READINGS ON FIRST THESSALONIANS (5)
READINGS ON FIRST THESSALONIANS (5)
JT We have already remarked on the subject of the Lord’s coming as seen in this epistle, that it is to be divided into two parts, first, the Lord Himself presented by the apostle and a direct word on the point. “For this we say to you in the word of the Lord, that we, the living, who remain to the coming of the Lord, are in no way to anticipate those who have fallen asleep; for the Lord himself, with an assembling shout, with archangel’s voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air”. Now this is the first great part or feature of what is called the Lord’s coming. The second feature is the fifth chapter. So the word is “concerning the times and the seasons”, that is to say, the public coming of the Lord Jesus enters into the idea of times and seasons. It goes on, “brethren, ye have no need that ye should be written to, for ye know perfectly well yourselves, that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief by night”. Now this is called “the day of the Lord”. It is implied in the expression “the coming of the Lord” but the “day of the Lord” is a longer period. It would appear in the book of Revelation that it is to be a thousand years, but any way, it is spoken of here as “the day of the Lord”. Our reading this afternoon will cover this latter phase of the so-called Lord’s coming. In the first phase in the fourth chapter it is the Lord coming for His people, and we are to be with Him forever. “The day of the Lord” involves more; it involves a certain period which may be regarded as the millennium, the period of a thousand years. It is a day in which [p. 79] God would show what He can do even in the present circumstances physically. The day will show what God can do for men in spite of conditions. So we have here, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that ye should be written to, for ye know perfectly well yourselves, that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief by night”. The idea is a day of action; the word ‘day’ includes a long period in which God will show what He can do in the present world as it is. It is for us to be ready for it because His coming will be public, and we will come out with Him. We ought to be in every way in accord just as He comes to take us. That is the idea of this book, these chapters especially.
RWS Is this day ushered in by judgment?
JT That is the way it is presented. He says, “that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief by night”. That is, it comes secretly, as it were, without announcement. We can only arrive at the thought by what we have learned and what we learn from other parts of Scripture. It comes secretly; it is not to be announced in any public way. It is to come as a thief in the night. He does not tell us when He is coming, but it is “as a thief by night”. He comes suddenly.
JK Does the day of the Lord bring in the thought of authority?
JT I think so. It is the day in which people will have right-of-way everywhere. The world will not be governed as it is by certain races or nations. The Lord will do it. He will do it publicly. Things will be right for a thousand years, and we should read Revelation 19 to get it clear in our minds. The fifth chapter of 1 Thessalonians has to do with the second part, as we may properly call it, of the coming of the Lord, that is, the public coming and the consequences of it. The Lord Himself will take things [p. 80] in hand and His titles, as given to us in Revelation 19, show that He is to be in charge publicly. Everything is to be done under His control. Other scriptures, of course, speak of what will transpire during the thousand years, in fact, the Bible is full of it. It will be a wonderful time, a time in which God will show what He can do with the world as it is. After this, there will be a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness shall dwell, not simply be there, but dwell. That will be the eternal condition. So this chapter contemplates what we are speaking of; it contemplates the Lord coming to take charge of things. Coming like a thief in the night indicates that He comes secretly, but then the public position will be seen presently and it is described in Revelation 19.
AB In relation to the Lord descending and the assembly being caught up to be with the Lord, is it that there is now to be no hindrance in relation to the expanse; that is, the expanse is claimed for God as in Revelation 12 where Michael and his angels fight in relation to the casting out from heaven of the devil and his angels? But in chapter 5 it is more the clearing of the earth in relation to the establishing of righteousness.
JT Well, I think that is a fairly good setting out of the facts. It is taken up in an orderly way in chapter 5 of 1 Thessalonians.
AR Why does Paul speak to these saints and say, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief”’? Why does he speak to them in that way’?
JT That would mean that they had been instructed as to prophecy, although they were young Christians. Evidently the apostle Paul took occasion to instruct young believers as to prophecy. The beginning of the great revival of the truth in the last hundred and thirty years was largely occupied [p. 81] with prophecy. In verse 4 we read, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness”. We might say that of ourselves today, that we are not in darkness. Every brother here knows something about the prophecies of Scripture. So it says, “Ye ... are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief: for all ye are sons of light”. That is a remarkable expression, “sons of light”, meaning that we have light, not only information, but that we have light. We are luminous.
AR Would it help us to understand the books of Isaiah and Daniel?
