THE subject we are presenting in this chapter--the Adjustment of the
Eons--dates from about the year A. D. 64, and though a vitally important truth of divine
revelation, it is almost totally lost to the majority of the saints in Christendom. We
quote the verse which treats of it as it stands in the Authorized Version:
"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so
that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Heb.11:3).
If the truth in this verse is not obscured to readers by this rendering, I am ready to
bow to them for being full of wisdom and able to understand "dark sentences!" In
the early years of my study of the Scriptures, well do I recall the diligence given toward
apprehending the truth of this verse, and the more I read it the less I got out of it.
Expositors usually darken counsel rather than give illumination and satisfaction to such
passages.
"The worlds were framed" is not pertinent to the passage at all, for
"worlds" are not under consideration. The translators of the Revised Version
corrected this in their marginal note. The original word here, from which
"worlds" is translated is aioonas, and, as we have verified by many
proofs in Chapter IV, should always be translated "Eons" or "ages."
This verse deals with God's change in His "administration of the eons" as a
result of Israel's refusal of the re-offering of the kingdom as recorded in the
book of Acts. Therefore, let us consider a careful concordant translation of the verse,
that will help us to get the understanding of the revelation:
"By faith we are apprehending the eons to have been readjusted to a declaration of
God, so that what is being observed has not come out of what is apparent."
This gives illumination to the truth under consideration, if we will keep in mind the
full scope of Scripture and the circumstances that called forth this declaration. The
kingdom of the Scriptures, set forth in Chapter V, the expectation of Israel (in which the
chosen people of Jehovah will be a "royal priesthood" dispensing Messiah's law
and word from Zion and Jerusalem to the nations, bringing them nigh) was
"apparent"-- clearly perceived and seemingly ready for manifestation, being
announced by John the baptist as having "drawn near," "at hand," with
Messiah present. All hinged on the nation's repentance toward God and belief of the
gospel, the good news that God had sent their long-promised Messiah and was ready to
establish them in their kingdom. But the chiefs of the people and elders, the
Sanhedrin and the entire senate of the sons of Israel--the builders of the
nation--rejected the Stone which is becoming the head of the corner. It might be well to
suggest the fact, here, that the nation of Israel rejected the kingdom twenty-one times--3x7--once
in the gospel accounts and twenty times in the Acts! This rejection began to manifest
itself in the early proclamation of Messiah Himself, Who withdrew the glad message and
closed the door of the kingdom by Isaiah's solemn words in the thirteenth chapter of
Matthew. A little later we find Him committing the keys of the kingdom to Peter
(Matt.16:19). Then, in the Acts, beginning with Pentecost, we have the re-offering
of the kingdom to the whole house of Israel, by the Spirit through Peter and the eleven,
which proclamation continues until the last witness and final rejection at the close of
the book, when Paul quotes Isaiah's declaration again, and closes the door of the kingdom.
Then, with Israel thrust aside and the kingdom in abeyance, Paul is made "a prisoner
of Christ Jesus for us, the nations" (Eph.3:1), and God comes in with new
declarations of a "secret which has been concealed, which God designates before the
eons for our glory" (1 Cor.2:7), and readjusted the eons to suit the conditions
brought about by the apostasy of Israel and the rejection of their kingdom.
To clarify the matter further, anticipating our scriptural proof, we will restate it
thus: The kingdom was "apparent" in the days of Messiah and during its
re-offer in the Pentecostal Administration, recorded in the book of Acts. But with the
final rejection at the close of the book, God, by new declarations, readjusted the eons so
that "what is being observed" now--the present secret administration, which has
been concealed from the eons in God," and the "church which is the body of
Christ" with an allotment of celestial glory--has not come out of what was apparent,
that is, the kingdom.
ORIGINAL AND SUBLINEAR OF VERSE
With this anticipatory explanation, we now desire to present this verse in the light of
the original for confirmation of the "readjustment of the eons." The truth is so
completely lost through faulty translation and the debris of human tradition that only by
appealing to the internal evidences of the Word in its purity do we hope to establish this
revelation of God in the hearts of His saints. First, for the sake of those unacquainted
with the CONCORDANT GREEK TEXT, we present the original with a uniform standard sublinear:
PISTEI NooUMEN
KAThRTISqAI
to-BELIEF WE-ARE-MINDING
TO-HAVE-been-DOWN-EQUIPPEDTOUS
AIwNAS RhMATI qEOU
THE
EONS
TO-DECLARATION of-GOD
EIS TO Mh EK fAINOMENwN
INTO THE NO
OUT of-APPEARING
TO BLEPOMENON GEGONEN
THE being-LOOKED
TO-HAVE-BECOME |
We entreat our readers to give diligence to grasp the idiom of the
original as expressed in the sublinear, by carefully reading it over many times. It is, of
course, peculiar to our ears, yet it is as close to the Greek in exactitude and uniformity
as it is possible to express. A studied reading of it in the sublinear will enable us to
better appreciate the idiomatic English rendering:
"By faith we are apprehending the eons to have been readjusted to a declaration of
God, so that what is being observed has not come out of what is apparent."
OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED
Before proceeding further, let us consider three objections which are usually raised
when this subject is presented:
1. How may we be assured that "readjust" is the correct translation for the
original word
katartizoo?
2. Did God have to change His plan when Israel rejected their Messiah and kingdom?
3. Why is it found written to the Hebrews rather than in Paul's writings to the church
with
which it is concerned?
In the first instance, we are assured that "readjust" is the correct
rendering of katartizoo by carefully considering its usage by Inspiration. In the
Authorized Version it is rendered mend (Matt.4:21; Mark 1:19), perfect
(Matt.21:16; Luke 6:40; 2 Cor.13:11; 1 Thess.3:10; Heb.13:21; 1 Peter 5:10), fit
(Rom. 9:22), restore (Gal.6:1), prepare (Heb.10:5), frame (Heb.
11:3), perfectly join together (1 Cor.1:10). Now it is evident, at once, that it is
impossible to get the Mind of Inspiration through all these various renderings. The CONCORDANT
VERSION uses the synonyms "readjust," "adapt" and
attune." They are the secondary standard for DOWN-EQUIP, the first standard katartizoo.
By the study of the first use of the term in Matthew 4:21 and Mark 1:19, we get a
graphic commentary on the word. In these Scriptures, we are told that James and John were in
the ship "mending their nets" (King James Version). But this is very
unusual. Fishermen are known to readjust their nets in their ships, so that there will be
no trouble when they let them fall over the side for another catch, but seldom, indeed, do
we know of them mending them on board. They are taken to a more roomy and convenient place
for such work. But every time they are used, they must be folded or readjusted for
the next catch. So this gives us the first evidence in favor of the rendering.
Another consideration that is even more helpful is the usage of the word by Paul,
relative to the saints of the Transitional Administration--from Paul's severance in the
thirteenth chapter of the book of Acts until the close. They must be brought from the
position of debtors to Israel and "guests of the promise covenants" in that era,
to the "unity of faith" and "maturity" in the present Secret
Administration. Hence we read:
"And He [Christ], indeed, it is Who gives the apostles, the prophets, the
evangelists, the pastors and teachers for the readjustment of the saints, with a
view to the work of dispensing, for the upbuilding of the body of Christ, until we
should all attain to the unity of faith, and the realization of a son of
God, to mature manhood, to the adult stature of Christ's complement, that we
should no longer be minors,..." (Eph.4:11-14).
By studying the words we have italicized in the above quotation, it will be noted that
none of them suggest the mending of a break. On the contrary, the gifts were given to readjust,
adapt, attune the saints to the grace of the new revelation of the Secret
Administration which was hid from the eons in God. The eons had been "adjusted"
with a view to Israel's acceptance of their Messiah and kingdom. But when they finally
refused to accept the re-offer in the Pentecostal Administration of the book of
Acts, a "readjustment" was necessary. This was accomplished through the new
declarations God made through the apostle Paul in his Roman prison, and the apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are to dispense them for the upbuilding
of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith, and the realization
of a son of God, to mature manhood, to the adult stature of Christ's
complement, that we should no longer be minors--but be "readjusted,"
"adapted," or "attuned" to our new position in Christ Jesus, and the
riches of His grace which He is lavishing upon us in all wisdom and prudence.
As to the second objection, let me press the fact with all the emphasis possible, that
God did not have to change His mind, plan, or purpose because of Israel's rejection
of their Messiah. Their apostasy and rejection of the kingdom was divinely ordered that
the Scriptures might be fulfilled (John 12:37-40), and prepare the way for carrying out
His secret, pre-eonian purpose, which, until Paul's imprisonment at the close of
the book of Acts, was concealed from the eons in Himself (Eph.3:9). It was due time, in
God's purpose of the eons, to bring forth this "secret... designated before the eons
for our glory" (1 Cor.2:7), and, according to His sovereign will, He breathed forth
the new declarations and revealed "the secret concealed from the eons and from
the generations, yet now [A. D. 64] made manifest to His saints, to whom God wills to make
known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is: Christ
among you, a glorious expectation (Col.1:26,27). So He "readjusted" the
eons.
