yet denounces them as hypocrites, as proud, as blind guides, as fools, as whited sepulchers, full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. "Fill up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” Notwithstanding their character is thus described here and elsewhere, we are told that "Jesus spake to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not." a This very clearly teaches that the law of Moses was still binding. "They sit in Moses' seat." The binding authority of the law of Moses during Christ's personal ministry on the earth is recognized by Him and its sacrificial system enforced. In His sermon on the mount He says: "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; . . . first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."b He also commanded a leper whom He cleansed: "Go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." On His entry into the Temple He recognized its sacredness and at once began to reform its abuses. The sacrificial system did not cease until the great sacrifice was offered. Not until Jesus put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself and dying, exclaimed, “It is finished, and the vail of the temple was rent in twain," and henceforth and forever there is no more holy or most holy a Matt. xxiii. 1-3. b Matt. v. 23, 24. c Matt. viii. 4. place on earth. The death of Jesus parted the vail, and rising He entered the Holy of Holies in heaven, once for all, and all His followers are now kings and priests unto God and shall reign with Him forever and ever. C When Jesus was about leaving the Temple for the last time He exclaimed: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." a But still He had not yet taken "away the first that he may establish the second." b When He went out from the Temple and viewed the Temple buildings He said to His disciples: "There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down." c His disciples then asked Him: "When shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" The twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew is given to the answer of these three important questions in which He describes the great events, both physical and moral, which should take place in the world, until the winding up of Time's great drama. He begins by saying: "Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: there shall be famines, and pestilences, and eartha Matt. xxiii. 37, 38. c Matt. xxiv. 2. b Heb. x. 9. quakes, in divers places. They shall deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you. Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many, and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations. The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken. And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." He continues further to illustrate His kingdom and coming by the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, and also of the talents, concluding His discourse by a description of the final judgment, in which He shows that we can minister to Him by ministering to His suffering children. This brings us to the conspiracy against Christ. Having in the preceding pages called attention to all cases of pardon, except the thief on the cross, and all reference to the Gentiles found in the synoptical gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and about in their chronological order, as well as some other important matters connected with the life of Christ and recorded by the same authors, we will now, before speaking of the fulfilment of Christ's great mission by His death and resurrection, call attention to the teaching of John's gospel on the same subject. CHAPTER V CHRIST AS THE WORD OF GOD The Gospel of John. The Preexistence of Christ as the Word of God. Nicodemus and the New Birth. Importance of Faith. Jesus Teaching the Samaritans. Jesus Reveals the Father. The Gentiles. JOHN begins his gospel by stating the preexistence of Christ as the word of God, attributing creative power to Him. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men." Thus the same divine being who created the world came also to redeem it; the same power manifest in creation came also to the rescue of the human race, bringing an everlasting redemption for the children of men. The author of life became the light and life of men. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." a The first person to whom Jesus imparted instruction in regard to entering the kingdom of God, as a John i. 11-13. recorded by John, was Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. After he had recognized Jesus' divine mission, Jesus answered and said unto him: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God." a It must be remembered that the facts upon which His kingdom was to be established, and the Gospel based, had not yet taken place. This passage shows clearly that there is a marked distinction between Judaism and Christianity, that a Jew and a ruler of the Jews, a member even of the Sanhedrin, had to be born again to enter Christ's kingdom. But what is meant by being born again? "Born of water and the spirit." This will be ascertained most clearly by examining the terms of induction into Christ's kingdom when it becomes established. The history of how persons were delivered "from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son," as given in many examples after its establishment, shows beyond a doubt the meaning or purport of being born again. And when all these cases have been passed in review there need be no doubt in regard to the new birth, or how it is accomplished. In concluding His conversation with Nicodemus He said: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the b Matt. xvi. 18; 1 Cor. xv. 1-4. a John iii. 3-5. |