JT Yes, especially Daniel.
FJF Is what you have been speaking of at the end of the fourth chapter the first part of the first resurrection?
JT I think so. The whole period from verse 13 has this in mind, what is to come in in the future, the prophecies that are found in Scripture in regard to the future. The fourth chapter deals with ourselves being translated to heaven which is a great matter too, the greatest of all events, because the saints, the assembly, and the saints perhaps of the Old Testament too, those that belong to the Lord will all be translated to heaven. The birth and death of the Lord Jesus imply the greatest things, the greatest events that ever happened on the earth. But the coming of the Lord is a great event too, perhaps second to that — the Lord’s death first, and then His coming in glory described in Revelation 19, a wonderful scene.
JWD “When they may say, Peace and safety”. Does that give us any light as to what will be before men between the two comings? I thought it was a period which will be deluged with judgment and misery.
JT I think it refers to the present time, to be simple, what is current at the present time among [p. 82] the nations would indicate that they are going to do great things. Great things are going to happen in this and other countries, and the world is going to be wonderfully improved, and they will say, “Peace and safety”. Steps will be taken to prevent war, but we have to go by the prophecies of Scripture if we are to know what is to happen in the future. We have to read the Scriptures and learn from them. “When they may say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them”. It is a terrible thing, but Revelation 19 gives a full description of the wonderful time that is coming, involved in what we are saying now, that the Lord comes publicly to set things right in this world.
RWS Will the millennium be universal over the whole earth or just a part of the earth?
JT I think the whole earth will be included. It is God’s earth. “The earth is Jehovah’s and the fulness thereof”, Psalm 24: 1. “God is the King of all the earth”, Psalm 47: 7. He has claimed the earth for Christ. He is going to give it to Him.
RWS I thought you had intimated earlier that the western world had contributed the assembly, and that the millennium bore more upon the eastern world, India and China and those parts.
JT The book of Acts contemplates what is done in an evangelical sense, so God has “appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained” (Acts 17: 13, A.V.). “A day” is the same expression as we have here. That is the great event that is coming, and that will include India, China and every part of the earth, because it is God’s earth. It indicates His wonderful bounty to men. The earth yields what man needs in abundance. Take this country as an illustration. See the abundance that it yields; perhaps more than any other country, this country is abundant in its yield for the good of man. God has appointed a [p. 83] day to rule the world by Christ. He is not ruling it now, although He is ruling it indirectly, but the day is coming when the Lord Jesus will rule. God has appointed that, that He should judge the world. “He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead”, Acts 17:31 (A.V.). That is the assurance that we have, that God has raised Him from the dead. Our Lord Jesus will come out in public to rule the world, not only to judge, the word ‘judge’ means to rule, but everything is done that is necessary. He will simply deal with men in punishment, but will rule the world in righteousness.
TW Psalm 2 says, “Ask of me, and I will give thee nations for an inheritance, and for thy possession the ends of the earth”.
JT Very good.
AAT Revelation 19: 10, “For the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus”. Does that apply to the period we are speaking of?
JT It applies to the present time. It is what He is. “The spirit of prophecy is” not will be “the testimony of Jesus”.
FJF Does the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ involve that a new world has begun already for faith?
JT The resurrection of Christ has already happened and that goes forward to what we are saying now. He has raised Him from the dead according to the verse already quoted from Acts, and the bearing of all that will be seen in the future and will come in after what we are speaking of now. Of course, Christ is already raised, He has been raised by God, and that is the testimony that goes forward to the prophetic world.
FJF My point was, do we get the advantages by faith of that great day, the millennial day?
[p. 84] JT Quite so, so that you get in the epistle to the Hebrews, “the world to come, whereof we speak”, that is the world of prophecy. It is already existing for faith in that the Man whom God has ordained has been raised from the dead, the Lord Jesus. He is not ruling yet, but He is going to rule and the bearing of His resurrection will be there.
FJF I would like to get clear for ourselves, are we not already in the joy of that great day?
JT We are assembly people and have the light of everything, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; we all have light in our souls.
CHH It says in this chapter, “Ye are sons of light”.
JT That is exactly the point, that we are sons of light. Those who form the assembly are that because they are illuminated from the face of Jesus.
AR We can enjoy the day of the Lord here now.
JT Because we have light about everything.
FJF Is that why, when Paul spoke in Thessalonica, they said, “These that have turned the world upside down” because they spoke of another king, Jesus?
