Jottings

by J. Miller | Category: Jottings | Mar 1959

We wrote briefly recently on the matter of strangers (Isaiah 56.3, 6, 7), and of nations (Zechariah 2.11) being joined to the LORD in days of millennial glory. The strangers who join themselves to the LORD are said to be those whose purpose it is (1) to minister unto Him, (2) to love the name of the LORD, (3) to be His servants, (4) to keep the sabbath from profaning it, and (5) to hold fast by God's covenant, five excellent resolves. What is the reward of those godly strangers ? It is this

Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar: for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples. The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to Him, beside His own that are gathered" (Isaiah 56.7, 8).

It may be doubtful whether " Him," in "Yet will I gather others to Him," is the Lord or Israel; it seems so in our versions. In the light of the fact that being joined to the Lord (verses 3, 6) means being joined to Israel His people (Isaiah 14. 1), the difficulty is intensified. It seems to me, nevertheless, that to Him" is to the Lord. See Psalm 50.5, which says, "Gather My saints together unto Me," the LORD being the Speaker.

Great will be those days when the Great Shepherd shall gather scattered Israel together, who have been scattered upon the mountains in the dark and cloudy day, and will seek out His scattered sheep (Ezekiel 34).

It is this "joining to the LORD" that is 50 precious. Broken cords, long rent asunder, will be joined at last. Men, whose forefathers have been kept apart, by jealousy and covetousness, and by many a sanguinary encounter, will be joined together in unending felicity. They will bow together in prayer and will see their burnt offerings and sacrifices arise as incense from the altar of God.

Some have questioned whether there will be animal sacrifices offered during the Millennium. There can be no doubt whatever that there will be animal sacrifices. A material house will require a material altar, and a material altar will call for material sacrifices. This passage states this, " Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar" (verse 7). "All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on Mine altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory" (Isaiah 60.7). See, too, Ezekiel, chapters 45, 46. There "the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok ... shall come near to Me to minister unto Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer unto Me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD" (Ezekiel 44.15 ; see also verses 10, 11). There are other scriptures which show the same fact, that animal sacrifices will be offered during the Millennium.

We have an illustration of this matter of people joining themselves to the people of Israel in the book of Esther. In this unique book, in which the name of God or Jehovah does not appear, we see His preserving care of the Jews through the boldness and faithfulness of Mordecai. As the result of God working for the Jewish people, it is anticipated that Gentiles would join themselves to them. Thus it reads

"Wherefore they called these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Therefore because of all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come unto them, the Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to the writing thereof, and according to the appointed time thereof, every year" (Esther 9.26, 27').

It says, "Many from among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews was fallen upon them" (Esther 8.17'). God will raise up His ancient people yet, and Zechariah 8.23 will have fulfilment.

Paul returned to Damascus from Arabia (Galatians 1.17), whence lie had gone soon after his conversion on the Damascus road (Acts 9.1-22). No reference is made in Acts 9 to his going into Arabia. Our sole source of information of this event is that in Galatians. The words of Acts 9.28 quite evidently cover this period, "And when many days were fulfilled," and so forth. His stay in Damascus, both before he went into Arabia and after his return, had been fruitful, for whilst we clearly see that there were disciples of the Lord before he went to Damascus, against whom he had gone on his persecuting mission (Acts 9.14, 19), he had himself by his ministry made other disciples there, for it was his disciples that let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket (Acts 9.25), and thus he escaped the Jewish plot (verses 23, 24), and from the governor under King Aretas (2 Corinthians 11. 32).

He tells us, in Galatians 1.18, that after three years, which I judge covers the time from his conversion which he spent in Damascus and in Arabia, he went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas (Peter) and he tarried with him only fifteen days. When he arrived " he assayed to join himself to the disciples," but they were afraid of him because of his notoriety as a persecutor of the Lord's disciples, and they did not believe that he was a disciple. It was not until Barnabas had brought him to the apostles, and declared the facts of his conversion and preaching, that he was with them going in and out at Jerusalem.

This word "join " in Paul's intention of joining the disciples in Jerusalem is interesting, in the light of the subject of men and nations joining themselves to tile Loan in the Millennium (see Isaiah 56.6 and Zechariah 2.11). The word for "join" in the Greek is Kollao, which means "to glue." Proskollao- is used, in Matthew 19.6, of the uniting of a man and woman in marriage. It is a quotation from Genesis 2.24. "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to (Proskollao-; this is the verb Kallao- with the preposition Pros in front of it, and means "to be glued to ") his wife; and the twain shall become one flesh." It may be translated "be joined to." The Greek word is similar in meaning to the Hebrew in Genesis 2.24. In God's will a man and woman so joined together in wedlock are not to be sundered, as the Lord said, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19.6). Paul's words are clear for all saints in this matter, in 1 Corinthians 7. 10, 11. Divorce was allowed to Israelites in the past ; they could write a bill of divorcement and put away their wives, hut that was only allowed by God because of the hardness of heart of His people. No such provision is allowed to Christian people in this dispensation. There can be no divorce and remarriage for believers according to the teaching of the Faith in this day of grace.

Such was the permanence with which Paul viewed his association with the disciples in Jerusalem, it was to be as permanent, even for a lifetime, as the abiding character of marriage. Alas, many believers who have not learned the truth of one Fellowship, one House of God," one thing "for God upon the earth, are found moving in and out of the sects of Christendom and living as promiscuous a spiritual life, as many people in these days of loose morals live in sexual matters. Is it not high time for the children of God to look into the Scriptures and see, that as God had a people together in a past dispensation, whether the whole nation of Israel or only a remnant of that people, so is it His will to have one people together now of and for Himself? Surely this is a most elementary truth of the word of God! Sects are a blot on the history of Christianity. Sectarianism began early in this dispensation, as we learn from Paul's prophetic 'words in Acts 20.28-30, and we see the beginning of that apostasy in the epistles to Timothy, and of Peter, John and Jude, which eventually resulted in what has been called "the dark ages," when there was but a flickering light here and there which did little to dispel the gloom.

When Barnabas came down from Jerusalem to Antioch and saw the grace of God in the disciples, "he exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave (Prosmeno; to abide with) unto the Lord" (Acts 11.23). Here Prosmeno has the thought of permanence. This shows the opposite to what is contained in the Lord's question, "Would ye also go away?" (John 6.66-67).

J. Miller | Mar 1959
Jottings