Leaves Of Gold

A Call To Return To Biblical Teaching

Year One, Number 10 OCTOBER 2006

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me" John 5:39). In the King James Version this verse reads like a command, "Search the Scriptures"; in the New King James Version and other versions it reads like a statement of fact, "You search the Scriptures:' Both translations are valid. We may perceive it as both a command and a statement of fact. We are to search the Old Testament books; for in them Christ is revealed unto us in type and prophecy. He is the theme of the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi.

It is a fact that the Jews, scribes, and Pharisees searched the Scriptures; they pored over them, they diligently investigated them. However, they were spiritually blind to the Messiah; they saw only the Law, as they wrongly construed it. They were so legalistic that they searched the old Scriptures for but one purpose: to interpret the Law. But they were blinded by the Law that they did not recognize the Lawgiver, who came to fulfill the Law. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). In this verse Jesus speaks of the Law and the Prophets; the reference is not just to specific laws, but rather to the whole of the Old Testament books. He fulfilled all-the ceremonial laws relative to the atoning sacrifices, as well as the moral laws, both positive and negative. He fulfilled all the types (biblical objects, persons, and events that illustrate what is to come) and all the prophecies that pertained to His first coming. When He returns, He will fulfill all those related to His Second Coming.

If the Jewish rulers had truly understood the types and prophecies of the Old Testament books, they would have recognized the Christ early in His ministry, and accepted Him as their Messiah. May God open our eyes to the Messiah, as He is revealed to us in these messianic psalms.

If the Jewish rulers had truly understood the types and prophecies of the Old Testament books, they would have recognized the Christ early in His ministry, and accepted Him as their Messiah. May God open our eyes to the Messiah as He is revealed to us in these messianic psalms.

The Messiah Exalted (Psalm 8:1-9)-This messianic psalm exalts the name of Jesus. You can sense David's excitement as you read the first verse, "0 LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all II" earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens!" (v. 1). The name of Jesus is excellent in all the earth and His glory fills the universe. His name is above every name-every name in heaven, every name on earth, and every name throughout the vast universe (Phil. 2:9-11). The day will come when every tongue will confess that glorious, excellent name of Jesus Christ as Lord. For those who are in hell it will be too late but they will confess it nevertheless (Rev. ie:11-15). But those of us who will be in the presence of our Savior will continue to confess and exalt that name throughout eternity (Rev. 21:6, 7)

Christ is the center and principal subject of this messianic psalm, and it is so interpreted by the Lord Jesus Himself. Matthew tells us that, on one occasion, He entered the temple and drove out the religious, commercializers. Jesus said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves'" (Matt. 21:13). After cleansing the temple of the merchants, He brought in the lame and the blind, healed them and blessed them. Now when the children saw the miracles, their voices rang out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (Matt. 21:15). Hosanna mean', "Save now" (cf. Ps. 118:25). In other words, the children in the temple were calling upon the Messiah to deliver them now. The chief priests and scribes looked on in religious silence and contempt, ignorant of the fact that this was the fulfillment of verse 2. They said to Jesus, "Do You hear what these are saying?" (Matt. 21:16). They were shocked because the children proclaimed Him to be their promised Messiah. Then Jesus quoted verse 2: "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise',?" (Matt. 21:12-16). God used the children in the temple to exalt the Messiah and fulfill this messianic prophecy.

9-B. The Messiah Rejected (Psalm 11B:22-29)-"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone" (v. 22). The builders who rejected their Messiah, the cornerstone of the promised kingdom, were the spiritual leaders of the Hebrew nation. John tells us that "He [the cornerstone] came to His own [Judaism, Israel], and His own [people] did not receive Him" (John 1:11). When they rejected their Messiah, they rejected their King and His kingdom. Jesus said to them, "The kingdom of God will be taken from you [Israel] and given to a nation [Gentiles] bearing the fruits of it" (Matt. 21 :43).

When Christ came the first time, national Israel rejected Him. They stumbled on the rock and became a broken, scattered nation. The kingdom of God was taken from them and given to the Gentiles. Largely from among the Gentile nations and the Jews the Messiah called His bride, the church (Matt. 21 :43-46), though the earliest believers were Jewish Christians. To the true New Testament church, Christ is the chief cornerstone. The New Testament church is a "holy temple in the Lord" (Eph. 2:18-22).

When the Messiah comes the second time, national Israel (Rom. 9:6, 7) will be saved. "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:' 'The Deliverer 'will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins'" (Rom. 11:25-27). Israel will enter the kingdom, and Christ (the Messiah) will be its cornerstone. But to the ungodly nations Christ will be a crushing stone. He will grind those corrupt nations to powder (Dan. 2:31-35,44,45). Christ is the cornerstone of the kingdom and the church.

See Psalm 69:1-21,. page 550, for Point 9-(: The Messiah Forsaken.

9-C. The Messiah Forsaken (Psalm 69:1-21)-Psalms 22 and 69 are quoted by the writers of the New Testament more than any other segment of Scripture. Psalm 69 is one of the great messianic psalm"

In verse 4 the Messiah says, "Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head, they are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully." Christ was hated from His birth without cause, first by King Herod the Great (Matt. 2:1-15), and also by Satan, demons, religion!', leaders, and virtually the entire Gentile and Jewish nations. The leaders, especially the religious leader" attempted to kill Him many times. But no man could touch Him until His hour had come (John 17:1).