JT Just so, they had power to do it. They could not have turned the world upside down without power. The apostles did it, and it was a time of conversion of men. They turned the world upside down, but they organised the assembly.
FJF And they overthrew idolatry in Europe and it has never raised its head since.
JT Just so, and it will be done in Asia too. Others will take our place to do that in Asia. They will turn the world upside down there too, so that the darkness will flee and the light will shine everywhere.
FHL Would Philippians 1, “Jesus Christ’s day” be an expression understood in the assembly in contrast to the day of the [p. 85] Lord?
JT Just so, although I should not like to separate anything in that sense because it is the Lord Himself that is in mind. The day of the Lord is the day of the Lord Jesus, the same as Jesus Christ, of course.
FHL When would that be — “Jesus Christ’s day”?
JT “Jesus Christ’s day” is the Lord’s day, that is, the day of the Lord. Another thing, the Lord’s day is the first day of the week too, meaning that it is the day in which He has power and we are to recognise it. We do not do anything except what has to be done, because it is the Lord’s day.
RWS Does the day of God look on to the eternal day?
JT That is the eternal day, God’s day, because of the greatness of the result. It is what God will be in the millennium, the day of God, what He will do in His mercy for men. He is doing good now, but He will do far more in that day. It will be a wonderful time. I would say that machinery and all that will be discarded. I may be saying too much, but my impression is that machinery and all that sort of thing that men have devised to make things better and make a show will all be destroyed. God can do without it, although of course, it may be His own creature, but I believe that God will show what He can do with the things He has actually brought in here Himself on the earth. These things will be usable and enough for all that He wants to show.
AR Without automobiles or aeroplanes, do you think?
JT Do not make too much of it; we cannot name the things because we will never stop if we do that. But the general idea is to show that in the creation God has put all that is necessary for men, and therefore it says, “He formed it to be inhabited”, Isaiah 45: 18. That is to say, men are inhabitants of God’s earth, and God has put into it all that is necessary for the inhabitants. It has been made to be inhabited.
MO Does the day of the Lord make way for the day of God?
JT That may be so, but I should not like to make that too distinct because the day of the Lord is the day of God. The Lord is God. The divine Persons are three and any One of Them can be called God. So that we cannot distinguish in that sense as to divine Persons because any One of Them is God and may be called God too. We have to be specific and Scripture is usually specific in naming divine Persons so that you know what Person is speaking.
MO I was thinking of the work of subjection being completed by Christ and then the day of God being ushered in.
JT Well, that is quite right, only be careful that you do not becloud divine Persons. They are all divine and all equal. We cannot say that One is greater than the Other. We must be careful about that, not to convey that One is greater than the Other, only that in the economy, as we call it, They are; the Father is greater than the Son. I say this only to keep the thing clear, that the economy is different from the past eternal conditions.
DP Will the Lord be vindicated publicly in His day against all the charges that were made against Him?
JT Undoubtedly He will, everything will be cleared up in that day, at the same time I would say that the day of God must be the greatest day We can have nothing greater than God. That is a thing to keep clearly in our minds. We can have nothing or no one greater than God.
RS In 2 Peter 3 it says, “But the day of the Lord will [p. 88] come as a thief, in which the heavens will [p. 87] pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements, burning with heat, shall be dissolved, and the earth and the works in it shall be burnt up”. Then verse 12 speaks of “hastening the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved”. It seems as if they are similar.
JT They are. Peter runs on with Paul because in the same epistle he says “our beloved brother Paul”; there is no difference between them, no feeling of rivalry between them at all. There is absolute clarity between them. We are now dealing with this fifth chapter of 1 Thessalonians and we want to see how it bears out what has been said. It is not the coming of the Lord for us; it is the coming of the Lord universally, and Revelation 19 gives a full description of it. The point of these meetings is that the saints may have their minds clear and carry away something that will stand by them in regard to the truth, in regard of what we call the prophetic map, the map that God has ordained to set out His thoughts.
LES In the book of Daniel, chapter 7, we have the incoming of the Son of man with the clouds. It says “there came with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man, and he came up even to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed”. That would have this in mind, would it not?
JT It is very important because Daniel is the particular prophet that opens up the prophetic map, as we call it, of the earth. Daniel has a great part in that.
Ques I was going to ask about the verse already quoted from 2 Peter 3, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise”. Does that not seem to apply after the millennium, the elements being dissolved and the earth and the works in it burnt up?
