RESURRECTION (1) - THE POWER AVAILABLE FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE TESTIMONY
[p. 153] RESURRECTION (1) - THE POWER AVAILABLE FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE TESTIMONY
JT My thought is that a practical result of the resurrection is represented, by the person, or persons, seen at the sepulchre in each gospel.
RSS You do not refer to the disciples and the women who were there?
JT No; I refer to the persons whom the disciples saw there. It was in that connection that I felt encouraged to suggest that we might in this way look at the different records of the resurrection.
RSS In this gospel, we are told that “the angel of the Lord descended from heaven”.
JT “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending out of heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his look was as lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became as dead men”. I thought, that the angel here, whose countenance was like lightning, would stand for the power of God, especially in its bearing towards the combination of evil which the apostles had to contend with. So the Lord says later that all power in heaven and earth was given to Him, and in the light of that they were to go and make disciples of all nations, “baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”.
RSS So you would think that the power of God is set forth in Matthew in connection with the resurrection more than in the other gospels?
JT I think so. That is the special feature of it, in view of the administration that was to be committed [p. 154] to the twelve which was to extend to all the nations. It was essential that they should know the power that was at their disposal.
ARS Is that shown by the earthquake and the rolling back of the stone?
RSS And also by the fact that the angel appears.
JT And that his countenance was as lightning, a figure that every one of us can understand as emblematical of power, for no one who has seen lightning can fail to recognise that it is an irresistible power. All the navies and the armies of the world would be destroyed in a moment if God chose to use that power. That is obvious to everybody.
GAT Like the judgment in Revelation 11; fire goes out of the mouth of the witnesses to devour their enemies.
JT Exactly. If God were pleased to use these things against the combination of evil that we have to meet with now, how quickly He could dispose of them! But the apostles were to make disciples of all nations instead of destroying them. God is not going to destroy the nations yet, but the power is there equal to that, and that enables us to see our position here; instead of executing judgment we are to be here as witnesses to that power, but it is exercised in grace.
AFM As in the case of Saul on his way to Damascus. Saul was on his journey as an opposer of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet the Lord spoke to him and subdued him completely.
JT Quite so; the Lord could have destroyed Saul. He represented the combined power of the world, for he was the emissary of the priests in Jerusalem and they were subordinated to Rome. He may thus be taken to represent the combined power of the world; but instead of the Lord destroying him he is subdued to Christ. This is a remarkable [p. 155] testimony to the reign of grace. Saul’s power for evil was broken up, but he is secured for God. The power for good now is as great as the power that will be exercised in judgment in the future; but at the present time that power is being exercised in grace.
RSS God delights in grace, whereas judgment is His “strange work”.
JT So the day of grace is lengthened out. To make the point clear I would refer to the earlier part of the second book of Kings. Elijah was raised up under the reign of Ahab; he appears in 1 Kings 17, and he exercises his ministry more in the character of judgment. The power of God was there to meet the apostate conditions in Israel. Elijah, instead of finishing his mission, fails, and goes to Horeb and resigns, making a charge against the people at the same time. They had forsaken the covenant, thrown down God’s altars and slain His prophets, and he only was left; and he adds, “they seek my life”. Now the Lord says to him, “Yet I have left myself seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth that hath not kissed him”. (1 Kings 19:18) Then Elijah received a second commission from the Lord, “anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: and Jehu the son of Nimshi shall thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay”. (1 Kings 19:15 - 17)
Elijah, however, did not anoint Hazael nor Jehu, but he did anoint Elisha, who was with the twelfth yoke of oxen when Elijah found him, and anointed him. Therefore Elisha’s ministry comes in before that of Jehu or Hazael. In other words, God suspends judgment in order to make room for the reign of grace and I think that illustrates the present time.
[p. 156] The angel here symbolises the power by which God could obliterate all the nations easily, for all their power was seen in the seal on the Lord’s tomb. And the power of the angel could easily overthrow the world, but the world is allowed to continue in order that grace might be presented to it; instead of the power being used for judgment it is used in the administration of grace, just as in Elisha’s case. Elisha sets forth the grace of God and the house of Ahab is allowed to continue during his ministry, which is a remarkable testimony to God’s forbearance.
RSS That is very helpful.
AMcB Would you connect John the baptist’s ministry with Elijah?
JT John the baptist was an antitype of Elijah.
AMcB He is out off and the reign of grace comes in in Christ.
JT Quite so. That ministry of judgment is held in abeyance.
