SCRIPTURAL DEFINITIONS OF TERMS HAVING TO DO WITH DISPENSATIONAL TRUTHS

It has been my experience in discussing dispensational truths with other believers, that often times a scriptural definition of a term will clear up doctrinal misunderstandings. I hope this paper will help solve difficulties that arise just from not having a scriptural definition of a term. The following terms will be defined and or explained:

DISPENSATION

MYSTERY

THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST

THE DISPENSATION OF THE MYSTERY

CHURCH

THE CHURCH OF GOD

THE CHURCH, WHICH IS HIS BODY

DISPENSATION

My intention is to define the word “dispensation” from its scriptural use. But more than that, I will suggest a synonym for “dispensation” that will fit into the contexts of each of its occurrences.

The Greek word translated “dispensation” is “oikonomia” and occurs in the New Testament eight times. It is made up of two words, “Oiko” meaning “house” and” nomia” which means “law”. So literally, “oikonomia” means “house law”.

The first occurrences are in Luke 16:2-4, “…..How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me unto their houses”. To use the literal meaning of “oikonomia” we might translate this phrase, “Give an account of your house law”. It is clear that “house law” does not easily fit into an English translation. For that reason I believe that it would be helpful to find a synonym for “house law”. It is clear that the steward of Luke 16 is managing his master’s household. I would suggest therefore, the word “management” might be an adequate translation of the Greek “oikonomia”. “Management” is a synonym that is easier to adapt to the context of each of the occurrences of “oikonomia” and it means more or less, the same as “house law”. So then, we might translate these verses as, “give an account of thy management“, and “when I am put out of the management“.

I Cor. 9:17, “For if I do this thing willingly I have a reward: but if against my will a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me, what is my reward then?”. We might translate the phrase, “but if against my will a management of the gospel is committed unto me”. Paul was given the gospel to preach. His reward, in regards to that preaching, depended upon how he managed (i.e. how he handled) the preaching of the gospel.

Eph. 1:10, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ….”. There will come a time when God will bring all things together in Christ. At that time God’s management of His household will be in accordance with that fact. To rephrase that, in the fulness of times, God will gather all things together in Christ; that is how He will manage His household. We might translate this verse, “That in the management of the fulness of times, God might gather together in one, all things in Christ”.

Eph. 3:2, “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward”. We might translate this verse to read, “If you have heard of the management of God’s grace which He gave to me for you”. What does that mean, “the management of God’s grace”? It means that God managed His grace to Paul in such a way that it was given to him in order for Paul to give it to others. What was it that Paul was meant to give to others? What Paul gave to others is explained in the following verse, “How that by revelation He made know to me the mystery” (Eph. 3:3). In other words, God managed His grace to Paul in such a way as to allow Paul to reveal the mystery that had been hid in God (verse 9).

Eph. 3:9, “And to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery”. We could paraphrase this verse to read, “…to make all men see what is God’s management of His household in accordance with the mystery”.

Col. 1:25, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you. to fulfill the word of God”. We might translate this verse to read, “Whereof I am made a minister according to God’s management which is given to me for you…..”.

Let us try to put these verses together in an attempt to clarify the meaning of “oikonomia”. In every occurrence the word “management” may be used to translate the Greek word. Therefore, we may conclude that “dispensation” is the management of something.

Let us look further at Eph. 3:9, as that is the key to understanding dispensational truth. “And to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery”. Or, as has been suggested above, “…to make all men see what is God’s management of His household in accordance to the mystery”. In order to understand the management of God’s household in the dispensation of the mystery, we must understand what that mystery was. That mystery is explained in verse six and will be discussed below.

MYSTERY

The Greek word translated mystery is “musteerion” and it occurs 27 times in the New Testament. I believe that I Tim. 3:16 will give us a basic understanding of the meaning of “musteerion”. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Sprit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”. Paul writes of the “mystery of godliness”. What was that mystery? He goes on to explain exactly what it is. Let us consider the first part of this mystery of godliness. “God manifest in the flesh”. That God would be manifest in the flesh is a truth that had been alluded to in the Old Testament, but not understood until it was fully revealed in the New Testament. We read in Matthew 1:23, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us”. This verse is, of course, referring to Jesus Christ, Who was “God manifest in the flesh”. This verse in Matthew one is a quote from Is. 7:13-15. So what does this tell us about the meaning of “musteerion”? It tells us that it was something that was not understood until it was fully revealed.

As one examines the other mysteries of the New Testament it is clear that a mystery was something that had not been understood until the proper time for its meaning to be revealed. The mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven were also mysteries that had been alluded to in the Old Testament but not understood until the proper time. As we read in Matthew 13:11 our Lord’s answer to the question put to Him by His disciples as to why He spoke to the crowds in parables, “He answered and said unto them ‘Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given”. And as we look at just one of these mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, it will be clear that they had indeed been alluded to in the Old Testament. Consider for example the mystery of the kingdom of Heaven as explained in the parable of the “tares of the field”. Matthew 13:38-42 is explained, in essence, in verse 41, “Then the Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity”. Compare this with Ezek. 20:38 where we read of the judgment of Israel at His coming. “And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel….”.

So then we have learned that a mystery was something that in many cases was written about, but not understood until God chose to reveal it.

In terms of understanding dispensational truth, it is imperative that the student of God’s Word understands that all but one mystery mentioned in the New Testament had been alluded to in the Old Testament. That one exception is the one that had been hid in God until He revealed to the apostle Paul. Eph. 3:9 reads, “And to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. We read of this one mystery that had been hid in God in Col. 1:26 also. “Even the mystery which hath been hid from the ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints”.

It is clear therefore, that a mystery was something that was not understood until God revealed its meaning. But we must bear in mind that only one mystery was hid in God. That mystery will be explained in the section below. It is the dispensation of the mystery.

THE DISPENSATION OF THE MYSTERY

Eph. 3:9, “And to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery“. As stated above, we might paraphrase this verse to read, “to make all men see what is the management of God’s household in accordance with the mystery”. What is this mystery spoken of in verse 9? Verse 6 explains exactly what the mystery was that had been hid in God and revealed to Paul to preach to the Gentiles.

Eph. 3:6. “That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel”. The three Greek words translated “fellow-heirs”, “same body” and “partakers” are, “sunkleronoma”, “sunsoma” and “sunmetocha” respectively. Note that each begins with the preposition “sun”. Appendix 104 in the Companion Bible gives the definition of “sun” as:  “denotes proximity to and hence conjunction or coherence”.  Webster’s Dictionary defines “conjunction” as, “state of being conjoined; union”. Otis Q. Sellers defines “sun” in these words, “Literally ..means ‘together’, and while it is often translated ‘with’, it denotes a far more intimate association then is expressed by ‘with”.

The correct definition of the prefix “sun” plus the fact that “sunsoma” is a plural adjective makes it clear that “same body” is not the best translation of “sunsoma”. That is to say, because “sun” means “conjoined” or “union” etc., and because “sunsoma” is a plural adjective, obviously there must be more than one “body” that is joined together. In the translation “same body” there is no sense of joining together and no sense of the plurality of the adjective.  A better translation of “sunsoma” is “joint bodies”.  The question is then: who, or what, is joined to whom or what?

To help us answer that question we should note that the adjective “sunsoma” agrees with the noun “ethnos”, translated “Gentiles” in Eph. 3:6, so “ethnos” are fellow-heirs etc. Once we determine what is meant by “ethnos” we will understand what is joined together.  “Ethnos” occurs 164 times and is translated “Gentiles” 93 times, “nations” 64 times, “Heathen 5 times and “people” 2 times. Does the Greek “ethnos” in Eph. 3:6 mean individual Gentiles or does it mean nations?  In order to answer that question we must first understand that the prefix “sun” as it is used in Ephesians 3:6 gives us one of the most profound truths of the Bible.

That truth is that 1) ethnos are joint-heirs, i.e. none are favored over another, 2) ethnos are joint bodies, none are favored over another. 3) ethnos are joint partakers of the promises in Christ; i.e. none are partaking of promises made to another. So then “ethnos” are joined together as equals.

Eph. 3:6 is the mystery that was hid in God from before the creation of the world. Is Paul saying in this verse that individual Gentiles are equal with individual Gentiles?  That is not the mystery that had been hid in God.  Shall we, as the NIV does, add the phrase “with Israel”?  That is sound doctrinally, but not true to the translation of the original Greek. I suggest that in Eph. 3:6, “ethnos” should be translated, as the NIV Greek Interlinear New Testament does as “nations”.  Once we understand that it is nations, not individual Gentiles who are joint heirs, joint bodies and joint partakers, then we have before us a secret hid in God that is one of the most profound secrets ever revealed in terms of God’s purpose for the ages.  That secret is that nations are joint-heirs, joint-bodies and joint-partakers with all other nations.  The revelation of that secret represents a remarkable change in the status of the Gentile nations in God’s sight.