JT The eternal state is in mind, I would say. Peter depicts the eternal conditions that God is going to bring out, the day of God.
Rem He carries the day of the Lord right on as ushering in the eternal day.
JT Just so.
ABP Do you distinguish the day of tribulation from the millennium or is it the beginning of the millennium? I was thinking of what we speak of as the period of the great tribulation for three and a half years, or the period that it may be, is that before the millennium?
JT Surely, it is before. What God will do before, leading up to the cleansing of the earth.
ABP Is what we are speaking of included in that, that period of tribulation rather than the peaceful conditions of the millennium?
JT Quite so, the tribulation. The Lord has made promises about it. The Lord says to the assembly in Philadelphia, “I also will keep thee out of the hour of trial, which is about to come upon the whole habitable world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”, Revelation 3: 10. That is, the earth dwellers are in mind. They have to be dealt with in judgment by God. He wants heaven dwellers now, and they are content to stay on the earth.
DP Will there be any earth in the millennium?
JT I think there will. I think it will be the earth as we have it now, even the sea, I suppose, will be there, but in the eternal state there shall be no more sea.
JRHJr Do the words, “ye know perfectly well” indicate how much the Spirit has helped [p. 89] the saints,
so that our knowledge has this character, knowing perfectly well?
JT Paul had been among these young Christians in Thessalonica, and they were converted. It is said these are the first two epistles he wrote. The indication is that they must have learned a great deal from Paul. He did not leave them without a knowledge of the prophetic world that God is bringing in.
CHH Revelation 19: 16 says, “And he has upon his garment, and upon his thigh, a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords”. I was wondering if that furnished a basis for the doxology of Paul in 1 Timothy 6: 13 - 16, which says, “I enjoin thee before God who preserves all things in life, and Christ Jesus who witnessed before Pontius Pilate the good confession, that thou keep the commandment spotless, irreproachable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; which in its own time the blessed and only Ruler shall show, the King of those that reign, and Lord of those that exercise lordship; who only has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen, nor is able to see; to whom be honour and eternal might. Amen”. Would the consciousness of this produce a worshipful spirit?
JT Quite so, and that passage in Timothy coincides with what we are reading, not that Scripture exactly repeats itself, but there are passages that go together. The Lord Jesus is in mind, the power is in the thigh. Man’s power is in his thigh if it is a question of actual power. That is what I was saying earlier about the machinery that men have made that I doubt if God will use it. The Lord will have power enough in His hands for everything that is needed in the coming world.
Rem I would like to mention what Mr. Stoney said about Revelation 22: 16. “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the [p. 90] assemblies. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star”. He pointed out that only those would be ready to wait for the Lord as the bright and morning star who are in the good of recognising Him as the root and offspring of David in His divine and royal rights in regard to this earth.
JT Just so, the root is Deity, the Lord’s deity, and the offspring is His manhood. That is what appeals now, that we have the Lord among us as Man, but He remains God nevertheless.
RWS How do you understand verse 10? “Who has died for us, that whether we may be watching or sleep, we may live together with him”. How do you understand the last clause?
JT That is one of the encouragements that are especially to be with us, so that the Lord died for us, that whether we may be watching, or whether we die in the meantime, we are to “live together with him”, not only to live, but “live together”, which is a lovely thought for Christians, to “live together with him”. That is future. If we enter into it now, it would be a question of spiritual power, that is, the Holy Spirit being here always available to help us, to do things for us.
AB Is that why Paul says in writing to Timothy, “I am already being poured out”, but then he further says, “Henceforth the crown of righteousness is laid up for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will render to me in that day; but not only to me, but also to all who love his appearing”?
JT That is what we are dealing with too. In the millennium all that will come to pass. It is a wonderful time ahead of us, so that we should never be droopy or disconcerted, because of the wonderful time that is ahead of us, but also because of the wonderful time that is here. The Spirit of God is here on earth to take charge of the saints, and Christ [p. 91] is in heaven to do the same as a Priest. The Lord is doing everything in heaven that is needed to be done. The Spirit is doing everything on earth that is needed to be done. So it is a wonderful time even now.
JLP Do we anticipate the day of the Lord each week as we come up to the Supper? Would it be right to say that? I was thinking of affording the Lord His rights.