The third objection, Why should it be found in Hebrews rather than in Paul's
writings to the church, is usually set forth without due consideration. It is found in
Paul's writings, as we have pointed out before, for he deals with it specifically and
exhaustively in His prison epistles--Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. But why
should not the believing Hebrews (having accepted the gospel of the kingdom with
full expectation of its speedy restoration), be interested in some word of revelation
relative to the turn of affairs in the administration of the eons as a result of
the unbelief of the nation as a whole? The state of things looked upon by them, when
Hebrews was written, was entirely different from the previous condition of affairs, before
Israel was set aside. Hence they needed a word of revelation to fortify their faith, while
the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers of the church, the body of
Christ, were dispensing the new declarations which God had given forth through Paul, for
readjusting them to the glorious riches of grace in the secret God had ordained
before the world for their glory. Therefore, the believing Hebrews were accorded
this word of revelation to fortify their faith as they saw the kingdom recede to
the future, leaving them to die in the faith without being requited with the promises, as
the cloud of witnesses before them had done (Heb.11:13,39,40).
WHAT IS APPARENT
The latter part of our verse reads "so that what is being observed has not
come out of what is apparent," from which, we apprehend, that, before
the "readjustment of the eons," something was "apparent" out of which
"what is being observed" has not come. In other words, "what was
apparent" before the "eons were readjusted" is not "what
is being observed" today. Now the question before us for solution is, What was
apparent before the readjustment of the eons took place? With this question solved, we
will then take up the study of the phrase "what is being observed."
THE KINGDOM OF THE SCRIPTURES
As suggested in Chapter V, the kingdom of the Scriptures is the hope of Israel. And the
Hebrew Scriptures from Genesis twelve to Malachi are concerned, primarily, with the
prophecy and preparation for Messiah and the kingdom for them. Sufficient evidence has
already been given in our study of this subject to verify the matter. However, we will
restate, briefly, for emphasis, that the Scriptures reveal the "kingdom of the
heavens" to be a real, literal kingdom--a world dominion like Babylon, Medio-Persia
and Greece--with Messiah ben David sitting upon the throne of His father David, Jerusalem
the capital city, and named "Jehovah- Shammah" and "the city of
truth," because the King will be seated on the throne of His glory in Jerusalem and
the law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem for all mankind.
Saved Israel will be the ruling people--a kingdom and priesthood, reigning on the earth.
The "sermon on the mount" will be the inflexible law of righteousness, when the
kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under all the heavens
shall be given to the people of the saints. The kingdom is an eonian kingdom and all
dominions shall serve and obey it.
JOHN THE BAPTIST
As soon as we enter Matthew's account of the so-called "New Testament"
Scriptures, we hear the forerunner and herald of Prince Messiah and the kingdom,
proclaiming to the entire people of Israel in the wilderness of Judea, saying:
"Repent! for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near!" (Matt.3:2,3).
A little further on in the account (verses six to nine) we read of the effect of the
Baptist's message, not only on the believing, but also on the unbelieving part of the
nation. He prepared the way for Messiah's manifestation.
"Then Jerusalem and entire Judea and the entire country about the Jordan went out
to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. Now
perceiving many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,
`Progeny of vipers! Who intimated to you to be fleeing from future indignation? Produce,
then, fruit worthy of repentance. And do not be presuming to say among yourselves,
"We have Abraham for a father," for I am saying to you that God is able to raise
up children out of these, stone to Abraham.'"
In verse thirteen, we find Jesus--Prince Messiah--"coming along from Galilee to
the Jordan to John to be baptized by him." Then in Matthew 4:12-17, we hear the same
kingdom proclamation set forth by the Lord Jesus, Israel's Messiah. But in all this, it is
of the utmost importance to always bear in mind that Christ's work was a confirmation of
the patriarchal promise's to the Circumcision for the sake of the truth of God
(Rom.15:8), and applies to them only. Will they receive their King?