In verse 8 the Messiah says, "I have become a stranger to my brothers, and an alien to my mother children." He was ostracized by His own, even though He came healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, and opening the eyes of the blind. He raised the dead and fed the multitudes. "He came to His own [His own creation, His own things], and His own [people] did not receive Him" (John 1:11). He was an alien to His mother's children. Notice, He did not say, "My father's children," because God was and is Hi" only Father. John wrote that before His resurrection His half-brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5). (After His resurrection, however, they were converted. They believed in Him as the lord Christ, the' Messiah, God's only begotten Son. Two of them, James and Jude, wrote two New Testament epistle" bearing their names.)

In verse 9 the Messiah says, "Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up." When Jesus went up to Jerusalem, at the time of the Passover, He found the temple desecrated by moneychangers and by those!' who sold oxen, sheep, and doves. These commercializers had not only turned temple worship into a business, they made it a dishonest business as well, cheating those who sincerely wanted to worship God. Jesus made a whip and drove them out of the temple, saying, " 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves' " (Matt. 21:13). When the disciples saw what Jesus did, and heard what He said, they remembered verse 9.

In verse 19 the Messiah says, "You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor; my adversaries are all before You." Four words in this verse express the contempt poured out on Him:

(1) "Reproach." In verse 20 He continues, "Reproach has broken my heart." Jesus died on the cross with a broken heart. During His crucifixion, a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. Water was evidence both of physical suffering (it builds up around the pericardium during intense agony) and of a broken heart (John 19:34). Men chided Him: "If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." The chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him: "He saved others; Himself He cannot save" (Matt. 27:35-44).

(2) "Shame." The shame of Calvary was the shame of the world. It is your shame and my shame. He so loved the world that He hung upon the cross and bore the shame of the world, loving us so much that He bore the shame for us. But now He is on the joyful side of Calvary, where there is no shame (Heb. 12:2).

{3) "Dishonor." Here again, along with our shame, He also bore dishonor in our place, upon the cross.

(4) "Adversaries." His adversaries are our adversaries-Satan, the demons, and all those who crucified Jesus. Essentially, the lord was saying to His disciples, "They will hate you; they will try to do the same to you if you are My disciples." Yet Jesus loved and prayed for those enemies who crucified Him. He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).

In verse 21 the Messiah says, "They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." On the cross "they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink" (Matt. 27:34). He refused the vinegar and gall because He knew they were given to Him to help deaden the pain. The Lord Jesus came into the world to suffer, to pay the price in full for our sins, that we might be redeemed and transformed into children of God. As the God Man He would suffer physically, spiritually, and mentally, to the fullest extent, so that you and I might be saved (Col. 1:13, 14).

This is the psalm of the Messiah's crucifixion. It stands along, and is the very heart of the messianic psalms. This vivid prophecy of the Crucifixion was written a thousand years before the Romans adopted this inhuman method of executing their criminals. Compare the prophecies of this psalm with the accounts of the Crucifixion in the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19 and stand amazed at the accuracy of this prophetic picture of the crucifixion of the Messiah.

In verse 1 the Messiah cries, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" When Jesus repeated these words from the cross (Matt. 27:46), it was His hour, the hour that He would be "made ... to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). His cry came from the agony of His holy soul. He abhors sin, but loves the sinner so much that, in order that we might be made righteous, He was willing to be made that which He abhors. It is impossible for mere human beings to grasp the full significance of these 'exceedingly bitter words from the cross. He was brutally disfigured, "more than any man" (Is. 52:14). Yet His physical suffering cannot be compared with His spiritual agony, when He took on our sin and thus became separated from His Father. We cannot understand how God the Father could forsake His Son, the God-Man. All we know is that it happened when God the Son suffered the total penalty of the sins of mankind, crying out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

In verse 6 the Messiah says, "I am a worm, and no man." The people hated Him so much that they esteemed Him to be little more than a worm, and they treated Him as such. As He hung on the cross, in total agony, that vulgar mob expressed their contempt for Him physically in three kinds of mockery (v. 7):

(1) "All those who see Me ridicule Me."

(2) "They shoot out the lip."

(3) "They shake the head" (cf. Matt. 27:39).

In verse 8 the people say of Him, "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" They mocked Him on the cross, saying, "If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." The chief priests, scribes, and elders joined the people, saying, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save" (Matt. 27:40-43). The Messiah suffered the insults and contempt of the people in the hour of His crucifixion. No mere human could endure such suffering.

"All My bones are out of joint" (v. 14). The cross was His rack, an instrument of torture. The soldiers stretched Him upon the cross until His bones were out of their sockets. This is greater pain than the average human being can endure; yet Jesus endured it, refusing to take the wine mixed with gall to lessen this excruciating pain. Think of His agony when the cross was raised, then allowed to plunge into the hole in the ground with a sudden jolt. The pain was so intense that the Messiah says in verse 14, "My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me." His physical strength dried up like a potsherd (a piece of dried, broken earthenware) ..

Again He says in verse 16, "For dogs have surrounded Me." The wicked people milled around the cross, howling for His blood, for His death. He continues: "They pierced My hands and My feet." After His resurrection, Jesus would say to unbelieving Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands" (John 20:24-29). Thomas and the other disciples with him would see our Lord's nail-pierced hands, and believe in Him as Messiah.