JT Instead of saying the day of the Lord I would say the Lord’s day, which is one of the terms applying to the first day of the week. John the evangelist who wrote the book of Revelation says, “I became in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”. That is what happened on the Lord’s day, not in the future, but on the Lord’s day now. So we can realise what His day here is because He comes in among us on the first day of the week. It is His own day that He can do as He likes, as it were, and we enjoy having Him with us. I hope everyone understands what I am trying to say. So we have the Spirit of God in us to do this and the Scriptures in our hands so that we should be understood in what we are saying.
WWM It says in our chapter “ye know perfectly well”, and then it says, “Ye are sons of light and sons of day”. That is what we are now.
JT Just so. So that the light is effective in us already because of the Spirit being here. He is God Himself; wonderful to think that it is so! God Himself is amongst us.
Ques Would you say a word about Hebrews 9: 28, “thus the Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear to those that look for him the second time without sin for salvation”. “Those that look for him the second time” would that be the remnant when they look [p. 92] for the appearing of the Lord at the beginning of the millennium or would this refer to the rapture?
JT It refers to us. This book is written for us by Paul, undoubtedly. It is written for the assembly.
Rem We thought it applied to the rapture.
JT So it does. If we love the Lord, we are looking for Him.
Ques You told us in New York that some who have not the Spirit will get the Spirit in a moment before His coming; is that right?
JT You cannot limit God in any way. God can do a great deal in a moment. In a twinkling of an eye He can do things. So that there will be some perhaps at the time of His coming who do not have the Spirit, but He will take care of that I am sure. It belongs to our period; it is the period of the Spirit. We might call it the day of the Spirit and that would be right too, because it is the day of the assembly in which the Spirit dwells. He is here in the assembly.
FNW Are we to be, therefore, as those who have heard the midnight cry, “Behold, the bridegroom”, and to see that we have the oil?
JT I think so. That is Matthew, the assembly gospel.
FJF When the Lord comes, will we come with Him?
JT Well, when it says, “God will bring with him” that means, we may say, the Lord will bring us with Him. It is the same as God bringing us with Him. Before that He comes for us to take us up and then we come with Him. He will bring the church with Him; He will be espoused publicly.
FJF The heavenly city coming down.
JT Just so.
Rem Enoch prophesied that the “Lord has come amidst his holy myriads”, Jude [p. 93] 14.
JT Quite so, that is the saints, “his holy myriads”. They are made holy; we have the Spirit before that or we would not be holy.
FHL Jude says “to set you with exultation blameless before his glory”, referring to God. Is that the rapture?
JT I would connect it more with the Lord Himself in display as in Revelation 19. I would think it alludes to that; the day of the Lord and the day of God refer to the time when the Lord has a free hand, but that is a different matter from the rapture. He comes secretly when it refers to the rapture. The verse just quoted is the public situation that we are dealing with, the time when He is doing things.
Ques In Luke 23 the thief on the cross said to Jesus, “Remember me, Lord, when thou comest in thy kingdom”. That should be helpful in relation to the rapidity and non-restriction of the operations of divine Persons, would it not, even in an hour of tremendous pressure?
JT The man is given more than he says. The Lord answers him, “To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise”. The Lord would be there and he would be with Him. That is a remarkable thing that the Lord should say that to him. If you take the facts as they are, the Lord was saying that when He was on the cross, and He was going to be in the grave three days and three nights. So that it is a disembodied state until resurrection. The Lord left His body for the moment. He is in paradise, but that is all a mystery. We cannot understand that, but He said it, “To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise”. The man was dying too, but the Lord was dying. So that we have to think of the condition of the saints in the Old Testament. Their bodies are in the grave, in the earth, but then those saints have some place; they are with the Lord, that is [p. 94] all we can say, where He is. To depart to be with Christ — that does not refer to your body, it is your spirit.
ABP You would say he was a son of light; he went into the day?
JT I would think so, we are all that, in principle at least, even the little ones in principle.
WWM You made a remark earlier that they have something. No doubt we are concerned as to many people in Christendom we do not know about as Christians. It says in Revelation 2, “As many as have not this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I do not cast upon you any other burden; but what ye have hold fast till I shall come”. Whatever they have, they have something, and we have to leave it at that.
JT Very good.
ABP Would it be right to say that what we have been speaking of helps us in relation to the Supper and what follows it, that we are free to leave the earth because we know all will be settled righteously in relation to it?
JT Just so. That is to say, we have the Spirit and by the Spirit we can leave, depart for the moment to be with the Lord in ecstasy, we might call it. Peter had an ecstasy. He was going to have a meat but instead of that he had an ecstasy while waiting for it and he saw wonderful things.
