| Christian Life and Doctrine | August 1968 |
Holding Fast and Progressing
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” —Hebrews 2:1
THE truth of God’s Word, which shows forth God’s plan of salvation, is essential as a guide and source of strength in the Christian life. Satan, who throughout the ages has been the deceiver of the whole world of mankind, has always been especially active in his endeavors to deceive and discourage the Lord’s people. Peter wrote that our Adversary, the Devil, goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and to this he adds, “Whom resist steadfast in the faith.”—I Pet. 5:8,9
One of Satan’s chief methods of attack is to disparage the truthfulness and value of the Word of God. As the prince of darkness he puts darkness for light in an effort to confuse the Lord’s people. Because of this, and also because of the natural tendency to become weary in well-doing, there have been those in every part of the age who have failed to hold fast to the truth of the Gospel but instead have let it slip away from them.
Paul foretold that there would be a “falling away” from the faith, and this became so tragically true that within a few centuries after the death of the apostles very little of the original Gospel of the kingdom remained in the hearts of the vast majority of professed Christians. The hope of the real kingdom of Christ was supplanted by the counterfeit kingdom as represented in the church-state governments of the old Roman world.
The great fundamental truths of the divine plan as taught by the apostles in the Early Church have been restored to the Lord’s people in this ending period of the Gospel Age, and now we need to be especially on guard lest the anti-Christian influences with which we are surrounded—influences which are under the direction of Satan—rob us of these precious doctrines. Paul wrote again, “We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.”—Heb. 3:14
Again Paul wrote, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised.)” (Heb. 10:23) Jude wrote that we “should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul wrote that we should stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.” (Phil. 1:27) From these exhortations we realize that we have a responsibility to one another in the matter of holding fast to “our most holy faith.”
What are the “things” mentioned in our text which we should not let slip? In the opening verses of Hebrews 1 Paul reminds us of God’s method of speaking to the “fathers by the prophets,” and then explains that “in these last days [he hath spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things.” (Heb. 1:1,2) What we are not to let slip, then, are the great kingdom truths set forth by Jesus and the prophets.
Jesus drew heavily from the ancient prophets in the kingdom message which he proclaimed; and in turn, the teachings of the apostles are based upon Jesus’ message, and also upon the prophetic testimony of the Old Testament. And it is interesting to note the many truths and precepts which are set forth by Jesus and the apostles—the “things” of the Old Testament—which they deemed of sufficient importance to quote and explain during the course of their ministry. Paul asserted that he had not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God.—Acts 20:27
Peter, in a sermon shortly after Pentecost, told about “times of restitution,” and said that God had spoken this great truth by his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21) Peter also, in his first epistle, informs us that the Holy Spirit, through the prophets, had testified concerning the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. (I Pet. 1:11) Indeed, when we examine the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, we find that they set forth all the fundamental doctrines of the divine plan as previously mentioned by the prophets, and enlarged upon them so that the followers of the Master might understand them and be guided and nourished by them.
We know, of course, that there is much in the Old Testament that is of great interest to us which is not mentioned in the New Testament at all. But we are firmly of the opinion that Jesus and the apostles set forth all the fundamental truths of the divine plan, and it is these to which we should hold fast, because they have come to us with such a great weight of authority, even from Jesus and his inspired representatives. The New Testament is the inspired explanation of the Old Testament Scriptures which God’s servants of old miraculously were inspired to write, but only dimly to understand.
Important to Hold Fast
It is through the fundamental doctrines of the truth that we are sanctified and drawn near to God. This is why it is so important that we do not let these things slip. “For,” the apostle writes, “it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”—Heb. 6:4-6
Later in this same chapter Paul speaks of the promise made to Abraham, and the confirmation of that promise by God’s oath—the promise that through Abraham’s seed all the families of the earth would be blessed. Paul explains that by these “two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us; which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that which is within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.”—Heb. 6:13,14,17-20
Here the apostle is informing us that the hope which serves as an anchor to our souls, and therefore enables us not to “let these things slip,” is the great Abrahamic promise—the fact that we, in association with Jesus as the Seed of Abraham, will serve as kingly priests during the Millennium to bless all the families of the earth. We are not anchored by our own opinions, or the opinions of other uninspired servants of God. We are not anchored by fanciful interpretations which are not supported by a thus saith the Lord. We are anchored by the glorious Gospel which was preached beforehand to Abraham; the Gospel of Christ which “is the power of God unto salvation.”—Gal. 3:8,16; 27-29; Rom. 1:16
Progress Should Be Made
While we are to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, and are not to “let these things slip,” the Lord does expect us to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (II Pet. 3:18) We are to grow in knowledge because “the path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Prov. 4:18) To grow in knowledge and to walk in this pathway which shines brighter and brighter does not mean that the basic truths of the divine plan once learned are discarded. It simply means that our understanding and appreciation of these truths continue to increase.
