|
Church of God, In Truth
Three aspects of the gospel
|
Three aspects of the gospel
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
We find Christ in a discussion with Peter about rewards. "Then answered Peter and said unto Him, behold, we have forsaken all, and followed You; what shall we have therefore?" (Matt. 19:27).
Peter, as the spokesman for the disciples, asked Christ, "What is in it for us? What will be our reward?" The disciples felt they had basically fulfilled the requirements that Christ set before the rich young ruler in the previous verses. Christ had just told the rich young ruler, "Why call me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if you wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He said unto Him, which? Jesus said, you shalt do no murder, you shalt not commit adultery, you shalt not steal, you shalt not bear false witness, honour your father and your mother: and, you shalt love thy neighbor as yourself. The young man said unto Him, all these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, if you wilt be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me" (Matt. 19:17-21). That is why Peter said, " Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed You; what shall we have therefore?" (Matt. 19: 27). Then Jesus answered Peter and the others, "Verily I say unto you, that you which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first" (Matt. 19:28 -30). What does this mean? "Many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first" (Matt. 19:30).
Is there an order of phases or events that have to take place, in order for the last to be first? The following parable of the householder in chapter 20 will set the stage for the answer. In this parable we will find laborers being hired to work in a vineyard and they will be hired at different times of the day from early morning until late in the afternoon. In this parable, Christ will give Peter the answer to the question he asked in Matthew 19:27, "What shall we have, therefore [what is our reward for our devotion and duty]?" "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto them; go you also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, why stand you here all the day idle? They said unto him, because no man has hired us. He said unto them, go you also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive" (Matt. 20:1-7).
We can better understand this parable that Christ is giving to Peter and those with him by identifying the householder and the vineyard. Christ Himself is the householder who went out "early in the morning" to hire laborers to work in His vineyard. He hired laborers to start working at different hours of the day--- early morning at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 12 noon, at 3 p.m. and, finally, at 5 p.m., just one hour prior to paying the workers for their services.
What is meant by His vineyard? The vineyard Christ is referring to was originally laid out at Mount Sinai where the planting of God's law, statutes and judgments were given to the physical nation of Israel to administer the affairs of his kingdom. We find, however, when Christ came declaring the Kingdom of God was at hand and looking for the fruits of righteousness in His vineyard, He found none. He then went to the nation of the Jews, who had been hired in the early morning hours. They were the ones to whom Isaiah had prophetically addressed a message saying, "Now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between Me and My vineyard. What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" (Isa. 5:3-4). Judah, instead of producing the fruit of God's Holy Spirit, brought forth fruit of the flesh, fruit that is found in Gal. 5:19—23: dishonesty, deception, immorality and disregard for God's truth. Further in vs. 5 of Isaiah 5 we see, "And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and brake down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down." Judah is being told that God is going to remove His protecting hand and their enemies will attack and scatter them because of their transgressions. Vs. 6 states: "And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it." Care is essential if a vineyard is to be productive. Without pruning and cultivation, it will eventually deteriorate. Instead of producing good grapes, it would produce wild grapes, briers and thorns. Vs. 7 states: "For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant: and He looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry."
This message is primarily for Judah but the message of rebuke and coming doom includes Israel, as well. Judah's failure to keep their vow and promise to God, however, costs them the privilege of the government of God working through them. Jesus Christ said, "Therefore say I unto you, the Kingdom of God [the government of God] shall be taken from you, [Judah] and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matt. 21:43). Christ is speaking of a nation of spiritual Israelites called and put into the Church of God.
Throughout the centuries of Christian witnessing, there have been three distinct types of activities or phases to God's work and three types of workers. Each was to fulfill a specific task assigned to it.
FISHERS OF MEN
Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord declared He would call for fishers and for hunters. "Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks" (Jer. 16:16).
Jesus Christ Himself identified the beginning of the fishing period when He called Simon, Andrew, James and John. "And Jesus, walking by the sea of galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto them, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him" (Matt. 4:18-22). By far, the greatest number of years have been devoted to the fishing period. A fisherman patiently waits as he undertakes to snare the fish in a net or catch it on a line. The early workmen called to toil in the vineyard during the heat of the day, symbolize that great body of Christians who were hired at different hours to work God's vineyard. These were the fishers of men, who for over 1900 years have worked faithfully in God's service, laboring in His vineyard even after their deaths. This is made clear from the statement in Revelation 14. "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them" (Rev. 14:13).
HUNTERS OF ISRAEL
God's Gospel does not stop with the death of one of His servants, but continues on while the second phase called the hunter period is introduced. "Afterwards will I send for many hunters"(Jer. 16:16). The hunter is one who tramps through the woods and over the hills and mountains exerting energy and strength as he travels in search of his prey.