RWS It says in verse 23, “Now the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly: and your whole spirit, and [p. 95] soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
JT It is very remarkable; I was thinking of that. I want to repeat it so that everyone will hear it and carry it away with them. “Now the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly”, not partly, that is God’s wish for them all. “Your whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”, marvellous! That is the apostle’s wish for them, that all this should be true of them. It is wonderful to have in mind “Now the God of peace”, that is God Himself, but the God of peace. He is the God of other things, but He is the God of peace. “Himself sanctify you wholly: and your whole spirit”, that is the inner part of man, “and soul”, the feeling part of man, the love part of man, “and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Then it goes on to say, “He is faithful who calls you”, that is God Himself (see chapter 2, verse 12), “who will also perform it. Brethren, pray for us”. It is very beautiful.
JHE In Matthew 5 the Lord Jesus says, “Blessed the peace-makers, for they shall be called sons of God”.
JT Showing that we should all make up any differences before we sit down to the Lord’s supper. If there be any differences locally, let it all be settled. There is a means of settling it before we sit down at the Lord’s supper.
AB So that we are not only sons of light but sons of peace.
JT Just so, sons of peace; God is the God of peace and light, so we are sons of God.
AR It says in Matthew 5 to leave your gift at the altar and be reconciled to your brother.
JT Quite so.
AMacD Is that why Paul says here, “Quench not the Spirit”?
JT Quite so. It is just possible that we may do that in any locality, because of bad feelings arising that are not settled. Rather let it be settled. That is the point. Why cannot we settle things? There [p. 96] is a means of doing it. The truth of redemption coming into our minds and the Holy Spirit coming into our hearts, there is surely means of settling everything.
FJF When we break bread it says “Ye announce the death of the Lord, until he come”, 1 Corinthians 11: 26. Do we in a way claim the earth for the Lord every time we break bread?
JT I am not sure that the Lord is dealing with the earth just now. He will take it presently. I think He is leaving it just with the government that God has set up to look after it. On the first day of the week at the Lord’s supper the Lord is concerned with us as to what we are doing, that we are remembering Him, showing forth His death, calling Him to mind. I do not think the Lord is concerned about much else just now, because God has ordered everything as regards the world and the government of it. There are a great many nations, but God is looking after them, and the powers that be, the governments of the nations, are ordained of God. But I think the Lord Jesus viewed by Himself is not engaged with that, except that He has part in Godhead of course, but He is looking after the saints, thinking of the assembly and the gospel. That is what He is going on with.
Ques “Let a man prove himself”, that is the point, is it not?
JT That is good, “Let a man prove himself, and thus eat”. So that we have things right if we do that.
FNW Does this verse in Hebrews 12 fill out what you are saying? “Pursue peace with all, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord: watching lest there be any one who lacks the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you”.
JT [p. 97] That is what I would call one of the peculiar features of the epistles; they deal with details, and that is one of them. The Lord has taken care to indicate what we should do for ourselves. He will do other things, but what we should do for ourselves, take care of that, that is what the Lord is saying to us. ‘Do not ask Me to do it if you can do it for yourself’. The Lord will do things for you if you cannot do them, but if you can do them, you should.
JTJr It says in verse 22, “Hold fast the right”. There are things that are right and they should be held fast amongst us.
JT Quite so. “Pursue righteousness ... with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart”, 2 Timothy 2: 22.
JTJr If what is right is established in a locality, it should be held to firmly.
JT In answering the question, ‘What is righteousness?’ Mr. Raven said it was doing what was right. That is very simple, doing what is right.
EAL I wanted to ask in regard to what you said about settling matters quickly. Some of us know in our localities how necessary that is. Personal, household or family feelings must be dealt with or we will not have liberty in the service of God. It says in 1 John 4, “If any one say, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”. The point in settling these matters quickly is that we then come into the condition where we can be right before God.
JT Just so. John wrote three epistles. The verse just read is one of the best practical sayings I know in all the epistles as to our relations [p. 98] with the brethren.
JHE Verse 26 says, “Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss”.
JT Very good, that protects us from any frivolous actions. We have to be watchful about that, to look out for holiness in all that we are doing.
Pages 99 - 335 — “Readings in Matthew’s Gospel”, Great Britain, 1950 (Volume 183 - Old Series).