The Bible has been likened to a mine that is deeper than any mortal can ever go. As we continue to search in this mine new rich gems of truth appear, and all of these precious gems of truth enhance the brilliance of the basic doctrines of the divine plan. Ardent and faithful students of the Word may spend a lifetime searching out its treasures, and at the end find that there are large portions of the sacred record which they have not had time to diligently study. We are in a dangerous attitude of mind if we suppose that we have learned all there is to be known of divine truth.
Better Translations
Our increasing knowledge of the truth comes in part from noting better translations of many of the texts of the Bible. For example, Psalm 121:1 reads, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” While this is a beautiful poetic expression, the psalmist’s help did not actually come from the hills. Goodspeed’s translation reads, “I raise my eyes to the hills: whence does my help come? My help cometh from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth.” To some, the hills of Palestine may have been thought of as giving a measure of help and protection; but to the psalmist the hills were not a true source of help, for he recognized that his help came from the Lord.
This we believe is a clearer thought, enhancing our appreciation of the Lord, and reminding us a little more forcefully that we should not look to other sources for help in our real times of need; that with the psalmist, so with us, “our help cometh from the Lord.” Here then, is one of the Bible’s gems of truth which is caused to shine a little brighter by means of a better translation. As Bible Students, we know that when the Bible was first written punctuation was not in use. This was true of both the Old and the New Testaments. The essential change that Goodspeed made in Psalm 121:1 was to have the psalmist ask a question instead of making a statement, and thereby a clearer meaning is given to the entire text.
Justification
Justification by faith in the blood of Christ is one of the important teachings of the Bible. Paul wrote, “Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is one of the first great truths we learn as we are being drawn to Jesus by God. It is an unchangeable truth. It was this great truth that so stirred Martin Luther and helped him to see the evil of selling indulgences.
Through the years this truth has become more precious, largely because it has been recognized that the faith in Jesus which results in justification is much more than merely a mental assent to the fact that he once lived, and that he died for us on Calvary’s cross. We have learned that there is no true faith without works, even as stated by James, and that the “works” which lead to a justifying faith in the redeeming blood of Jesus is our full dedication to the Lord, to know and to do his will. Thus does the doctrine of justification become a more vital factor in our lives—a gem of truth which shines brighter now than it once did. But it is the same unchanged doctrine of justification.
The Harvest
One of the great truths of the divine plan set forth by Jesus is the fact that there would be a harvesting of the “wheat” class at this end of the age. We rejoice in the many evidences that we are now living in this foretold harvest. There was a time when the Lord’s people supposed that this “harvest” would come to an end in the year 1914, and that then the church would be glorified and “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.”—Matt. 13:43
But the harvest work did not come to a close in 1914, nor were the remaining members of the “little flock” exalted to be with Jesus to live and reign with him a thousand years. It took a “faithful and wise” and humble servant of the Lord to acknowledge that in reality there was no scriptural proof that the harvest would end in 1914, that this was a thought which he had “imagined.” (R. 5950, last paragraph) And as he pointed out, there is no scriptural information as to just how long the harvest work would continue.
We are now more than half a century beyond 1914, and the harvest work is still going on. Thus we have had, by force of circumstances, a clarification of truth on this important teaching of the Bible. It is not that the fact of the harvest was not truth, but simply that, without scriptural authority, its length had been circumscribed. We are glad that the harvest work is continuing, for it affords all the Lord’s people additional time to prove their loyalty to God and to his truth by faithfully participating in this all important feature of the divine plan.
Prophecies
We all know the importance of the Bible’s prophecies. The prophecies pertaining to the first advent of Christ were important, as are those which have to do with his second advent and presence. These are of more vital concern to us because we are living in the time of their fulfillment. Some of these prophecies forecast that our Lord’s return would, in its initial stage, result in “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21,22) This is one of the basic facts of the prophecies concerning our Lord’s return and the end of the age.
This basic fact of prophecy stands unchallenged today, and has done so throughout all the years of the harvest. It is one of the important end-of-the-age prophecies which do not change. But the manner in which this “time of trouble” develops and reaches its climax in the complete destruction of the present social order is a different matter. While our understanding of this prophecy is still far from complete, an enlargement of viewpoint has been forced upon students of prophecy by the simple fact that the “time of trouble” has already stretched out more than fifty years longer than it was once supposed that it would.
Basically, we have known that one of the purposes of the prophetic “time of trouble” was to destroy Satan’s sinful and selfish social order. That still remains a basic truth. Prior to 1914 the thought was that the climax of the trouble would be a state of anarchy, preceded by war and revolution. When war erupted in 1914 it was properly believed to be the first phase of the trouble. The war expanded and became a world struggle and the conviction of many was that in due course revolution and anarchy would follow.
At the time it was supposed by many that these three aspects of the trouble would be clearly defined and that they would follow each other in quick succession, and that the culmination in which the present social order would sink into a sea of anarchy would be reached in a very short time—perhaps less than three or four years. Only the relentless passing of time has enabled students of prophecy to grasp a more long-range concept of events pertaining to the end of the world, or age.
The Great Revolution
The First World War did end in revolution—not a world revolution all at once, but in the communist revolution which today is holding a third or more of the world in its embrace, and is threatening to take over the whole world. But there also came another World War, in which the United States, England, and other Western powers found themselves allied with the communist forces to conquer their common enemies, the fascist nations.