AMcB He says the axe is laid to the root of the tree but that is suspended.
JT God does not give it up, but He would lengthen out the reign of grace; in the end Elisha anoints Jehu.
GAH Do we being on Elijah’s line?
JT Elijah travels the whole course involved in the testimony from Gilgal to Bethel; he acknowledges that at each point there had been breakdown; and then he goes through death; in this he is clearly a type of the Lord, and the testimony therefore is to become effective in the ministry, of Elisha, in the ministry of grace, and that is Christianity. But then God does not forget what the house of Ahab is, and the evil connected with it, so Jehu overthrows the house of Ahab.
RSS Would you also say that both Elijah’s and Elisha’s ministry find their antitype in the Lord Himself, while what was said in regard to John the [p. 157] baptist is quite true and borne out by Scripture. Does Elijah set forth the Lord’s ministry and testimony here against evil, and Elisha rather the ministry of grace.
JT Quite so. Elijah is more than John the baptist, because he goes through Jordan; then he ascends to heaven. It is in the spirit of the ascending man that Elisha takes up his ministry.
RSS I was thinking of it in connection with our brother’s question as to whether we begin with Elijah’s line. I was thinking that both Elijah and Elisha find their antitype in a sense in Christ, and also should in us; on the one hand, bearing a testimony against evil, and also in the expression of grace.
JT Yes.
GAH The Lord says to the disciples who wanted to bring down fire from heaven, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of”. (Luke 9:55) They had not learned the principle of grace yet. They wanted to act on the line of judgment.
LTE What significance has the translation of Elijah in connection with this power you are speaking of?
JT It is really the power of a heavenly and ascending man. Christianity is set up here in a heavenly power, and it has a heavenly character.
LTF Elijah will come again, as we find in Malachi.
JT “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet”. (Malachi 4:5) But that was fulfilled in John’s ministry. I think we have to distinguish between Elijah’s ministry, and what he was as going through Jordan; there he passes out of the view of the people. Another chapter opens there; his ministry stands by itself, and it is distinguishable from that of Elisha inasmuch as it was a ministry to recall the people to divine principles, but it had not the power to recall them;
[p. 158] it was lacking in grace. The ministry of Elisha is that which secures things for God, so there is recovery in the ministry of Elisha.
WCR He receives a double portion of Elijah’s spirit: what is the bearing of that?
JT The double portion is that of the firstborn. It refers to Christianity. We have the place of the firstborn. See Hebrews 12:23. Nothing that comes to pass afterwards will equal Christianity.
AFM When you said just now that Elijah visited these different places do you refer to the testimony?
JT Each of the places which he visited represents some phase of the testimony, and then he goes through Jordan; as much as to say, that all is a failure on the line of responsibility; then he ascends, and Elisha comes back in the power in which Elijah had ascended, and he inaugurates a new system at Jericho, which is typical of Christianity. There is recovery in Elisha’s ministry. Even as to those who had died, there was revival when the dead man touched his bones, 2 Kings 13.
AFM That is the crowning feature, is it not?
JT Yes. I only referred to that to show, that instead of judgment, although the power is there for it, power is now exercised in connection with grace. So the twelve are to go unto all nations making disciples of them, and this in the light of the Lord’s words that “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”.
BTE Is it not a remnant truth for the future, that the twelve were to disciple the nations?
JT I think they ought to have acted on it after the Spirit came. But they failed in it, and therefore Paul is taken up.
BTE Is the thought that judgment is suspended for the moment so that the reign of grace may [p. 159] be introduced?
JT That is it. It is a great thing to be in the light of the fact that the power is available for judgment; not that we desire it, but as having to do with the combination of evil that is in the world, it is a great encouragement and stay to the soul to know that power is available to deal with it.
GAT And God has appointed a day when He will take it up.
JT We are already in possession of the power that will deal with it. We would, however, prefer to have the present period continued.
RSS In that respect Christians are exceptional and unique, because in the previous dispensation the saints desired the judgment, and in that which follows the souls, under the altar cry, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10) I suppose the very fact of the disciples desiring that the kingdom should be restored to Israel showed the line they were on, for that could only be restored by power exercised in judgment.
