THE PROPHETS (1)
[p. 271] THE PROPHETS (1)
Acts 3:17 - 22; Luke 9:28 - 31; Matthew 17:10 - 13
JT My thoughts have been moving in relation to the prophets generally, but particularly in relation to Elijah and Elisha, having in mind the apostle Peter’s word that the heavens must receive the Lord Jesus until the time of the restitution of all things, of which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since time began. Elijah will have to do with setting things right. As these meetings progress it is hoped there will be help from the Lord, from the sanctuary. The passage in Acts 3 is especially in mind as pointing to circumstances in which the Lord is, which are just provisional. Verse 20 says, “he may send Jesus Christ, who was foreordained for you, whom heaven indeed must receive till the times of the restoring of all things, of which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since time began”. The Lord’s present circumstances are in mind, that is, He is in a certain position indicated by these words until the things begin to happen which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since time began. When these things begin to take place we may look for order in the universe, especially on the earth; but in the meantime there are circumstances into which we are brought that are indefinite and have now lasted some hundreds of years. It is thought that this situation should become clarified; also that we should look for the times spoken of by the prophets with a view to the establishment of the divine purposes and principles ordained for the earth, matters in which the Lord will be operating in His own way and place according to divine appointment; for it is said that God “has set a day in which he is going to judge the habitable earth in righteousness [p. 272] by the man whom he has appointed”. The thought is that we might pursue a line of ministry or truth relative to Elijah and Elisha, though not overlooking the other prophets; emphasising especially what is set out in Elijah in view of the reference to the restitution of all things with which he will have to do. He is said to be impersonated in others, especially in John the baptist. In Luke 9 he is spoken of in his present state as a man who appeared with Moses and spoke to the Lord Jesus about His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. That is to say, there is something in the way of mystery set out in the ministry of Elijah, followed by that of Elisha which perhaps we shall get into. We may say that these prophets taken together form, prophetically and typically, a view of Christianity: first in Elijah as a type of Christ, and then in Elisha as pointing to the operations of the Spirit at the present time, the spirit of Elijah being in him. A great deal is involved but I hope it will become clear as we proceed.
MO Do you view the Lord’s present position as a provisional one?
JT That is the way it is presented. It is not a formal entering into a provisional place, but according to this chapter He is received above until the times of the restitution of all things. That is, He is received there without saying what He is going to do, but it is pending the restitution of all things; so that this is in a sense a nondescript dispensation, and yet the greatest of all the dispensations because it is really reserved in the divine way for the working of love in its own self-power of operation and elasticity. How long or how short a time it may go on is just left. We have to learn it as being in it.
Ques Do I gather that the mysterious side of what you have in mind is seen in Elijah going up, but in view of that we have proved, great [p. 273] excess of spiritual wealth in Elisha while we wait for the restoration?
JT That is just what is in mind, and Acts 2 bears it out, the way in which the Spirit came in in profuseness and the spiritual power that followed. It was left for faith to lay hold of at the time and was gradually absorbed into a heavenly state of things developing in Paul’s ministry.
Rem So that Elias being seen on the mount indicates that his work is not finished. He is being kept, as it were, in view of the future.
JT He is just there, and the Lord in His instructions about him also leaves the matter open. Such a man as Elijah, one who never died, is up there and will come again according to the prophets; but in the meantime there is an uncertainty.
Rem That perhaps would account for the meagreness in the circumstances of the widow who had to do with Elijah, two sticks, a little meal and a little oil; while Elisha acquires much wealth, the waters of Jericho being healed, and the debt of the widow of one of the sons of the prophets being paid. In all this there is the suggestion of spiritual expansion.
JT That is what may develop for us in the history of these prophets. Meantime we might accustom ourselves to distinguish things not clearly defined, the state of things that is to be entered into and understood by persons who are spiritual and made intelligent by the Spirit of God. There is no other dispensation like the present one; the very fact that the description of it is left open shows the distinction attaching to it.
