Key Number 1
THE Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: “Study to show
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the Word of truth.” (II Tim. 2:15) One way to rightly
divide the Bible is to take note of its time divisions as they relate
to the outworking of God’s plan for the recovery of the human race from
sin and death.
One of the major time contrasts is between the period in human
experience when Satan, sin, and death are reigning in the world, and
the age when Christ will be reigning to destroy sin and death.
Concerning the period of the reign of sin and death we read: “Now we
call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea,
they that tempt God are even delivered.” (Mal. 3:15) On the other hand,
concerning the era of Christ’s reign we read, “In his days shall the
righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon
endureth.” (Ps. 72:7) Manifestly, if we attempt to apply both of these
texts of Scripture to the same period of time, they will be
contradictory.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax
worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (II Tim. 3:12,13)
Those in every age who have been loyal to the LORD and to his
principles of righteousness have been persecuted by the godless.
But this will not always be true. The Prophet Isaiah wrote of a time
when the “rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the
earth.” (Isa. 25:8) This refers to the future, when the kingdom of
Christ will be ruling in the affairs of men. Then the righteous will be
the favored ones, and all the wicked will God destroy.—Ps. 145:20
Satan is the “god of this world,” and he has blinded the minds of
the people and prevented them from knowing God and his beloved Son,
Christ Jesus; but of the future age we read that then the knowledge of
the LORD will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. (Isa. 11:9;
II Cor. 4:4) At that time, Satan will be bound, and Christ will be the
Ruler; thus the great difference in world conditions.—Rev. 20:1-3,6;
Ps. 72:8
These are but a few examples of the importance of noting to what
period of time in God’s plan a text of Scripture applies, in order to
understand it properly, and to see its harmony with other texts. Proper
time application is therefore a very important “key” in the unlocking
of the Word of God.
Key Number 2
Another important key to the Scriptures is an understanding of the
fact that different rewards are promised to those who faithfully serve
the LORD, depending upon the particular time period in which one may
live. Beginning with the First Advent of Jesus, God’s promises to his
faithful people that in the resurrection they will be exalted to
heavenly life. Concerning this the Apostle Peter wrote: “Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his
abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for you.”—I Pet. 1:3,4
This same Apostle Peter, preaching to an audience of unbelieving
Jews shortly after Pentecost, told them about the Second Coming of
Christ, and explained that following his return there would be “times
of restitution of all things.” To this Peter added that this future
time of restoration had been spoken by the mouth of all God’s holy
prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-23) No member of the human
race has ever lived in heaven, hence could not be restored to heaven.
Man was created to live on the earth; thus the restitution, or
restoration, of the people means everlasting life on earth, not in
heaven.
Therefore, when we study the Bible we will find that some of its
promises, particularly those of the Old Testament, describe blessings
of health and everlasting life as humans on the earth; while others,
particularly those of the New Testament, speak of eternal life in
heaven. To bear this in mind is to use a very effective “key” in
unlocking the meaning of the Word of God. If we ignore this fact, we
may well try to imagine people building houses and planting vineyards
in heaven.—Isa. 65:21,22
Key Number 3
A third important key to use in unlocking the meaning of the Word of
God is a recognition of the fact that much of its language is
pictorial, or symbolic. Concerning God’s care for his people, David
wrote: “The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” (Ps.
23:1,2) We know that this is figurative language, and not literal; but
what a beautiful picture it presents of God’s loving care!
We find that much figurative language is used in presenting all the
various truths of the Bible. Using language literally, the Apostle Paul
wrote: “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) To help us grasp the
reality of this basic truth of the Word of God, various symbols are
used, one of them being fire. Fire is one of the most destructive
elements known to man; so the LORD used it to depict the reality and
the completeness of the destruction which will eventually befall all
incorrigible sinners.
Concerning the future time when Christ will be reigning, the Apostle
Peter said that those who then disobey will “be destroyed from among
the people.” (Acts 3:23) Jesus illustrated this destruction of the
incorrigibly wicked as being burned in the fires of Gehenna,
translated “hell” in Matthew 10:28. Failure to note properly this
symbolic use of language, some have concluded that the wicked would
live in hell forever, whereas hell is scripturally shown to be the
condition of destruction, or of death.
The Bible tells us that God created the earth “not in vain,” that he
“formed it to be inhabited.” The Bible also declares that “the earth
abideth forever.” (Isa. 45:18; Eccles. 1:4) Thus, by these texts and
others, the Bible assures us that the earth will never be destroyed,
that it will be man’s everlasting home. This is a basic truth of God’s
Word, set forth over and over again by literal language.