Meanwhile another phase of the trouble loomed up before us; namely, the participation of the Asian, or non-Christian nations. In the earlier concepts of the trouble the inclination was to think of it as involving mostly the so-called Christian nations. But now we realize that it is to be worldwide—just as world-wide as the rulership of Messiah’s kingdom will be. The former concept is indicated on page 550 of “The Battle of Armageddon,” in a comment concerning “the worst of the heathen,” mentioned in Ezekiel 7:13-24. We quote:
“This may be understood to signify that the uprising of the masses of Christendom in anarchy will, during the prevalence of lawlessness, be so extremely brutal and savage as to outrival the barbarities of all heathen invasions—as was the case in the French Revolution. Or it may signify an uprising of the peoples of India, China, and Africa against Christendom—a suggestion already made by the public press anent the revival of Turkey and the uprising of millions of Mahometans. Our opinion, however, is that ‘the worst of the heathen’ are those in Christendom who are ‘without God’ and without Christian sentiments or hopes; who hitherto have been restrained and held in check by ignorance, superstition, and fear, but who in the dawn of the twentieth century are rapidly losing these restraining influences.”
Certainly there has been much barbarity in the western world, by both professed and nonprofessed Christians. But it is also true that the heathen world today is very much a threat to the western world. America’s involvement in Viet Nam is for the avowed purpose of preventing the Asian forces of Communism from later attacking our own shores. This is a development that could not have been foreseen prior to 1914. That we see it today is simply because it is one of the facts of the great time of trouble—facts which spread out before us in a labyrinth of bewildering developments which is difficult to comprehend even though we are face to face with it.
Trouble Everywhere
It is true that the tribulation throughout the world today does involve war, revolution, and anarchy. But these aspects of social disorder are going on simultaneously. The First World War was not the end of the war phase. The communist revolution in Russia has not been the only revolution. And we surely have outbreaks of anarchy of one sort or another, such as race riots and other disturbances.
During the fifty and more years since 1914 the world has witnessed the disintegration of colonial powers, and the overthrow of most of the church-state kingdoms of the Old Roman world. It has seen the birth of many new nations in Africa and elsewhere, the most important of these, prophetically, being Israel in the Holy Land. But in Africa many of the new nations are already struggling against one another. There is also the race war.
Meanwhile in South America chaos is developing, and communism threatens. In times past, South America was not included much in our thinking so far as the prophecies are concerned. But South America is part of the world. Millions of “all families of the earth” to be blessed through Messiah’s kingdom have lived and died in South America, so this country also has to be included in “the time of trouble.”
And all the crazy-quilt aspects of a world in distress as we witness it today are taking place against a background of threatened total destruction of the human race by the misuse of nuclear power. It may be impossible to associate every detail of world distress with a specific prophecy of the Bible; but there can be no mistaking what Jesus meant when he said that unless these days be shortened no flesh would survive.—Matt. 24:21,22
We are simply endeavoring, on our part, in as few words as possible, to point out aspects of the prophetic “time of trouble” which were not foreseen fifty years ago, and we are doing this to illustrate that in this area there has been growth in knowledge. This growth has not been due to a keener insight into the prophecies than that enjoyed by “that servant.” Rather, it has been a further understanding which has been forced upon us by the relentless passing of time, and by the events which have developed during these many years. This is logical, for while the fact and general principles of the “great tribulation” were seen and outlined, in advance, it was expected that this aspect of the divine program would be over within a very short time, and certainly details of events which are spread out over half a century are bound to be different than if they had taken place within three or four years.
Patience Needed
The passing of time has always been a severe test upon the Lord’s people—especially upon their patience. James wrote, “Be ye … patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” (James 5:8) Now, of course, the presence of the Lord is a reality, but there is still need for patience; and still need for being established, especially in our hearts.
In the next verse James adds, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.” According to Prof. Strong, the Greek word here translated “grudge” means “to make in straits.” It is translated “groan” in Romans 8:23 where Paul says, “Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption [deliverance] of our body”—the body of Christ.
We are all waiting to be delivered into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, and to be exalted to live and reign with Christ. This waiting is sometimes hard, and we groan within ourselves. Sometimes we find ourselves very much “in straits.” But let us not groan against our brethren, or try to circumscribe their efforts to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us recognize that in the area of prophecy there are many details not yet clearly understood, and as together we endeavor to follow the light of the sure word of prophecy let us be patient with ourselves and with one another.
It is a time of testing, a time when it is important not to let the foundation truths of the divine plan slip away from us. It is also a time when we should be searching diligently for further confirmation of our faith, in order that while we wait we will not become overwhelmed with our “groanings.” Truly our King is marching on, and let us endeavor to note his stately steppings as clearly as we can as world events continue to indicate not only the shape of things today, but to some extent also of tomorrow. And in our searching may we never allow our own opinions nor the opinions of others to weigh anything against the facts. To this end may the Lord continue to bless us all, and continue us in his care and love!