JT I think a study of the book of Daniel helps us. The “saints of the most high places” (Daniel 7:22) take the kingdom. In chapter 7 there is a full outline of the Gentile dominion of the world beginning with the Babylonian monarchy and extending to the Roman monarchy. But the statement is that the saints of the most high places take the kingdom; that is prophetic. Therefore the saints are entitled to regard every position of authority as theirs by right. Every position of authority is ours, but we are bearing with the conditions; we are with Christ in it. The book of Revelation presents Christ in rejection, the Lamb. We accept the rejection, but maintain, in principle, as to our testimony, that the saints of the most high places take the kingdom. It is theirs. We bear with the present situation, but at the same time we hold in our [p. 160] souls that every position of authority is ours in connection with Christ.
JJL But we have no right to exercise that authority now.
JT No. We have the authority and the power in title, but instead of using it in judgment, we use it in grace, so that we are praying for these people who are really rivals. Every king or emperor is in a sense a rival of Christ and the assembly. But the saints are morally greater than they are, hence we pray for them. We are exhorted to pray for kings and all that are in authority. We are enabled to do that because we are supposed to have moral power.
WCR Then the preaching of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation, is also a means of blessing.
JT Take Paul’s ministry; it was a commission to the nations. It really involved the power by which every nation will be overthrown, that exalts itself against God in the world. But Paul, instead of using the power in judgment uses it in grace, so that the offering up of the nations might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
ARS We may say that the angel is withdrawn, and the Holy Spirit has come down. When the Lord comes in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that will answer to the angel here, but the Spirit of God is here now, and He has brought all the good things of God; He is freighted with them and He brings them down here in this day of grace.
JT And that indicates our place now. But at the same time we hold in our souls the purpose of God and that is, that the saints of the most high places take the kingdom. God gives it to them. But then the Ancient of days comes, and the stone cut out without hands appears, and breaks in pieces the [p. 161] whole world-system. We know how that will take place, and it will be in the very power by which the Roman seal on the stone at the sepulchre was broken when the earthquake came.
ARS The earthquake speaks of the existing order being broken up, but the judgment is stayed for the present.
JT So we read in Matthew “Many bodies of the saints fallen asleep arose, and going out of the tombs after his arising entered into the holy city and appeared unto many”. (Matthew 27:52,53) Christians do not suggest judgment, but the contrary. The saints had been raised; they “entered into the holy city and appeared, unto many”. (Matthew 27:53) That shows how the dispensation began.
ARS What does that mean? What saints were they? and is that “holy city” Jerusalem?
JT It was Jerusalem viewed in the light of God’s mind about it, for Jerusalem is the holy city. It has fallen under the influence of evil now, so it is spiritually Sodom and Egypt, “where also our Lord was crucified”. (Revelation 11:8) That is the historical city. But then we must distinguish between the historical city and the city of purpose. Jerusalem is Jerusalem in the mind of God, and never will be anything else. Zechariah says, “the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee”. (Zechariah 3:2) Satan is opposed to Jerusalem. All the great movements of the world have had that as a centre. Men do not know it, but Satan knows it. He knows that Jerusalem is God’s earthly centre and all His work in connection with the earth has that in view; so it is the holy city in the mind of God and ever will be.
JB That comes out in the temptation in Matthew, “the holy city”.
JT Satan knows much better what Palestine and Jerusalem signify than statesmen do. Statesmen do not know anything about it, but Satan knows [p. 162] about it. It is characteristic of Matthew that the holy city comes into view, because it is a question of government and administration in Matthew. There is a witness there in the holy city to the power of Christ’s resurrection, that it has a bearing towards all that God had established in connection with Jerusalem.
JLJ That testimony is to be given now in the assembly.
JT Yes. Jerusalem and Zion will be recovered on the principle of life from the dead, and the appearance here of raised ones was a testimony to that.
ST Were these saints raised as Lazarus was, in natural bodies?
JT It is difficult to say much about it. They were allowed to come up as a testimony. The Scripture is silent beyond this. We are not told in what form they appeared.
AAT In the introduction of Christianity there was undoubtedly evidence of this power, particularly with the apostles in the way of miracles and tongues. Has the power diminished?
JT The power has not diminished, but paralysis has come in and the body is enfeebled. There is no diminution of the power itself, but the vessel of the power is hampered, so that you cannot look for the same expression of power now; but the Spirit is here and, of course. He remains unchanged.
EHT The Lord said if He had prayed to the Father He would have given Him twelve legions of angels. Will angels be the power eventually used in judgment, but grace comes in in connection with the Spirit?