In verse 18 the Messiah says, "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." This prophecy was fulfilled by the Roman soldiers who nailed Him to the cross and gambled for His seamless tunic (John 19:23, 24).

On the day of Pentecost, Simon Peter, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, preached the crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah (Acts 2:14-39).

Quoting from this messianic psalm, Peter reminded his listeners that David was a prophet: "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne" (Acts 2:30).

This psalm reveals the Messiah's hope, born of His perfect knowledge. The Messiah said, "My flesh also will rest in hope" (v. 9; cf. Acts 2:26). His death, burial, and resurrection were not without hope. He expressed His hope in glad expectation. His hope was at the joyful side of Calvary, where He would be seated with the Father (Heb. 12:2).

His hope was anchored in the knowledge that God the Father would not leave His soul in hell (Hades the place of departed souls). "Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption" (v. 10; cf. Acts 2:27): He also knew that His body of flesh, which would remain three days and three nights in the tomb, would not decay or undergo corruption, because it was a perfect, sinless, holy body. He knew that the prophecy would be fulfilled when His soul returned to His body, and the Father would raise Him and seat Him at His right hand. There He would remain until He returned to earth, to sit on the throne of David.

Simon Peter concluded his interpretation of this great psalm by pointing his hearers (Acts 2:34-36) to the fact that David could not have been speaking of his own death and burial because his body still lay, decaying, in the tomb. Instead, he spoke of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead on the third day and is alive forever. Jesus Christ is the resurrected Messiah of Psalm 16.

See Psalm 110:1-7 for Point 9-F: The Messiah as High Priest.

In this messianic psalm, the prophet David affirms two great doctrines: ~

(1) The deity of the Messiah. David prophesied that after the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, He would sit at the right hand of the Father. "The LORD [Jehovah] said to my Lord [Adonai], 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool'" (v. 1). This is one of the strongest declarations of Christ's deity in the Bible. God the Father said to God the Son, "Sit at My right hand." The "LORD" of this verse is Jehovah God; the "Lord" is Adonai God; both are Hebrew names for God. "LORD" (all capitals) always stands for the personal name of God or Jehovah (Yahweh). "Lord" (in upper and lower case) stands for Adonai ("master"). (Without the initial capital letter, "lord" refers merely to a human-or sometimes angelic-leader or aristocrat.) After His resurrection, our High Priest, Adonai, sat down with Jehovah on His throne, where He will remain until Jehovah makes His enemies His footstool. Then He will sit upon the throne of David, His father by natural descent, and Jehovah God will say to Him, "Your throne, 0 God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom" (Heb. 1 :8).

The first verse of this messianic psalm is quoted or alluded to often in the New Testament, always confirming the deity of the Messiah, seated at the right hand of the Father:

At the Father's right hand,

(a) He is David's Son by natural descent (Rom. 1:3, but David's God because of His eternal and divine origin (Matt. 22:41-46).

(b) He is both God and Messiah (Acts 2:34-36).

(c) He stood to welcome home Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:55).

(d) He intercedes for all believers as Messiah-Priest (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24-26).

(e) He is exalted above all authority (Eph. 1:19-23).

(f) He is greater than angels (Heb. 1:4-13).

(g) He made atonement for all the sins of all believers as our High Priest (Heb. 10:11-14). 'After He offered one sacrifice for sin-Himself-He ascended into heaven to sprinkle His blood upon the mercy seat.

(h) He found eternal joy after Calvary (Heb. 12:2). All believers can have joy now (1 John 1:4). But when we see Him in our glorified bodies, we too will share His perfect, eternal joy (I John 3:2).

(i) The whole host of heaven is subject to Him (1 Pet 3:2).

(2) The priesthood of the Messiah. "The LORD has sworn and will not relent, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek'" (v. 4). Christ is the Messiah-Priest, ordained not by man, but by the oath of Jehovah God, who consecrated Him, saying, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." And Jehovah is not a man that He should repent, i.e., change His mind (Num. 23:19). He is immutable, that is, He does not change (Heb. 13:8). The Messiah-Priest of this messianic psalm has no successor; His priesthood is eternally unique.

Melchizedek is mentioned only twice in the Old Testament, here and in Genesis 14. He was a mysterious priest and king who went out to meet Abraham when the latter returned from battle after rescuing lot (Gen. 14:17-20)

As a king-priest, Melchizedek is a type of Christ who is our eternal King-Priest (Heb. 7:17). As priest, he brought bread and wine to Abraham and then received tithes from him. In the New Testament our High Priest, who is "a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek," served bread and wine to His disciples, instituting the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:26-30).

In this messianic psalm, Jehovah comes to the end of His patience with mankind. In the end time, ungodly philosophies will penetrate and permeate the hearts of kings, rulers, and most of the world's population. The psalm takes us through the Great Tribulation, up to the millennial throne of the Messiah, King of kings, Matthew 25:31-46.

The first two verses of this prophetic psalm were fulfilled at the crucifixion of Christ (Acts 4:23-29). The fulfillment of the remaining verses began at Calvary when the leaders of nations and religions continued to cry, "Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us" (v. 3). This call to rebellion will continue until the Lord Jesus Christ sits upon the throne of David: "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion" (v. 6; cf. Is. 9:6, 7). When Jesus comes He will crush the ungodly nations: "You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potters vessel" (v. 9; cf. Rev. 19:11-16). Christ is not yet upon the holy hill of Zion. He is seated at the right hand of the Father. He promised, "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sit down with My Father on His throne" (Rev. 3:21).