ABP Would the broad outlook of the position be seen typified in 1 Kings 18 where the prophets of Baal are said to have been slain and the decision to serve God was placed upon the people? Elijah says, “answer me, that this people may know that thou [p. 274] Jehovah art God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again”(verse 37).
JT Yes. You are impressed with what is seen in this wonderful man and how it unfolds. You do not see it all at once. As you come to Luke 9 and elsewhere in the New Testament more of it will unfold. What a man he is in the divine reserves! God seems obliged to give an account of his history.
CAM The mysterious aspect of it admits of everything in God’s holy ways coming into this dispensation. An immensity of thoughts accumulate at the present time in a spiritual way.
JT They are not beyond or otherwise outside of it; all comes into it: “Things which eye has not seen, and ear not heard and which have not come into man’s heart, which God has prepared for them that love him, but God has revealed to us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9 - 11). That shows the wealth and blessedness of our dispensation, the depths of God are known in it. You want to be in all this, at least that should be the attitude of our minds at the present time. What we are in and what is developing in it is immense.
CAM There is such immensity that you feel unable to grasp it. Do you think the prophetic ministry guides our thoughts at any given moment?
JT Well, the wonderful resourcefulness of the present dispensation works out in solving whatever comes up. The matter is not left open, it can be solved, so that John says, “ye know all things”.
RWS Would you say love is the great binding power, as seen in the beginning when there was no defined order in the giving? They had all things in common and later on they laid certain things at the apostles’ feet. Paul brings in the order, but love is the great underlying power of the dispensation.
JT I think that is the way we are to consider [p. 275] the book of Acts. What is present there and left open is unfolding, time entering into it. Every minute brings out something. So as regards the apostles’ question as to when the kingdom should be restored to Israel, the Lord said that was the Father’s matter, not theirs. They were to receive the Spirit, which is much greater than what referred to Israel. It is an unrestricted state of things connected with the Holy Spirit and hence has immense possibilities.
CN “Whom heaven indeed must receive till the times of the restoring of all things”; is it to be understood that there is this mysterious state of things which brings in the condition for Elijah to come back, or is the Lord personally to take up the position on the earth? He is up there until the restitution of all things; but there must be this mysterious service to regulate things in which Elijah is to have part.
JT Quite so, it is mysterious, “whom heaven indeed must receive”, the Lord is in that attitude. He is in an unlimited, undefined, unrestricted state of things, but John brings out who He is. He is divine, He is God. John intimates that there was to be a great opening up of things; that indeed the world itself could not contain the books if everything were recorded.
JWD Is there specific allusion to this dispensation in what is definitely arrived at by God?
JT Well, all is by virtue of the Spirit being here, it brings out the possibilities of the operations of the Spirit here in these circumstances. It exceeds all other dispensations; things are left open and it is a question to some extent of what the saints are ready for. The Lord in John says, what you know not now you shall know hereafter; things will come out that you will know later.
SRMcC Is the way Elijah does things a word to us?
JT Yes. There are great possibilities, so that as [p. 276] the Spirit came in at Pentecost it was said by the multitude, “We hear them speaking in our own tongues the great things of God” (Acts 2:11).
Rem This would account for the difficulty in trying to explain the dispensation to any but a spiritual mind.
JT That is the difficulty we find now in relation to the matter of conscience; it can be understood only by those who know something of the truth. How can we explain that a Christian cannot take the sword now, whereas the prophets show that believers of the Old Testament times used it, and saints of the coming dispensation will use it? We are in the time in which there are complications, but nevertheless there are solutions. There is a means of solving everything to the satisfaction of the spiritual mind because the Holy Spirit is here. We are never driven to the wall for a solution to any matter.
RWS In verse 19 where it says, “so that times of refreshing may come”, is there a moral reason for that in the repentance and conversion mentioned in the same verse? Does it depend on the moral side in the believer?