For further evidence that “ethnos” in Eph. 3:6 should be translated not “Gentiles”, but “nations” let us consider the Greek word “sunsoma”.  “Soma” is the Greek word for “body”.  It is used in the sense of what we generally think of as the body, as in Matthew 6:22 where we read, “The light of the body is in the eye”.  It is also used in the sense of a unit. We use “body” in this way when we speak of a “governing body” or a “student body”.  In the Bible we also find “soma” used in this way for example in, Romans 12:5 where we read, “we ……are one body in Christ”.  See also I Cor. 10:16 and 17, Eph. 1:23, 2:16 etc.

What is important in terms of our present study is that “soma” is never used for a person.  Some may at times use the phrase “a body can’t be too careful”.  In that phrase we are using the word “body” to stand for the whole person.  The Greek “soma” however, is never used in that way, it is never used in the Bible to mean the whole person.  Bearing in mind that “soma” is never used of an individual person, I believe that we may conclude that in the context of Eph. 3:6, “joint bodies” refers not to individual Gentiles joined together, but to joint nations.

Let us try to summarize what we have learned by a different translation of Eph. 3:6, one that more accurately represents the meaning of the original Greek. “That the nations should be joint (equal) heirs, joint bodies (equal nations) and joint (equal) partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel”.

I said earlier that this was a profound truth. Let us examine the profundity of this truth.  From the call of Abraham to the end of the Acts period (not counting the years in which Israel was “lo-ammi”) Israel was the apple of God’s eye.  She was His treasure, His beloved etc.  In other words Israel enjoyed a status of favored nation in God’s sight which meant all other nations were, in a dispensational sense, not equal with Israel.  (Individual Gentiles were saved by grace through faith, just as individual Israelites were, but as nations they were not equal, in God’s sight, to Israel.)

How then did the situation change from Israel being favored among all nations to all nations being “joint-heirs”, “joint-partakers” and most importantly to “joint- bodies?  The answer to that question is that Israel was set aside, i.e. became, once again lo-ammi, “not My people”.  Just as in the Old Testament, when Israel’s sins became so unbearable to God, He put them aside, so too, after their continuing rejection of Him for the 33 years of the Acts period, He put them side again.

The mystery that had been hid in God then, is that all nations would be equal with each other, there is no favored nation above any other. The dispensation of the mystery is God’s managing His household in such a way as to be in accordance with the fact that all nations are equal.

THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST

Eph. 3:4, “Whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ”. . What can we learn of the “mystery of Christ”?  The phrase, “mystery of Christ” occurs also in Col. 4:3, “…praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds“. Paul was in bonds for preaching the mystery of Christ. By determining the specific reasons for Paul’s bonds, we may then determine what the mystery of Christ is.

We read in Acts chapters 21-25 of Paul’s experiences that resulted in his being put in bonds. In Acts 21:27-28 we read of the first step in Paul’s imprisonment. “And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him (Paul) in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, crying out: ‘Men of Israel, help: This is the man that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place and further, brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place“. So then, the first step that led to Paul’s imprisonment was the false accusation that he had taught things contrary to the law and had polluted the temple by bringing Greeks into it.

In Acts 22:21 we read the close of Paul’s arguments to the Jews. “And He said unto me, ‘Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles“. And verse 22 describes their reaction to that statement. “And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices and said, ‘Away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that he should live”. Here again, we learn that the reason for Paul’s bonds was that he preached to the Gentiles.

In Acts 23 we read of Paul’s discourse to the council of Jews. Verse 6, “But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question”.

In Acts 23:29 we read of the letter written by a soldier to Felix about Paul’s being sent to Felix, which reads in part, “Whom (Paul) I perceived to be accused of questions of their law….”.

We learn from the Scriptures quoted above that Paul was placed in bonds because he was being falsely accused of teaching things contrary to the Law of Moses: and because he had supposedly polluted the temple by bringing Greeks into that part of the temple in which they were not allowed. Another reason for his bonds was that he was preaching the resurrection of the dead.

Let us continue our study of the mystery of Christ by considering other passages in which Paul speaks of his bonds. In Phil 1:12-18 we read of Paul’s account of how his being in bonds has led to the “furtherance of the gospel” (1:13). To which gospel was Paul referring? In verses 14 and 15 Paul writes of those who “preach Christ” (verse 15) some for honest reasons and others out of contention. In verse 18 he sums up the two and writes, “..…whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached“.

We learn from this passage in Philippians chapter one, that Paul’s imprisonment led others to “preach Christ”. The subject of this entire passage is the preaching of Christ. We must conclude then, that the reason Paul was in prison was because of the preaching of Christ.

We read in Eph. 6:19-20, “….that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds….”. Again, we must ask, for which gospel was Paul in bonds? That answer is found in II Tim. 2:8-9, “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, wherein I suffer trouble as an evil doer, even unto bonds…”. The only gospel that we are told Paul was in bonds for, was “my gospel”. “My gospel” was the preaching of Christ as the Son of David and the preaching of the resurrection of the dead. Paul also writes of “my gospel in Romans 2:16, “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel”. He also mentions it Romans 16:25, “Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and (should be “even”) the preaching of Jesus Christ ….”. So the phrase “my gospel” includes resurrection and judgment.

We learned in the section above on the definition of the word “musteerion” (translated “mystery”) that a mystery was something that had not been understood, even though it may have been alluded to in the Old Testament. Bearing in mind that Paul refers to “my gospel” as “the preaching of Jesus Christ” in Romans 16:25, let us consider Luke 18:31-34, “Then He took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, ‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge Him, and put Him to death: and the third day He shall rise again’. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from the, neither knew they the things which were spoken”.

I believe that we may conclude with confidence that the mystery of Christ includes the gospel of His death and resurrection but it does not include the dispensation of the mystery which had been hid in God.

CHURCH

The Greek word translated “church” is “ekkleesia”. It is used in the Septuagint for the Hebrew “kahal”. We read it first in Gen. 28:3, “And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude (kahal) of people”. “Kahal occurs 128 times: rendered ‘multitude‘; 3, ‘ assembly’ 17, ‘congregation’ 86, ‘company‘ 17: (quoted from the Companion Bible note on the word “”multitude” in Gen. 28:3).

The Greek “ekkleesia” is used in Acts 7:38 of Israel in the wilderness. “This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the Angel Which spake to him in the mount Sinia, and with our fathers; who received the lively oracles to give unto us.”

“Ekkleesia is used of a local church as in, among many places, Acts 8:1 which speaks of the “church that was at Jerusalem”.

It is used of the called out ones of the Acts period in Acts 2:47, “the Lord added to the church daily”.

Basically “ekkleesia” is a group that is called out.

THE CHURCH OF GOD

In the section above we saw that a church is a group of ones called out. In this section we will examine the phrase “church of God”.

The first occurrence of the phrase “church of God” is found in Acts 20:28, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood”. Paul is speaking to the elders of the church at Ephesus (see verse 17). He exhorts them, in this passage to take care of the believers in Ephesus. Therefore, it is clear that in this passage, “the church of God” refers to the believers of Ephesus.

In I Cor. 1:2 Paul writes to the “church of God which is at Corinth”. Here too, it is clear that the phrase used of a local church.

In I Cor. 15:9 and Gal. 1:13 Paul writes that he had persecuted the church of God. That would be all believers of the Acts period, before Saul came to the knowledge of the truth as to who Christ is.

In I Tim. 3 Paul writes of what a bishop should be; and in verse 5 he writes, “For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?” Here again the phrase is used of a local church, but by extension, can be interpreted as applying to all local churches.

What conclusions can be drawn from the scriptural use of the phrase “church of God”? I believe that we can say without fear of contradiction that the phrase “church of God” is used in the same way as is the word “church”. It therefore, in and of itself, has no particular dispensational implications. The phrase is used apart from any dispensational implications. It means simply a group called out by God.

THE CHURCH, WHICH IS HIS BODY

Eph. 1:22-23, “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him That filleth all in all.” The church, which is His body is the out-calling of all believers of the dispensation of the mystery.

What else can we learn of the church, which is His body? In Eph. 5:23 we read that “Christ is the head of the church and He is the Savior of the body”. And in Col. 1:18 we read again that “He is the Head of the body, the church”.

In Eph. 3:10 we learn of God’s eternal purpose for the church which is His body, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be know by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Just as Israel was to be a witness to the nations of the earth (see I Peter 2:9) so the church which is His body will be a witness to beings in heavenly places.

This paper was written by Joyce Pollard.

I would like to hear your comments. Please e-mail me at:[email protected]

WHO IS THE ANGEL OF THE LORD?

The “Angel of the Lord” is the messenger of Jehovah. I believe that Christ is the “Angel of the Lord“. And I believe that Jesus Christ is the manifestation of Jehovah. That is to say, Christ was in bodily form in the Old Testament, and in a human body in the New Testament as a manifestation of Jehovah. This suggests that Christ existed before His birth to Mary. That is exactly what Scriptures tell us is the case. We read in John 3:13, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He That came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in Heaven”. Consider also that “all things were created by Him” (Col. 1:16 ). And John 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God“. (Please see the paper on this web-site Jesus Christ Is The Manifestation Of Jehovah.) But then, one might object, if Christ is the manifestation of Jehovah and also of the Angel of Jehovah, that means that Christ sent Himself as a Messenger. Let us search the Scriptures for the answer to this seeming difficulty.

