The Harp of God Part 14

Should we follow sophistry or the Bible in reaching a conclusion on these questions? -- 172.

Briefly review the argument of the begetting and birth of Jesus which disproves that he was an incarnated being. -- 173.

If Jesus was G.o.d incarnate, why should he have had the experience in the wilderness? -- 173.

Angels are spirit beings. What Scriptural proof have we that Jesus was not an angel? Cite the Scriptural proof. -- 174.

Give further Scriptures to show that he _was_ a man, made in the likeness of men, and that he _is_ the Lord from heaven. -- 174.

Had Jesus been an incarnate being, would it have been necessary for him to be born as a child? -- 175.

Why should we reason upon G.o.d's plan? -- 176.

Could there have been any hope for the redemption of the human race except by Jesus becoming a man and by his death providing the ransom-price? -- 176.

THE ANGELS' SONG

It came upon the midnight clear, That glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth To touch their harps of gold: "Peace to the earth, good-will to men From heaven's all-gracious King!"

The world in solemn stillness lay To hear the angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife The world has suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong; And men, at war with men, hear not The love-song which they bring: Oh! hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing!

And ye, beneath life's crus.h.i.+ng load Whose forms are bending low; Who toil along the climbing way With painful steps and slow,-- Look now! for glad and golden hours Come swiftly on the wing; Oh! rest beside the weary road, And hear the angels sing.

For lo! the days are hastening on, By prophet-bards foretold, When with the ever-circling years Comes round the age of gold; When Peace shall over all the earth Its ancient splendors fling, And the whole world send back the song Which now the angels sing.

--_Sears_

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER VI

String 5: _The Ransom_

The great ransom sacrifice is the most vital to man of the strings upon the harp of G.o.d, because without it no real lasting joy could be had by mankind. In due time its benefits shall result to the entire human race; and all who appreciate it will sing aloud and rejoice with exceeding joy. They will have melody in their hearts and upon their lips because of this wonderful provision made by Jehovah for man's benefit. For thousands of years divine wisdom has been working out his plan concerning man; and the ransom sacrifice is the very pivotal part of that plan. Its importance cannot be overstated. It is the gateway that leads to life and happiness. It is the means of bringing back man into harmony with G.o.d. To appreciate this great doctrine we must understand it. Therefore let us reason together in the light of the divine Word, that we may understand.

[178]The most precious thing possessed by any creature is life, because without life everything else would be useless and could not be enjoyed.

Even now we observe that a man with but a small spark of life clings to that with desperation. It is only when a creature is perfect and enjoying complete life and the right to it that he can properly glorify Jehovah, his great Creator. G.o.d's great arrangement must ultimately bring glory to his name.

[179]Jehovah created Adam the first man in his own image and likeness.

He created him perfect; for all the works of Jehovah are perfect.

(Deuteronomy 32:4) He gave to man life and the right to life. Life means any conscious existence. Right to life means the full authority to maintain existence. Adam and Eve in Eden were perfect in their bodies, without pain, without sorrow; and were beautiful creatures. They had not a scar nor a mark upon them anywhere. They enjoyed life and all the blessings incident to that life. Their home was perfect; and even all the animals and birds of Eden were subject to them, and they had absolute dominion and control. G.o.d gave them all these privileges to enjoy eternally, upon one expressed condition, namely, that they be obedient to his law and thereby honor him. He informed man that a violation of this law would bring upon him loss of life, loss of the right to life, loss of all the blessings incident to it.

[180]Satan induced mother Eve to believe that G.o.d was keeping back something from them and, therefore deceiving Eve, induced her to violate the law. There was no real wrong in the fruit which Eve ate. The wrong was in disobeying the Lord. When Adam found that she had violated G.o.d's law, knowing that she must die he preferred to be with her in death rather than to be separated from her; so he became a party to the transgression also by voluntarily and willingly violating the law of G.o.d. Jehovah in the exercise of his perfect justice, sentenced man to death. This sentence deprived Adam and Eve of the right to life. They were driven out of Eden and in due time they lost life itself. For 930 years they were compelled to go about in the earth and earn their bread by digging in the soil and partaking of such food as they produced, which was imperfect and poisonous. In this manner they were put to death.