JT Yes; it says, “Repent therefore and be converted, for the blotting out of your sins, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”. It does not say they have come; the Holy Spirit had come, but now another matter is pending: “that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send Jesus Christ, who was foreordained for you, whom heaven indeed must receive till the times of the restoring of all things, of which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since time began”. Now that is all put forward to the future. According to the prophets things are going to happen from heaven, that is, all prophetic utterances generally allude to the coming dispensation and we have to wait for [p. 277] that; but this reception of Christ in heaven is in the meantime.
CAM Referring to the matter of conscience again, would you say that we are really acting on the fact that Elijah is gone on high but that the world has not known it? They have done to him whatsoever they wished. Therefore, as far as this present time is concerned, it remains for spiritual persons to understand.
JT That is right. But God has the Spirit here, that is the outstanding fact. It is the time of perfection; there is a solution for everything. The devil is endeavouring to bring in solutions on the principle of so-called science, but the present time is the time of divine solution of everything; it is morally the greatest time.
JTJr Is there instruction in the fact that it is heaven that must receive Him? It does not say the Father received Him, it is the place.
JT I think so; it is heaven’s present function to receive the Lord Jesus. In the book of Revelation the Man Child is caught up to God and His throne, He is taken out of the way; but this is more definite, “whom heaven indeed must receive”, that is, it is a divine necessity that the Lord be in these circumstances until certain things happen. What are these things? They are the setting forth of the gospel and the formation of the assembly. Things come out on those lines. The mystery is unfolded.
JTJr The earth would not have Him personally so the heavens must have Him.
JT That is so; and what happens while He is waiting? To illustrate, Isaac is seen as having returned from Beer-lahai-roi when Rebecca was on the way. Isaac is not seen as doing anything, he is a man of leisure so to speak, and yet he is occupied in meditating in the field. But as soon as Rebecca comes great things happen and I think that is the way to get at the truth. The Lord is received above until; ‘until’ alludes to the things of which the prophets have been speaking that must come to pass; but what about the Lord Jesus personally? What is He doing?
HB Would 1 Peter 1:12 fit in? “To whom it was revealed, that not to themselves but to you they ministered those things, which have now been announced to you by those who have declared to you the glad tidings by the Holy Spirit, sent from heaven”.
JT That fits, because the Holy Spirit is sent from heaven; indeed you may say the sending alludes to the activities of Christ, the Lord taking on something in the interval until the times of prophetic announcement begin to arrive. The Lord is doing something else now, He is going to work out the greatest things.
JWD Would you say that the ‘something else’ is connected with the gospel and the mystery? They are tangible things, are they not?
JT That is what I was remarking. What has been concealed is the mystery, but now it is made manifest, involving the most interesting period to heaven. Now Peter is intimating that the Lord is in heaven, received and reserved there until the period of the prophets begins, but in the meantime He is not inactive. The history of Acts shows that another line of things is going to develop, and that line is the greatest. We are in the end of it at the present time. As already quoted, Peter says, “Repent therefore and be converted, for the blotting out of your sins, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send Jesus Christ, who was foreordained for you, whom heaven indeed must receive till the times of the restoring of all things”. The times of refreshing will be then; but what is coming out in the meantime is [p. 279] the greatest thing.
JTJr The Lord says to the disciples, “I go to him that has sent me, and none of you demands of me, Where goest thou?” Does that allude to their lack of appreciation as to what was to happen?
JT Just so, they were not concerned about it. They had already asked about the kingdom, but the Lord gave them no definite answer as to that. The apostles might have said, What does He mean, what are we going to do? Well, the answer would be, you are to wait for the Spirit, and the Father has kept in His own authority these matters that you are asking about. So that Christ is in a waiting attitude and the disciples are in a waiting attitude; but then the Holy Spirit is here and what will He do? That is the way to get at the truth governing the moment.
CAM It must have been mysterious to Peter himself when he said this because he could not have known all the wonderful things involved.
JT Nor did he know. The thing was beginning to unfold. He was a subject apostle and spoke as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance.
JRH It would appear from the expression, “by the mouth of his holy prophets”, that there was great spiritual unity. Peter himself had moved and with them waited for the development of the truth as given through Paul.