The psalmist asked a twofold question:

(1) "Why do the nations rage?" (v. 1). Why do the nations act in an insane manner, in uncontrolled anger, against God and His Anointed (Messiah, Christ)?

(2) "And the people plot a vain thing?" (v. 1). They will be convinced that they no longer need God. Today, much of the world has already reached this stage of delusion. The rulers, with their humanistic or atheistic convictions, will lead the people to believe that they will solve all the world's problems, that there will be no more hunger and that they will control the population growth. The people will not have the hope of eternal life in Christ. They will be persuaded that, sometime in the future, science will be able to extend life indefinitely. The great leaders of the world will convene a council to plot their strategy against Jehovah and against His Messiah. They will say, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us" (v. 3). They will refuse to recognize any of God's holy laws, and will revert to the corruption and violence, that existed in the days of Noah. They will become totally corrupt (Matt. 24:36-39, page 974; cf. Gen. 6:1). According to Isaiah, God pronounces certain woes upon the wicked--the secular humanists--and their philosophies: "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity" (Is. 5:18). They will break the cords of God that bind the sacrifice to the altar (Ps. 118:27), braiding cords of vanity with which they will attempt to lift themselves above God.

This is God's response (vv. 4-9):

(1) He laughs: it is the laughter of ridicule and derision. "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh" (v. 4)

(2) He speaks: "Then He shall speak to them in His wrath" (v. 5). It is in derision that He laughs at them, put it is in wrath that He speaks. God is a God of love, but His holiness demands the punishment of sin. (3) He agitates them: "Then He shall speak to them in, His wrath, and distress [agitate] them in His deep displeasure" (v. 5). Some may be shocked to imagine God laughing at them in derision, speaking to them in anger, and agitating them in His displeasure. Yet this happened when Pharaoh's army pursued Israel. n they came to the Red Sea, God parted the waters and Israel. marched through on dry land. Pharaoh his army after them. When the army reached the middle of the sea, with walls of water on either side, the Scriptures record that God "took off their chariot wheels." He distressed them, He confused them, He made them realize that they were fighting against Almighty God. Then He brought the walls of Water down destroy them (Ex. 14:24, 25).

(4) He places the Messiah on the throne of David: "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion" (v. 6, cf. Is. 9:6, 7).

(5) He decrees: "I will declare the decree" (v. 7; cf. Dan. 4:24).

(a) "You are My Son" (v. 7). God's Son is the Messiah-King (Acts 13:33).

(b) "Today I have begotten You" (v. 7; cf. Heb. 1:5). Jesus the Messiah, as God's only begotten Son, is officially recognized as such (John 1:14).

(c) "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for a possession" (v. 8). The Messiah, the King of kings, will rule and reign forever over this world kingdom. Thee thousand-year reign will be the beginning (Rev. 20:4). After the thousand years, Christ will continue to rule with His bride forever in the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1-8).

(d) He will rule the nations with a scepter of righteousness (Heb. 1:8), breaking the ungodly with His rod of iron (Rev. 19:15, 16).

Now we come to the conclusion of this great messianic psalm (vv. 10-12). God in His mercy and love makes one great final appeal to the wise and the rulers of this world-that they repent and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord of lords and King of kings. "Be wise, 0 kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth" (v. 10). This is God's call of grace. He called upon them to "serve the LORD with fear [reverence], and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son," in love and worship, "lest He be angry" (vv. 11, 12). It is impossible to worship God without loving "the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37; cf. Deut. 6:5).

This psalm closes with these words: "Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him" (v. 12). This free offer of salvation is still extended to the unsaved. (These studies will continue)

The Scriptures are full of the "Supernatura1." The only cure for the "Materialism" of the present day is to discover what the Scriptures reveal as to the "Spirit World." There is but a step from the "Natural" World to the "Spirit" World. The dividing veil is our "fleshy" bodies. The "Heavenlies" are peopled with Spirit Beings. They are of two classes, good and evi1. They are classified as "Seraphim," "Cherubim," "Angels" (Good and Bad), "Principalities," "Powers.," "Age Rulers of Darkness," "Wicked Spirits," (Eph. 6: 12), "Thrones," "Dominions," (Co1. 1: 16), "Fallen Angels," (2 Pet. 2: 4), "Spirits in Prison," (1 Peter 3: 18-20), "Demons," "Seducing Spirits." (1 Tim. 4: 1.)

The Angels are "innumerable in number." Heb. 12: 22. They are "mighty in power" but not almighty. 2 Thess. 1: 7. They excel in strength. One angel destroyed 185,000 of the Assyrian army in a night. An angel rolled away the stone from the Tomb of Christ, and one angel shall bind Satan and cast him into the "Bottomless Pit." They are "Glorious" beings (Luke 9: 26), and have "great knowledge," but are not omniscient. The Angels are "Ministering Spirits" to them who are "heirs of salvation," (Heb. 1: 13, 14), and "Executioners of God's Wrath" on the "wicked." 2 Thess. 1: 7-8. They will gather the "elect of Israel" from the four corners of the earth, (Matt. 24: 31), and are commissioned to supply the physical needs of God's people. Matt. 4: 11 ; 1 Kings 19: 4-8.

