The theocrat. [volume] (Zion City [i.e. Zion], Ill.) 1914-1949, 1918-09-14

INTRODUCTION: We cannot recall the
time when we did not read the Bible = the pre-
cious Word of God. From our childhood days,
we have firmly believed in the Second Coming Of
the Lord.
During the past two years, we have devoted
most of the time to the prayerful study of Gods
Word especially the prophecies relating to
Christ's Second Coming.
AS we prayerfuly studied these prophecies
from day to day, week to week, and month to
month, we saw plainly the meaning of many pas
sages of Scripture which hitherto had been OBJ
scure
In First Corinthians 1882, you will see the
three divisions of humanity, which must be recog-
nzed as you study and apply the Word of God =
namely,
The Jews
The GentileS
The Church of God
If you take passages of Scripture and apply
them to the Church when they should be applied
to Israel, or passages of Scripture which belong
to the Church and apply them to Israel, or pas
sages of Scripture belonging to Israel and apply
them to the Gentiles, passages of Scripture be-
longing to the Genitles and apply them to Israel,
then you will be all at sea.
The truths presented in Gods Word are dis
pensational, and must be so recognized and ap-
piled.
you the principal reasons for the four books =
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?
How many, as they read the Bible, know the
following facts:
l. That the Gospel according to St. Matthew
was written primarily for the Jews and primarily
to present Jesus as the covenanted King?
2. That the Gospel according to St. Mark was
written to present Jesus as Jehovah's Servant?
g. That the Gospel according to St. Luke was
of
f. That the Gospel according to St. John was
written to present Jesus the Christ the Son OF
God?
Matthew lily is a genealogical table, showing
that Jesus was lineal descendent of David, and
therefore the legal heir to David's throne.
This genealogical table is not found in any other
book in the Bible.
Why?
Answer Because Matthew was written prinar-
lily for the Jews
The visit of the Magi is recorded in the Second
Chapter of Matthew, but it is not recorded any
where else.
The question asked by the Magi was: "Where
is He that is born King of the Jews"
You will hear some people talking about Jesus
being the King of the Church, and you will hear
members of the Church praying for the coming
of the King.
Jesus is not King of the Church neither is the
Church praying for the coming Of the King, but
rather praying for the coming of the Lord
In the Third Chapter of Matthew, we have the
account of the preaching of John the Baptist in
the Wilderness of Judea. He said, Repent ye:
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"
This message was delivered to Israel ma
tion and to nobody else.
The Kingdom of Heaven = or, literally, the
Kingdom of the Heavens = declared by John the
Baptist then to be at hand, refers to the Kingdom
spoken of by Daniel, by Isaiah, and by other
prophets, and means the Messianic, mediatorial,
Davidic literal Milennial Kingdom.
"At hand means that the very next thing on
Gods program to be fulfilled, or to appear, was
the Kingdom of the Heavens. And it would have
appeared, would have been actually set up had not
Israel rejected the offer of the Kingdom and the
King.
God, of course, knew from the beginning that
Israel would reject the offer, and known to God
the Church - the parenthetical period = the
hidden mystery
In Matthew ~ it is written:
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to
say, Repent: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand
This was the same message John the Baptist
delivered, and it was message to Israel The re-
pentance preached and called for was national re-
pentance on the part of Israel.
After announcing the Kingdom of the Heavens
as at hand, Jesus then proceeds, in the Sermon on
the Mount (Matthew, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh
Chapters), to announce the principles of the King
dom; and this Sermon on the Mount will be the |
constitution when the Kingdom of the Heavens i
now postponed, but to be set up at the beginning
of the Millennium is actually established It
will be according to this constitution that the earth
will be governed during the Millennium.
The Sermon on the Mount, as any sane Bible
kr1nu ho1o Il