JT They would all be in a waiting attitude. But there was plenty to do, enough had come in to occupy them. The dispensation was unfolding, the assembly was being formed and the Lord was adding daily those that were to be saved. Paul would be brought in in due time. It was Paul who said, “the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10).
JH-t Would you say that the desires of Jabez coming in before the account of David setting up the kingdom have a place in the filling out of this? “O that thou wouldest richly bless me” (1 Chronicles 4:[p. 280] 10).
JT Just so. We are ready for any developments that God may bring out. Availability for divine usability must be in mind. We should be available because there are such great things with God, and He is looking for those who can be used to take them in and then to unfold them.
CN There is a verse in John 16, “But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming” (verse 13). Does that enter into this?
JT Very much. You can see how the Lord intended that the apostles should be prepared in their minds for the great things that were still secret, still a mystery. The apostle Paul touches on them in Romans 16:25 - 27.
Rem If I follow the thought in mind, these mysterious movements of God completely confound all enemies but they give liberty for the introduction of the greatest thoughts of God. But how are you bringing the prophets to bear upon us? Is it in a moral way?
JT Well, I would say in general that what I see is the need of love among the brethren so as to make us ready for God, for His present thoughts. It is not simply the knowledge of the Scriptures but the need for love. The Lord stressed that in John 13 and I believe that is the point; there is so much ready to operate in heaven, ready to break forth into our hearts, and active love is the great need among the brethren. The Lord speaks to the apostles in that way, that they might have love among themselves. It is hardly to be expected that God will open heaven to us and the wonderful things that are there unless love, which alone can make way for them, exists.
JHE God makes that possible by the love of God shed [p. 281] abroad in our hearts.
JT That is the idea in Romans, exactly.
ABP Would you say repentance is the softening up process for the free flow of love? Repentance is referred to in this passage as though it enters into the moral basis for the Lord’s return.
JT Just so. The woman in Luke 7 loved much because she was forgiven much. If you have a good number of that kind together, those who are forgiven and love because they are forgiven, I think we can say there would be a state for God to operate in by the Spirit.
CAM Thinking of repentance making way for love, I was wondering how this matter of the Lord alluding to Elijah as John the baptist comes into this setting. In some sense faith knows that Elijah has come. Would it be on the repentance line?
JT Well, quite so. He was there in John the baptist and the Lord would regard John as an immense accessory in the testimony. He is contemporary with Him; John’s gospel shows that the Baptist’s ministry went on at the same time as the Lord’s. The synoptics do not give us that in them, the Lord did not enter on His ministry until John’s was over; but in John’s gospel we have the two ministries running together. I think the Lord would regard the presence of John the baptist as augmenting His own ministry, and especially in the matter of repentance. The way John the baptist is presented in John’s gospel is most instructive, especially as recognising the Bridegroom’s voice. What suggestions there are as to what is to follow in the opening up of the great marital subject! And John the baptist had a sense of the importance of it. I believe that is a thing to be followed out. John 4 shows the woman of Samaria coming into it; she came into the system the Lord was working out, and she is ready for it as soon as she was touched by the prophetic word which He spoke to her (John 4:19; John 4:28,29).
FC John’s statement comes into that, “He who comes from above is above all. He who has his origin in the earth is of the earth, and speaks as of the earth. He who comes out of heaven is above all, and what he has seen and has heard, this he testifies”. Would that link on with the present dispensation?
JT It would. In that passage you can hardly distinguish between John the baptist’s ministry and that of John the evangelist as he joins in afterwards. So that John’s gospel helps as to what we are saying. The great acquisition to the Lord’s ministry there in the presence of John the baptist is, I think, what is necessary now. It is a question of love working out. What power there must have been as the Lord thought of John serving as contemporary with Himself! You get that only in John’s gospel. Earlier He had said to John, “Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness”.
WJW It is the Spirit’s work at the present time to show the things of Christ to us.
