30. 5. FUTURE EVENTS: THE JUDGMENTS

The time of this is "the Day of Christ" in the air, while it is the day of Antichrist on the earth.

The place is the Bema of Christ: that is the dais from which rewards and prizes are given; not the Bench from which sentences or judgments are pronounced.

The reason why "we" appear is to "receive" rewards for "deeds done," service rendered, and works wrought: as well as the "crown of righteousness" which the righteous Judge shall give in that day. We "appear" there not to receive condemnation (Rom. viii. 1); but to "have praise of God" (1 Cor. iv. 5): we shall "not come into judgment" as to our standing or aught else (John v. 24): for the feeblest, and weakest, and poorest of the children of God will "appear" there as having been already judged in the person of their Substitute.

The persons who will stand there will be there in all the glory and perfection of their resurrection bodies. We are, even here, and now, "in Christ;" and we shall be none the less that when we are changed and made like Christ Himself. True, "we shall all stand before the Bema of Christ" (Rom. xiv. 9-13), but we shall stand there as saved: with and in our resurrection bodies made like Christ's own glorious body (Phil. iii. 20, 21).

(2) Matt. xxv. 31-46.—In this passage we have another judgment spoken of.

The "time" for this will be "when the Son of Man shall . . . sit upon the throne of His glory and before him shall be gathered all the Gentiles" (τὰ ἔβνῃ, la ethnē.)

The persons will be the nations. The word ἔβνῃ (ethnē) is rendered nations 64 times, and Gentiles 93 times; heathen, 5 times, and people, twice. The Jews therefore will not be there, for they are "not reckoned among the nations" (Num. xxiii. 9); and the Church of God will not be there, because it bears no relation to Christ as "the Son of Man,"¹ and because it shall not come into judgment at all (John v. 24. Rom. viii. 1).

The place is "before the throne of his glory." That this throne will be on earth is clear from Isa. xxxiv. 1, 2. Ezek. xxxix. 21. Joel iii. 1, 2, 11, 12.

¹ See above, page 140.

The ground of the judgment is not even righteousness, much less holiness. It is not the ground either of grace, or of faith. And as to works, it is not even "good works" generally, and as such, but only one specific work, viz., as to how they have treated the "brethren" of the Judge, i.e., the Jews. This can only refer to those nations who are alive to stand before that Judge, and which have thus treated or maltreated His "brethren." For there is not a word about resurrection, and we dare not put into the passage so important a matter when the Holy Spirit has so scrupulously left it out. But there are many who do this, and yet with a strange perversity would leave it out of Rev. xx. 4-6, where God has put it in with all the emphasis of reiteration.

The reward is peculiar. It is entrance into "the Kingdom prepared FROM the foundation of the world."

How the Church, which is "in Christ" BEFORE the foundation of the world (Eph. i. 4),¹ can "enter the Kingdom," is a problem, which those who make it must solve as best they can.

This kingdom is "under the whole heaven" (Ps. cxv. 16), upon the earth, and before the Millennium when He shall appear with His holy angels "to execute judgment" (Zech. xiv. 5. 2 Thess. ii. 8. Jude 14).²

But even this judgment is neither total, nor final, for after the thousand years, Satan "must be loosed for a little season," in order to show that man remains the same in spite of all the evidences of the Glory of the Millennial reign.

The nations of the Gentiles immediately range themselves under Satan's banner of revolt; and are at once destroyed without parley, by the special judgment of "fire from heaven" (Rev. xx. 7-10).

(3) Rev. xx. 11-15. This is the great and final judgment scene.

As to time, it is immediately after the thousand years. This marks it off from all others.

¹ When Christ or the Church is mentioned it is "before" the foundation of the world (John xvii. 24. Eph. i. 4. 1 Pet. i. 20; but whenever the Kingdom is in question it is "from" the foundation of the world (Matt. xiii. 35; xxv. 34. Luke xi. 50. Heb. iv. 3; ix. 26. Rev. xiii. 8; xvii. 5).

² See above, pages 116, 117.

5. CANONICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL TEACHING

As to place, it is before "the great white throne."

The persons who appear before it are to be raised from the dead for this special purpose. They lived before the thousand years, but they "lived not again until the thousand years were finished" (v. 4). Those who died during the thousand years must also be there, not one will be there who has not died. It is "the resurrection of judgment" (John v. 29) or condemnation.

Those who introduce the dead among the living nations in Matt. xxv. do not hesitate to introduce the living among the dead in Rev. xx.

We have thus seen that there are these several judgments: and that while all are still future, we have to rightly divide them as to their order, and nature, and character.

6. The Truth and Teaching of the CANONICAL Order is to be distinguished from the CHRONOLOGICAL and Historical Order.

By Canonical order we mean the order in which the teaching comes to us in the Canon of Scripture. That order is more or less Divine, at any rate so far as the Old Testament is concerned;¹ and so far as the order of the Pauline Epistles is concerned.²

By Chronological and Historical order we mean the order in which books were written and events happened.

These two may not always be the same in their teaching. One may be Dispensational, and the other may be Experimental.