However, the Bible also teaches that man’s social order, called a
“world,” is to be destroyed to make way for the kingdom of Christ. This
destruction of a “world” or social order is symbolically described by
the use of the words “fire”, “storms”, “earthquakes”, etc. Some have
erroneously concluded from these symbolically stated prophecies that
God intends to destroy the earth itself by literal fire. However, this
is far from the thought, for the basic fact is that “the earth abideth
forever.”—Eccles. 1:4
Thus we have these three “keys” to help us unlock the meaning of the
Bible: (1) the proper application of time in the events described; (2)
a recognition of the fact that some of the Bible’s promises are
heavenly, and some earthly; and (3) noting the fact that the Bible uses
both literal and symbolic language. The use of these three “keys” makes
the Bible like a new and lucid book.
- There IS a God!
- God Revealed in Animal Life
- God Revealed in Man
- The Creator’s Wisdom
- God’s Eternal Justice
- The Creator’s Love
- Our All-Seeing God
- God Hears and Cares
- The Almighty God
- The Glory of God
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson I
MANY great scientists
of modern times have openly stated their belief in the existence of a
supreme, intelligent Creator, among them, Dr. Albert Einstein. A.
Cressey Morrison, former President of the New York Academy of Sciences,
said, “By unwavering mathematical law we can prove that our universe
was designed and executed by a great engineering Intelligence.” (From
the book, “Man Does Not Stand Alone”)
We cannot establish the existence of
God through the medium of our five senses. We can neither see, feel,
smell, taste, nor touch him. While God is invisible to our natural
eyes, we can, nevertheless, discern him in the visible things he has
created. (Romans 1:20) This is accomplished by means of our reasoning
faculties. The more we ponder over the significance of the marvelous
things of the material world with which we are surrounded, the more
unwise it seems to deny the existence of a supreme, intelligent
Creator. (Psalm 53:1)
We sometimes speak of what a person
has made as being a “creation.” Actually, however, man’s ability to
“create” is limited to the use of materials already in existence.
Strictly speaking, man does not create a house; rather, he builds a
house, using materials which have already been created.
But, even the building of a house
calls for plans, specifications, measurements, and the use of proper
materials. A foundation has to be laid and firmly secured. The
superstructure must be properly built upon the foundation. The house
needs a roof, and the various rooms must be built according to a plan
and specifications. A house does not just happen to come into
existence. Every house, or any other building, evidences the work of an
intelligent designer and builder. So the earth itself, the home, or
“house” provided for man, also reveals the existence of a Designer and
Builder. (Job 38:4-8)
And what great wisdom is displayed in
the Creation of the earth! Think of the ingenious circulatory system by
which the land surfaces of the earth are watered to make possible the
growth of vegetation and food! (Job 38:25-28) What an endless variety
there is of trees, of fruit, of flowers, and all so intricately
designed and exquisitely beautiful!
Man can make an artificial flower,
but he cannot give it life. We can admire the blade of grass and the
mighty trees of the forest, but we cannot create them, nor do we
understand what makes them live. We may plant an acorn in the ground
and discern that later it has grown into a sturdy oak. We can marvel
about this, but cannot explain how it happened. Some may say it is
simply nature, but the wise will say it is an evidence of the existence
of nature’s God. (Psalm 107:43)
The human mind seems still more
hopelessly inadequate when it peers into the heavens and there, too,
sees displayed the mighty works of an Intelligent Creator. (Psalm
19:1,2) The astronomer’s telescope reveals the tremendous reaches of
the universe and its countless millions of stars and planets. We know
that all these are governed by fixed laws, and reason tells us that
these laws could have been established only by divine intelligence. If
our reason leads us to such a conclusion, then we will reverence our
great Creator and will want to learn all we can about him, so that we
can know him intimately, do his bidding, and copy his ways. (Proverbs
1:7, John 17:3)
QUESTIONS
The following questions are answered in the preceding short article. Can you answer them?
- What is the thinking of many of our modern scientists concerning the existence of a supreme, intelligent Creator?
- Can we establish the existence of God by means of any of our five senses? What does the Bible say?
- Do humans have the ability to create?
- How does the need for planning in the building of a house prove the existence of the Creator?
- Do any of us know the secret of life?
- What does reason tell us concerning the laws which govern the universe?
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT THOUGHTS
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson II
THERE is a poem which
states that “only God can make a tree,” (“Trees,” by Joyce Kilmer) and
this thought is even more conclusive when we think of the almost
countless varieties of trees which God has made. This same
faith-strengthening reasoning can be carried over into the animal
kingdom. Only a supreme, intelligent Creator could produce the myriad
varieties of animals, birds, and fish, and provide the appropriate food
and surroundings enabling them to continue their existence.
The peacock is noted for its gorgeous
plumage, while the ostrich is rather plain in appearance, although its
feathers are much in demand. By comparison with the ostrich, the
peacock moves about quite slowly, but the ostrich is able to run at
great speed. What determines these differences? Reason tells us that
here is displayed the planning and work of an intelligent Creator.
