WHY THE DELAY OF OVER NINETEEN CENTURIES
Just here someone may ask, "Why is it that our Lord did not make application of the merit of His sacrifice at Pentecost? Why this long delay of nineteen hundred and more years before He begins this work of blessing the world?"
We reply, if it had not been that God had planned to have associated with our Lord in this glorious work of blessing a Church, an Anointed Body of footstep followers of Jesus, there would have been no delay of eighteen centuries. In other words, if the Church had not been included in God's Plan, then when our Lord Jesus had risen from the dead and had ascended on High to appear in the presence of God, doubtless He would have offered the value of His sacrifice for the whole world of mankind, and at once would have taken over the Adamic race and begun His Reign for their blessing.
But because this was not the Divine Plan, therefore our Lord did what He did--He appeared in the presence of God for US, for the CHURCH, and NOT for the world at all.--Heb. 9:24.Thus far, then, our Lord has appeared only for His Church. He has not as yet appeared for the world.
After the Church shall have been glorified with Him and exalted to the Divine plane of glory, THEN our Lord will appear for the world. Meantime, however, He is dealing with His Church, taking the Church class out of the world, as He said: "Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world." (John 15:19; 17:14) The Church, composed of the fully consecrated, has escaped the condemnation which is still on the world. (2 Peter 1:4; Rom. 8:1-4.) But the world is still under condemnation.
As yet our Lord has appeared only for the believer; He has not done anything for the unbeliever. His death, which will be the Ransom-price for all mankind after it has been turned over on their behalf, has not yet been applied for them; but it will be applied "in due time."
You remember that in His prayer the night of His apprehension our Lord said: "I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given me; for they are Thine." (John 17:9-11.) Yet a few hours later He died for the world, and all mankind are included in what our Lord is to do--"a Ransom FOR ALL, to be testified IN DUE TIME." But since He knew that it would be more than eighteen hundred years before that due time would come, He could not with propriety pray for something so far in the future. But the Father had given to Our Lord the Church.
The Divine purpose was that during this long period of time this class would be gathered out of the world under certain conditions, in order that they might be with the Lord and share His exaltation, might be His companions in His glory, honor and immortality--the Divine nature. Therefore our Lord prayed for them on the night in which He was betrayed, as was right and proper. He had called His twelve Apostles, and five hundred had believed on His word. The work thus begun would continue until the full number of the Elect would have been called, chosen and accepted in Him.
THE NEXT FEATURE OF THE DIVINE PROGRAM
The Bible assures us that in due time our Lord will pray for the world, and that He will be heard. "Ask of me; and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." (Psa. 2:7-9.)
When the first feature of the work, the selection of the Church, shall have been completed, when the Church shall have passed into Heavenly glory, then will come the "due time" for the next feature of the Divine Program.
Then our Lord will make application of the Ransom-price on behalf of the sins of the whole world. He will say in substance,
"Father, I now appropriate for the world of mankind this value of my death (the ransom sacrifice) as the offset to Father Adam's death. I now apply it to Adam and all his children, as their Purchase-price; and now I ask for them. I ask Thee to give them to me according to Thy promise to give me the heathen--the world of mankind." Then the Father will turn them over to our Lord as His purchased possession.
The fact that He who redeemed the race of Adam is to be the One to give them their trial for life everlasting, during the thousand years of His Reign, is the very best guarantee that mankind will have a fair, full, complete trial, a just, reasonable, loving trial at the hands of a loving Redeemer, who will do everything proper to be done in order to help them out of their weaknesses and imperfections and to bring them back to the full perfection of human nature, lost through Father Adam's original sin in Eden, but redeemed by our Lord at Calvary.
That is to say, the Redemption-price was laid down at Calvary; and in due time that Redemption-price will be applied, or given over, surrendered to Justice in exchange for the world of mankind. Thus the Ransom work will have been accomplished, the whole world taken possession of by our Lord, and He shall reign for a thousand years, the "Times of Restitution spoken by the mouth of all the holy Prophets since the world began."--Acts 3:19-23.