DANIEL'S SEVENTY SEVENS
Just now I wish to add another testimony to the evidence already submitted relative to
the kingdom which the God of heaven proposes to set up on this earth. It is the seventy
sevens (weeks in the Authorized Version) of Daniel's prophecy, and is one of the most
important prophetic utterances in all the scope of revelation for shedding light on the present
condition as well as the future prospect of the nation of Israel. Gabriel, the
messenger who stands before God (Luke 1:19) brought the revelation and interpretation from
the throne of God to Daniel in Babylon (Daniel 9:24-27). It reads:
24 "Seventy sevens are
detached for your people and for your holy city,
[1] to finish the trespass, and
[2] to cause sins to come to an end, and
[3] to make propitiation for lawlessness, and
[4] to bring in eonian righteousness, and
[5] to seal vision and prophet, and
[6] to anoint a holy of holies."
This rendering is tentative, though, in the main, concordant.
24 As the Hebrew word for detach occurs only in this passage, it is difficult to
find its precise meaning. The LXX renderings, approve, judge, cut, suggest
the common idea of segregate, or detach.
The word seal has the sense of attest (by means of fulfillment)
rather than to close up. |
The sixfold eonian blessing that is promised Daniel's people, Israel, in
this prophecy, is the ultimate goal and terminus of the seventy sevens, or heptads. In
other words, when these seventy sevens of years (490) have run their course, Israel is to
be established in their kingdom in the land of their fathers--Palestine--in millennial
glory, enjoying all the sixfold blessings promised in the twenty-fourth verse of this
prophecy. That Israel is not now, and never has enjoyed these blessings, is
positive evidence, that, due to the turn of affairs in God's administration of the eons,
this prophecy, was, at some time, set in abeyance, and has not, as yet, been
terminated. The prophecy gives the answer, if we will hear it.
25 "And you will know and be intelligent: From the going forth of the word to
restore and to build Jerusalem until Messiah the Governor are seven sevens and sixty-two
sevens; the square and the salient shall be restored and built in seasons of
constraint."
25 For sentimental reasons we would
prefer to retain Prince in place of Governor. Such titles are used with
great confusion in our versions. This one is often applied to the governor in the
house of the Lord (Jer.20:1).
Square and salient is rendered street and wall in our version. The
word for street comes from the root WIDE, which certainly does not suggest an
oriental street. It is the large square usually found about a city gate. But
squares are not built. This refers rather to the wall which makes it. The
word rendered salient has been variously explained and translated. It is the same
as the word decide in the next verse. Its root idea is POINT. It was
used of pointed threshing instruments (Isa.28:27). It is translated wall of the
ancient Greek, Syrian and Latin versions, hence it is probably such in some sense. We
suggest that both square and salient refer to the wall built by Nehemiah by
mentioning the two dangerous and important points. |
From the twentieth year of Artaxerxes (Neh.2:1-5), the going forth of
the word to restore and build Jerusalem, unto Prince Messiah, Christ's entry into
Jerusalem upon a colt, the foal of an ass (Luke 19:32-44; Zech.9:9), was a period of
exactly 173,880 days, or sixty-nine sevens of years, counting 360 days to the year. The
day of Jerusalem's visitation had come, and she was utterly oblivious to it. The scribes
could have demonstrated mathematically that He was their Messiah, by counting the days of
Daniel's prophecy, yet they were so blind that they reject Him! Seven times had he visited
the city and had given ample proof of His messiahship. This was final. Had they received
Him, Jerusalem's portion would have been peace. But, rejecting Him, there can be no
permanent peace until she reverses her decision at His return in power (Matt.23).
26 "After sixty-two sevens Messiah shall be cut off, and have nothing. And the
people of the coming governor shall ruin the city and the sanctuary. And his end shall be
in an overflow, and until the end of the fighting desolations are decided."
This verse was fulfilled exactly as decreed. Messiah was "cut off" soon
"after," following His triumphal entry. Nevertheless, because of His
intercessory prayer, "Father, forgive them, for they are not aware what they are
doing" (Luke 23:34), the unbelieving nation once again hears the evangel of the
kingdom, enforced by the added evidence of His resurrection from among the dead, during
the probational period of forty years covered by the book of Acts, after which, the
"city and the sanctuary" were made a heap of ruins in the siege of Titus and the
Roman armies, while a decreed measure of desolations, more bitter than any she has yet
known, awaits her in the future. This is made very vivid by a study of the events in the
seventieth seven of the prophecy.