In most cases the birds and lower
animals instinctively exercise great care over their young. The birds
sit on the eggs from which their offspring are hatched. But with the
ostrich it is different. The mother ostrich simply buries her eggs in
the sand and then leaves them, evincing no interest in what might
happen thereafter. The warmth they need for incubation is in the
sunbaked sand. But the eggs are hidden from most danger, and, unlike
most other birds, the mother ostrich is not on hand to afford
protection for her young. (Job 39:13-18)
Did this maternal indifference of the
ostrich just happen to be? Oh, that is just a matter of instinct, some
may answer. But why should there be such a variety of instincts in the
animal creation? Besides, what is instinct? The dictionary says that
instinct is “the hereditary factor in behavior.” But whence came this
hereditary factor that enables fowl, animal, and fish, to survive?
Reason tells us that instinct is a
creation of God. This is particularly apparent when we consider the
widely variant instincts with which the animal creations have been
endowed. What causes young salmon, after spending four years in the
ocean, to seek and travel up the identical river where they were born,
there to spawn and die? And whence came the instinct which causes some
birds to migrate from north to south, and from south to north, with the
changing seasons? How do they know that it will be warm in the south,
and that they would freeze or starve to death in the north?
Innumerable pages would be required
to call attention to all the fascinating varieties of instincts
displayed throughout the animate creative works of God. To say that
such variety came about by mere chance is to stifle reason and to
distort the good judgment with which we have been endowed by the
Creator.
And herein is another proof of the
existence and work of the Creator. The lower animal creations do not
understand why they act as they do; but man has been given the ability
to understand, if he will, and choose his ways. He may go south or
remain north in the winter as he reasons and decides which move to
make. Thus man is set apart from the other animate creations, and this
also we see as an evidence of the existence of a wise and loving
Creator. (Job 32:8; also “The New Creation,” pages 55-58)
QUESTIONS
The following questions are answered in the preceding short article. What do these answers mean to you?
- How does the endless variety of life in the animal kingdom prove the existence of a supreme, intelligent Creator?
- What determined the great differences of appearance and abilities between the peacock and the ostrich?
- What is indicated by the mother ostrich’s lack of interest in her young, in contrast with the maternal instincts of other birds?
- What is instinct, and why do the lower animals possess it?
- What is the true explanation as to why man is able to reason rather than to be guided by instinct?
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT POINTS
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson III
ALL animate and
inanimate things of which man has knowledge proclaim to reason that
there is a God. The intricacies of the life principle are quite beyond
the ability of the human mind fully to understand. This is true in the
earthly realm from the lowest form of shellfish right on up to man, the
highest order of animate life. This is particularly true of man, whose
body, animated by the breath of life, is one of the marvels of the
universe. (Psalm 139:14,15)
And one of the amazing things about
humans is their ability to reason upon available facts and to reach
logical conclusions. We are living in the day of electronic computers.
Data is fed into these computers for the purpose of obtaining certain
information, and in a relatively short space of time they produce the
answers sought. It is claimed by authorities that an electronic
computer capable of reaching all the conclusions potentially possible
to the human brain, would need to be as large as the Empire State
building in New York City. And this electronic marvel can process data
only in response to facts fed into it by an intelligent human being.
And yet, how small is the human
brain! Besides, even though a computer can be constructed by human
wisdom to do the mechanical reckoning heretofore done by the brain, it
lacks feelings of any kind. If a computer informs its owner that he has
prospered in business, it registers no joy; if he is bankrupt, it
displays no sorrow.
But in man’s little brain there is
the potential mathematical ability of the most complicated electronic
computer ever built, and a thousand times over, plus a sympathetic
understanding of the implications in the conclusions at which it is
capable of arriving. Could such a capability just happen to function?
(Job 38:36) The obvious answer is no, that here is irrefutable proof of
the existence of a supreme, intelligent Creator.
Besides, by noting the reasoning
characteristics of man, as translated into human behavior, we learn
something about the Creator, for the Bible tells us that man was
created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27,28; also “The New Creation,”
page 39) All Creation reveals the intelligence of the Creator and his
ability to reason. (Isaiah 1:18) Man’s puny mind, while not able to
understand a great deal about God’s Creation is, nevertheless, able to
reason upon the basis of his limited knowledge and to reach the
conclusion that there is a God.
Man is fallen and imperfect. (Psalm
51:5) Many humans are even degraded and debauched. However, there are
many noble specimens of humanity all around us, and in these we see the
qualities of sympathy, justice, and love. Since man was created in the
image of God, we therefore conclude that the Creator is sympathetic,
just, and loving.
