and other modern means?” A. We read, “And I will turn thee back, and put hooks in thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, with bucklers and shields, all of them han dling siwords” (Ezekiel 38:4). Ezekiel prophesied at least two and a half mil lenniums ago. If words translated jets, bombers, or atomic warfare were used, up to two and a half decades ago, no one would comprehend what was meant. The words which the Holy Spirit did select connote war; they represent bloodshed a n d fighting. (Keep in mind that swords, bayonets, and horses, are still familiar.) Q . Tacoma, Washington — “In the light of cremation I wonder if you could please explain Amos 2:1 to me.” A. Amos was a prophet, a contempo rary of Isaiah. The verse reads, “Thus saith the Lord: For three transgres sions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; be cause he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime.” A positive scrip tural doctrine concerning the subject of cremation cannot be based on such a verse. This portion speaks of the judgment of God against the sinful (Continued on next page) 17
tribulation is a period of judgment by God upon a God-hating, Christ-reject- ing world. It is not a time of judgment upon the church. The purpose of the tribulation is for judgment upon the world. Why men want to make true believers to go through the tribulation is beyond understanding. We are rath er, “Looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Q . Glendale, California — “How could Moses h a v e written Deuteronomy when his own death account is includ ed in it? A. The last eight verses of the 34th chapter give us this reference. The question has been put forth by destruc tive critics of the Scripture. Whether Moses did or didn’t write the account does not reflect upon the Mosaic au thorship of the book. Many great men have written their ow n autobiog raphies, and yet the account of their last days has been written by close friends or historians. Our Saviour said, “The law came by Moses, but grace and truth by Jesus Christ.” Here au thorship is attested to. It is possible that God did not have Moses write of his death. The last eight verses could have been added by Joshua as a post script. On the other hand Moses was allowed by God to predict the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). Could not the Spirit of God allow Moses to predict or to foresee his own death? The span of years was far less encompassing. The entire matter of prophecy is whether you believe God can foretell the future or not. Prophecy is not a shrewd political guess, it is a miracle of events. Q . Los Angeles, California — “I’ve been asked to resign from my Sunday School class where I have been teach ing for many years. Should / demand my rights or ju st take it lying down?” A. There are no doubt various back ground problems connected with this particular situation. In all probability
Panel Discussions (continued) actions of wicked men and nations. The Moabites burned the bones of the king of Edom. They did not allow a corpse to remain intact. Complete in dignity was heaped up those who were slain. This was the consummating in iquity of Moab against Edom. We do have cases of cremation in the Bible but usually it is in places of plagues with accompanying slaughter and car nage. The Bible rather shows that peo ple gave proper honors to the bodies of loved ones. Godly men bewailed their losses. The normal Scriptural position seems to be against cremation because of the high dignity placed upon the Christian’s body. It is true that in the course of time the body will disinte grate, however, to put indignity upon it does not appear in harmony with the Bible. Q. “What are the Scriptures providing us with the doctrine of the return of Christ before the tribulation?” A. There are some definite Scriptures as well as portions which definitely imply the return of Christ before the tribulation. I Thessalonians 1:10, “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” In the sixth chapter of Revela tion the people hide their faces from the kings of the earth. “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come” (Revelation 6:16, 17). This refers to the time of God’s judgment upon a God-hating, Christ- rejecting world. The portion in I Thes salonians tells us that we are delivered from the wrath. The church does not appear after the end of Revelation chapter three. The church is in heaven during chapter four and five of Revela tion. From chapter 6 on, the church remains in heaven. There are no ref erences whatever indicating that the church is here upon the earth during the latter portion of Revelation. The
GRADUATION
your duty is to remove yourself from this particular position. Do not be a cause of dissention. Demanding one’s rights and wanting to get even are characteristics of the world. The Christian position is to pray about it and, if necessary, to take it “lying down.” If a Modernist has moved in and you are teaching the Word of God, you should be praying that the Lord will deal with him. If you are getting along in years and you are unable to cope with the class of chil dren, it would be best to step down. Be gracious about it; do what the authorities have suggested; assure them of your continued prayers. The Lord will give you rest in your own heart by so doing. Q. San Jose, California — “Was Paul in the will o f God when he went to Jeru salem after he had been warned * through the Holy Spirit not to do so?’’ A. Some have said that he was. He had a tremendous desire to be of help and to testify to his own people. This would make everything Paul did from the time he decided to go to Jeru salem out of the will of God. But, although it may not have been the will of God at' first, after he did go and testify, God made the ministry and witness to redound to His own glory. There is an indication here of both the directive and the permissive will of God. Q. San Diego, California — “What is the chaff and the wheat spoken of in Matthew IS?" A. The 13th chapter of Matthew con tains a number of parables by our Lord. The one concerning tares be gins at the 24th verse: “Another parable put he forth unto them, say ing, The kingdom of heaven is lik ened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field; But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way” (verses 24 and 25). The Sower of the good seed is the Lord Jesus, the field is the world, the good seed are the
Dr. Glenn O’Need, professor of Talbot The ological Sem inary, talks w ith Dr. Louis T. Talbot (le ft), Chancellor, and. Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland, president, of Biola. Dr. Robert Sm ith w ill be Commencement speak er Sunday, June 2, 1963 at 3:30 p.m . on Campus. sons of the kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one. Our Lord Himself gives us the authorative and authentic interpretation of wheat and tares (verses 36-39). Q . Escondido, California — “Our preach er says animals also have souls, but the Bible says God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath o f life and man became a living soul. Don’t you think that I ’m right?” A. It depends entirely upon one’s def inition of soul and spirit. There are those who believe man is made up of body and soul. They identify soul and spirit as the same. In that sense the animals would not have souls. We believe that man is a tri-part being, made up of body, soul and spirit. Ani mals do then have souls. They do hot have a spirit such as we possess. It is the spirit that is made in the image of God; the soul is simply the ani mal nature. Q . Albuquerque, New Mexico — “Does the soul enter the body at conception or at birth?” (Continued on next page) 19
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