The Purchased Possession, and Rest that Remains.
By J. N. Loughborough
BY ELD. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH. "IN whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession."¹ In the above text there is a possession spoken of which has been purchased, and is also to be redeemed. What is the possession that is to be redeemed? Heaven, says one. If it is Heaven, then Heaven has passed from the hands of the original possessors, or else it could not be redeemed. To take this view would also oblige us to claim that Heaven had been purchased; for it is the purchased possession that is to be redeemed. What possession has passed out of the hands of its original possessor? We answer, The earth. "The heaven, even the heavens are the Lord's; but the earth hath he given to the children of men." To man was given dominion over the earth, but he has lost that dominion which God gave him at the first, when all things were put in subjection under him, even "the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea."² Where is that dominion now? We claim that when man was tempted and overcome by the devil, he was brought in bondage to him; "Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."³ Satan, having brought man in bondage to himself claims the property of man until the probationary period of man on earth terminates. We may see, then, how it is that the devil is represented in the New Testament Scriptures as the god of this world. Not that he is the rightful possessor of the earth, but by intrigue the devil has usurped the dominion which was given to man. With this view of the subject, we may understand more fully the testimony in the fourth chapter of St. Luke. The devil said to Christ, when he "showed him all the kingdoms of the world," "That is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it." But, it may be said, this is only the testimony of the devil. Although it is his testimony it may for all that be truth, and it furnishes a solution to this chapter which otherwise remains without an explanation. It is stated that the devil tempted Christ. It surely would be no temptation for him to offer to Christ that which was already Christ's, or to offer that on which he himself had no claims. But, admitting that the devil had usurped man's dominion, and that he held, as he claimed, "the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them," and then the presentation of them by him to Christ can be looked upon as a temptation. This dominion which Satan had usurped is promised to Christ, "Thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion."⁴ The first dominion mentioned in the Bible was the dominion over the earth. Man lost this when he was overcome and yielded himself to the devil. This dominion is to be restored by Christ. But the manner in which he obtains it is by shedding his blood, and by suffering death, thus obtaining power to overthrow the usurper. In the light of these facts we see how it could be said that the devil tempted Christ. He offered him one of the very objects to be obtained by his death. By an ignominious death upon the cross, Christ was to obtain the first dominion. But, said the devil, "Fall down and worship me, and I will give it you." There was a temptation. The testimony of St. Paul seems to be in harmony with the idea we have advanced: "For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak."⁵ In the previous chapter he has spoken of the renewing of the earth. This, undoubtedly, is what he means by "The world to come." He says, "And, thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands; they shall perish, but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail."⁶ After saying that "the world to come," or "changed" state of the earth, is "not put in subjection to angels," the apostle gives his proof: "But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands."⁷ The "certain place" where this is testified is in the book of Psalms, where in response to the question, "What is man?" this answer is given, "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea."⁸ By comparing the above testimonies with Gen. 1:26, we see this language has reference to man, and especially to Adam. "And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. . . . And God blessed them, and God said unto them, . . . Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."⁹ But to return to the testimony of St. Paul: "Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. For now we see not yet all things put under him."¹⁰ God put all things under man's dominion, but we do not see them there now, because by intrigue of the devil he has lost his dominion, and so Satan is now called the "god of this world," "the ruler of the darkness of this world," "the prince of this world," etc., because the "kingdoms of the world and the glory of them" (as he said to Christ) have "been delivered" to him. The apostle continues, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."¹¹ Here we learn that Christ is interposed as a help to bring man out of the difficulty into which he has fallen. In order to do this, it was necessary that he should suffer death. Thereby he obtained power to destroy Satan and his works, and redeem man. But the death of Christ will also bring back, or purchase, the possession which man lost, which was the earth. And Micah's testimony of Christ will truly be verified, "Unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion. The kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem."¹² The world to come, of which the apostle speaks, must be a possession of this earth in another state of it, or there would be no sort of propriety in the language he uses. If the world to come is some abode "beyond the bounds of time and space," what would the Lord's giving the earth to Adam have to do with it? I trust it is plain to the reader that the purchased possession which is to be redeemed, is the earth which is to be brought to a condition more glorious than its Eden state. A REST REMAINS FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
We shall endeavor to show under this head that St. Paul did not reason with the Jews as though the promises concerning the land had been verified, but would have them understand that the promised rest for the people of God was yet to come. He says, "While it is said, To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke; howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief."¹³ Again he says, "Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them; but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest,"¹⁴ as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest; although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief; again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To-day, after so long a time, as it is said, To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus [Joshua, margin] had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."¹⁵ This reasoning of the apostle certainly shows that the taking of Israel after the flesh into the land of Canaan was not the final fulfillment of the promise God had made to Abraham. While some claim that the promise to Abraham was fulfilled when the children of Israel sojourned in the land of Canaan, it seems evident they had only a temporal possession of the land, which was typical of the final possession of the earth. When they corrupted themselves with their idols, and sinned against the Lord, their enemies prevailed against them, overran the land, and dispossessed them of their cities. Temporal judgments were thus brought upon them. All this, we understand, was to show them the necessity of obeying God if they would have his favor. If any would really be Abraham's children, according to Christ's rule, they must do the works of Abraham. While the yearly services of the Jewish sanctuary were kept up and strictly carried out, Israel would have a yearly purging of rebels. Every one who, in the day of atonement, would afflict his soul, would find mercy; but those who would not do it, must die. With such facts before us, how can it be claimed that there are any national blessings in reserve for that people, or even individual blessings, except they repent, receive Christ, and obey the truth of God? The possession of the land of Canaan by the natural descendants of Abraham, as before claimed, was a type of the future possession promised to God's people. For this reason there was a propriety in purging the profane from among the children of Israel, that they might be kept a holy seed, and thus their possession of the land typify that inheritance which none but righteous ones can receive. If we trace the history of the Israelites to the time of Zedekiah, we find they had so corrupted themselves by disobeying the Lord's commandments, that the scepter was taken from them, and passed into the hands of the wicked kings of earth. The testimony of the Lord to Zedekiah, just before he was carried captive to Babylon, is very striking, "And thou profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God, Remove the diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same; exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it; and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it him."¹⁶ The one "whose right it is," is Christ. He is the seed "to whom the promise is made." In the above text we learn that after the scepter had passed from God's people, it was to be three times overturned before it passed into the hand of him "whose right it is." When Zedekiah the high prince was "abased," the low prince of Babylon was exalted to the high position of ruling over God's people. When the kingdom of Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians, and Israel became tributary unto them, the scepter, was overturned once. Again, when the Medes and Persians were conquered by Alexander, and the Grecian kingdom established, the Lord's word was again fulfilled, and "it" (the scepter) was overturned the second time. And when, B. C. 31, the celebrated battle of Actium brought Rome to her position of "mistress of the world," the scepter had been three times overturned. And so far as the prediction made against Zedekiah is concerned, he whose right it was might come and take possession of the kingdom. And the people at the time of Christ's first advent, "instantly serving God day and night," did "hope to come"¹⁷ to the fulfillment of those promises which God had made respecting the land. They certainly must have looked upon the saints' rest as yet future.