All God's "works" are perfect, and so are all His "ways." All can see His works, but He has Himself to make known His own ways; as it is written (Ps. ciii. 7),

"He made known His WAYS unto Moses, His ACTS unto the children of Israel."

(a) The Tabernacle.—When He ordered the making of the Tabernacle He began with the Ark of the Covenant (Exod. xxv. 10); then the Mercy Seat (v. 17); then the Table (v. 23); then the Candlestick (v. 31); then the Tabernacle

¹ See The Names and Order of the Books of the Old Testament, by the same author and publisher.

² See The Church Epistles, by the same author and publisher, pp. 3 to 15.

(ch. xxvi.); then the Altar of Burnt Offering, and the Gate (ch. xxvii. 1, 9, 16). But that was the historical order, as originating only from God's side. He begins with and from Himself. But those for whom it was given, and who approached to receive its benefits and its blessings, experimentally, began at the other end, with the Gate; and then went on to the worship of God, ending with the communion of the Mercy Seat.

(b) The Great Offerings.—It was the same with the four Great Offerings (the Sin and Trespass Offerings being reckoned as one). God begins (Lev. i.) with the whole Burnt Offering, setting forth the value of Christ's offering in relation to Himself; descending by the Meal Offering (Lev. ii.), the Peace Offering (Lev. iii.), the Sin and the Trespass Offering (Lev. iv., v.), to the deepest needs of His people. But His people began at the other end, and approached with the sin offering first, as setting forth the experimental sense of their need (Ps. xxxii. 1, 2).

(c) The Four Gospels.—So, also, as it required four Great Offerings to set forth all the various aspects of Christ's death, so it required four Gospel records to set forth His earthly life; and it would be as reasonable to attempt to make the four Offerings into one as to vainly attempt to "harmonize" the four Gospels into one; as though there were any want of "harmony" in them.

(d) 1 Samuel.—It is well known that objections have been made against the text of the Book of Samuel because all the events are not in chronological order. But where is it said that they are? And why should they necessarily be so?

A human author arranges his matter as he plenses; and after bringing up his subject to a certain point, may go back and bring up some other matter to the same point.

Or he may introduce a later event and record it where it is desirable to bring out a certain contrast by way of emphasizing it, leaving it to the reader to discover his reason for doing so, and thereby fixing the lesson more surely on his mind.

A human author, we repeat, may do this; but the Holy Spirit of God may not do it, forsooth, without having objections raised against Inspiration!

6. CANONICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL TEACHING

Notably is this the case with I Sam. xvi. 1 to xviii. 30.

Here the commentators do not hesitate to charge the Text with being corrupted, interpolated or transposed; and charges of contradictions and discrepancies are levelled against the genuineness and authority of Scripture.¹

Why not recognize the fact that we have four events the Chronological and Historical order of which is as follows:

(1) 1 Sam. xvi. 1-13. The Call of David by God.

(2) xvii. 1--xviii. 4. The Call of David by Saul.

(3) xvi. 14-23. David enters Saul's house.

(4) xviii. 5-30. David leaving Saul's house.

This being the historical order, why may not the Holy Spirit arrange them in such order that He may call attention to His secret movements which were shaping the whole history? And why may He not alternate DAVID and SAUL in order to emphasize the coming of the Spirit on David, and the departing of the Spirit from Saul? In order to show this we have the four events in their spiritual significance and teaching, according to the following:

Structure of Canonical Order: 1 Sam. xvi.—xviii.

A xvi. 1-13. DAVID'S Call by God. The Spirit coming upon him.

B xvi. 14-23. SAUL: The Spirit departing from him.

A | xvii. 1—xviii. 4. DAVID'S Call by Saul.

B xviii. 5-30. SAUL: The Spirit departing from him.

Here, instead of the bare historical facts and exoteric events, we are taken to the esoteric reason for them all. That which explains them is the underlying counsel of God, who had rejected Saul, and taken His Spirit from him.

Thus we have the double lesson; and we retain the latter without losing the former.

If we compare the outward historical order with the inner and spiritual teaching we see at once why

¹ Dr. Adam Clarke questions "the authenticity" of the verses which concern this subject, and quotes Pilkington and Kennicott, who suppose it "to be an interpolation of some rabbinical writer, added at a very early period to the Hebrew Text," and a proof of "the carelessness or infidelity of transcribers." But, surely, to put these passages down, thus, to knavery is to charge the writers also with the folly of children!

ch. xvi. 14-23, where the Spirit departs from Saul, is brought out of its chronological place, and placed in close juxtaposition with xvi. 1-13, where the Spirit comes upon David.

(c) "The Words of Jeremiah."—Few books have suffered more from this treatment than the Prophet Jeremiah.

It is not disputed that the chapters as they are given to us in Scripture are not necessarily given in their Historical and Chronological order.

This is so obvious that there is no hint of it given in the text. Even the natural man can easily arrange the chapters according to their chronology.