JT Yes. Here in Acts 3 it is a waiting time. It is a time in which great things are pending and yet they are not disclosed. Peter is speaking about things that will come from the presence of the Lord when the Lord Jesus is sent here; but in the meantime heaven is receiving Him and He has a place there with nothing definite said as to what He is doing. We have to wait now to see what He is going to do and that is this present dispensation. We are at the end of it and what these readings have in mind is that we might be ready and usable to God at the end of this great dispensation; for there is going to be an end to it and the end is to be in accord with the beginning.
AT You referred to the Spirit searching the deep things of God; during the period of the patience of Christ the Spirit gave light on the movements of [p. 283] God; He gives light now in relation to the present circumstances.
JT Yes; it is a time of light, but light that is not always specified beforehand. At the outset it was a time of great light, and so throughout; but always developments have had to be awaited. It is not exactly the prophetic time; that alludes to the coming of the Lord and the establishment of the millennium, but this dispensation is pending that. It is most wonderful that we are in it, and we want to be really in it, to have our ears open and be ready for God, for anything in which He may move.
Ques Would that imply that the full weight of prophetic ministry at the moment bears on our relations with Christ as the Bridegroom?
JT I think so. It is prophetic ministry, not in the sense of telling of coming events, but in the sense of bringing God in and stirring us up, stimulating us in the service of God. The woman of Samaria said to the Lord, “I see that thou art a prophet”, and then she brings in the subject that, I believe, the Lord was waiting for, the subject of worship. The official prophetic services did not exactly develop that, it is because of what God is. That was brought out in John 4, not simply what He is prophetically in view of the millennium but what He is now, what He is in Himself. “His holy since-time-began” prophets (see note) treated of coming events, involving “the restoring of all things”. But Christianity involves the gospel of the glory of God; it is the gospel in its fullest sense; also the ministry of the assembly — all that Paul was used to disclose.
JRH Is it in regard to the patient waiting for Christ that He is brought forward as a prophet in this address of Peter’s? “Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up to you out of your brethren like me”.
JT That is right. It is that kind of thing, what [p. 284] the woman of Samaria found, really opening up the matter of the Spirit in His subjective operations.
JWD Is this principle of the opening up of all things in our dispensation like Aaron’s rod that budded and blossomed? Every feature of the dispensation opens from one thing to another. Is that your thought?
JT Exactly. In Numbers 17 we have Aaron s rod that budded. Now that brings up the question of the rod. Exodus 7 speaks of the rod that was “turned into a serpent”; this rod, or staff, is regarded as used by Moses and Aaron, and in verse 17 Jehovah uses it Himself. They are all one really. This points to the way the dispensation works out: it is a question of oneness. Then as said, in Numbers 17, there is another rod, made for Levi, but it becomes Aaron’s. It is a beautiful rod, representing life; it budded and blossomed and bore almonds. I only refer to all that because it brings out what marks this dispensation. Aaron’s rod here is the evidence, typically, that our High Priest is established in the “power of indissoluble life” (Hebrews 7:16).
JWD What came out recently in regard to the heavenly character of eternal life shows how varied the light in this period is.
JT Quite so; so that while eternal life is spoken of in connection with the earth, it has in certain scriptures heavenly links and features. Believers are enjoined to lay hold of it. In the Old Testament the prophets spoke about eternal life; it is “commanded” in Zion; this is millennial. But in the New Testament it is a definite Christian blessing, having a heavenly character (see John 3:12 - 16). The blue, the heavenly colour, marks all that belongs to Christianity; we are blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) “the depths of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10) are open to us.
JTJr You used the expression ‘medium’ several [p. 285] times in your prayer. Is it the idea of love among us?
JT That is the point for the moment — what there is among us, what there is in this city in view of these meetings, because what is in this town is a reflection of what is in other towns; it is the same thing everywhere — not much love or unity, hence the liberty of the Spirit in opening up this dispensation is impaired. What marked the woman of Samaria was the opposite of all this; she left her waterpot and took up something else.