The hunter period demonstrates the activities of those who have sought to establish the identity of Israel in these last days by hunting out the evidence and tracing the history of the lost 10 tribes of Israel and making it known who modern Israel is today--- Britain, America and the English speaking people!! As you know, the most asked-for book from God's Church has been "The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy" published by the Worldwide Church of God. This book identifies modern Israel today as the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic people.
Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong fulfilled the hunting period alongside the fishing period. This consisted of those hired in the heat of the day to work in God's vineyard. This hunting period has searched out many of God's truths: restoring the meaning and plan of God's Holy Days and the preaching of God's Gospel around the world; feeding spiritual food to the called out ones [THE CHURCH OF GOD]. Mr. Armstrong built three Ambassador Colleges for the purpose of recapturing true values and supplying the students with the missing dimension in education: that of Godly character. He used the Bible, God's Word, as its foundation and authority. Over the west doorway of the Ambassador Hall in Pasadena, California, is carved in granite, "The Word of God is the Foundation of Knowledge."
This "foundation of knowledge" ties in with the third group God hired to work in His vineyard. This group was hired just prior to the end of the day, as we read earlier. "And about the eleventh hour He went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, why stand you here all the day idle? They say unto Him, because no man has hired us. He said unto them, go you also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive" (Matt. 20:6-7). This eleventh hour group only had to work one hour because it was 5 P.M., almost the end of the day, and night was about to start at 6 p.m. An hour in prophetic time is 15 years*. This is a much shorter time than the fishers and hunters had in working the vineyard. With the changing of time, the message for Israel again changed.
WATCHMEN "WARNINGS
The third and final call has now gone out for the "Watchman." These watchmen are to warn the house of Israel of the coming of the sword. This responsibility of warning rests upon each watchman as explained by Ezekiel. "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand" (Eze. 33:6-7).
Who are these watchmen in Israel today? They are those who understand the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and are aware of the identity of modern day Israel. They are to sanctify God's people with truth and to make them aware of the time in which they are living.
The watchman is identified in Matthew 25 as waking up the ten virgins [Churches of God] who were slumbering and sleeping. A watchman has the guard duty most don't want! Their task is a thankless, lonely one. Their words of warning are extremely unpopular with those who are still slumbering and sleeping. Because those slumbering and sleeping had their minds on the pursuit of material comforts and personal pleasures and the social life [defined as fellowship], they neglected daily prayer and study of God's Word and ignore God's appointed annual Holy Day Sabbaths by postponing them.
The watchman's message also warns of tribulation and war --- not peace! He proclaims the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hastens greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy ridding of all them that dwell in the land" (Zechariah 1:14-18).
A THANKLESS JOB
As I said before: the watchman's job is a thankless, lonely one. Often those who should support the watchmen, shun them as prophets of doom. People do not want to hear truth. They do not want to be told they are breaking God's fourth commandment and practicing syncretism by postponing God's annual Holy Days!! Most are not willing to endure the loneliness caused by the end time scattering. Personal pleasures and socializing have become more important than meditating and resting on God's Sabbaths. A watchman must stay awake and alert and resist slumbering and sleeping!
Apostle Paul recognized this tendency to sleep or become indifferent when he warned the Thessalonians. "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us Watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night" (1 Thes. 5:6-7).
The prime requirement for the watchman is vigilance. He must be constantly alert in the performance of his duties. Back to the parable in Matthew 20, "So when even was come, [about the time of early nightfall] the Lord of the vineyard [householder] saith unto His steward, call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, these last have worked but one hour, and You have made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day [after seeing the eleventh hour worker paid one penny, they thought that they should receive a bigger reward, maybe 12 pennies]. But He answered one of them, and said, friend, I do you no wrong: did not you agree with Me for a penny? Take what's yours, and go your way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee." The lesson is: it is better to leave our rewards up to God than to try to strike a bargain with Him!! Verse 15 continues, "Is it not lawful for Me to do what I will with Mine own?
Is thine eye evil, because I am good?"(Matt. 20:8- 15). What God pleases will always be right, just and fair. This parable only proves that in God's Kingdom we must adopt an entirely new kind of thinking!! We must abandon our greedy, competitive spirit and begin to think like the householder [God]. "So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen" (Matt. 20:16).
Jesus reserves for Himself the prerogative of selecting each one He deems best qualified for the positions of authority in His Kingdom. God teaches equality of rewards within each group. Each one accounted worthy will be rewarded but not according to the length of service. It will be based upon his faithfulness in rendering a full measure of devotion to the task assigned to him! There are going to be some surprises. Some who think they will be first will be last because their service was inspired by pride and selfish ambition. In God's Kingdom greatness is manifested by service because a servant must become a slave, serving and giving of himself freely. Those serving out of love and gratitude are going to be highly rewarded.
James Russell
HARD WORK SPOTLIGHTS THE CHARACTER OF PEOPLE:.
Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all!" Sam Ewing
|