Man has also been endowed with the
ability to conceive the idea of a great God and Creator over all. This
not only sets man apart from all the lower forms of animal life, but is
an additional proof that he is a created being, and not an accident of
an unguided evolutionary process. From the dawn of Biblical history man
has been a worshipping creature, (Genesis 4:3-5) and among the truly
wise of the human race, is no less so today. Prof. Pasteur, the noted
bacteriologist, testified that he prayed while he worked. (“The New
Creation,” page 44, paragraphs 1 and 2)
QUESTIONS
These questions are based on the
foregoing brief discussion of the manner in which man, as a created
being, is himself one of the proofs of the existence of the Creator.
Can you answer them?
- What is implied by the fact that the intricacies of life are quite beyond the ability of human wisdom to understand?
- How does the human brain compare in ability with modern electronic computers? Give an example.
- What characteristic of the human brain is totally absent in the mechanism of an electronic computer?
- What can we learn about God by noting the reasoning and behavior of the noble-minded among the human race?
- What is indicated by man’s inherent desire to worship a higher power than himself?
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT THOUGHTS
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson IV
IN MYRIAD ways God’s
wisdom is displayed in his creative works. One of these is the
occasional exception to the laws by which all inanimate things of
creation are governed. For example, the general law is that substances
expand with heat and contract with cold. An exception to this is in the
freezing of water. If water contracted as it froze, ice would then be
heavier than water, and the end of winter throughout half of the earth
would find the rivers and lakes solid cakes of ice. But God’s exception
to this law of nature averts such a catastrophe.
Wisdom beyond our comprehension is
displayed in all created things. We are particularly interested in
divine wisdom as we see it in operation in connection with his
provisions for man, whom he created in his image and to be king of
earth. (“The New Creation,” page 39) One evidence of this is in the
relationship of parents to children. God endowed the lower animals with
certain instincts which cause them to make essential preparation for
their young and to care for them for a short time after they are born;
but this instinct is devoid of lasting interest in, and love for, the
offspring.
How different in the case of humans!
A human child is helpless when it is born. It needs the loving and
tender care of its mother and generally gets it. The love of both
parents for their child generally increases, and the child learns to
appreciate and love its parents. God’s wisdom designed it so, and it is
related to the fact that we are created in the image of God. The
Creator loves his children and is pleased when they realize their
dependence on him, and out of this there grows love and loyalty.
(Isaiah 49:15; Psalm 103:13)
God’s wisdom is displayed by
permitting man to be subjected to temptation, as he was in the Garden
of Eden. The universe is filled by created things compelled to obey the
Creator’s law. The stars are given no choice as to the orbit in which
they will travel or how fast they will revolve in that orbit. But the
Creator was not limited to exacting this sort of obedience. He created
man in his own image and gave him a choice between obedience and
disobedience. (Genesis 2:16,17; Joshua 24:15)
God’s wisdom enabled him to know in
advance that, through lack of experience, man would choose the course
of disobedience and thus incur the penalty of death, as had been
stipulated. God’s wisdom decreed that all of Adam’s children would
share in this death condemnation. By this wise arrangement, it was
possible for one man—even Jesus Christ, who was made flesh for this
purpose—to redeem from death Adam and his entire progeny who lost life
through and in him. (Acts 15:18; Romans 5:12; I Corinthians 15:21,22)
By this wise arrangement, each
generation of Adam’s children has had an opportunity to experience the
disastrous results of disobedience to divine law. Thus far few have
known the true significance of their plight, but the Creator’s wisdom
has arranged their awakening from the sleep of death at a time when the
educational program of Christ’s kingdom will be in operation, and then
they will learn. Thus they will, by experience, have learned both good
and evil, and will be in a position to make an intelligent choice
between the two. (Isaiah 26:9; Isaiah 29:24; also “The Divine Plan of
the Ages,” chapter 7)
QUESTIONS
Here are a few questions based on the preceding short article pertaining to divine wisdom. How many of them can you answer?
- What is one of the exceptions to the laws of nature which reveals the wisdom of the Creator?
- How is the wisdom of God displayed in the parental relationship of humans to their children?
- Was it wise for God to permit our first parents to be tempted?
- If so, can you explain why?
- When will the human race as a hole have an opportunity to benefit from the Creator’s wise permission of evil?
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT POINTS
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson V
THROUGHOUT all the ages
of human experience, innocent men, women, and children have suffered.
Is it just for God to permit an innocent infant to be afflicted with a
painful disease and ultimately to die? There are thousands of
situations in which the question of God’s justice is raised. Assuming
that God is all-powerful and therefore able to control human
experience, why does he permit the innocent to suffer? In the absence
of a satisfactory answer to this question, some might well question the
existence of God.
The operation of God’s justice in his
dealings with his human creatures can be understood only in the light
of his plan as a whole. One would properly question the motives of a
surgeon who cuts into a human body to remove a malignant growth, or a
diseased organ, were it not known that the objective sought is the
person’s health and well-being. The healthy unaffected organs of the
body might well suffer as the malignancy is being removed, but those
involved understand the reason and are quite willing to have it so.