I believe that the answer to this seeming difficulty is found in John 4:24, “God is spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth”. Many believe that Jesus is saying in this verse that God the Father is spirit. While it is true that “theos” (the word translated “God” in this verse) is often used of the Father, it is also used of the Holy Spirit, Who has, by definition, also never been seen. “Father” and Holy Spirit” are two of the offices of Jehovah (please see the paper on this web-site, Is God Three Persons In One? for the Scriptural evidence of that statement). Because we are to worship God, Who is spirit, not God in one particular office, I believe that in this passage the Greek “Theos” is not put for the Father or for the Holy Spirit, it is put for Jehovah. That is to say, Jehovah is spirit. Let us examine this verse in its context for the scriptural evidence that it is Jehovah Who is spirit.

In John 4:7 we read of the Samaritan woman at the well. In verse 9, John writes that “the Jews have no dealing with the Samaritans”. But the Samaritans were Israelites; we know that from verse 12 where the Samaritan woman said to our Lord, “Art Thou greater than our father Jacob“. The fact that this Samaritan woman refers to Jacob as “our father” proves that she was an Israelite. And she was aware of the promise of Messiah. Verse 25 reads, “The woman saith unto Him, ‘I know that Messias cometh which is called Christ, when He is come He will tell us all things”. This woman was an Israelite and knew at least some of the Old Testament teachings. I think we may conclude that for her, “God”, referred to Jehovah, as presented in the Old Testament because Jehovah is the only true God. We must, in my opinion, interpret this passage from the view point of the woman to whom our Lord was speaking. In this case He was speaking to an Israelite who would have understood that “Theos” was Jehovah.

I believe therefore, that Jehovah is spirit. In order to make Himself known, Jehovah, in His matchless grace, took on the form of Man and spoke with human beings in that form. So when we read of Man speaking with the Angel of Jehovah or, as in Gen. 18:22-33, where Abraham spoke with Jehovah, we are reading of them speaking to a manifestation of Jehovah. In those cases, Jesus Christ appeared in bodily form as the manifestation of Jehovah, Who is spirit, and He also appeared as the Angel of the Lord. The answer to our “seeming difficulty” then, is that Christ is the manifestation of Jehovah and one of the ways in which He manifests Jehovah is through His office of “Angel of the Lord”.

That Christ is the manifestation of Jehovah also answers another seeming difficulty as we compare two Old Testament passages. Ex. 33:20, “And He (Jehovah) said, ‘Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me and live“. But we read in Ex. 33:11, “And Jehovah spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend”. We know that there are no contradictions in the Word of God, so why do these verses seem to contradict themselves?.

The solution to that difficulty is that those who spoke “face to face” with Jehovah did not die because they did not see Jehovah. They could not have seen Jehovah because Jehovah is spirit. What they saw was Jehovah manifest in bodily form; i.e. they saw Christ.

Is speaking to Christ, as the manifestation of Jehovah, the same as speaking to Jehovah? I would say that it is. We will read of Christ, as the Angel of Jehovah, speaking words that only Jehovah can speak. And in Gen. 18 we read of Abraham speaking to Jehovah manifested in bodily form.

We come now to our study of the Angel of Jehovah.

The first occurrence of the term “Angel of Jehovah” is found in Gen. 16:7-11. In this passage the Angel of Jehovah appears to, and speaks with, Hagar. In verses 13-14 we read, “And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, “Thou El seest me….wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi….”. Hagar proclaims that El (one of the many titles of Jehovah) had seen her and she then named the well where this had taken place “Beer-lahai-roi”. E. W. Bullinger gives the following translation of that name, “the well of living after seeing“. There are two things in this passage that point to the Angel of the Lord being Jehovah manifested in bodily form, i.e. Christ. 1) Hagar’s proclamation that she had seen Jehovah in His office of “El”. 2) The naming of the well points to the fact that Hagar recognized that this was no ordinary angel with whom she was speaking. Angels often appeared to men but, especially in New Testament times, there had been no fear of death associated with those appearances. Hagar knew that she was speaking to a manifestation of Jehovah, Who is spirit, and named the place where this happened accordingly.

The second passage where we read the title “Angel of the Lord” is in Gen. 22:11 and 15. This passage tells of Abraham’s attempt to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God. In verses 15-16 we read that “the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time. (The following phrase is key in determining Who this Angel was). “And said, ‘By Myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah.…’.”. If one is tempted to consider that the Angel of the Lord was simply representing Jehovah, this passage, in my opinion, puts that notion to rest. That is to say, Jehovah said to Abraham, “By Myself I have sworn”. A simple messenger could not have said that, this could have been said only by Jehovah. And that is Who did say those words, Jehovah manifested in bodily form, i.e. Christ.

Judges 2:1-4 is a passage where the Angel of Jehovah speaks to the “children of Israel” (verse 6) where, again, the words spoken could not have been spoken by anyone but Jehovah. What He said is recorded in verses 1-3, “An Angel of the Lord ….said, ‘I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break My covenant with you…….”. No ordinary messenger could have uttered these words, they could have been spoken only by Jehovah. Once again, it was Jehovah that spoke those words as He appeared in bodily form, i.e. Christ.

Judges 6:11-23 is yet another passage where the Angel of the Lord appears in the form of a Man, in this case to Gideon, Verses 22-23 are of particular interest. “And when Gideon perceived that He was an Angel of the Lord, Gideon said, ‘Alas, O Jehovah Adonai! for because I have seen an Angel of the Lord face to face: and the Lord said unto him, ‘Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die“. As when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar, Gideon too was afraid for his life because he had seen Jehovah “face to face”. Here too, Gideon would not have been afraid for his life if he had “perceived” that he had been talking with an ordinary messenger from Jehovah. I believe that Gideon was speaking face to face with Christ as the Messenger from Jehovah. And Gideon recognized that this Messenger was a manifestation of Jehovah, who is spirit

Judges 13:3-18 is a very interesting passage that will, I believe, add further insights to our study of the Angel of Jehovah. In verse 3 we read that “the Angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman (Samson’s mother)”. When she tells her husband of this encounter she says in verse 6, “A Man of Elohim (another title of Jehovah) came unto me, and His countenance was like the countenance of an Angel of Elohim, very terrible…..”. Skipping to verse 16 we read, “And the Angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, ‘Though thou detain Me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering , thou must offer it unto Jehovah“. Does this suggest that the Angel of Jehovah is not Jehovah? As stated above, Jehovah is spirit. As He makes Himself known to Man, Jehovah takes on several offices. We have already read of “El”, “Elohim” and “Adonai”; they are but three of those titles or offices. Each of Jehovah’s offices allow Him to be seen in a different way, fulfilling a different function of Himself. The Angel of the Lord is yet a different office or function of Jehovah. So, the Angel of the Lord does not reveal all that Jehovah is, any more than any of His offices reveal all that He is. But because the Angel of the Lord is not Jehovah, Who is spirit, but fulfills one of His offices, the Angel of the Lord told Manoah to sacrifice to Jehovah rather than to Jehovah’s Angel.

Verses 17-18 offer, what is, in my opinion, the strongest scriptural evidence that points to Christ as being the Angel of Jehovah. “And Manoah said unto the Angel of the Lord,’What is Thy name, that when thy saying comes to pass we may do Thee honor?’ And the Angel of the Lord said unto him, ‘Why askest thou thus after My name, seeing it is secret?'” It is the Hebrew word translated “secret” that is so compelling. The Hebrew word is “pilee”. This Hebrew word is used only once, other than in Judges 13, that is in Ps.139:6, “such knowledge is too wonderful for me”. “Pilee” is from the same root as is the word “pehleh”. “Pehleh” is the word translated “Wonderful” in Isaiah 9:6. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful.…”. Obviously, Is. 9:6 is referring to Christ. And this verse tells us that one of Christ’s Names shall be “Wonderful”. In other words, in answer to the question as to what is the Name of the One to Whom Menoah is speaking, the Angel of the Lord says that His Name is “Wonderful“. Christ’s Name will be “Wonderful” according to Is. 9:6. This is not accidental. I believe that the Angel of the Lord is telling all those who study God’s Word that He, the Angel of the Lord, is Christ, the child that was to be born and the Son that was to be given.

Zech. 12:8, “In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the Angel of the Lord before them”. Here “God” is equated with “the Angel of Jehovah”. Only God can be equated with God, therefore, I believe that this verse also points to the fact that the Angel of Jehovah is Jehovah manifest in bodily form, i.e. Christ.

CONCLUSION

Jehovah is spirit. As spirit, Jehovah could not be seen or heard and Man would know nothing of Him. To remedy that situation, Jehovah took upon Himself a bodily form and then a human body of flesh and blood. That Person, we know as Jesus Christ.