JT The operations now are by the Spirit. It is in this way the Lord will change our bodies of humiliation “according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself”. (Philippians 3:21) He does not change our bodies by angelic power, but by [p. 163] the power of the Spirit, according to Romans 8. It is “by his Spirit that dwelleth in you”. (Romans 8:11)
EHT Are the angels the instruments that execute judgment in the time of judgment?
JT The Lord will come out of heaven Himself. According to Daniel 2, the stone cut out without hands, smites the image on its feet and breaks it into pieces. According to Revelation 19, Christ comes out of heaven with His armies. He comes out in spiritual power to overthrow all that is evil here. I think He does it by the Spirit.
JD Do you judge that to be morally true in the earthquake which we read of here?
JT I think so. The whole scene in this chapter, the earthquake and the angel with a countenance like lightning, represents the power of God available against the combination of evil in the world, when God is pleased to use that power.
JD There will be no additional power needed, when He comes out, to be added to the power that is set forth in the resurrection here.
JT The power that is available is already attested. That is the way it is presented in Matthew. It was a great thing for the apostles to understand that there was power available for the overthrow of all that is evil in the nations, for the nations will combine against Jerusalem, and the power will be on the side of Jerusalem. One can see now that the development of things in the nations is tending to the latter days. In Daniel 7 we have the great Gentile powers beginning with Nebuchadnezzar and ending with Rome. Rome is said to have ten horns; that is to say, that instead of universal empire, such as existed in the Lord’s time on earth, there will be a combination of nations that have one mind. I do not say, that as yet it is fully developed, but the thing is there to be seen. What is called the concert of Europe is nothing more than the acceptance of the [p. 164] responsibility implied in the numeral ten. That will become more and more apparent as time goes on, and they will have one mind and support the beast. Then a little horn arises and he overthrows three of them, and he acts against Jerusalem and forms a league with the apostate Jews; these really are the conditions that will prevail in the latter days. God will act for Jerusalem. Daniel was exercised about things, and he understood through Jeremiah, the prophet, that seventy years were determined for the desolation of the city, and he prayed to God fervently, and an angel was sent to him to tell him how things would be. “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city” [that is the great centre in the mind of God and in the mind of faith], “to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24) (or really the Holy of Holies). That is the revelation made to Daniel. In other words, the purport of the mind of God as made known to Daniel was, that God would interfere. “From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince should be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks”. (Daniel 9:25) And then Messiah would be cut off and there would be an alliance with the Prince for one week, and then God would come in and act. And then all these things would be accomplished, everlasting righteousness brought in and the Holy of Holies anointed. Now in Matthew 28 faith sees there is the power to do all that. Matthew shows there is power available to do that, and the testimony of the risen ones in the holy city is the proof of it. They went into Daniel’s “holy city, and appeared unto many”.
ST Why is the appointed place of meeting with His disciples [p. 165] Galilee?
JT Galilee is the place of the remnant. That would be a slight on the historical Jerusalem. The Gentile world is in view. It was “Galilee of the nations”.
JB The Lord says, at the end of the chapter, “All power has been given me in heaven and upon earth”. Is that now being set forth in the wondrous grace of God?
JT Instead of the city being taken up literally and restored, the power is with the apostles.
JB He who has all power given to Him is with them.
LTF That power continues to the end of the age; it is the same power now, and it goes on to the end of the age.
JT The Lord is with those who are discipling the nations, but He is going to return to Jerusalem and act there.
BTF I had thought that Jerusalem was then under the control of evil and that the Lord manifests His victory there by those who are risen coming into it as a proof of what will be done in the future.
JT Inasmuch as it is in the “holy city”. It is not the historical city, but the city of purpose.
WCR In the testimony of the disciples is not the power of God set forth in two ways? They preach the gospel, the power of God unto salvation, and then at the end of their discourse they warn those who do not obey the glad tidings that the power of God would be towards them in judgment, Acts 13:41.
RSS In connection with the point regarding the angels being used in the execution of judgment, I would like to read Matthew 13:49. “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth”. (Matthew 13:49,50) How does [p. 166] that come in in connection with what you have been saying?
JT The angels will be used, I doubt not. They will be agents for the carrying out of God’s will in the latter days, as they are now. God uses them in a providential way now for overruling the governing powers and for helping us in regard of our bodily circumstances. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14) But at the same time, in the resurrection and the subjugation of “all things”, He acts by the Spirit.
RSS There is another execution of judgment which is not dealt with either by the Lord directly or angels. I refer to the destruction of Babylon. Babylon is destroyed by the nations. The fact that the Lord does not take it in hand Himself is significant.
