THE TESTIMONY
THE TESTIMONY
FER The second epistle has a very different character from the first. In the first epistle the point is that a man should learn how to behave in the house of God; in the second epistle it is committing the testimony to Timothy unto the coming of the Lord. There is no doubt whatever that when things take the character which is presented in this epistle, the testimony refers to what is coming in. It carries you on to the appearing. You get something of the same principle in Haggai 2: 9 — they had to look on to the latter glory of the house. Of course the testimony always had its own proper place, but it comes more into prominence when things have assumed the character spoken of in this epistle. The testimony is the great interest of the people of God now, and the great point is not to be “ashamed of the testimony of our Lord ... power of God”, verse 8. That thought runs through the epistle; in chapter 3 it is, “Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned”; and in chapter 4 he was to “preach the word” (verse 2). Also he says, “Watch thou make full proof of thy ministry”. It is well to notice the first verse of chapter 4 too. The servant is looked upon as continuing until the appearing. The apostle passes off the scene, but Timothy represents the servant that continues until the appearing — it is in that way the testimony is committed to him. In connection with it, the apostle contemplates four generations — there was the apostle, Timothy, and he was to commit the testimony to faithful men, who should be able to teach others also, (chapter 2: 2).
Ques What is the testimony?
FER That is a very hard question, but if you want a short answer, the testimony is the Christ.
[p. 8] I think it is of Christ and of all which shall be displayed in Christ — Christ in relation to “all things”. It is important to see that testimony always has reference to what is going to be displayed. There is nothing displayed at the present time but there is a great deal testified of it, but that which is testified of is going to be displayed. The appearing of the kingdom answers to the latter glory of the house. It is a very great comfort to have before your mind what is going to be displayed.
In the early days in the Acts of the Apostles, people were very much content with what was present. The Spirit ruled, and everything in the house of God took its character from the Spirit — the disciples were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit — and that kind of thing. You cannot get back to primitive christianity, and the testimony now comes into prominence, bringing before the mind what is going to be displayed. The best that can be done down here is most mean in comparison with the beginning, but the testimony is the latter glory of the house. People have to be in the testimony morally — that comes out all through the epistle; “Be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus” — the truth is to be held in “faith and love which is in Christ Jesus”. Christ Jesus is really the testimony and all that will come out in the appearing of Christ in His glory is involved in the testimony now.
FWT Was “the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth” a type of what Christ is in that way?
FER Exactly. He is the ark of the covenant, and on the ark of the covenant is the mercy-seat. It contemplates everything. The tabernacle was a type of what Christ was down here — not exactly of what He is now, because the tabernacle could be taken down. What Christ was down here could be taken down, and was taken down, but there is [p. 9] another truth in the Old Testament — the tabernacle had to give way to the temple, and what was placed in the tabernacle was placed in the temple that Solomon built. The temple was permanent. Now you have got in Christ what is permanent. He says in John 2: 19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up he spoke of the temple of his body”. I do not suppose God took account of the temple when Christ was here — everything was covered by Christ for God. “All things” were really centred in and covered by one Man when Christ was here; that is the idea in my mind of the tabernacle. Everything was to be evolved from Christ — that is what will come to pass. If you take earthly things, Israel will come out of Christ morally. Everything will be evolved from Christ.
Ques Does that fit in with His being “Son over his [God’s] house, whose house are we”, and “He who has built all things is God”?
FER Yes. Moses was used as a ministering servant to set up a pattern of all things for a testimony of those things which should be seen after (Hebrews 3). Now the “all things” have come into view. It is not altogether so much as Christ and the church, but a much wider idea; all the mystery of His will was covered by Christ.
In order to complete the figure of the tabernacle you must take in the priesthood. The great point was that the priest should ‘touch’ the mercy-seat; you could not get anything perfect until the priest could touch the mercy-seat. To have done that under the law would have meant death for the priest; but now, when you come to the reality of things, the High Priest has gone in and touched the mercy-seat. Hence you have got perfection, and the effect is that the approach is equal to the revelation. The ark of the covenant and the mercy-seat is more connected with coming out — God has found a point in which [p. 10] He can address Himself to man. On the ground of redemption God addresses Himself to man in Christ. But now, Man has gone in in Christ and touched the mercy-seat — and what that means is, you have got perfection.
The mystery of the gospel (Romans 16: 25; Ephesians 1: 9, 10) is all that was centred in Christ, of which the tabernacle was figurative, and so is as much a subject of the Old Testament as of the New. The introduction of Christ really means this — man has to go out of one door, but he can get in at another. Man has been terminated in the cross of Christ, but then he comes in by another door, and that is by the Spirit. The means by which God is going to regenerate the world is by Christ, but then men will not have Christ.
You get different thoughts connected with the table of shewbread and the candlestick; and in the outer court of the tabernacle there was the laver and the burnt offering, and they are very important elements in the world to come. The laver implied cleansing from the pollutions of the world, and the altar of burnt offering meant a place of acceptance. They are the first principles of the world to come. Everything is to be headed up in Christ. There are two very important points in connection with Christ: He is at the right hand of God, ascended far above all heavens to fill all things, on the ground of redemption — and He is the giver of the Spirit. Man can come in on the ground of redemption, and receive the gift of the Spirit. Everything will be taken up on the ground of redemption; “By the grace of God he should taste death for every thing”, and at the same time all is subdued in the power of the Spirit — the tabernacle was anointed with oil.