27 "And he shall empower a covenant with many for one seven, and for half of the
seven he shall cause the sacrifice and present to cease, and on a wing shall be desolating
detestations, even until the conclusion decided shall be poured forth on the
desolator."
| 27 The word wing has been variously
rendered. It is overspreading in the Authorized Version. Some have suggested
that it is a mistake in the text. The LXX has temple. Now the
sanctuary had wings (Matt.4:5; Luke 4:9). Our Lord was tempted to cast Himself from
one of the sides of the temple area, which overhung a steep precipice. It seems
that the desolating devastation, or idol, will be set up in a wing of the sanctuary. |
This verse sets before us the conditions that are to exist in the last
heptad, or seven years, of the seventy sevens of this prophecy. It is the era of "the
coming indignation," or "wrath" marked by the unveiling of a personage here
described as "the Desolator," or "the king of fierce countenance"
(Dan.8:23), "the man of lawlessness [sin]" (2 Thess.2:3-8), who ratifies a
covenant, or treaty, with Israel for one heptad (seven years), but violates it in the
middle of the heptad, causing the sacrifices and gift offerings of their worship to cease,
"seating himself in the temple of God, demonstrating that he himself is God" (2
Thess. 2:4). The "abomination of desolation" referred to in this verse of Daniel
by the Lord Jesus (Matt.24:15,16), is the signal for the faithful in Jerusalem and Judea
to flee to the mountain fastnesses of the wilderness of Judea, where they are to be
preserved 1260 days (Rev.12:6), the last half of the heptad, from the terrible afflictions
of the Desolator, until Christ comes and brings them deliverance.
Now by giving study to the folded chart accompanying this chapter, we can get a graphic
view of the nearness of the kingdom when John the baptist began his proclamation to the
people of Israel on the banks of the Jordan in the wilderness of Judea. They were,
approximately, only a little more than seven years from the kingdom and the sixfold
blessing promised them in the twenty-fourth verse of this prophecy which we have been
studying. The seventieth heptad is the future indignation of which John the baptist warned
the Pharisees and Sadducees, who came to his baptism.
As said before, after Messiah's crucifixion, they were extended a re-offer of the
kingdom for forty years, as chronicled in the book of Acts. But when the final witness,
made through Paul in Rome, was rejected, the probation forbearance ceased, the kingdom was
set in abeyance, and by a declaration of God, the eons were readjusted, so that "what
is being observed" has not come out of "what was apparent."
WHAT IS BEING OBSERVED
With Israel thrust aside, Paul becomes a "prisoner for us, the gentiles"
(Eph.3:1). God's counsels for the redemption of the earth through Israel and the kingdom
await the future, and His secret counsels for the celestial spheres are made known,
through Paul, in the prison or perfection epistles--Ephesians, Philippians, and
Colossians. These epistles present the declaration of God by which the eons were
readjusted, and mark the time of "perfection," or maturity, for the saints. They
begin with God in His primordial purpose. The first letter is the zenith of divine
revelation--the Ephesian epistle--and presents a careful, comprehensive statement of the
truth for the present--the "secret administration" which now obtains
since the close of the Pentecostal Administration in Acts. It concerns the members
of Christ's body, who were chosen in Him before the disruption (foundation) of the world.
They now become beneficiaries of a heavenly allotment in accord with His secret intention.
Leaving the earth, where Christ is repudiated by His people Israel, we are seated among
the celestials where Christ is enthroned at God's right hand. The Philippian epistle gives
instructions concerning our deportment, while Colossians is the complement of the Ephesian
epistle, elaborating on the secret administration and the secret of Christ, Who is Head
of the body.
That what is being observed today has not come out of the kingdom that was
apparent before the eons were "readjusted," may be more clearly apprehended by
calling attention to revelations not made known until the Acts period was closed.
As many of my readers are not acquainted with the CONCORDANT VERSION, I
will give twelve verses of the third chapter of Ephesians, pertaining to these secrets:
"On this behalf, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you, the nations--since
you surely hear of the stewardship of God's grace which is given to me for you: seeing
that the secret is made known to me by revelation (according as I write before, in brief,
to enable those who are reading to apprehend my understanding in the secret of Christ,
which is not made known to other generations of the sons of humanity as it was now
revealed to His holy apostles and prophets): in spirit the nations are to be joint
enjoyers of an allotment, and a joint body, and joint partakers of the
promise in Christ Jesus, through the evangel of which I became the dispenser, in accord
with the gratuity of God's grace, which is granted to me in accord with His powerful
operation: to me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace granted: to preach the
evangel of the untraceable riches of Christ to the nations, and to enlighten all as to the
secret administration which has been concealed from the eons in God, Who creates the
universe, that now, to the sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials, may be
made known, through the ecclesia, the multifarious wisdom of God, in accord with the
purpose of the eons, which He makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord; in Whom we have boldness
and access with confidence, through His faith."