In making Himself known, Jehovah took on many offices including, for example, “Elohim” as creator. Gen. 1:1 reads, “In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth”. He took upon Himself the office of “Father” (see Is. 9:6). One of the offices Jehovah took on was the Messenger to His people, i.e. the Angel of Jehovah. The above mentioned paper on the manifestation of Jehovah proves from scripture that Jesus Christ manifested all the offices of Jehovah except for the Holy Spirit, Who, by definition, is invisible. It is not surprising therefore, that Christ also fulfills the office of Angel of Jehovah.

This paper is written by Joyce Pollard.

I would be happy to hear your response to this paper. Please e-mail me at: [email protected]

“SIT THOU AT MY RIGHT HAND”

We read in Psalms 110:1, “The Lord said unto my Lord, ‘Sit Thou at My right hand……”. Psalms 110:1 has become, through misinterpretation, one of the verses which has come to put Jesus Christ in a position of being less than equal, in the minds of some to God, or, in the minds of others, to God the Father. That is to say, most Christians have a vague idea of a large throne in heaven with a lesser throne to its right. The larger throne is, in their minds, for God and the smaller is for Christ. That picture suggests that somehow Jesus Christ is less than God, which, of course, is impossible because Jesus Christ is God. God can not be less than God. (John 18:20 is another of those verses which diminishes the fact of Who Christ is and is discussed in the paper on this web-site “Jesus Christ Is Jehovah”).

Let us examine Psalms 110 with a view towards correcting that misinterpretation. Before we do that we must address the difficulty of the interpretation and translation of Psalm 110:1. It has been said that the Hebrew word is “Adoni” is never used of God. The paper on this web-site A Look At Psalm 110:1 addresses this problem and will prove from scripture that Ps. 110:1 does indeed refer to Christ as Son of God in some places and as Son of Man in others. Jesus Christ is Jehovah (please see the paper mentioned above for proof of that statement.) One of the titles of Jehovah is “Adoni”. That means that Christ/Jehovah, will conquer the enemies of Adoni, a title of Jehovah, Who is Christ. So Adoni will be at the right hand of Jehovah.

But Christ is Jehovah in human form. If we interpret the phrase, “at the right hand of God” literally and see God sitting on a big throne with Christ on a slightly smaller throne at His right hand, we have placed Christ (as Jehovah) on the big throne and Adoni (which is a title of Jehovah/Christ) on the throne at His right hand. But Jehovah and Adoni are the same Person, Adoni is simply a title. I trust that the reader can see that if we interpret the phrase literally, confusion reigns.

I suggest that we may eradicate all this confusion by seeing the truth of the phrase “sit Thou at My right hand”. That truth is that the phrase must be figurative. That Jehovah/Christ is God, the one and only God (please see the paper on this web-site The Trinity, Is God Three Persons In One?). That Christ will conquer His enemies and that in His office (or title) of Adon, will reign over those enemies as their conqueror.

I offer this paper to the student of God’s Word as a study of the true meaning of this verse.

The central issue of the phrase “sit Thou at My right hand” is whether it is literal or figurative. That is to say, is Christ seated now at the right hand of God in heaven, or is there a more profound meaning to this statement than to just tell us where Christ is seated in heaven? I believe that there is a deeper meaning than where He is seated in heaven.

Before we get to that meaning, may I say, lest I am misunderstood, that I do indeed believe that Christ is in heaven. We are told that in the Word and there is no doubt that He is in heaven. Having said that let us now go to the Old Testament and study the phrase “right hand”. It is, in my opinion, very important to understand how the phrase was used in the Old Testament because that is how it would be understood by those living at the time of the writing of the New Testament. We will not study the passages that obviously refer to the right hand as opposed to the left, but only those verses that will help us in our study of the phrase found in Psalms. 110.

The first occurrence of the phrase is in Deut. 33:2, “…..from His right hand went a fiery law…”. Let us consider this phrase in terms of whether it is to be understood literally or figuratively. The literal meaning is, obviously that the “fiery law” came from God. The phrase “from His right hand” therefore is a figure of speech. It is the figure of speech “metonymy”. This is explained in the Companion Bible, Appendix 6 as, “when something pertaining to the subject is put for the subject itself”. An example of this figure of speech is found in Job 32:7, “…days should speak and years should speak multitudes of wisdom”. The phrase, “years should speak multitudes of wisdom” is put by the figure of speech, metonymy for men of age, i.e. old men.

The literal meaning of Deut. 33:2 is that a fiery law came from God. Figures of speech are used in order to enhance the literal meaning. How is the literal meaning enhanced by the figure of speech in this case? As we shall see as we continue in this study, the phrase, “His right hand” is used as a figure of speech to stand for many of the characteristics of God. In the case of Deut. 33:2 the characteristics are given in the context, verses 2-3, “….He came with ten thousand of His saints (should be “angels”); From His right hand went a fiery law for them, Yea, He loved the people; All His saints are in Thy hand; And they sat down at Thy feet”. We read of God’s might and of His love in this passage. In this passage, therefore, “His right hand” is a figure of speech that declares, with greater force than a literal interpretation, those characteristics.

Psalms 16:8-11, “I have set the Lord always before me: Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: My flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell: Neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy: At Thy right hand there are pleasures forever more”. Note verse 8 where we read that “He is at my right hand”. The writer is saying, literally, that God is always with him. He is using “at my right hand” as a figure of speech. Note also verse 11 where we read that “at Thy right hand there are pleasures…”. Here again, the literal meaning is that God gives pleasures. But the figure of speech metonymy enhances the literal meaning with the phrase “at Thy right hand”.

Psalms 17:7, “…..Thou that savest by Thy right hand”. It is, of course, God that saves, but the writer, by the Holy Spirit, enhances that thought by the figure of speech, metonymy. “Thy right hand” is used for the saving power of God.

Psalms 20:6, “…..saving strength of His right hand”. Here the figure of speech employed in the phrase “His right hand” enhances the idea of the saving strength of God.

Psalms 48:10, “…..Thy right hand is full of righteousness”. Psalms 60:50, “…..save with Thy right hand….”. The phrase “Thy right hand” is the figure of speech metonymy where “right hand” is used for God Himself. That is to say, it is not His right hand that saves, it is God who saves.

Ps. 63:8, “…..Thy right hand upholdeth me”. Again, “Thy right hand” is used as a figure of speech.

Ps. 74:10-11, “O God, how long shall the adversary approach? Shall the enemy blaspheme Thy name forever? Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand, even Thy right hand?” It is clear in all the scriptures quoted above that the phrase “Thy right hand” is not to be taken literally, that it is put as a figure of speech to indicate God’s special characteristic as spoken of in the context. In verse 11 in particular it is obvious that “Thy right hand” is put for God Himself.

Ps. 80:14-15, “Return, we beseech Thee, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; and the vineyard which Thy right hand hath planted….”.

Ps. 98:1, “He hath done marvelous things. His right hand and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory.”

Ps. 109:6, “Set Thou a wicked man over him (the wicked people of the previous verses) and let Satan stand at his right hand”. This verse is particularly helpful in our understanding of how the phrase “at his right hand” is to be understood. The Psalmist asks for Satan to stand at the right hand of a wicked man. It is clear, in my opinion, that to stand at one’s right hand is to stand in a position of influence. Again, we must take the phrase as a figure of speech, otherwise we learn only where the Psalmist asks for Satan to stand. When we interpret the phrase, as it should be, figuratively, we understand that Satan will occupy a position of influence.

Ps. 110:1, “The Lord (Jehovah) said unto my Lord (Adonai), ‘Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool”. We have in this verse two phrases that are used as figures of speech, but not the same figure of speech. “At My right hand” and “Thy footstool”. The right hand of God, as we have learned from all the scriptures quoted above, refers, not to place, but to position. It refers to a position of influence and strength. “Footstool” refers to His enemies in a conquered state.

Let us continue with verse 5 where we read, “The Lord at Thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath”. Again, at the right hand of the Lord refers to a position of strength, not location.

Ps. 118:15-16, “….The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted”. This verse is perhaps the most obvious in its need to be taken figuratively. It is clear that the right hand of the Lord is not to be exalted more than any other part of the Lord. But the phrase “the right hand of the Lord” is used to mean the Lord in whatever characteristic the context implies. In this verse it implies the position of power and of wrath.

Ps. 138:7, “….Thy right hand shall save me…”.

Ps. 139:10, “….Thy right hand shall hold me”.

Ecc. 10:2, “A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart is at his left”. This is another case where the phrase must obviously be taken figuratively. Here the heart being at the right hand of the wise man indicates the position of influence.

Is. 48:13, “Mine hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, My right hand hath spanned the heavens”.

Hab. 2:16, “….the cup of the Lord’s right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.”

Zech. 3:1, “Joshua…standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him”. To say that the phrase “at his right hand” is simply a literal statement of fact, and it means only the location in which Satan stood, greatly diminishes the meaning of this phrase. When we recognize that “at the right hand” is a position, not a place, then we understand that Satan occupies a position of power to resist the angel of the Lord.