Among the "Principalities and Powers" of the Spirit world there are three great leaders:

1. Michael. He is mentioned three times in Daniel (Dan. 10: 13, 21; 12: 1), where he is called a "Prince" who stands for Daniel's People-the Jews. He is called in Jude 9 the Archangel. In Rev. 12: 7 he is seen in command of the Angelic "Army of Heaven." His work seems to be to deliver God's people, particularly the Jews, from the power of Satan, and finally to oust him and his angels from the Heavenlies, and cast them down on to the earth. Rev. 12: 7-9. He also has something to do with the resurrection of the dead, for he is associated with the "Resurrection" mentioned in Dan. 12: 1, 2, and he contested with the De-'il the resurrection of Moses (Jude 9). and the "voice" of the Archangel that will be heard when the "Dead in Christ" shall rise (1 Thess. 4: 16), will be the "voice" of Michael, for he is the only Archangel mentioned in the Scriptures.

He is mentioned by name four times. In Daniel twice, and in Luke twice. He seems to be associated with the redemptive work of God. He appeared to Daniel (Dan. 8: 16; 9: 21-27), to inform him as to the "time" of Christ's "First Coming," and when the "time had come" he announced to Zacharias the birth of Christ's "Forerunner"-John the Baptist, and later to Mary the.birth of Jesus. Luke 1: 19, 26, 27. His position in heaven is lofty, for he said of himself to Zacharias-"I am Gabriel that Stand in the Presence of God."

We speak of Satan last not because he is the least of the three, for in many ways he is the greatest, but because of his evil character. He is the source of all the anarchy and rebellion in the Universe. (See the Chapter on Satan)

Man in his physical and spiritual makeup, was made for two worlds, the Physical and the Spirit world. Writing to the Thessalonians Paul says, "I pray God your whole 'Spirit' and 'Soul' and 'Body' be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 5 : 23. Writing to the Hebrews he says-

"The Word of God is quick (alive), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of 'Soul' and 'Spirit,' and of the 'Joints and Marrow' (body), and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb. 4: 12.

From these references we see that man is a Trinity, and is composed of "Body," "Soul," and "Spirit." Man was made in the "Image of God" and God is a Trinity.

The Tabernacle was a tent, surrounded by a court, which court was enclosed by a curtain fence. (See diagram of the Tabernacle.) The tent was divided into two parts, one twice the length of the other, by a "veil" 0r curtain. The larger part was entered from without by a curtained doorway, and contained the "Table of Shewbread," the "Altar of Incense," and the "Seven-Branched Candlestick." This part was called the "Holy Place." The smaller part was entered from the "Holy Place" through the "veil" or dividing curtain, and contained the "Ark of the Covenant," on the lid of which, between the "Cherubims," God took up His residence in the "Shekinah Glory." This part was called the "Most Holy Place." There were no windows in the Tabernacle, and the only entrance was through the curtained doorway into the "Holy Place." The Tabernacle and its Courtyard is a type of the "Threefold Nature of Man." The "Courtyard" represents his Body, the "Holy Place" his Soul, and the "Most Holy Place" his Spirit, and as there could be no communication between the "Courtyard" and the "Most Holy Place," only through the "Holy Place," so there can be no communication between a man's Body and Spirit only through his Soul. After the completion of the Tabernacle it remained empty of the "Presence of God" until the "Spirit of God" descended and took up His abode in the "Most Holy Place." So a man may be complete as to body, soul and spirit, but his spiritual nature will remain unregenerate until the Holy Spirit enters and takes possession of the "spirit" compartment of his nature. This happens when the "New Birth" takes place.

The "Threefold Nature of Man" is clearly brought out in the Diagram: "The Threefold Nature of Man."

The outer circle stands for the "Body" of man, the middle for the "Soul," and the inner .for the "Spirit," or what Paul calls the "CARNAL" (1 Cor. 3: 1-3); the "NATURAL" (1 Cor. 2: 14); and the "SPIRITUAL" (1 Cor. 3: 1), parts of man. In the outer circle the "Body" is shown as touching the Material World through the five senses of "Sight," "Smell," "Hearing," "Taste" and "Touch." The Gates to the "Soul" are "Imagination," "Conscience," "Memory," "Reason" and the "Affections." The "Spirit" receives impressions of outward and material things through the Soul. The "Spiritual Faculties" of the "Spirit" are "Faith," "Hope," "Reverence," "Prayer" and "Worship." In his unfallen state the "Spirit" of man was illuminated from Heaven, but when the human race fell in Adam, sin closed the window of the Spirit, and pulled down the curtain, and the "chamber of the Spirit" became a Death Chamber, and remains so in every unregenerate heart, until the "Life" and "Light" giving power of the Holy Spirit floods that chamber with the "Life" and "Light" giving power of the NEW LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS. We see then why the "natural" man cannot understand "spiritual" things. He cannot understand them until his spiritual nature has been renewed.

But the Spirit of the Natural man is not only darkened, his "Will" stands as a "guard" at the door, and prevents the entrance of the Holy Spirit, and it is not until the "Will" surrenders through the power of the "Sword of the Spirit," the "Word of God," that the Holy Spirit can enter ,and take up his abode in the "Spirit" of man.

