Studies in the Gospel Message
IN our study last week we raised the question why it is necessary at this time to place so much stress on the study of the book of Daniel, and in seeking an answer to this inquiry our attention was directed to the central theme of the gospel—the indwelling presence of God in the heart of the believer. We found that the sanctuary and its services constitute a great object lesson, “a parable for the time now present,” in which this fundamental truth of Christianity, and the provision which God has made for the realization of this truth through the sacrifice of Christ, are set forth. We also noted the prophecy found in 2 Thess. 2: 1–12, in which “the falling away” was foretold, and it was declared that “the man of sin” would be revealed, and that he would pervert to such an extent the truth taught by the sanctuary and its services that he would take the place which belongs to God in his own temple, claiming all the time to be the representative of God. At the close of the study we asked these three questions: Is there any way of locating the rise of this great apostasy and of following its development? Has the church any duty to the world with reference to it? Does the time of the coming of the Lord depend in any way upon the working of this “mystery of lawlessness”? And the promise was made that these questions should be considered this week. Inasmuch as “the falling away” could come only by a complete setting aside of the truth of genuine Christianity as taught in the sanctuary and its services, it is evident that restoration from this great apostasy can come only through the teaching of the truth revealed in the sanctuary and its services. And inasmuch as this apostasy continues until the coming of the Lord, and is brought to an end only by the coming of the Lord, it is equally evident that before the coming of the Lord, and as a means of preparing a people for that event by saving them from this apostasy, the truth taught in the sanctuary and its services must be proclaimed just as widely as the apostasy has spread. In other words, the message of preparation for the coming5of the Lord must restore the knowledge of, and the experience of, the vital truth revealed in the sanctuary and its services. It remains for us to inquire where we can find the help needed in order to unmask this “man of sin,” and to reveal the truth concerning this “mystery of lawlessness.” The Saviour directed the minds of his disciples to the book of Daniel for light concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, and encouraged them to believe that the prophecy could be understood. “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand), then let them which be in Judæa flee into the mountains.” “When the idolatrous standards of the Romans should be set up in the holy ground, which extended some furlongs outside the city walls, then the followers of Christ were to find safety in flight.” But we pointed out last week that the prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem have an application also to the destruction of the world at the time of the second advent. “The Saviour’s prophecy concerning the visitation of judgments upon Jerusalem is to have another fulfillment, of which that terrible desolation was but a faint shadow. In the fate of the chosen city we may behold the doom of a world that has rejected God’s mercy and trampled upon his law.” In view of this fact we are warranted in concluding that the words of Jesus concerning the book of Daniel apply to the time when the destruction of the world is near, just as much as at the time when the destruction of Jerusalem was near. And as the work of “the man of sin” and of “the mystery of lawlessness” is an evident perversion of the truth taught in the sanctuary and its services, and culminates in such an abomination of desolation that “the man of sin,” actually “sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God,” it seems clear that when the book of Daniel is read so as to be understood, it will both reveal “the man of sin” so that he may be recognized when he appears, and the truth taught by the sanctuary and its services as the means of salvation from “the falling away.” The book of Daniel deals with the experiences of Daniel and his companions as captives in Babylon, and contains prophecies which cover the whole course of events from the time of the captivity to the setting up of the everlasting kingdom of God. The real subject of the whole book is The Service of the True God. It sets forth the true temple service as applied in both individual and national life. It is a living exposition of the sanctuary and its services, and the results of accepting or rejecting the gospel of the kingdom as taught therein. In the historical part of the book we find, on the one hand, in the experiences of Daniel and his companions a living interpretation of the central truth of Christianity as taught in the sanctuary and its services—the indwelling presence of God guiding and ruling the life; and on the other hand, in the experience of Babylon we have a concrete illustration of the rejection of this vital principle, the consequent assertion of self, and the inevitable result of such a course. In the prophetic parts of the book we have a wider application of these same principles as exemplified in the experience of the saints of the Most High, or the church, and of the kingdom of the world, with special reference to the time when the church is in Babylon. Thus Daniel and his companions in Babylon become a type of the church in Babylon, and the historical part of the book of Daniel has a prophetic application. From this standpoint it is plain that the real purpose of studying and teaching the book of Daniel should be to learn how to become a Daniel, and how to help others into the same experience. In order that we may see more clearly that the real subject of the book is The Service of the True God, we will briefly consider the experience of Daniel and his companions as given in the earlier chapters. After a statement of the fact of the captivity, and of the command of Nebuchadnezzar to choose some of the children of Israel to be trained to stand before the king, we are introduced to Daniel and his three companions as among those who were selected. The purpose of Daniel “that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank,” indicates that he recognized his body as the temple of the living God, and that it was his duty to preserve that temple in the very best condition for the service of God. “Why did Daniel and his companions refuse to eat at the king’s table? Why did they refuse his meats and wines?—Because they had been taught that this class of food would not keep the mind or the physical structure in the very best condition of health to do God’s service.” This is one phase, and a very important one, of the practical application of the truth taught in the sanctuary and its services. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” “Holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever.” The superiority of the service which these young men were prepared to render because of their recognition of their relation to God as their King and his recognition of them as his servants is plainly declared by the record: “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom. . . . And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.” The true reason for giving attention to food and drink is here made plain. It is not merely to avoid aches and pains and the inconvenience of sickness,—these are purely selfish reasons,—but rather that the human temple may be preserved in the best condition for the most efficient service. To waste the God-given powers in the gratification of appetite or passion is to rob God of just so much power for service. When his right to the highest and best service is recognized, and the body temple is kept in the best possible condition for it, then the way is open for the revelation of the glory of God in his temple, and the light will so shine that men will see good works and glorify God. So it was in the case of Daniel. This is shown in his later experiences in Babylon in his ability to render service to the true God. This merely suggestive study of the first chapter of Daniel has shown that it is the fitting introduction to the main subject of the book,—The Service of the True God,—and that it deals with the foundation experience of the best service. The other chapters will be taken up in our next study.