Now that we see that “at the right hand” is a position, not a location, we are ready to go to the New Testament uses of the phrase “at the right hand”. The first occurrence is found in Matthew 22:44 which is a quote from Psalms 110:1. This verse has been studied above and the reader may recall that the context of this Psalm very definitely shows “at the right hand” refers, not to location, but to position.

Matt. 26:64, “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Might One coming on the clouds of heaven”. That the phrase is to be understood figuratively is obvious by the fact that the “Mighty One” is not also coming in the clouds. That is to say, if the phrase “the right hand of the Mighty One” were to be taken literally as to location, then as the Son of Man came down from heaven the Mighty One would have to come down with Him. Otherwise He would not be literally at the right hand of the Mighty One.

Mark 12:36 is a quote from Psalms 110:1.

Mark 14:62 is the same as Matthew 26:64.

Mark 16:19, “….He was taken up into heaven and He sat at the right hand of God”. There is no question that Christ is in heaven, a literal location. That does not, however mean that the phrase “at the right hand of God” must also be taken literally. As we have seen thus far in our study, it has never meant a literal location therefore, Mark would have understood the phrase a figurative one.

Luke 20:42 is a quote of Psalms 110:1.

Luke 22:69, “…..from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of Almighty God”. This statement by our Lord comes as a response to the question asked by the chief priests, “Are you the Christ?” If our Lord was simply telling them where He would be it would really not answer their question. He told them so much more than where He would be. He told them by the phrase (which they would have understood from the Old Testament) that He would be exalted in His position.

Acts 2:25 is quoted from Psalms 16:8-11. “Because He is at my right hand I will not be shaken. Please see the comments on that passage above.

Acts 2:33, “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear”. The word “exalted” is an obvious clue that the phrase is to be taken figuratively, as a position of honor and glory. If one takes this phrase literally none of that exaltation is understood.

Acts 2:34 is a quote of Psalm 110:1.

Acts 5:31, “Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior ….”. This is the same phrase that we had read so many times in the Old Testament. Just as His “right hand” should be taken figuratively in the Old Testament, so must it be in the New Testament.

In Acts 7:55-56 we read of Stephan and his seeing “the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God”. The Greek word “kai” translated “and” in this verse can also be translated “even”. Because the glory of God is Jesus Christ, and because one can not really see glory, I believe that in this verse “kai” should be translated “even”. So Stephan saw the glory of God, even Jesus standing at the right hand of God. The fact that he saw Jesus who is the glory of God suggests that “the right hand of God” is a position of glory, not a location.

Romans 8:34, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ That died, yea rather, That is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us”. I have tried to show that in every occurrence of the phrase “at the right hand” a figurative interpretation (position) is called for. In this verse I can see that one could interpret the phrase either figuratively or literally, both would be meaningful. Therefore, I suggest that this verse is inconclusive in terms of whether Christ is literally or figuratively at the right hand of God.

Eph. 1:20-22, “Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And hath put all things under His feet….”. We see in verse 22 a quote from Psalms 110:1 which is definitely figurative. That is to say, “all things under His feet” refers to the fact that Christ has conquered all things, not to a literal placement of all things under His feet. To say that Christ is located far above all principalities, powers, etc. is to greatly detract from the meaning of this verse. The meaning is that His is so much more than all other things, not that He is located above them.

Col. 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God”. There is no question that Christ is seated in heaven. The question is whether the phrase “sitteth on the right hand of God” refers to where in heaven He is seated or whether Paul is writing of the position Christ holds in heaven. I believe it is the latter. That being the case, I believe that there is no real proof of the phrase “at the right hand of God” ever referring to place rather than position.

Heb. 1:3, “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high”. This entire verse centers on Who Christ is. He is the glory of God, He is the image of God, He is all powerful and He has purged our sins. It is highly unlikely that the writer of Hebrews goes from such a lofty theme to tell his readers where Christ is seated. I trust the reader will agree that in this verse also, the phrase “on the right hand of the Majesty on high” refers, not to location but to position.

Hebrews 1:13 is a quote from Psalms 110:1.

Heb. 8:1, Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens”. What are “the things which we have spoken” which the writer sums up? They are things that have to do with superiority of Christ, the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec. Note for example 7:26, “For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens”. The phrase, “made higher than the heavens” is obviously meant to be taken figuratively. That is to say, He was made higher than anyone or anything on earth or in heaven. There are several things which point to the phrase “set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” as referring, not to location, but to position.

1) Verse 8:1 is the sum of the previous statements of the writer. Surely, Christ’s location is not the sum of those things. It is His position that is the sum.
2) The phrase “the throne of the Majesty” is not a literal throne. How do we know that? We know that because only Christ is spoken of in the Bible as being on the throne. Neither the Father or the Holy Spirit is ever spoken of being on a throne. Therefore, because the throne is figurative, so also is being at the right hand of the throne figurative.

Heb. 10:12, “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God”. The message of Hebrews 10 is that unlike the sacrifices of old which had to be offered over and over again, Christ offered one sacrifice and was finished. I believe that the contrast is being made between the ineffectiveness of the old and the effectiveness of the new. Therefore, once again, the writer is emphasizing the position of Christ and not His location.

Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. It is impossible to believe that the author of Hebrews was saying that Jesus Christ endured the cross and the shame that He is now located at the right hand of God. And if it does stand for position, then there is no reason that we should take the phrase literally, since it is meant to be understood figuratively. Also, as we have seen above in the comment on Heb. 8:1. There is no scriptural evidence to assume a literal throne, that too is figurative.

I Peter 3:22, “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God: angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him”. Angels and powers are not made subject to Christ simply because of where He is located. we must understand that “on the right hand of God” is a figure of speech emphasizing His position.

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

WHAT IS IT? WHERE IS IT? WHEN IS IT?

(This study is based on the belief that the secret revealed to Paul concerning the Church which is the body of Christ was not made known until after Acts 28:28.  Therefore, the kingdom of Heaven has nothing to do with that Church, but has to do with Israel and faithful Gentiles before the dispensation of the mystery. If the reader does not hold that view, may I suggest he/she first read the paper on this web-site, The Church Which Is His Body, When Did It begin?)

As we begin our study of the kingdom of Heaven it would be helpful to know that one of the more important things to understand about it, is that the term “kingdom of Heaven” is used in the Gospel of Matthew only. In parallel passages the term used is “kingdom of God”.  Compare, for example Matthew 11:11 with Luke 7:28.  The passage in Matthew 11 reads, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he”.  The parallel passage in Luke reads, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

How do we account for the fact that Matthew uses one phrase when quoting our Lord and Luke uses a different phrase?  The answer to that question, according to E.W. Bullinger,  lies in the fact that while on earth, our Lord spoke, in Aramaic.  When Matthew translated the Aramaic into Greek he used the figure of speech Metonymy.  Dr. Bullinger writes in his appendix number 114 in the Companion Bible, “Now ‘heaven’ is frequently used by the Figure Metonymy (of the subject) for God Himself, Whose dwelling is there”.  Examples of the use of this figure of speech are found several times in the Old Testament. Daniel 4:26 for example reads, “The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules”.  It is clear that “Heaven” is put for “God” Who rules.  And in the New Testament we read in the parable of the prodigal son, “The son said to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you.  …..” (Luke 15:21).  He sinned, not against a place, but against a Person, God.

Why, we might ask, is Matthew the only one to translate the phrase as “kingdom of Heaven” while the others translate the same phrase “kingdom of God”?  The answer to that question lies in the fact that each of the four Gospel writers present Christ as one of the four “branches” written about in the Old Testament.  Each of these “branches” refer to Christ.  Let us examine these four passages.

Jeremiah 23:5 reads, “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land”.  It is not coincidental that Matthew, in his genealogy of Christ, traces His line through David, because the King of Israel was to come from the lineage of Judah through King David.  Matthew then, presents Christ as the King of Israel.

Zechariah 3:8 reads, “…..I am going to bring My Servant, the Branch”.  Note that Mark gives no genealogy of our Lord, this is because Christ is presented, in Mark’s Gospel as God’s Servant and servants have no written genealogy.

Zech. 6:12, “Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says, ‘ Here is the Man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord, and He will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne.’”.  Luke’s Gospel records our Lord’s genealogy all the way back to Adam because he presents Christ as the Son of Man.

The genealogy of John’s Gospel makes it abundantly clear, in my opinion, that John presents Christ as God.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.  The reference to the Branch is not as obvious as in the other Gospels but we read in Is. 4:2, “In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious….” Translated literally this phrase is “for beauty and for glory”.  Only God is due glory, the Branch of the Lord is Christ, Who, as God, will be glorified.

The key point for this present study is that Matthew presents Christ as the King of Israel.

So far we have learned two things about the uniqueness of Matthew’s Gospel.
1) Matthew presents Christ as King of Israel and 2) he is the only one of the four Gospel writers to use the phrase “kingdom of Heaven”.  This suggests a close connection of Israel to the kingdom of Heaven.