AAT To whose eyes was the evidence of the resurrection exhibited?
JT The testimony is to the power of God. They had put the stone on the sepulchre and sealed it. Now it is rolled away and the angel is sitting on it. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision”. (Psalm 2:4) It is strikingly solemn. The angel sat on that which they thought could keep the Lord in the tomb!
WLP In Ephesians 1 the resurrection is called “the surpassing greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of the might of his strength”. (Ephesians 1:19) Why is that used in connection with resurrection?
JT The full expression of God’s power is in the resurrection, and it is the power that worketh in us. Take the patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; they believed in God Almighty; that was their faith. They believed in the God who raised Christ from the dead. Their faith referred to the resurrection [p. 167] of Christ. Now Joseph believed that too, but he further believed that the power that was effective in Christ would be also effective in himself. He believed in the resurrection of the saints.
RSS So he “gave commandment concerning his bones”. (Hebrews 11:22)
JT His bones were put into a coffin in Egypt. The word may be translated ark. It was a question of preservation.
JLJ Does that set forth the position of the assembly at the present time?
JT Yes. The bodies of the saints are buried in that light. “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again” (that is the faith of Abraham), “even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (that is the faith of Joseph). (1 Thessalonians 4:14) In that way 1 Thessalonians 4 is like Joseph’s commandment. We believe that God will bring the sleeping ones with Jesus and He will change the living ones; therefore we commit the saints who fall asleep to the Lord.
EHT In the end of the chapter it says they were to disciple all nations. Would they have to be in the power of resurrection to do that?
JT Yes. The Lord would be with them in all the power displayed here.
EHT In the first part of this reading there was a question as to whether the power was unlimited at the beginning. Would not the power be as available now for the saints who are in the good of resurrection?
JT But the vessel is greatly hampered on account of failure.
JHC What would answer to the ark now?
JT Egypt was a place where you would look for burial, but Joseph’s body was put into a vessel in which it would be preserved and carried. The fact is, that monuments and obelisks, such as those [p. 168] in the world erect over their dead, are all a testimony to unbelief.
RSS They are not looking for the resurrection. What would be the use of these obelisks when the resurrection comes?
JT I think that Egypt was an infidel country. They did not know God.
GAT Do we not have tombstones to mark the place where we bury our dead?
RSS Yes. Just to mark the place.
JS We have had three resurrections brought before us; the resurrection of Lazarus, the Lord’s resurrection, and those that rose from their graves and went into the holy city. But we see that the Lord is in the centre of them.
JT We have to take the Lord’s resurrection as the adequate setting forth of resurrection. That is to say, the Lord’s resurrection was the bringing in of a new order of man, not only in a moral sense, which He had ever been, but in a new actual condition. Lazarus was raised back to what he had been, and so in the cases where resurrection took place in the Old Testament it was a recovering back to old conditions. For instance, Hezekiah went down to the gates of death. God proposed a sign, that the degrees of the sundial should go backward or forward. In the Old Testament any testimony to the power of resurrection was to bring a man back. There was no new ground covered. There was testimony to power, but there was no new ground covered. To bring a man back to his old condition and reinstate him where he was before, there is no new ground covered in that. That was the case with Lazarus. Hezekiah asked for the degrees on the sundial to go back. He wanted to be reinstated in his old life here. But when you come to Christ, the degrees go forward, because in Christ it is a new beginning, a new order of Man, and in resurrection condition. So the Lord says, “they who are counted worthy to have part in that world, and the resurrection from among the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for neither can they die any more, for they are equal to angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection”, (Luke 20:35,36) That is the idea of resurrection.
JB “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection”. (Philippians 3:10)
JT It is a new order and condition of Man. The Lord laid down His life, but He took it up in a wholly new condition.
JB Is it not interesting that that which was so terrifying to the keepers was to be no occasion of fear to the women. The angel says to them, “Fear not ye”.
JT There is nothing in that power for you to fear. It is all in your favour.
AAT Is there anything in the word, “All hail”, which was the greeting of the Lord to them?
JT It is victory. All their hopes were secured in Him risen from the dead.
ABS Does not the weakness of the chief priests stand out in contrast to the power of the Lord’s resurrection? They cannot do anything. They bribe the soldiers, but they are utterly powerless.
JT You cannot read the chapter without being filled with encouragement. In view of the administration of grace, and that is what we are connected with, there is immense encouragement in it.