When a man dies his "Soul" and "Spirit" separate from the "Body," and the "Body" is laid in the grave, but the "Spirit" is 110t "bodiless," it has what Paul calls its "PSYCHICAL" or "Soulish" Body. As this "Soulish Bady" can hear, and speak, and think, and feel, it must have same "tangible" form. It is not a "ghostlike" structure. There are doubtless limitations in its use, or there

would be no need for it to recover its "physical" body at the Resurrection.

That there is such a thing as the "Soulish Body" is brought out in the story of the "Rich Man and Lazarus." Luke 16: 19-31. The story is not a Parable, but a description by Christ of something that really happened in the other world to his own personal knowledge. It declares that bath Lazarus and &e "Rich Man" died and were buried. That is, their bodies were left on the earth. What happened to them in the "Underworld" then, is descriptive af what happened to them in their "disembodied state." In that state they were conscious and the rich Man recognized Lazarus, which he could not have done if Lazarus had not a body, not his "physical" body, he left that an the earth, but his "Soulish" body. This is proof that the "Soulish" body is not simply a body, but that in its outward form and appearance it conforms to the earthy body of the owner, otherwise he would not be recognizable in the other world. Again the "Rich Man" could see, and feel, and thirst, and talk, and remember, proving that he possessed his senses and had not lost his personality. This proves that there is no break, as "Saul Sleep," in the Continuity of Existence, or Consciousness, in passing from the "Earth-Life" to the "Spirit-Life." Sleep in the Scriptures always refers to the "Body," not to the "Soul," and the expression "Asleep in Jesus" refers to the Believer only.

Let us trace the life of the "Soul" and "Spirit" after they have left the "Body." In the account of the "Rich Man and Lazarus" we have a description of "THE UNDERWORLD." See the Chart of "The Underworld."

"The Underworld" is made up of two compartments, "Paradise" and "Hell" (not the final Hell, that is "Gehenna" the "Lake af Fire") with an "Impassable Gulf" between. At the bottom of the "Gulf" is the "Bottomless Pit," or "Abyss." This is a place of temporary confinement for "Evil Spirits" (Demons). It has a King -"Apollyon," but is kept locked by God who commissions an angel to open it when He so desires. Rev. 9: 1-16, 17: 8, 20: 1-3. Before the resurrection of Christ the Soul and Spirit of the "Righteous Dead" went to the "Paradise" compartment of "The Underworld." There Christ met the "Penitent Thief" after His death on the Cross. On the day of His Resurrection Christ's Soul and Spirit returned from "The Underworld." But He did not re· turn alone. He brought back with Him all the occupants of the Paradise compartment and locked it up, and He now has the "Keys of Death and Hades." Rev. 1: 18. R. V. Here "Death" stands for the "grave" and "Hades" for "The Underworld." Some of those who came back from "The Underworld" with Christ got their bodies, and ascended with Him as the "First Fruits" of the resurrection "from among the dead." Matt. 27: 52-53. The rest were taken up to the "Third Heaven" where Paul was caught up. 2 Cor. 12: 1-4. Paul called it "Paradise." There all the "Righteous Dead" that have died since Christ's resurrection go that they may be "WITH THE LORD." Phil. 1: 23. 2 Cor. 5: 8. There the souls of the "Righteous Dead" shall remain until the time comes for the resurrection of their bodies, then when Christ comes back to meet His Church in the Air, He will bring back the souls of the "Righteous Dead" from the "Paradise" of the "Third Heaven," for we are told that He will bring them whose bodies "Sleep in Jesus" on the earth WITH HIM (1 Thess. 4: 14), and they will continue on to the earth and get their "bodies" from the grave, and then ascend again together with the "Translated Saints" to meet the Lord IN THE AIR. See the Chart of "The Underworld."

So far as we know the souls of the "Wicked Dead" are still in the "Hell Compartment" of "The Underworld," and will remain there until the "Second Resurrection," when they will return to the earth and get their bodies, and then go to the "Great White Throne" Judgment. After judgment they will be sentenced to the "Second Death," which means that they shall die again in the sense of losing their bodies the second time, and as "disembodied spirits" be cast into the "Lake of Fire," (Gehenna, the "Final Hell"), to suffer in flames forever. As soul and spirit are impervious to flames, this explains how the wicked, after being disembodied again by the

"Second Death," can exist forever in literal fire. Mark 9: 43-48.

We are reading a great deal in these days about "Spiritualism," or the communication of the living with the dead. What is called "Spiritism" is DEMONISM, and is forbidden in the Scriptures. Lev. 20: 6,27. Deu. 18: 10-11. lsa. 8: 19 (R. V.). The "Familiar Spirits" of the Old Testament are the same as the "Demons" and "Seducing Spirits" of the New Testament.

Of the revival of "Spiritism" in these days we have been fully warned in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, says- "Now the Spirit (Holy Spirit) speaketh expressly, that in the 'LATTER TIMES' (the last days of this Dispensation) some shall depart from the Faith (that is, give up the Christian Faith) giving heed to 'SEDUCING SPIRITS,' and 'DOCTRINES OF DEVILS' (Demons), * * * forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats." 1 Tim. 4: 1-3.

The phrase "forbidding to marry" does not refer to "celibacy," but to the abrogation of the marriage relation, the practice of "FREE LOVE" and the doctrine of "AFFINITIES," which Spiritism leads to. The phrase "Abstain From Meats" is not a reference to fasting, but the requirement of a "vegetable diet." It is a well-known fact that a "vegetable diet" renders the body more susceptible to spiritual forces than a meat diet.