But before we draw any conclusions from just these two facts we will study the parables as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel and also a phrase that appears almost exclusively in Matthew’s Gospel.  That phrase is “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

No study of the kingdom of Heaven would be complete without a study of the parables, for they have as their subject the kingdom of Heaven.  When asked by His disciples why He spoke to the crowds in parables Christ answered, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of Heaven has been given to you, but not to them”. (Matt. 13:11)  This tells us that when we study the parables, if we are to understand them correctly, we should look for the secret concerning the kingdom of Heaven as revealed in each of the parables.  (May I say at the outset that it is not my intention to give a comprehensive study of each of the parables.  For the purpose of this paper I will offer a very concise explanation of what are, in my opinion, the secrets revealed about the kingdom of Heaven in each of the parables).

We read in Matt. 13:3-8 the parable of the sower.  The parable of the sower is explained by the Lord, Himself in Matt. 13:19-23; “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is the seed sown along the path.  What was sown on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.  What was sown among the thorns is the man who hears the word but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.  But what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown”. The secret about the kingdom revealed in this parable is that many, for one reason or another, will not benefit from hearing the message of the kingdom, and that only those who hear the word about the kingdom and understand it will be fruitful in the kingdom of Heaven.

We come now to the parable of the weeds.  Matt. 13:24-30 records the telling of the parable. The explanation of the parable is given in verses 37-39.  “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom.  The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil.  The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are the angels”. In the following passage, (verses 40-43) the parable is alluded to, but describes what will actually take place. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.  The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.  They will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father, He who has ears, let him hear.” The secret revealed in the parable of the weeds is, in my opinion, that the kingdom of Heaven will be such that no unrighteousness will be allowed in it.

There are several things about this parable that we should also keep in mind as we continue our study of the kingdom of Heaven. “The good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom…” (13:38).  Who are the “sons of the kingdom”?  That question is answered in Matt. 8:5-13.  A centurion came to our Lord and asked Him to heal his servant.  When Christ said that He would go and heal him, the centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.   When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.  I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven.  But the children of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

In this passage the faith of the centurion is contrasted with those of Israel.  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who are all present at the feast at the kingdom of Heaven, are the fathers of the nation of Israel. The children of kingdom then, are Israelites.  This is why Matthew, who presents Christ as the King of Israel is the only Gospel writer to use the phrase “kingdom of Heaven”.   Obviously not all of Israel will be allowed into the kingdom, but only the faithful of Israel. The unfaithful of Israel will be “thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

 Although the children of the kingdom of Heaven are Israelites, it is clear that faithful Gentiles will also be allowed into the kingdom as well. Is. 56:6-8  reads, “And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship Him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant – these I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.  The Sovereign Lord declares –  He who gathers the exiles of Israel; I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered”.

Another thing to keep in mind about this parable is that the “field is the world”.  Israelites as the “sons of the kingdom” are gathered from the world.  The gathering of Israel is what our Lord was speaking of when He said,  “many will come from the east and the west”.  There are many passages in the Old Testament concerning the gathering of Israel.  Isaiah 11:12 reads, “He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered  of Judah from the four corners of the earth”.  Is. 43:5, “I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west….”  Jer. 23:3 reads, “I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number”.

What we have learned so far is that faithful Israelites will be gathered from the four corners of the earth to be part of the kingdom of Heaven.  Unfaithful Israel will be gathered only to be thrown out of the kingdom.

Continuing with our study of the parable of the weeds, as has been stated earlier, verses 40-43 describe actual events that will take place when the kingdom of Heaven will appear.  At the end of this age “The Son of Man will send out His angels and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil”. We read of angels being sent out in connection with His second coming.  Note Matt. 24:30-31, “….They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four corners, from one end of heaven to the other”. These passages point to the second coming of Christ; where we read of the sending out of angels and the gathering of God’s elect.  This parable, along with the parable of the ten virgins, (which will be discussed later in this paper) will show that the kingdom of Heaven will begin with the second of Jesus Christ.

The parable of the mustard seed is recorded in Matt. 13:31-32, “The kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches”.  How are we to understand this parable?  Some believe that the growth described by our Lord is unnatural, this, in their opinion tells that the mustard seed stands for evil.  However, I do not get the sense from these verses that an unnatural growth is implied.  Our Lord says that it is the smallest of your seed, yet when it grows it is the largest of the garden plants. We should also keep in mind that faith is compared to a mustard seed.  “If you have faith small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move”. (Matt. 17:20). Therefore, I believe that the secret revealed in this parable is that the kingdom of Heaven will have the character of a growing thing.

We come now to the parable of the yeast. “The kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough” (Matt. 13:33). We all understand, of course, that yeast is often used as the symbol for evil, hypocrisy etc. But we must also understand that it is not always so.  Some offerings to God are to be made with yeast.  Consider Lev. 7:13, “Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast”.   Also Lev. 23:17, “…. buy two loaves made with two tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast…”.  The question is, how do we know if the yeast in this parable stands for something evil or something good?  I believe that since it is linked with the parable of the mustard seed and that the other parables do not teach the lesson of anything inheritantly bad in the kingdom of Heaven  (actually they teach just the opposite) the yeast in this parable does not represent evil.

So then what is the meaning of the parable of the yeast?  The parable of the mustard seed reveals the secret that the kingdom of Heaven has the character of a growing thing.  The parable of the yeast also tells us that the kingdom of Heaven will have the character of a growing thing.

The parable of the hidden treasure is recorded in Matt. 13:45-46.  “The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field”.  The secret revealed is that to be allowed entrance into the kingdom of Heaven one may be required to give up all they have.  (In my opinion the reference to selling “all you have” may refer to the fact that many, during the great tribulation, will be called upon to give up their very lives in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven).

We come now to the parable of the pearl.  “Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matt. 13:45-46).  The secret of the kingdom of Heaven revealed in the parable of the pearl is that the kingdom of Heaven will be something that one may have to give up all one owns to have.

The parable of the net is recorded in Matt. 13:47-48.  “..the kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.  When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore.  Then they sat down and collected the good fish in the baskets, but threw the bad away. The explanation of the parable is recorded in verses 49-50, “this is how it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.  It reveals the same secret as does the parable of the weeds; that even though all Israel will be gathered, not all will be allowed into the kingdom of Heaven, for the kingdom of Heaven will have no unrighteousness in it.

 The parable of the lost sheep reveals the secret that each one is precious in the sight of God and because of that He wants each one of the children of the kingdom to not be lost, but to enter the kingdom of Heaven

The parable of the unmerciful servant is recorded in Matt.18:23-34.  This parable is explained in verse 35, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.  It reveals the secret that forgiveness, and in a broader sense righteousness, from the heart is necessary in order for the Father to allow one into the kingdom of Heaven.

The revealed secret in the parable of the workers in the Vineyard is given in the last verse of this parable “So the last will be first and the first will be last” ( Matt. 20:16).

The message of the parable of the wedding banquet is found in Matt. 22:14, “For many are invited, but few are chosen”.

The parable of the ten virgins, in conjunction with the parable of the weeds, is very important in telling us when to expect the kingdom of Heaven.  The message of this parable is found in Matt. 25:13, “therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour”.  The day or the hour of what?   The day or the hour of the coming of the bridegroom. The secret revealed in this parable is that one is to watch and be ready for the coming of Christ.

The parable of the ten virgins is about the kingdom of Heaven, and the message is that one needs to be ready for the coming of the Bridegroom. As we have already seen, the parable of the weeds refers to two things that connect the kingdom of Heaven with the second coming of Christ. They are1) the angels that come to gather the weeds at the time of the second coming and 2) the gathering of the children of the kingdom of Heaven at the return of Christ. We have seen several things that connect the kingdom of Heaven with the coming of Christ.  Putting all of these together, I think that we may conclude that one can expect the kingdom of Heaven with the return of Jesus Christ.

The secret of the parable of the talents is found in Matt. 25:29, “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him”.  What is it that one has or does not have?   Verse 21 is helpful in understanding this parable.  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness”.  In my opinion the secret revealed in this parable is that the faithful will be given more faith.   The fact that the parable is about the kingdom of Heaven tells us that it is about the faithful who are allowed entrance into the kingdom in order to “share” the “master’s happiness”. The unfaithful will be cast out of the kingdom.

I believe that it might be helpful at this point to list the things that have been revealed in the parables of Matthew’s Gospel concerning the kingdom of Heaven.

1) Some may be required to give up all that they have in order to claim it. 2) Only those who hear and understand the message of the kingdom will be fruitful in it. 3) No unrighteousness will be allowed in the kingdom of Heaven. 4) The children of the kingdom are Israel. 5) Not all Israel will be allowed entrance.  Some will be cast out. 6) Faithful Gentiles will also be allowed entrance into the kingdom of Heaven. 7) The kingdom of Heaven will have the character of a growing thing. 8) The kingdom of Heaven will be a reality when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to reign. 9) In the kingdom of Heaven the first will be last and the last will be first.

10) Many are invited into the kingdom of Heaven, but few are chosen.

So far we have answered the question of when to expect the kingdom of Heaven, i.e. when our Lord returns. We know that when the Lord returns He will reign as King for 1,000 years, i.e. the millennial reign. “They (the martyrs of the great tribulation) came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4b).