Continued with next post.
Just here someone may ask, "Why is it that our Lord did not make application of the merit of His sacrifice at Pentecost? Why this long delay of nineteen hundred and more years before He begins this work of blessing the world?"
We reply, if it had not been that God had planned to have associated with our Lord in this glorious work of blessing a Church, an Anointed Body of footstep followers of Jesus, there would have been no delay of eighteen centuries. In other words, if the Church had not been included in God's Plan, then when our Lord Jesus had risen from the dead and had ascended on High to appear in the presence of God, doubtless He would have offered the value of His sacrifice for the whole world of mankind, and at once would have taken over the Adamic race and begun His Reign for their blessing.
But because this was not the Divine Plan, therefore our Lord did what He did--He appeared in the presence of God for US, for the CHURCH, and NOT for the world at all.--Heb. 9:24.Thus far, then, our Lord has appeared only for His Church. He has not as yet appeared for the world.
After the Church shall have been glorified with Him and exalted to the Divine plane of glory, THEN our Lord will appear for the world. Meantime, however, He is dealing with His Church, taking the Church class out of the world, as He said: "Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world." (John 15:19; 17:14) The Church, composed of the fully consecrated, has escaped the condemnation which is still on the world. (2 Peter 1:4; Rom. 8:1-4.) But the world is still under condemnation.
As yet our Lord has appeared only for the believer; He has not done anything for the unbeliever. His death, which will be the Ransom-price for all mankind after it has been turned over on their behalf, has not yet been applied for them; but it will be applied "in due time."
You remember that in His prayer the night of His apprehension our Lord said: "I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given me; for they are Thine." (John 17:9-11.) Yet a few hours later He died for the world, and all mankind are included in what our Lord is to do--"a Ransom FOR ALL, to be testified IN DUE TIME." But since He knew that it would be more than eighteen hundred years before that due time would come, He could not with propriety pray for something so far in the future. But the Father had given to Our Lord the Church.
The Divine purpose was that during this long period of time this class would be gathered out of the world under certain conditions, in order that they might be with the Lord and share His exaltation, might be His companions in His glory, honor and immortality--the Divine nature. Therefore our Lord prayed for them on the night in which He was betrayed, as was right and proper. He had called His twelve Apostles, and five hundred had believed on His word. The work thus begun would continue until the full number of the Elect would have been called, chosen and accepted in Him.
THE NEXT FEATURE OF THE DIVINE PROGRAM
The Bible assures us that in due time our Lord will pray for the world, and that He will be heard. "Ask of me; and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." (Psa. 2:7-9.)
When the first feature of the work, the selection of the Church, shall have been completed, when the Church shall have passed into Heavenly glory, then will come the "due time" for the next feature of the Divine Program.
Then our Lord will make application of the Ransom-price on behalf of the sins of the whole world. He will say in substance,
"Father, I now appropriate for the world of mankind this value of my death (the ransom sacrifice) as the offset to Father Adam's death. I now apply it to Adam and all his children, as their Purchase-price; and now I ask for them. I ask Thee to give them to me according to Thy promise to give me the heathen--the world of mankind." Then the Father will turn them over to our Lord as His purchased possession.
The fact that He who redeemed the race of Adam is to be the One to give them their trial for life everlasting, during the thousand years of His Reign, is the very best guarantee that mankind will have a fair, full, complete trial, a just, reasonable, loving trial at the hands of a loving Redeemer, who will do everything proper to be done in order to help them out of their weaknesses and imperfections and to bring them back to the full perfection of human nature, lost through Father Adam's original sin in Eden, but redeemed by our Lord at Calvary.
That is to say, the Redemption-price was laid down at Calvary; and in due time that Redemption-price will be applied, or given over, surrendered to Justice in exchange for the world of mankind. Thus the Ransom work will have been accomplished, the whole world taken possession of by our Lord, and He shall reign for a thousand years, the "Times of Restitution spoken by the mouth of all the holy Prophets since the world began."--Acts 3:19-23.
Continued with next post.