The close connection of this warning of the Apostle with the words-"Refuse profane and 'OLD WIVES' FABLES,'" in verse seven, is doubtless a reference to some of the "ISMS" of these last days. For "Christian Science" is but an "OLD WIFE'S" Fable, for Mrs. Eddy was an "Old Wife" in the sense that she had been many times married. It is an indisputable fact that most of the ",Witches" and "Witches and "Mediums" of Scripture, and these "Later Days" were and are women. It was through Eve and not Adam that Satan sought to destroy the race. The reason may be that the nervous and impressionable character of women is better adapted to demon influence.

The revival of "Spiritism," or "DEMONISM," is one of the "Signs of the Times," and should be a warning to every true child of God of the approaching end of the Age. The "Demons'" belong to the "Powers of Dark~ ness." They are not few in number, but are a great "Martialed Host," veterans in the service of Satan. Their central camp or abode is the "Bottomless Pit" from which they "sally forth" at the command of their leader. Rev. 9: 1-11. They are not angels. Angels have bodies. But the fact that demons can enter in, and take possession of, and control human beings and animals (swine), is proof that they are "Disembodied Spirits." They are supposed by many to be the "spirits" of the inhabitants of the "PreAdamite Earth," whose sin caused its wreck, and whose bodies were destroyed in the catastrophe that overwhelmed it, and their desire and purpose in entering human bodies is to re-embody themselves again on the earth where they once lived. That the "Demons" have a personality is clear from the fact that Jesus conversed with them, asked them questions, and received answers. Luke 8: 26-33. They are possessed of more than ordinary intelligence. They know that Jesus is the "Son of God," and that they are finally to be confined in a place of "To-rment." Matt. 8: 29.

They can cause DUMBNESS (Matt. 9: 32-33), and BLINDNESS (Matt. 12:22), and INSANITY (Luke 8: 26-35), and the SUICIDAL MANIA (Mark 9: 22), and PERSONAL INJUIUES (Mark 9: 18), and impart SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH (Luke 8: 29) and inflict PHYSICAL DEFECTS AND DEFORMITIES. Luke 13: 11-17. Once they have got control over a human body they can come and go at will. Luke 11: 24-26.

The Devilish character of "Demons" is seen in the use they make of their victims. They use them as "instru

ments of unrighteousness," (Rom. 6: 13), for the proclamation of the "DOCTRINES OF DEVILS (demons...there is only one devil)" (1 Tim. 4: 1), and the teaching of "DAMNABLE HERESIES." 2 Pet. 2: 1. The effect of such use of the victim is not only unmoral, it is IMMORAL. It leads to vicious and inhuman conduct. The conduct of "demonized" men and women seems to indicate that the "Demon" takes possession of them for the purpose of physical sensual gratification, thus letting us into the secret of the cause of the wreck of the Pre-Adamite Earth, the SIN OF SENSUALITY. This account~ for the desire of the victim to live in a state of nudity; to have lustful and licentious thoughts. In these days of increasing tendency to yield to "Seducing Spirits" it may account for the immodesty of fashionable attire, and the craze of dancing. The purpose of the "Demon" is often to alienate husband and wife, and break up homes by preaching the doctrine of "FREE LOVE." In short, the "Demon," for personal gratification, has the power, once he is in control of his victim, to derange both mind and body, and wreck the victim's health, and if deliverance is not obtained by turning to Christ, who alone has power to cast out the Demon, the victim will be lost soul and body.

Demon-possession must not be confounded with diseases, such as "Epilepsy," which causes the victim to fall in convulsions, foam at the mouth and gnash the teeth for the Scriptures make a clear distinction between them. Matt. 4: 24.

In 1 Cor. 10: 20-21 we read- "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they SACRIFICE TO DEVILS (Demons), and not to God; and I would not that ye should have FELLOWSHIP WITH DEVILS (Demons). Ye cannot drink the 'Cup of the Lord' (Communion Cup), and the 'CUP OF DEVILS'; ye cannot be partakers of the 'Lord's Table,' and of the TABLE OF DEVILS (Demons)."

This passage proves that behind all heathen worship there is the "Spirit of Demonism," or "DEVIL WORSHIP," and accounts for the "wild orgies" and voluptuous and licentious mode of worship of the heathen.

The story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16: 1931) reveals the fact that communication with the spirits of our departed dead, is not only unnecessary, but is not permitted. It is not necessary for we have Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Holy Scriptures, to give us all we need to know of the state of the dead. And it is not permitted, or Lazarus, or the rich man himself, would have been allowed to return to the earth and warn his brethren. The inevitable conclusion to be drawn from this story is, that the spirit of a good man MAY not, and the spirit of a bad man CANNOT return to this earth. If this be true then Spiritism is a fraud, and is one of the devices of Satan in these latter days to lead astray the unwary. Those who dabble in Spiritism are in great danger of having their "understanding darkened" (Eph. 4: 17-19) and come under the power and control of Demons. (These studies will continue)

(From the book: "Missionary Baptists Distinctives" by L. M. Branch, Bogard Press, Texarkana, Texas)

TEXT: I Timothy 3:15

INTRODUCTION: Just", as the Lord used the human body, about which one has some knowledge, to convey to the mind the proper concept of a local church as the body of Christ uses the term "House" in the same way. A simple house each lives in is used to teach the truth about the church the House of God when the following is observed, namely: purpose of a house and things used in its making. Many things are added to houses in which persons live that are necessary to its being a house, but added for beauty, comfort, usefulness, etc. However, there are some things that are absolute necessities to a house. Likewise, a New Testament church as the house of God may be lacking in many things that would add to her spiritual attractiveness (Titus 2:9, 10), her ability to carry out her commission in as large a scope as she would like and therefore, is somewhat limited in her work. Butt there are certain basic requirements absolutely necessary to a house.. These are fundamental and cannot be ignored as a church.