CAM It is very helpful to connect this matter of love with the thought of prophetic ministry, whether you think of John or of the last book of the Bible. It is not the telling forth of coming events, it all culminates in bridal affections for Christ.
JT Yes. What would the Apocalypse be if love were not brought in?
MO Would the reception of Christ by heaven and the restoring of all things suggest how competent He is to take up matters in the interval?
JT Well, just so. The coming world is not the greatest, this is the greatest time. He is received up there, but then, what is He doing there? That is the next thing. It is the most wonderful time; heaven is free to go on with sonship. It is what heaven is saying, what heaven will bring out. This all lies in the Spirit, but the state of the saints affects what the Spirit is doing.
MS Is the restoring of all things a public matter?
JT It is. That is a comparatively simple matter. It is a question of the testimony of the prophets. As to this, however, it is important to remember that “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the glory of kings to search out a thing” (Proverbs 25:2).
Ques Would the order of 1 Corinthians 13 and 14 bear on this? There is a call for love indicated in the former and the latter develops prophetic ministry.
JT I think it would: “Yet shew I unto you a way of more surpassing excellence”, and that way is love. The Corinthians were not characterised by love, and the question is whether we have it. In this country conditions are low. We might as well face it and challenge ourselves as to whether there is a state for these special meetings in which the Spirit of God can open things up.
Ques Do you think the brethren feel this matter?
JT Well, I am very doubtful. During recent years we had remarkable times in Great Britain, brethren in certain parts giving themselves up to spiritual things, and there were disclosures. The present public sorrow, however, has become a test, but I believe the truth is holding and the brethren are gaining. It is to be hoped that the Lord will stir up the saints on this continent.
AD Would each esteeming the other better than himself enter into this matter?
JT It is a question of love. After the apostle left Corinth the first thing he had to challenge was the matter of disunity. They were not speaking the same thing.
JWD “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:3). Would that meet the low conditions among us to which you referred?
JT Yes. The way of love is the keeping of His commandments, and every true Christian ought to see how simple the commandments of the Lord are; the chapter quoted says they “are not grievous”. We cannot say the brethren have no love if they are keeping the commandments of the Lord.
JWD Do you think we should see whether we have love among ourselves before having special meetings?
JT Yes. It is a pertinent question, before [p. 287] inviting brethren from other parts, for brethren in the place of the proposed meetings to enquire as to whether there are conditions of love among themselves. The Old Testament indicates conditions of love for the holy convocations in Israel.
ABP Would you say that the unhappy conditions among the saints, which are of comparative frequency, would, if gone into and thoroughly repented of, become an asset for the removal of dark spots so that love might flow freely? Love cannot rest where there are underlying unjudged conditions. These sad occurrences are an indication of a low state, but if they are acknowledged before God they will serve to bring about a basis for the free flow of love.
JT Quite so; the woman of Luke 7 loved much because she was forgiven much. Peter’s address in Acts 2 brings up the matter of state: “What shall we do?” they said to Peter and the other apostles. Peter replied, “Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”.
AAT You are emphasising the need of the atmosphere of love among the brethren. As you said, the woman in Luke 7 had love, the atmosphere was there.
JT She had it in herself. The Lord said she loved much. The atmosphere was against her, but she loved much because she was forgiven much. Peter says, “Repent, and be baptised, ... for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. That is the basis for love conditions. We are to repent. Whatever there is to be repented of, do not let us fail in repenting.
Ques What you are saying would put greater responsibility on the localities holding these special meetings. Are they not generally carried on on an annual basis, the local brethren feeling they have [p. 288] done their part in inviting the brethren, providing the food, sleeping accommodation, etc.?
JT Yes, whereas it is not only the physical food that we need. We have to get ration coupons for that, but what about the coupons for love? The government will not supply those, but love is absolutely essential. We could go hungry for a day, but what about love? We cannot get along without that.
JWD Are these scheduled monthly or quarterly meetings quite scriptural? They are put in the book regardless of whether there is a right spiritual state in relation to them. In some cities there are fellowship meetings once a month; other places have quarterly meetings, and they are in the book that is issued by the tract depot. These go through automatically regardless of whether localities are marked by the proper spiritual conditions. Is that right?