The principle of justice is well
illustrated by the balanced apothecary’s scale. With the scale, the
illustration is in equality of weight. In God’s relationship to man, it
is in equality of dealings. The Creator is the source of life and its
blessings, so he has the right to decide the terms upon which these
blessings may be obtained and maintained. (Acts 17:24-28; Job 12:10)
Adam was God’s creation. He owed his life to his Creator.
Adam also owed obedience to his
Creator; and the Creator, in his wisdom, exacted the death penalty for
disobedience, not because he was vindictive, but because it would
result in the greatest good to Adam and to his progeny. (Genesis
3:17-19) Think of the havoc that would be wrought if the earth were to
disobey the laws of gravitation by which it is kept in its proper
orbit! So, if man were permitted to live in disobedience to divine law,
there would be no end to the chaos and suffering that would result.
Man was justly condemned to death.
The penalty was death, so if man was to be rescued from death the
demands of divine justice against him must be satisfied. The Creator’s
wisdom provided the way, which was through Christ, the Redeemer. Jesus
became a substitute in death for Adam and for the unborn race in his
loins when he sinned. The Bible refers to this as a ransom, or
corresponding price. (I Timothy 2:3-6)
While God’s love is involved in this
plan, it is his justice that opens the way for man’s release from sin
and death. Meanwhile, the human race has continued to suffer, the
innocent with the guilty. The Just compensation for this will be in the
blessed experiences of the enhanced joy which will be made available to
all as they are restored to life. Then, as they look back upon the
experiences through which they passed during the reign of sin and
death, they will thank God for them; for thereby they will be led to a
more profound appreciation of their loving Creator, whom they will have
the opportunity of obeying and serving forever. (Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah
29:24; Revelation 21:4)
QUESTIONS
Here are some of the questions
answered in the foregoing short article on the topic, “God’s Eternal
Justice.” Do you know the plan of God well enough to answer these
questions?
- Why has the suffering of the innocent caused some to question the existence of God?
- How only can we understand the operation of God’s justice in his dealings with the human race?
- Explain the principle of justice. How is it illustrated by the apothecary’s scale?
- Explain the wisdom of the just penalty of death which resulted from Adam’s disobedience.
- Explain how justice operates to provide the release of the human race from death.
- What compensation will there be for the sufferings of the human race during the reign of sin and death?
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT THOUGHTS
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson VI
THE great Creator of
the universe dispenses blessings to his earthly creatures with a lavish
hand. His love has made provision for the lower creatures as well as
for man. He takes delight in exercising his loving-kindness throughout
the earth, causing the sun to shine and the rain to fall upon all.
These blessings are available even for those of his human creation who,
in their folly, disbelieve in his existence, and ofttimes blaspheme
him. (Matthew 5:43-45; Jeremiah 9:23,24)
Because man is sinful and fallen, and
because the command to subdue the earth has not yet been carried out,
there are times when human suffering and apparent unbalances in the
material world seem to belie God’s loving interest in his earthly
creatures. It is in such circumstances that we need to understand the
divine plan for the ultimate elimination of all evil in order to see
through the dark circumstances of life.
Man sinned and brought upon himself
the penalty for sin, which is death. God’s love provided redemption
from death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:23; John 3:16,17;
Romans 5:8; I John 4:9-12) God’s gift of his Son to suffer and die for
the sin-cursed and dying race is a most outstanding evidence of his
love. No gift has ever been so great, or so costly to the giver.
While the Scriptures declare that it
was God’s love for the world that caused him to send his Son to earth
to be the Redeemer and Savior of mankind, our appreciation of that love
is enhanced by the assurance given us in the Bible that a full and
complete opportunity is to be given to all mankind to benefit from
God’s gift. Only those who believe will receive everlasting life
through Christ, but the opportunity to believe is not limited to this
present short span of imperfect life. (I Timothy 2:3-6; also “The
Divine Plan of the Ages,” pages 104-107)
While God’s love is abundantly
manifested by the gift of his dear Son, we see a further evidence of
his love in his invitation to believers of the present age to suffer
and die with Jesus that they might live and reign with him. Through the
Holy Spirit these are made sons of God on the divine plane. (II Peter
1:4; also “The Divine Plan of the Ages,” pages 277-282) This is truly a
marvelous manifestation of God’s love. (I John 3:1-3)
It is beyond the ability of our
finite minds fully to understand the length and breadth and height and
depth of God’s love which provided that some few of the fallen,
imperfect members of the human race should not only be redeemed from
death through Jesus but should be called to joint-heirship in his
kingdom; and yet the Scriptures reveal that this is the divine plan for
a “little flock” selected from the world upon the basis of their faith
and obedience. (Ephesians 2:1-7; Luke 12:32) Such love should call
forth a hearty response of love and devotion on the part of all whose
hearts are opened to receive it.
QUESTIONS
These questions on the love of God
are answered in the preceding article. Can you answer them, and
document your answer with a text of Scripture?