[181]This sentence of death pa.s.sed upon Adam had an indirect effect upon his offspring. Before he was driven from Eden he and Eve had not exercised the authority given to them by Jehovah to beget and bring forth children on the earth. This they did exercise after being driven from Eden. Being now under the sentence of death and undergoing that death penalty, it was impossible for their children, born under such conditions, to come into existence perfect. It would follow, then, that when the children were born, while they would have a measure of life and the rights incident to that measure of life (and these we call "life rights" as distinguished from right to live), they would have no right to life, because Adam having no right to life could not bring children into the world who would have greater right than he had.

[182]Any human being that is living possesses the right to food, air, light and certain privileges in society; and these are called life rights; that is to say, they are incident to animation, privileges belonging to creatures that live in any measure. The right to live, then, means a just right of existence which cannot be properly taken away.

[183]Because the parents possessed no right to life, every child born into the world from then until now has been born imperfect, unrighteous, a sinner, disapproved in G.o.d's sight, under condemnation, and therefore with no right to life. The life that any of us has lived has been merely by permission; and all who have died have died justly; for nothing but a perfect creature is ent.i.tled to life. For this reason the Prophet wrote: "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me".

(Psalm 51:5) St. Paul writing under inspiration, expressed the same thing, saying: "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death pa.s.sed upon all men, for all have sinned".--Romans 5:12.

[184]All the human race, then, from Adam until now having been born imperfect, it follows that if any ever get full life and the right to life he must get it through the loving Jehovah G.o.d. Unless G.o.d had made some provision for the redemption of man from death and the lifting up of him again to the condition of life, the time would come when there would be no people on the earth. We remember that Adam lived 930 years; and now a man scarcely lives to be half a century old. The race has been degenerating for centuries, growing weaker and weaker, and ultimately all would come to that condition in which they would be unable to transmit even the spark of life, and the earth would be depopulated.

Hence we see our utter dependence upon G.o.d; and if we find the great Jehovah has made a provision for us to live, that ought to fill our hearts with grat.i.tude; and as we further examine his great plan it should fill our hearts with boundless love for him. And surely that provision would bring joy to the heart and enable one to see that such provision const.i.tutes one of the strings upon the great harp of G.o.d.

REDEMPTION FORESHADOWED

[185]At the time that Jehovah entered the judgment or sentence against man he vaguely hinted at a time coming when man should be released from that judgment. Satan, one of whose names is the old serpent, was the first inducing cause of sin. And G.o.d at that time said to him: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head". (Genesis 3:15) This foreshadowed the fact that ultimately Satan should be destroyed and that the same would result as a blessing to man.

[186]But we must remember that the judgment of G.o.d entered against man must stand forever. It could not be reversed or set aside or annulled, for the reason that Jehovah cannot deny himself. Nor could any of his creatures have faith in him if he changed his mind. While it is true that this judgment must stand forever, it is equally true that G.o.d could make a consistent provision for having the terms of the judgment met by another, equal to Adam; and this is exactly what we find the Scriptures to disclose that he did.

[187]Jehovah desired that man should understand the necessity and reason for providing redemption, that when man does understand it he will rejoice in the loving-kindness manifested by G.o.d toward him. For this reason G.o.d caused certain pictures or types to be made by his people.

[188]On the night that Jehovah led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt he caused a lamb to be slain and its blood sprinkled upon the doorposts of the house and the people to eat that lamb, and arranged that at midnight the death angel would pa.s.s through and smite the firstborn of every house where the blood did not appear upon the doorposts. The firstborn here pictured the church, about which we shall see later, and which first must be saved before the blessing can come to the world in general. The lamb pictured the one who should be the ransomer or redeemer of mankind. The blood pictured the life poured out to provide a redemptive price.--Exodus 12:3-17.

[189]When Jesus appeared at the age of thirty years, John the Baptist pointing to him said: "Behold the Lamb of G.o.d which taketh away the sin of the world". (John 1:29) And we read in the Bible concerning Jesus, that he is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world".

(Revelation 13:8) These Scriptures and others show that the sacrifice of the lamb foreshadowed the sacrifice of the great One who should become the redeemer of mankind and take away the sin of the world.

[190]A few days after this pa.s.sover in Egypt, the Israelites were all delivered when G.o.d commanded Moses to smite the waters of the Red Sea and they pa.s.sed over on dry land; and when the Egyptians attempted to follow they were swallowed up in the sea and drowned. The deliverance of Israel here pictured the deliverance from the great enemy, Satan and death, of all the human race that will ultimately be obedient to G.o.d's holy will.

