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July 1931
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
ATHEISM’S ADVANCE (Continued from page 306)
eousness, which is the outstanding feature of the kingdom that is to come. The ultimate purpose of God for this earth is righteousness, but it can be established only through judgment. This principle is always in operation in God’s dealings with men. Gospel righteousness, or the righteousness of faith, comes to believers only through judgment. Sin has been judged at Calvary, for the death of Christ was a judgment death. Through that judgment, Christ becomes to Christian believers “the Lord our right eousness.” The fourth quotation is from Psalm 104: 4, and refers to the angels. These serve God in the spirit realm. Ac cording to verse 14, the angels are ministering spirits, pub lic ministers of state, used by God in supplying aid to the heirs of salvation. The Old Testament record of angelic intervention and the renewal of that ministry in apostolic times were doubtless in the mind of the writer as he penned these words. From chapter 2, verse 5, we gather that the angels will have a special ministry with the saints in governing “the habitable earth to come.” We may also conclude from Bible teaching that even now the angels are busy in help ing the people of God, even though we may be uncon scious of it. Deliverance may not come from present or approaching ills, 'but if not, then grace sufficient for the trial will be supplied. This much is sure, that when our Lord wills to interpose on our behalf, He has at His dis posal the means, for the fulfillment of His will. The remaining quotations from Psalm 45 and Psalm 102 may be considered together. The glory of the Son of God is unfolded in both of. these quotations. Psalm 45 is Messianic; it reveals the Messiah-King in His majesty and power. His deity is made prominent in verse 6. Dr. Alexander Maclaren, in an expository sermon on this psalm, makes the following division: Psalm 102 opens with a prayer to Jehovah. It closes with the words quoted in Hebrews. Between the opening and closing verses, the name of Jehovah appears eight times. Of Him it is written: “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands.” Without apology or modification, the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews applies these words to the Son, who fills the picture in this first chapter of the book. It is impossible to escape the conviction that the Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New. This truth is of great importance and value. In order to be estab lished in the Christian faith, we must be led sooner or later to see and to believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Then He becomes the object of our faith in life and the object of our hope in death. The Spirit of God alone can lead us to see this. He does it on the basis of evidence which, in any other department of life and thought, would be con sidered satisfactory and sufficient. The evidence in this first chapter of Hebrews concern ing the Son of God as central and supreme in revelation and redemption is conclusive. In view of it there is only one attitude to take, and that is the attitude of worship leading us to say, with Thomas, “My Lord and my God.” 1. The Person of the King (vs. 1, 2). 2. The Warfare of the King (vs. 3-5). 3. The Royalty of the King (vs. 6, 7). In discussing the third division, from which the quota tion in Hebrews is taken, Dr. Maclaren says: “I take the words before us as directly referring to Jesus Christ and as directly declaring the divinity of His person, and there fore the eternity of His kingdom.”
worry about him. He is all right. He is in a Christian school, and we know he will come back to us as good as he was when he left us.’ ” • “Then the old man straightened up and threw his shoulders back like a soldier on parade. His eyes flashed fire. His jaw was set. ‘Brother Bob,’ he said, ‘while I had been preaching in my country churches, the devil had been sowing tares in that college! A skeptic had got in the Science Department. At the end of four years, my boy came home with his degree; but he came home an atheist, laughing at my religion, at' the gospel I preach, and at the faith of his mother. My son is a middle-aged man now, but he is a drunken, atheistic bum. Brilliantly educated, he writes letters to the papers and signs them “Atheist.” “ ‘Brother Bob, warn the people that the educational drift of this nation is atheistic. Tell them to awake or this nation is gone.’ ” T h e W ord and P rayer One of the chief features of the campaign for students is a plan to enlist as quickly as possible 100,000 people to pray daily for the students and for revival. Neat prayer cards have been issued giving suggestions for def inite daily intercession. Supplies of these will be sent free for distribution in churches, Bible schools, etc. Ad dress: The Million Testaments Campaign for Students, 1505 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa. Some weeks ago, in an English periodical, Rev. Sam uel Chadwick, Principal of Cliff College, made a striking and significant statement regarding the power of inter cessory prayer. He said: “The fervent supplication of one soul moved of God is an immeasurable force.” Every one who reads these lines is urged to pray fervently, day by day, for an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon our lands and upon our students, and for His blessing upon this new movement with its twofold purpose: to bring back to the Lord the students who have lost their faith, and ta lead multitudes of others into the glorious light of the gos pel. STUDIES IN HEBREWS {Continued from page 307) time for its inauguration is indicated in the words, “When he bringeth back the first begotten into the world” (Con- nybeare). Another reading is: “When he again intro- duceth the first begotten unto the habitable earth.” Not till then will the kingdom come. Our Lord Himself taught this in such scriptures as Luke 19:12 to 15, which harmon izes perfectly with Daniel 7:13 and 14. Comparing the quotation with the original in Psalm 97, the reader will observe a change. The words of the psalm, “Worship him all ye gods” (v. 7), are in the epis tle rendered, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” The word “Elohim” in the Hebrew is translated “angeloi” in the Septuagint, from which the writer probably quoted. As the representatives of God, the term Elohim could be applied to angels, even as it is to the judges (Ex. 21:6; 22:8, 9). The striking thing is that these angelic beings are called to worship the first begotten from the dead, who is also the Prince of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1 :5). As the first begotten from the dead, He cannot return to the world which put Him to death without coming in judgment. But the judgment leads to His reign of right
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