- Does God ever bestow his blessings upon the unrighteous?
- What
knowledge do we need to have, to be assured that God does love his
human creatures despite the suffering that is in the world?
- Name the outstanding act of the Creator which proves his love for the sinful race of mankind.
- Is the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as Redeemer limited to the present short span of life?
- Explain the manner in which God’s love is especially manifested toward the footstep followers of Jesus.
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT THOUGHTS
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson VII
NO ONE has seen God at
any time. (John 1:18) Indeed, no one can see him and live. (Exodus
33:20) But while we do not know his appearance, his character is
revealed to us through his beloved Son, Christ Jesus. (John 14:9) We
note the sympathy and love of Jesus, and we know that these same
qualities are possessed by our loving Creator.
In addition to this, the Bible helps
us to grasp more fully the idea of our Heavenly Father’s love for his
people by symbolic references to his “eyes,” his “ears,” and his
“arms.” This does not mean that God possesses eyes and ears and arms
like ours, but by the use of these as symbols we are given a clearer
concept of our Heavenly Father’s powers and of his intimate love for us.
Just as we see with our eyes and are
aware of what is transpiring within the range of our sight, so the
Creator knows what is happening to his people, for they are always
within range of his “vision.” He is never weary, never faint, and is
always ready and willing to give strength to his people in their every
time of need. (I Peter 3:12; Isaiah 40:28-31)
Our Heavenly Father said of his
ancient people Israel, who typified spiritual Israel of the Gospel Age,
that those who touched them to do them injury, touched the apple of his
eye. (Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8; Zechariah 2:8) What an endearing
symbol this is of how precious to him our Father considers his children
to be!
The Bible tells us that the eyes of
the Lord run to and fro throughout the earth. (II Chronicles 16:9)
This, also, is pictorial language, but how vividly it brings before us
the idea of the Creator’s ability to know what is happening everywhere.
In this instance the assurance is given that the Lord’s interest is to
note the faithfulness of his own people and to give them the necessary
protection from their enemies and the needed strength to serve him.
We are informed by the Scriptures
that “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and
the good.” (Proverbs 15:3) How vividly this language conveys the idea
of God’s ability to “see,” or to know, what is taking place everywhere,
that nothing can be hid from his sight. Conscious of this discerning
ability of his God, David prayed that his words and thoughts, even the
very thoughts of his heart, might be acceptable in his sight. (Psalm
19:14)
The human eye is limited in its
vision. We can see only those things which are physical, or material.
But God’s “eyes” are not thus limited, for he can search our minds and
discern the thoughts and intents of our hearts. (Hebrews 4:13) How
careful we should be to keep our thoughts and motives pure!
Jesus will be the great Judge of the
people during the world’s coming judgment day, and we are told that he
will not judge after “the sight of his eyes.” (Isaiah 11:1-5) Thus we
are reminded of the limitation of human eyesight and that Jesus, who is
now “the express image” of his Heavenly Father, will have the ability
to see into the minds of the people and will therefore know how to
judge them correctly. (Hebrews 1:3) How wonderful are our Heavenly
Father and his beloved Son!
QUESTIONS
The answer to these questions should help us understand our loving Creator somewhat more intimately. Do you know these answers?
- What is the outstanding attribute of God’s character?
- Since no human can literally see God, what is one of the ways in which his character is revealed to us?
- How are the capabilities of God revealed to us through symbolic language?
- What does the Bible mean in its references to the “eyes” of the Lord?
- How do the “eyes” of the Lord run to and fro throughout the earth, and for what purpose?
- Are God’s “eyes” limited in their vision as ours are?
- Will
Jesus, as the future Judge of the world, be limited to what human eyes
might be able to discern concerning those who are being judged?
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT POINTS
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson VIII
GOD’S loving interest
in his people and his care for them are brought feelingly to our
attention by the Bible’s many references to his ability to “hear” when
we cry to him for help, and that he bears us up in his everlasting
“arms.” (Psalm 34:15-19; 20:6; Deuteronomy 33:27) To make his love more
understandable and more intimate, the Scriptures represent God as
inclining his ear toward his people to make sure that he hears their
prayers. (Psalm 116:1,2; 40:1)
The Lord has not promised to hear
favorably the prayers of his people if their requests are not in
harmony with his will. (I John 5:14,15; also “The New Creation,” page
679 to and including paragraph 1, page 680) God is abundantly able to
grant us all the blessings for which we pray and will do so if our
requests are in keeping with the principles of his plan and laws. The
Scriptures tell us that God has a “mighty arm,” and a “strong hand,”
and that these will be used in keeping with justice, mercy, and truth.