JT It is not. Right conditions require unity and that implies love.
JHE Special occasions in Jerusalem meant that the children of Israel had to journey.
JT Yes, and the idea was that they could travel and live together without quarrelling.
Ques What should be done about conditions unsuitable for such occasions?
JT Well, I would point to Peter s advice as good, “Repent”. This matter of monthly, quarterly and annual meetings in the book has already been mentioned. One of the important things that comes up is the collection: how much is going to come in? Shall we be able to feed and house the brethren? That is foremost in mind; if we invite the brethren we must have food and sleeping accommodation for them. But there is never a question as to the love. What about that? Is it fair to invite brethren where there is not love? Is it just right? Well, the men at Jerusalem listened to Peter and it is said, “And having heard it they were pricked in heart, and said [p. 289] to Peter and the other apostles, What shall we do, brethren? And Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God may call. And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation. Those then who had accepted his word were baptised; and there were added in that day about three thousand souls”. Then the remaining part of the chapter is to show that love was there. Besides the general outlook, involving the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, there was great spiritual liberty and affection among the saints evidenced in mutual care; for they sold their possessions and substance and made distribution “according as any one might have need”. Thus we have indicated at the outset of the dispensation conditions for holy convocations.
Rem That is all most important. When you go outside of what is local in view of such occasions there should be exercise among the brethren as to whether there are conditions to support them.
JRH You would not give up the meetings, but are encouraging us to be exercised as to right conditions among us?
JT I should not like to see the meetings given up. God comes in for us in spite of ourselves, and I would not suggest for a moment that there is not love among us. There is love, but we need more and more of it.
CAM “But Lydda being near to Joppa, the disciples having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, beseeching him, Thou must not delay coming to us” (Acts 9:38). Apparently they faced the conditions in the place and this great servant was available. Would you say that affords a [p. 290] guide?
JT Quite so. That whole section supports what we are saying: “Now it came to pass that Peter, passing through all quarters, descended also to the saints who inhabited Lydda. And he found there a certain man, Aeneas by name, who had been lying for eight years upon a couch, who was paralysed. And Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus, the Christ, heals thee: rise up, and make thy couch for thyself” (Acts 9:32 - 34). That indicates what the Lord does for us and what we should do for ourselves. Then it says, “And in Joppa there was a certain female disciple, by name Tabitha, which being interpreted means Dorcas”. She was a worker, but was she supplying what was needed for the work of the Lord? She was full of good works and alms-deeds, but there was evidence of natural sentiment by the widows. Peter put them all out. How essential it was that he should be there to create conditions suitable for the work of God! All that is applicable to what we are saying about conditions being suitable for general meetings.
CAM It is quite different from printing the announcements of special meetings in a book; it is a question of what is current among the saints at the date of the meetings.
JH-t Does Elisha’s question to the woman in 2 Kings 4:2 bear on this? “What hast thou in the house?” She seems to minimize what is there, but he shows her how it can expand.
JT That is good. Referring to what we said earlier about the prophets, there is much to be done before Elijah’s ministry can come into effect. That is the point now, what is to be done in a locality in which special meetings are to be held before we get to the real point in the ministry that may be given.
ABP Elijah was a long time in Zarephath before the widows were brought before him.
JT Quite so. I do not know whether we have [p. 291] arrived at what was indicated earlier in this meeting as to Elijah himself and the mystery attached to his person, such a person as to be impersonated in others. Although belonging to a former age he comes into the coming one; but what is he doing now? All that is mysterious in a certain way, but we belong to a time in which mysteries are to be understood, the Spirit of God enables us to understand them. Of course, we do not want to seem too mysterious; but as already said, there are persons existent who never died, and where are they? There are persons who were raised when the Lord died and they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many. What has become of them? We are not told, but they exist. I am making these remarks in view of what we have said of Elijah, concerning whom more will come before us.