If believers of today would lay to heart these wonderful verses of Scripture, imbibing
the realization of their meaning, it would bring them untold joy and peace and exultation.
In these verses we learn of the "secret of Christ"--His headship over every
sovereignty and authority and power and dominion among the celestials; we learn that in spirit,
the gentiles (with a remnant by grace out of Israel), become joint enjoyers of an
allotment, and a joint body, and joint partakers of the promise in Christ
Jesus, through the evangel of which Paul became the dispenser. This is the
church, which is the body of Christ, through which God proposes to make known to the
sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials His multifarious wisdom.
Possibly we can make the study more profitable by summing up "What is being
observed" which has not come out of "what was apparent" before
the eons were "readjusted."
1. We are observing "the secret, which has been concealed, which God
designated before the
eons for our glory" (1 Cor.2:7).
2. We are observing it to be "the secret administration, which has been
concealed from the
eons in God," concerning which, grace was granted to Paul to enlighten
all (Eph.3:9).
3. We are observing it to be "the secret concealed from the eons and from
the generations, yet
now (A. D. 64) is made manifest to His saints, to whom God wills to
make known what are
the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is: Christ
among you, a glorious
expectation" (Col.1:26,27).
4. We are observing that in spirit the nations are to be joint enjoyers
of an allotment, and a
joint body, and joint partakers of the promise in Christ
Jesus, through the evangel of
which Paul became the dispenser (Eph.3:6,7).
5. We are observing the "joint body" church "blessed with
every spiritual blessing among the
celestials, in Christ" (Eph.1:3).
6. We are observing that "He chooses us in Him before the disruption of the
world, we to be
holy and flawless in His sight, in love designating us beforehand for
the place of a son for
Him through Christ Jesus" (Eph.1:4,5).
8. We are observing that we are to "beware of the maim- cision, for we
are the circumcision
who are offering divine service to God in spirit, and are glorying in
Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in flesh" (Phil.3:3).
9. We are observing "one body and one spirit, according as
you are called also with one
expectation in your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of all,
Who is over all, and through all, and in all" (Eph.4:4-6).
10. We are observing that God "rouses us together and seats us together
among the celestials,
in Christ Jesus, in order that, in the on-coming
eons, He should be displaying the
transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to
us in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:6,7).
11. We are observing that "it is not ours to wrestle with blood and flesh,
but with the
sovereignties, with the authorities, with the world-mights
of this darkness, with the spiritual
forces of wickedness among the celestials" (Eph.6:12).
12. We are observing that "our citizenship belongs to the heavens, out of
which we are
awaiting a Saviour, also, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will
transfigure the body of our
humiliation, to conform it to His body glorious"
(Phil.3:20, 21).
13. We are observing that we are "hid together with Christ in God. Whenever
Christ, our Life,
should be manifested, then we also will be
manifested together with Him in glory"
(Col.3:3,4).
14. We are observing that "we are for the laud of His glory, who are in a
state of prior
expectancy in the Christ" (Eph.1:12).
15. We are observing that the church which is the body of Christ is
"the complement which is
completing the entire universe" (Eph.1:23).
All this is ours, dear believer; our happy expectation. Before the eons were
readjusted, such a glorious expectation was never held forth to the gentiles as the riches
of glory which this secret administration brings to us. Isn't it marvelous? Isn't
it wonderful? Members of His body, the complement which is completing the entire universe!
Does it not fill us and thrill us to overflowing with joy and praise for the realization
of the grace glorious which graces us in the Beloved, and holds forth such a transcendent
expectation at the coming of our blessed Lord Christ? Think of such a glorious destiny for
all the saints who are, and believe in, Christ Jesus, which may be realized any day, any
hour, any moment! Then we shall be with Him, and like Him, and for Him, in ineffable bliss
and transcendent glory! O for that day of days, that hour of hours, that instant which
shall find us face to face with Him in all His glory, Who is our blessed Saviour, our
adorable Lord, our glorious Life, and our exalted Head! May it be soon!