If the kingdom of Heaven comes at the same time as the millennial reign, are they the same thing?  No.  The kingdom of Heaven refers to the rule of Christ in the Land of Israel.  The millennial reign refers to the 1,000 year reign of Christ over the nations.

In order to understand the difference between the kingdom of Heaven and the 1,000 year reign let us turn our attention to the phrase mentioned earlier as an important one in our study of the kingdom of Heaven, namely, “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

(Before we begin our study of this phrase, may I say that I understand that many readers believe that “weeping and gnashing of teeth” refers to the torment of those suffering in hell. May I respectably suggest to those readers that they look at the paper on this web-site A Study Of Hell.  I believe it will show that the traditional view of hell is unscriptural and does not exist.)

The first occurrence of the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” occurs in the story of the faithful centurion as recorded in Matt. 8:1-13.  Having looked at that passage earlier in this paper we learned that the children of the kingdom are Israelites gathered from the four corners of the earth, but that some of those children will be cast out into darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The next occurrence of the phrase is found in Matt.13:42.  Matt.13:40-43 reads, “ As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.  They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears, let him hear”.  From this passage we learn once again that only the righteous will be allowed into the kingdom of Heaven and that the others will be cast out.

The third occurrence of the phrase is found in Matt. 13:50 where the parable of the net is recorded, “this is how it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.  Again, we see that the unrighteous will not be allowed entrance into the kingdom of Heaven.

Matt. 22:13 records the end of the parable of the wedding banquet, “….Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  For many are invited, but few are chosen”.  This parable is about the kingdom of Heaven.  Therefore, I believe that the wedding banquet represents the kingdom of Heaven and, once again, the message is that not all will be allowed into the kingdom of Heaven.

The next occurrence of the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” appears in Matt. 24:51.  We should note that the entire passage under consideration i.e. Matt. 24:36-51 is about the return of Christ.  Our Lord, in this passage, is teaching the same lesson as He does in the parable of the ten virgins, i.e. if one is not prepared for the coming of the Lord he will be assigned “a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.  This lesson is consistent with what we have already discovered, that the unrighteous and the unfaithful will not be allowed into the kingdom of Heaven.

In Matt. 25:30 we learn from the parable of the talents that the worthless servant will be thrown “into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.  Again, this is consistent with what is stated above; i.e. only the righteous will be allowed entrance into the kingdom of Heaven.

Luke 13:28 reads, “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out”.  This takes us back to Matt. 8:10-12.  Here too we have the mention of the feast of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  In our discussion of the first occurrence of the term “weeping and gnashing of teeth” we learned that the subjects of the kingdom are Israelites.

Now let us see what can we learn from the occurrences of the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth”?

Our first discovery in this paper was that the phrase “kingdom of Heaven” appears only in Matthew’s Gospel.  Matthew’s Gospel presents Christ as the King of Israel. Another point we have discovered is that the children of the kingdom of Heaven are Israel, and it is some of Israel, the unfaithful, who will be cast out.  From these truths I conclude that the kingdom of Heaven will be Christ’s rule of Israel.  Therefore, to be cast out “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” is to be cast out of Israel.

In order to determine the truth of that statement let us consider the character of the 1,000 year reign as opposed to the character of the kingdom of Heaven.

The millennial reign is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Ps. 2:7-9, “I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are My Son, today I have become your Father.  Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.  You will rule them with an iron scepter, you will dash them to pieces like pottery”. May I remind the reader at this point that several of the parables had as their revealed secret that no unrighteousness will be allowed into the kingdom of Heaven.  How does this fact fit into the picture of Psalm 2, where there seems to be a picture of almost forced rule over the nations?  Note the phrase “dash them to pieces like pottery”.
 Let us consider just a few of the many prophesies about the millennial reign.

Is. 2:4, “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.  They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore”.

Is. 60:14, “The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you (Israel); all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you The City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel”.

Is. 60:18, “No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise”.

As we continue our study, we will discover that outside the Land, that is to say, in the countries apart from Israel, life will be not so blessed.   Let us search the scriptures for confirmation of that.

Is. 60:2, “See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples BUT the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you”.

Is. 33:24, “No one living in Zion will say, ‘I am ill’; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven”.

Is. 32:18-20, “My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.  Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your oxen and donkeys range free”.  Note some catastrophes will occur, but not in Israel.

 Isaiah 60:3, “Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn”.

Is. 60:5, “Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you riches of the nations will come”

Is. 60:10, “Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you”.

Is. 60:11-12, “Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations- For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined”.

Is. 61:5-6, “Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.  And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God.  You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast”.

Is. 62:2, “The nations will see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory”.

Is. 49:22, “See I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up My banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.  Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens you nursing mothers.  They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet.  Then you will know that I am the Lord…”

Is. 56:6-8, “And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve Him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer,  ….The Sovereign Lord declares – he who gathers the exiles of Israel; I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered”.  It is clear from this verse and others that the center of the millennial blessings is the nation of Israel, but Gentiles will also have the opportunity to serve the Lord in His temple.

Is. 65:17-25 speaks of a new heaven and a new earth, but a careful comparison of the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21 will show that Isaiah does not refer to that but to the millennium.  “….for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.  I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in My people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it not more.  Never again will there be in it an infant that lives but a few days…or an old man who does not live out his years; ….They will build houses and dwell in them; No longer will they build houses and others live in them…They will neither harm nor destroy in all my holy mountain”.

Ps. 37:9, “For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land”.

This verse is very important to our understanding of the kingdom of Heaven and is the key to unlocking the meaning of the phrase, “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.  While it is very true that the phrase “cut off” may refer to being killed, it is more often used to mean cut off from Israel.  Note for example  Prov. 2:21-22, “ For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it, but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the blameless will live in it”.  Consider also I Samuel 28:9, “But the woman said to him, ‘Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land …”

There are other scriptures which warn of the danger of being cut off from living in the land.  Ps. 37:34 reads, “Wait for the lord and keep his way.  He will exalt you to possess the land: when the wicked are cut off, you will see it”.

Ps. 37:22, “Those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off”.

I think we can now understand that the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” which is spoken of in connection with the kingdom of Heaven refers to what will happen when the unfaithful children of the kingdom (Israelites) are thrown out of the kingdom into the darkness. They will be forced to live, not in Israel where there will be many blessings, but among the nations where “darkness will be over the peoples” (Is. 60:2).  From this we can, in my opinion, better understand the parables that have to do with the kingdom of Heaven.  They are about living a righteous life so as to be allowed entrance into the kingdom of Heaven.

Let us now put all of these things together. 1) The phrase “kingdom of Heaven” refers to the reign of Christ in the Land of Israel. 2)  The nation of Israel is profoundly blessed in the kingdom of Heaven, to the extent that the Gentile nations come to Israel to serve God and Israel. 3) The nations outside Israel are not so blessed, indeed there is “darkness over the nations”.

4) Those who are found unworthy to enter the kingdom of Heaven will be cast out where they will live among the nations.

Now, I believe we can answer the questions posed in the title of this paper.  What is the kingdom of Heaven? It is the rule of Christ over Israel. It will be a time of great blessing to the nation of Israel and to all those Gentiles who have shown themselves faithful. It will be the reward to all those who are judged to be righteous.

Where is the kingdom of Heaven?  It is on earth and will center in Israel.

When is the kingdom of Heaven?  The kingdom of Heaven will come when Jesus Christ returns to rule as King of Israel.

The 1,000 year reign refers to the same time period as the kingdom of Heaven but its scope is much broader.  That is to say, while the kingdom of Heaven refers to the rule of Christ in the Land, the 1,000 year reign refers to the reign of Christ over all the nations on earth.

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 MIRACULOUS HEALING IN THE DISPENSATION OF THE MYSTERY

Much has been written and discussed about miraculous healing in the dispensation of the mystery. I believe that God can and does heal in this present dispensation. But I believe that He does so directly, that is to say, God does not heal, as He did in the Acts period, through the gift given to men by the Holy Spirit.

There are two things concerning healing that are so obvious as to not require the Scriptural evidence to be quoted here. One, that God can heal in the dispensation of the mystery, and two, there were many events of miraculous healing during the Acts period that were accomplished through the gift given by the Holy Spirit. That is to say, these healings were done by God, the Holy Spirit, through men, to whom He had given the gift of healing. So let us go on from there.  

In this study I will address four questions. 1) Was the gift of healing withdrawn? 2) If it was, when was it withdrawn? 3) Why was it withdrawn? 4) Does God heal today through the gift given to men by the Holy Spirit? 

WAS THE GIFT OF HEALING WITHDRAWN AND IF SO, WHEN WAS IT WITHDRAWN? 

The answer to our first two questions are inter-linked. That is to say, by answering the first question we, at the same time, answer the second. These questions are answered by comparing the gift of healing in the Acts period, with the gift of healing after the end of the Acts period. 

The last miracle of healing we read about in the Acts period is in Acts 28:8-9. This passage tells of the sick father of Paul’s host. We read in verse 8b-9, “Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured”. We learn from this passage that, as late as Acts 28, Paul had and used the gift of healing by the laying on of hands.