(Psalm 89:13,14)
During the present Gospel Age the
Lord is dealing only with those whom he is preparing to live and reign
with Christ in his thousand-year kingdom. When that kingdom is fully
established, and the knowledge of the Lord is filling the earth, “all
flesh” will be lifting up their hearts in prayer to God, and he will
“hear.” (Psalm 65:2; Isaiah 65:24) How the people will then rejoice
that they have learned to know, to love, and to serve the true and
living God, the loving Creator of the universe! (Isaiah 25:9)
Meanwhile, the Lord has not been
indifferent to the sufferings of fallen mankind. The Scriptures
represent him as looking down from heaven and seeing conditions on the
earth, and hearing the groanings of the people, who are as prisoners of
death. It is indicated that the Lord has pity for these prisoners and
will release them. (Psalm 102:19,20) The releasing of the prisoners of
death is the great work of Christ during the thousand years of his
kingdom. It is a work that was planned by God’s wisdom, having been
motivated by his love.
This loving future work of God,
through Christ, is spoken of in the Scriptures as the opening of his
hand to satisfy the desires of “every living thing.” When, in the
kingdom of Christ, this promise is being fulfilled, the people will
find that the Lord is very near to them. Those who truly fear or
reverence him will be saved, or rescued completely, from death, and
will live forever. (Psalm 145:16-19)
This blessed kingdom work of the
future is prophesied as being accomplished by the “arm” of the Lord,
Jesus. (Isaiah 52:10; Psalm 98:1) This arm, the prophecy states, is to
be “made bare,” so that all can see it. No longer will the people
wonder about God’s love, for it will be revealed to them that the
blessings of that day are the result of the gift of his own dear Son to
be their Redeemer and Savior.
Up to now this “Arm” of the Lord has
been revealed only to a few, comparatively speaking. He was despised
and rejected of men. Few indeed at Jesus’ first advent recognized that
he had come as the gift of God’s love to save the people from their
sin; so they persecuted him, and put him to death. (Isaiah 53:1-5)
But we can rejoice that during
Christ’s second visit to earth the situation will be vastly different.
Then the people from all the ends of the earth will recognize him, and
will rejoice in the salvation which he has provided for them.
QUESTIONS
These questions are answered in this short article, “God Hears and Cares.” Do you know the answers to them?
- What lessons do we derive from the Bible’s references to God’s “ears” and “arms”?
- Upon what condition does God answer the prayers of his People?
- When will the people of all the world—“all flesh”—have their prayers answered?
- Does
the seeming long delay in the fulfillment of God’s promises to bless
all the families of the earth imply that he has been indifferent to
human needs? When will God satisfy the desire of “every living thing”?
- Who is the “Arm” of the Lord that will, in God’s due time, be made “bare” for all the world to see?
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT THOUGHTS
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson IX
IT IS a self-evident
truth that the great Creator of the universe is of necessity
all-powerful. Job expressed this fact beautifully when he said to God,
“I know that thou canst do every thing.” (Job 42:2) The almighty power
of God is manifested in all his creative works. Life itself is a mighty
force beyond the ability of the human mind to conceive.
In this lesson we are particularly
interested in the power of God as it relates to the outworking of his
plan for the redemption and recovery of the human race from sin and
death. This plan is motivated by divine love. It is based on the
justice of God and was conceived by the Creator’s wisdom. But the plan
itself would have no validity if its Author lacked the ability to carry
it out. However, we are assured that God is abundantly able to
accomplish every detail of his plan. (Isaiah 55:10,11)
The miracle-working power of God is
required for the accomplishment of essentially every detail of his plan
of salvation. It was God’s love that prompted him to give his Son to be
man’s Redeemer, but the presentation of this gift called for the
exercise of mighty power. It was necessary that Jesus be made flesh by
the transfer of his life to the womb of Mary to be born a human. (John
1:14,15)
The Holy Spirit, or power of God
sustained Jesus throughout the trying years of his earthly ministry.
Finally, when Jesus had given his humanity in death, dying on the
cross, the power of his Heavenly Father raised him from the dead and
exalted him to his own right hand in divine glory. (Ephesians 1:17-23)
Throughout the Gospel Age the Holy
Spirit, or power of God, has been working in the hearts and lives of
Jesus’ true followers. They have been made spiritually strong in the
power of his might. (Ephesians 6:10) The truly faithful have
experienced the same almighty power sustaining them as that which gave
Jesus the strength to suffer and to die. (II Timothy 1:7; Philippians
3:10,11) And then, at the end of the age, these, like Jesus, are raised
from the dead to live and reign with him for a thousand years, to
restore mankind in general to life on the earth. (Revelation 20:6; I
Corinthians 6:14)
Christ and his followers will be the
invisible rulers in that kingdom and will be represented on earth by
those ancient servants of God from Abel to John the Baptist. The Bible
says that these will be made “princes in all the earth.” (Psalm 45:16)
And divine power will raise these from the dead as perfect humans.