But in this case again the experimental teaching depends entirely on the canonical order of the chapters. And the canonical order can be shown only by its structure:

The Prophecy of Jeremiah as a whole.

A | i. 1-3. Introduction.

B | i. 4-19. Jeremiah's commission given.

C ii.-xx. Prophecies addressed to the Jews (Josiah).

D | xxi.-xxxv. History, etc. (Jehoiakim) (Not in chronological order.)

E xxxvi. Baruch. His mission to Jehoiakim.

D xxxvii.-xlv. History, etc. (Zedekiah). (In chronological order.)

C: xlvi.-li. 64-. Prophecies addressed to the Gentiles.

B | li. -64. Jeremiah's commission ended.

A | lii. Appendix.

It will be seen from the above structure that it is the history connected with Jehoiakim which is not given in its chronological order.

The member D is specially set in contrast with the member D, and ZEDEKIAH'S history, being in chronological order, emphasizes and calls our attention to the fact, that it is JEHOIAKIM'S history which is not in chronological order.

And why should it be? Who was Jehoiakim? Was it not he who cut up the words of Jehovah with a penknife? Why should not his history be cut up with the

6. CANONICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL TEACHING pen? What does it matter how his history is treated? Note the contrast between him and king Josiah. Josiah, when the book of the law was found and the king heard the words of the law, rent his clothes (2 Chron. xxxiv. 14, 19, 21, 30) and submitted himself to it. He reigned with honour, and when he died he "was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah" (2 Chron. xxxv. 24).

On the other hand, Jehoiakim, who refused to hear the word of the LORD, and cut it in pieces, was "buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem"; and his dead body was "cast out in the day to the heat and in the night to the frost" (according to the prophecies in Jer. xxii. 18, 19; xxxvi. 30).

And, if any doubt remains as to the reason why this lesson of the prophecy of Jeremiah should not be lost, and its experimental teaching hidden and marred, let the structure of the Canonical portion connected with Jehoiakim be carefully studied; and its perfection be duly noted.

It is as follows:

D (Jer. xxi. xxxv.). The Canonical History connected with Jehoiakim. (Not chronological.)

D F xxi. Defeat and Captivity proclaimed.

G | xxii.—xxiii. 8. Promise of the BRANCH.

H xxiii. 9—10. Whirlwind. False Prophets. Rejection.

J xxiv. Figs. Discrimination. (Captives and Remnant.)

K | xxv. 1—11. Time: Seventy years.

L | xxv. 12—38. Nations (The Cup).

M xxvi. Proclamation in the Court of Jehovah's House.

L | xxvii. Nations. (The Bonds and Yoke.)

K | xxviii. Time: Two years.

J xxix. Figs. Discrimination. (Captives and Remnant.)

H xxx., xxxi. Whirlwind. The Book. Restoration.

G | xxxii., xxxiii. Promise of the BRANCH.

F | xxxiv., xxxv. Defeat and Captivity proclaimed.

Is it not clear why this, the Canonical order, is so perfectly constructed? And is not the *Experimental* teaching exhibited by it shown to be of far greater importance than that of the mere Chronological and Literary order?

(f) *The Pauline Epistles.*—In our work on the Church Epistles we have set forth the experimental teaching of their canonical order: and have shown that they are presented to us in the order in which we are to study them.

In them we have the fulfilment of the Lord's own promise, given in John xvi. 12—15: "I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when He the Spirit of truth (*lit.*, shall have) come, He will guide you into all the truth. He shall not speak of (*or* from) Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you."

That is to say, that had the Lord spoken them then His disciples would not have been able to bear them.

Whatever may be the force of the word "bear," the contrast is between what they could not do "now," at that time, and what they would be able to do at some later time.

Time, therefore, does enter into the interpretation of words.

There could be no doctrine until the facts had taken place on which they were based.

There could be no Epistles until the Gospel history had been accomplished.

There could be no doctrine of Redemption or Atonement until His blood had been shed; and He, as a corn of wheat, had fallen into the ground and died (John xii. 24).

"The things of Christ" were the doctrines concerning Him which were afterward "taken" and revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Epistles specially addressed to churches as such. If not, Where, and How, and When, has this Divine promise ever been fulfilled? Where has He guided

6. CANONICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL TEACHING us into "all the truth"? Where are we to look for this truth except in these Epistles which were written when He, the Spirit of truth had come?

Those who neglect the teaching of the Epistles reject these words of Christ. They "cannot bear them," even now. They put themselves back into a Dispensation which has passed away, and refuse to bear the words now that they have been spoken and written for our learning.

Many, thank God, are heeding what has since been revealed. Many are rejoicing in these "things of Christ" which the Spirit of truth has received, and has shown what God has made Christ to be unto us, and what He has made us to be "in Christ." Many are reading and studying the Epistles which the Spirit of truth has addressed to the churches by the Apostle Paul.

We have spoken of some of the Dispersion Epistles under the heading of rightly dividing of the subject-matter (pp. 72 78), according to which Paul's Epistles must be divided off from those other Epistles which are not addressed directly to the Church of God.

We are specially concerned now, therefore, with