The answers to our questions as to if and when the gift of healing was withdrawn is found in the epistles of Paul written after Acts 28. As we shall see as we examine Scripture, Paul no longer had the gift of healing after Acts 28. We read, for example in II Tim. 4:20, “…..and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus”. If Paul had the gift of healing he would certainly not have left his co-worker sick.  

Another passage that tells us that Paul did not have the gift of healing after Acts 28 is Phil. 2:25-30 where we read of Epaphroditus who was sick unto death (verse 30). But Epaphroditus did not die. Was that because Paul had healed him through the gift of healing, as he had done in the passage we read in Acts 28:8-9? I believe not. Paul writes in verse 27b, “But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.” God cured Epaphroditus directly. To say that Paul cured him by the gift given him by the Holy Spirit is to read something into God’s Word that is simply not there. Furthermore, the fact that Trophimus (II Tim. 4:20) was not healed by Paul’s gift, adds strength to the conclusion that neither was Epaphroditus cured through the gift of the holy spirit. 

Let us look also at I Tim. 5:23, where Paul advised Timothy, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses”. In my opinion, this proves that indeed no one had the gift of healing after Acts 28. If they had, Paul would have told Timothy to go to that person. Paul told Timothy to drink some wine.  

II Tim. 1:6. Can lead to confusion in this matter if not taken in context. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands”. What was this gift? What did Timothy receive from Paul with the laying on of hands? Let us examine the context to answer that question. 

Verse 7 tells us why Timothy received this gift. “for God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love and of a sound mind”. In verse 8 we read of the hoped for consequence of the gift to which Paul referred in verse 6. “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner”. It seems obvious that Timothy, for some reason, was fearful about testifying about the Lord. Paul had laid hands on Timothy to give him a gift that would give him the power and the love and the courage to testify for the Lord.  

This brings to mind Eph. 4:11-12, “And He gave some apostles: and some prophets: some evangelists, and some to be pastors and some to be teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up“. I believe that Timothy was given a gift that would enable him to build up the body of Christ. He did not have the gift of healing, as that gift was no longer in evidence after Acts 28. 

Let us consider another passage which, unless taken in context, can be problematic. I Tim. 4:14, “Do not neglect your gift which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid hands on you”. This was not, evidently, the same gift we read of II Tim. 1:6 because that gift was given by the laying on of Paul’s hands. What was this gift? We are not told specifically, but again I believe that the context will give us a hint. In verse 13 we read, “….devote yourself to public reading, to preaching and to teaching”.  

In verse 13 Paul tells Timothy to be diligent in his preaching and teaching. In the next verse Paul tells Timothy to “not neglect your gift”. Again, I believe this passage makes it plain that it was not the gift of healing that Timothy received, it was the gift of preaching, and teaching. 

I Tim. 5:22 also concerns the gifts spoken of in Eph. 4 also. “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands…”.  

I am suggesting therefore, that some, including Timothy, did have spiritual gifts after the Acts period, but they did not have the same gifts that were so prevalent in the Acts period. That is to say, they had the gifts of evangelism, of teaching etc., but they did not have the gifts of tongues or the gift of healing.

Therefore, the answer to our questions as to if and when the signs of miraculous healing was withdrawn is; that the gift of healing was withdrawn, and it was withdrawn after Acts 28.

WHY WAS THE GIFT OF HEALING WITHDRAWN? 

Our third question is “why was the gift of healing withdrawn”? Most in the Acts 28 community believe that the signs, including the gift of healing, ended because the signs were to prove the truthfulness of the gospel that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. They say that when the gospel of the kingdom was no longer preached after Acts 28, the signs also ended. I agree that one of the reasons for the signs was to prove the truthfulness of the gospel of the kingdom, but I do not agree that the signs disappeared because the message of the kingdom was not preached after Acts 28. The reason I do not agree is because some of the reasons for the signs continue to be valid reasons in the dispensation of the mystery. That means that the signs could have continued. But as we have seen they did not continue. 

Actually there were several reasons for the signs.

Mark 1:41, “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand and touched him, and saith unto him, ‘I will: be thou clean”. It is clear that one of the reasons for miraculous signs was that our Lord was compassionate. Our Lord is still compassionate. There is absolutely no reason to assume otherwise. Therefore, that reason for signs is still a valid one. 

Consider also, Luke 7:13, “And the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her….”. He then raised the woman’s son from the dead (verse 15).  

In Matt. 8:16-17 the reason for the signs was to fulfill prophecy concerning Christ. “…..and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, ‘Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses”.  

In John 2:11 the reason was to “manifest His glory”. “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Gallilee, and manifested forth His glory: and his disciples believed on Him”.  

In Matthew 11:2-5 it was to prove to John the Baptist that Christ was Who He said He was. “Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto Him ‘Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?’ Jesus answered and said unto them, ‘Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them” 

There are two more passages that have to do with signs and have absolutely nothing to do with the message of “repent……” or the message of the kingdom of Heaven being near. One is Rom. 15:18-19, “To make the Gentiles obedient….through mighty signs and wonders”. Again, one might argue that God still wants Gentiles to be obedient, and therefore, that reason for the gifts are still valid today.  

The other passage worthy of note is I Cor. 12:7, “But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal”. The Companion Bible has “for the profit of others”. This has nothing to do with Israel or repentance or the kingdom message.  

My point is this: Most in the Acts 28 community believes (and so did I, until I did this study) that the signs disappeared because the signs were to prove the truthfulness of the kingdom message. They go on to say that when the kingdom message was no longer the appropriate message, there was no more reason for the signs and so the signs disappeared. If that were true, then we have to prove that that was the only reason for the signs because if not, they could have continued for the other reasons. But as I have showed above, there were other reasons for the signs, so this conclusion is, in my opinion unscriptural.  

Now that we have discussed the prevailing view of the Acts 28 community, let us continue with our question as to why the signs ended.

I believe that the signs ended at Acts 28:28 because a new dispensation was revealed at that point, and God ordained that in this new dispensation, i.e. the dispensation of the mystery, there would be no miraculous signs.

DOES GOD HEAL TODAY THROUGH THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? 

I have tried to show from Scripture that the gift of healing was withdrawn after Acts 28 when Israel was put aside. As I said earlier, I believe that God can and does heal today, but not through the gift givren by the Holy Spirit. He heals today in the same way He accomplishes His will in every aspect of our lives and the events of the world, quietly and in His own hidden way. How then, one might ask, do we account for the supposed miraculous healings of today?

It seems evident that some miraculous healing is taking place. That is to say, it is unlikely that all the healing that is said to be a product of the gift of the holy spirit is fake. Therefore the next question that should be asked is, “if it isn’t the gift from the Holy Spirit that is healing some people, what is it”? Who might have that kind of power, if not God? Let us examine that thought. 

Rev. 13:11-13, “Then I saw another beast coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast….. And he performed great and miraculous signs….”. The “he” to which this passage refers is, of course, the false beast (see Rev. 19:20) who is working on behalf of Satan himself. I quote this passage only to show that Satan does have the power to perform whatever miracles he deems necessary in order to accomplish his plans. 

Let us consider also II Thess. 2:9, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, sins and wonders…”.  

Note that in Rev. 13 there was an attempt to appear as “a lamb” and in II Thess. we read of “counterfeit miracles”. We know from this that Satan, and those who represent him, will try to appear as if they are from God.  

But why would Satan want to heal people that then go and worship God for their healing? This is one of those questions that is not asked in Scripture and therefore, not answered in Scripture. But we can look at what we do know and draw some conclusions. We know for example, that when Satan has his way during the tribulation, he will perform “counterfeit miracles”. That is, they will look like they are from God. Is he perhaps setting the stage by performing those miracles in the dispensation of the mystery?

 There is also another reason I can think of for Satan healing some. When one who may be weak in faith, asks for healing because he sees others being healed, how is that person’s faith affected when his healing does not take place. Is his faith strengthened, or is it weakened? The answer is obvious. 

CONCLUSION 

In conclusion let us consider what can be proved from Scripture and what can not. What can be proved is that the gift of healing was not in effect after Acts 28. We can, infer from that fact that after Acts 28, it was God’s will that the gift of healing was not to be used in the dispensation of the mystery.  

What can not be proved is that “healers” in the dispensation of the mystery have that gift of healing from God. But if healing by the laying on of hands was not God’s will at the beginning of the dispensation, I don’t believe that it is His will now. 

What can be proved from Scripture is that Satan can and will perform “counterfeit miracles” (i.e. those that seem to be from God) in the future tribulation. What can not be proved is that Satan is using those powers in the dispensation of the mystery. 

In the end, in my opinion, what can be said is that “healers” in the dispensation of the mystery are, at best, working contrary to God’s will for this present dispensation. That is to say, the gift of healing was obviously not in evidence after Acts 28 because, for whatever reason, God determined it so. At worst, these “healers” are doing (unknowingly, I’m sure) the work of Satan.

I would appreciate hearing your thoughts. Please e-mail me at: [email protected]

This paper was written by Joyce Pollard