The Deceitfulness of Wine

Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-35; Matthew 24:45-51

GOLDEN TEXT: “At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.”—Proverbs 23:32

INTEMPERANCE along any line is an evil and the more so is the use of alcoholic liquors. Indeed, the dire results of intemperance are so well known to Christians that it seems hardly necessary to enlarge upon the subject in a lesson intended specially for believers. Perhaps this is why the committee which selects the Scriptural passages for these lessons supplied a supplementary citation dealing with spiritual intoxication. Intemperance and intoxication along spiritual lines are also evils, against which we need to be constantly on guard.

The lesson of Matthew 24:45-51 applies specially, to the time in which we are now living, that is, at the end of the age, during the time of Christ’s second presence. It is an admonition urging watchfulness on the part of those who would be here upon the earth after Christ returns, lest they become spiritually intoxicated and claim that He has not returned, but delays His coming.

It might seem strange that Christ could already be present and yet some of His professed people would not know about it—that there would be a controversy among them in which some would say “my Lord delayeth His coming,” or “He has not yet come.” But such is the clear lesson of this passage. It emphasizes what other prophecies teach, namely, that Christ would return as a thief in the night, and that the only ones to know about it for a time would be those who were awake and watching. Later, through the storm-clouds of the great “time of trouble” His presence is revealed to all mankind (Rev. 1:7), but to begin with, only the faithful watchers know of His return.

I Thessalonians 5:1-10 is a good comparative passage. Here also the time of our Lord’s return—the day of the Lord—is being discussed. The apostle says that it comes upon the world as a thief in the night, but not so upon the “brethren” who are awake and watching. “They that sleep, sleep in the night,” says Paul, “and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night.”

“But let us who are of the day,” he continues, “be sober.” All Christians should be of the day; that is, they should be aware of the new day of Christ now near, and be living in expectancy of that day, conforming their lives to the high standards of righteousness that are to be enforced when Jesus becomes King. As children of the day, they should be awake and watching for every evidence of, its approach.

To do this means faithfulness in the study and practice of the Word of God. It means watching for the fulfillment of its prophecies, as well as faithfulness in bearing witness to the truth as they learn it. To be thus awake and watching calls for soberness. There will be no time to participate in worldly things and to become intoxicated with the world’s spirit.

There are many things with which a Christian may become intoxicated—things which in themselves may be good, but if we permit them to take time and strength to the point where we lose interest in spiritual things, then we have fallen asleep, spiritually and will lose the rich blessings belonging to those in this day who are awake, sober, and watching.

It is possible to become intoxicated with some pet theories of our own concerning the Scriptures and thus fail to learn the lessons God has for His people.

Another form of spiritual drunkenness is that which is caused by false doctrine. One of the outstanding examples of this in the Scriptures is the “wine” of “fornication” mentioned in Revelation 18:3. “Babylon” is the symbolic name here given to a false church-state system, whose spiritual fornication consisted in the union of the church with civil governments, instead of waiting for the return of Christ, the true Bridegroom.

The intoxication caused by this wine of false doctrine has been so widespread throughout the professed Christian world, that all but the few faithful watchers are oblivious both to the manner and purpose of Christ’s return, hence are still hoping and trying to establish lasting peace through cooperation with the kingdoms of this world. They fail to see that Christ’s Kingdom is not to be a patch on an old garment, but something new and entirely separate from thing that has been wrought by man. “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”—Isa. 9:6,7

“That servant” mentioned in Matthew 24:46 seems clearly to be a reference to a certain individual who, because of his faithfulness the Lord would specially use as a mouthpiece at the time of His second presence. As this special servant is blessed with spiritual discernment because he is awake and sober, so all the consecrated who are similarly humbly watching will not be in darkness “that that day should overtake them as a thief.” Not all are as widely used to serve the household of faith as “that servant,” but all who are not asleep and drunken may know that Christ has come, and join happily in announcing to the world the imminence of His Kingdom.

QUESTIONS:

What kind of drunkenness is referred to in Matthew 24:49?

How may Christians avoid becoming spiritually intoxicated?

What is meant in Revelation 18:3 by the wine of Babylon’s fornication?

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