It may be sketched on paper, a board, or even in someone's mind, but there is always a plan before a house is built.

1. God has always planned any building He authorized, Hebrews 8: 5 and Exodus 25:40. It was not just a passing thought and sudden action, but a prophesied, orderly plan.

2. His church was built, therefore, according ta Divine plan, I Peter 2:5 and Ephesians 2:19-22. It is easily seen in these verses that the church is referred to as a "habitation of God." Is this not what a house is for, a

habitation? One likes to think of the house in which he lives in connection with HOME, although a home is an institution. But when one is tired, hungry, in need of rest and fellowship with those whom he loves the most in the world, he likes to think of going home, to his house, where he can go in, relax, eat, sleep, rest, and be re-energized. Likewise, God wants His children to go to His house, His church, to eat of the bread from heaven, rest from the toils of the world's pressure, and be spiritually revived and energized so that he may go on with His work. Hence, the term "House of God."

Any building for God MUST be according to His plan, II Timothy 3:16, 17. One is furnished with a blueprint of the "how," and he cannot have recognition, rewards, or be in the house of God except he strives lawfully, II Timothy 2:1-7; note especially verse 5. His house (church) was instituted according to His plan, and any work by her now must also be thus.

The foundation of the house in which one lives may be wood, stone, or cement, but there is a foundation. There should be no mistake about the foundation of the Lord's church; read I Corinthians 3: 11 and Ephesians 2:19, 20.

The church was not only built upon the Rock, Christ Jesus (Matthew 16:18), but His church rests upon this foundation as long as she remains HIS house, I Peter 2:6-8 and Deuteronomy 32:31. By this it is meant that Jesus and His truth must support the church institution continually, or she will fall as His house and no longer be His.

He (Jesus), the foundation stone, is the only one that cannot crumble and fall under the curse of sin, Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17; Luke 6:46-49. In the last Scripture in Luke many things are taught by this illustrative lesson. Among them is the simple but great truth that the reason one house fell and the other did not was the foundation on which it was built. It was not the difference in the storms, the material, or construction of the material in the houses, etc. But the house on the solid rock, typical of Jesus, was on the right foundation and stood the storms.

III. A HOUSE MUST HAVE MATERIAL, and the material in the Lord's church is the members.

1. After the plan is drawn, or determined, and the foundation is "laid, the material for the building is purchased, or obtained for the building. Jesus gathered material for His church, Matthew 4:18-22. Jesus bought the material for His church with His blood, Revelation 1:5 and I Corinthians 6:19, 20. No greater price could be paid. This is the material (the members) that had been prepared by John the Baptist.

2. But the material had to be constructed into His house. Just as one could have lumber, cement, nails, and other material with which to build a house and still not have a building, even so, the members for Jesus' church had to be organized, or set into order, as His church. So, the church is said to be a habitation of God through the Spirit, having been fitly framed together, etc., Ephesians 2:19-22.

3. The kind of material one uses in building a house is usually specified in the plans. This is as it is with the Lord's church as His house. The material that must be used must be:

(1) Saved, converted to Him, and therefore, His.

(2) Then baptized by His church.

(3) Then added to the church fellowship.

The following Scriptures teach this truth: Matthew 3:7, 8; Acts 2:41, 42; Acts 18:8. Thus the plan is made, the foundation is laid, the material is obtained, and then is constructed together into a house of God.

4. After the house is built, it is dedicated, Acts 20: 28 and Ephesians 5:25, with the very blood of Jesus. Therefore, the church of Jesus Christ is a blood-bought, Divinely-planned and built institution in the position of the "Pillar and ground of the Truth."

1. John the Baptist and Jesus both worked in building His church, John 4:34; 5:17; 9:4. Thus the first New Testament church was already established when Jesus left the earth, John 17:4. What she lacked in being ready to go into all the world and preach to every nation and creature, she received on the day of Pentecost, in Jerusalem, and, of course, as she needed other gifts thereafter until the churches were established in the faith and the Bible was complete. During this time much work was done.

2. His people, the members of the churches, preachers, and all are to work, Ephesians 2:10; I Corinthians 3:9; Titus 3:8; I Timothy 3:1. As the gospel spread from Jerusalem, other local churches of the same faith were organized, and much work was done for the Lord in His churches. In each case workmen were required in the building of each house (church) of the Lord. As an example see Acts 11:19-26.

3. The very purpose of His church requires work.

(1) "Go ye into all the world and preach to every creature" (Mark 16:15) requires work.

(2) "Go teach all nations ana baptize them" (Matthew 28:19) requires work.

(3) All Scriptures that teach the churches to preach, teach, witness, etc., are, of course, teaching us to "Go work in His vineyard, "I Corinthians 1: 21; Romans 10:14,15; Luke 24:44-48. (These studies will continue)

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