The object of the testimony is to attach people to Christ — to enable people to apprehend what Christ is as the divinely appointed centre, in the value of redemption. “I, if I be lifted up out of the earth, will draw all to me”; that is brought about in the soul by redemption and the gift of the Spirit. God makes known His rights in mercy — that is redemption, and those rights come Out in Christ — the point of attraction. If men are attached to Christ, they are brought into relation to the world to come, because that is centred in Christ. The testimony is spoken of as the “testimony of our Lord” — it is His testimony. When the church has failed as a vessel of testimony, this test comes into peculiar prominence.
Ques What is the “form of sound words” they were to hold fast?
FER It is “Have an outline of sound words” — every part of truth may be fitted into its place in a person’s mind. It is to be held fast in the power of the Holy Spirit. If people have things in a disorderly fashion in their minds, they will never be able to use them much. Things should be put together in an orderly way by the Spirit of God in people’s minds. You want to see every part of Scripture in relation to every other part of Scripture. The whole gives an outline of the testimony of the Christ in relation to all things.
In every prophet Jehovah is presented in some particular aspect. The same thing is true in the gospels and in the epistles. Then the sum total of all these aspects makes up the completeness. Take Romans — there you get the mercy seat, God declared His righteousness. In 1 Corinthians Christ is presented as the wisdom and the power of God, because the purpose of God is to overthrow all that existed and predominated in the mind of man, and to establish thoughts of Himself. In Colossians the great point is Christ as Head. In Ephesians Christ is ascended far above all heavens that He might fill all things. That really was presented in the ark of [p. 12] the covenant, and the mercy-seat — the glory of God filled the tabernacle. In 2 Corinthians He is the Yea and Amen. In Galatians He is the true Isaac, the vessel of Abraham’s blessing to the gentiles. In 1 Thessalonians He is the harvestman, He gathers up the harvest. In 2 Thessalonians He treads the vintage. In all of the epistles you have the complete testimony of the Christ. No prophecy is of any private interpretation, it forms a part of the whole. So every epistle has to be viewed in relation to the other epistles.
Christ presents Himself to man in the value of redemption and as the giver of the Spirit. If we have been attracted to Christ and attached to Him by the Spirit, we have been taken out of the world, because we belong to the world of which Christ is the centre, and that is what gives force to the expression in this epistle, “in Christ Jesus”. Salvation is “in Christ Jesus”. God has called us to a holy calling, given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Then Christ has annulled death and brought life and incorruptibility to light by the gospel, because in that scheme and system of which Christ is the Head, life and incorruptibility will be seen.
Rem The testimony then is only administered by the Lord Himself here on earth by the power of the Spirit?
FER That is it; and the point is that we should not be ashamed of it. The great point is to maintain fidelity to the Lord, and not to be ashamed of the testimony. You want to lop off everything that is inconsistent with the testimony. I think very few christians have much apprehension of the scheme of divine purpose which is in Christ Jesus. It is an immense thing when it lays hold of one. I like to call it a universe because it takes in heaven and earth. I think people have missed the mind of God in the prophets in a way, because they have [p. 13] not seen that the prophets take in heaven as well as the earth. He gathers up all things in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth. The tendency is to connect Christ and christianity with the present course of things. Hence it has tended to blind people to the idea of a world of which Christ is the Head, which involves the breaking up of this world, “Jehovah will punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth”.
It is most important to apprehend that Christ has no relation to the present course of things down here — He is the Head and beginning of God’s world. The great point is to present Christ, according to what He is. To present Him as Saviour is only a limited way, because He is only Saviour to them that look for Him. In the gospel you present God in the light of a Saviour God who is favourable to all men, and you present the Mediator. The truth in the Mediator is that God and man have been brought together in Christ, and the only thing left for man is to come into attachment to Christ. The title of Saviour in regard to Christ looks on to Christ, on to the salvation of the body. “God has not set us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ”, 1 Thessalonians 5: 9.
There is no greater proof of Christ being God than the fact that He has accomplished redemption, because no one has the right of redemption but the One to whom the inheritance belongs. Had not Christ been Creator of all, He would not have been competent to accomplish redemption. If I could create a thing, that thing belongs to me; God created and He alone has the right of redemption, and He took up the right of redemption. That is what Christ came to establish — the rights of God in mercy.
Christ is the appointed vessel and seat of all for man, and man gets nothing whatsoever except in Christ. God may give providential mercies, but man [p. 14] can get nothing for his soul except what is in Christ. Christ is the last Adam, and the only vessel of blessing, and He is the giver of the Spirit. A man is put in Christ by the Spirit and then he has everything in Christ. The beginning of it is faith in Christ, and the one who believes receives the Spirit, and is brought into attachment to Christ. Then such an one has redemption, sonship, and everything in Christ. I only know of one Christ and evidently salvation must be in Him, and it is only in Christ you can be outside this world. In another sense we are looking for salvation in the coming of the Lord; then we shall be absolutely outside of this world. At the present time we can be morally outside of it by the power of the Spirit.