[191]After the children of Israel were on the other side of the Red Sea, they marched on in the desert; and when they came to Mount Sinai G.o.d made with them a covenant, which is known in the Bible as the law covenant. In connection with this covenant animals were sacrificed. This covenant was inst.i.tuted at the hands of Moses as a mediator. Moses here was a type of Christ Jesus, who in due time will make a covenant on behalf of all mankind for their deliverance.

[192]In connection with the law given to the Israelites at this time, G.o.d instructed Moses to erect in the wilderness a tabernacle, which was to be used by the Israelites in connection with their ceremonies of sacrifice. One day of each year was known as the atonement day, and what was done on that day particularly foreshadowed the great sin-offering to be made on behalf of mankind.

[193]The tabernacle was constructed of two parts. It was 45 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 15 feet high, built of boards and then covered over with a tent of three thicknesses of material. The first division of the tabernacle was called the Holy. It was 15 feet wide and 30 feet long.

The second or rear apartment was known as the Most Holy, it being 15 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 15 feet high--an exact cube. The tabernacle was situated inside of a court or yard, which court was 75 feet wide and 150 feet in length. The fence enclosing this court was made of linen curtains, suspended from hooks which were fastened on wooden posts, the posts being set in copper sockets at the base.

[194]On the atonement day the high priest took a bullock, which must be without spot or blemish. Inside of the court he killed the bullock, took its blood in a vessel went from the court into the Holy and from there into the Most Holy, and sprinkled the blood upon the mercy seat which was in the Most Holy. Then he went back and slew a male goat, which likewise must be without defect, and did the same thing with its blood.

This was known as the atonement sacrifice. (See Leviticus 16:1-34) It was an offering for sin, made for the people of Israel, but in fact foreshadowing the great sin-offering that is to take away the sin of the world.

[195]St. Paul plainly tells us that the things here done foreshadowed better things to come. (Hebrews 10:1) G.o.d required in the law that the Jews should keep this day of atonement and offer these sacrifices through the high priest once each year. We remember that G.o.d had promised to Abraham: "In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed". So St. Paul says that the law "was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator"; and that the law was a schoolmaster to bring the people unto Christ. (Galatians 3:19,24) In other words, Jehovah was teaching the children of Israel concerning the great sin-offering that must be made on behalf of mankind and he was using them to make living pictures; and the record of the events concerning them has enabled all students of the Bible since to see how Jehovah foreshadowed the redemption and deliverance of mankind from the bondage of sin and death. To foreshadow means to foretell something coming; and this shows how important the great ransom is to mankind, that G.o.d would take so much time and go into so much detail to teach the people by these pictures. Hence this should encourage us to study the subject earnestly that we might see, understand, and appreciate it.

RANSOM PROMISED

[196]Adam was sentenced to death, and when he actually went into death after 930 years, justice was satisfied. The law demanded the life of a perfect human being. It had received it when Adam died. Between the time of Adam's sentence and the time of his death he begat many children that were born into the earth. These being born imperfect had no right to life; hence the living of the children was only by permission of Jehovah, and every one who died, died because of imperfection resulting from the sin of father Adam.

[197]The Scriptures clearly show that G.o.d planned long in advance for the redemption and deliverance of the human race. Hence his wisdom led him to embrace in the effects of this death sentence all of the human family, all of the offspring of Adam, so that in due time he might redeem them all through the sacrifice of one. (Galatians 3:22) The sentence against Adam and the resulting effects upon all of his offspring must stand. An earthly court may reverse its judgment because imperfect, but G.o.d cannot reverse his, because it is perfect; and he cannot deny himself. He could make provision, however, for another man exactly equivalent to Adam to go into death voluntarily; and by thus dying his life could be given as a corresponding price for Adam and his offspring, that Adam and his offspring might be released from death and given a trial for life. The Scriptures definitely show that it was G.o.d's purpose and intention from the beginning to make just such a provision. He made a specific promise to this effect when he said: "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction". (Hosea 13:14) This promise of Jehovah to ransom the human race must be carried out, because G.o.d is unchangeable. Having made the promise, he will perform it.--Malachi 3:6; James 1:17.