(Hebrews 11:35,39,40; 12:23)
But this is not all, for there will
follow the awakening from the sleep of death of all the billions of the
human race who were condemned to death in Adam and redeemed by the
precious blood of Christ. (I Corinthians 15:21,22) To believe this
should not place a strain on our faith, for the One who has planned and
promised it is the great God of the universe who created life in the
first place. Surely this almighty God is abundantly able to restore
life.
And it will not be merely an
awakening from death, but all the willing and obedient of the kingdom
age will be restored to human perfection just as Adam possessed it
before he sinned. This will also call for the exercise of divine power.
This will be the “restitution” of all things. (Acts 3:20,21)
QUESTIONS
There is nothing more important than to learn all we can about our loving Creator. How many of these questions can you answer?
- How did Job describe God’s almighty power?
- By what means is the wise, just, and loving plan of God accomplished?
- What is one way in which the power of God was exercised in the giving of his Son to be man’s Redeemer?
- By what means was Jesus sustained in his trials, and raised from the dead?
- How has the work of God in the earth during the Gospel Age been accomplished?
- Who will be the visible representatives of Christ during his reign on earth, and how does divine power make this possible?
- By
what means will the promises of God to restore all the dead to life be
accomplished? Will this be merely an awakening from the sleep of death?
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT THOUGHTS
THE CREATOR SERIES
Lesson X
THE personal glory of
the Creator is quite beyond our comprehension, but we can understand to
some extent the glorious virtues of his character. We might say that
God’s infinite wisdom, his unyielding justice, his boundless love, and
his almighty power, in perfect balance as they are, together reveal his
glory.
We can “see” God’s glory through an
understanding of his plan for the redemption and recovery of the human
race from death. But the world in general does not possess this
knowledge, and therefore does not now “see” the glory of God. But with
the full establishment of the kingdom of Christ this situation will
change. Then the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth, and all
shall know and serve him. (Isaiah 11:9; Zephaniah 3:9) Then all flesh
will “see,” or discern, the glory of God. (Isaiah 40:5)
The whole world will then know of
God’s justice as represented in the divine penalty for sin. They will
know how divine wisdom found the way whereby God could be just, yet
release the condemned world from death. (Romans 3:26) They will know
that it was divine love that provided the Redeemer, who himself
lovingly died for their sins. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; I John 2:2) The
world will also then discern, even better than we are able to
comprehend at the present time, the miracle-working power of God; for
they will see it demonstrated in the resurrection of the dead. Since
all the dead from every part of the earth eventually are to be awakened
from death, the glory of God will indeed fill the earth. (Acts 24:15)
The glory of God was reflected to a
limited degree in our first parents, whom he created in his image and
crowned with glory and honor. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:4, 5) As a result
of the reign of sin and death, man has lost much of his original
perfection, although there are degrees of the divine qualities of
justice, sympathy, and love to be found in many persons even now.
During the Gospel Age God has been
inviting a company of people to come out from the world, offering them
the privilege of striving, through the exercise of faith, for a change
of nature, from the human to the divine. (II Peter 1:4) Those who reach
this high position in the resurrection will attain also unto the divine
glory. (I Corinthians 15:47-49)
All who do not attain to spiritual
glory in the resurrection will be restored to human perfection during
the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom. And think what a change that
will be! (“The Divine Plan of the Ages,” pages 191-193) It will be a
progressive return to holiness, or perfection, which the Bible likens
to traveling over a “highway.” (Isaiah 35:8)
This “highway” is in reality the
return road, not only to life, but to the image and glory of God. All
have been ransomed by Jesus and will return from the sleep of death. If
they then accept the provisions of divine love through Christ and obey
the laws of his kingdom, they will obtain eternal joy and gladness; and
sorrow, sickness, and death will he no more. (Isaiah 35:10; Revelation
21:1-5)
The Bible assures us that all will
then acclaim the glory of God, and the glory of his beloved Son, Christ
Jesus, the “Lamb” that was slain to take away the sin of the world.
(Revelation 5:13; John 1:29) They will then sing that inspiring song
recorded in Revelation 15:3,4, Revised Standard Version
QUESTIONS
Test your knowledge! To know the correct answers to these questions is important to all who would be pleasing to the Lord.
- Explain one manner in which the glory of God’s character is revealed.
- Can the unbelieving world “see” God’s glory? When will the knowledge of God’s glory fill the earth?
- In
what manner will the world of mankind, during the kingdom age, see the
glory of God manifested, even more clearly than we do now?
- What Scripture text affirms that our first parents were endowed with a measure of God’s glory?
- Will any members of the human race ever attain to a measure of God’s glory?
- Will man’s restoration to perfection be instantaneous?
- What is the “highway” of Isaiah 35:8?
- How do we know that the whole world ultimately will ascribe glory to the Creator, and to his Son, Christ Jesus?
REFERENCE MATERIAL
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT POINTS