SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES by F. D. Starr

Pacific Press Publishing Company · MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA · Sep 6, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 36.

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

By F. D. Starr

MARK.

The writer of this book was a nephew of the illustrious Barnabas, the companion in labor of the apostle Paul. (See Col. 4:10.) It was concerning him that these two celebrated leaders in Gospel work had a contention, as recorded in Acts 15:37-39. If it had not been for the interest this young man's uncle had in him, who can tell what might have happened to him? Rejected for the time being, by the apostle Paul, he might have given up in discouragement, and abandoned the work. Thus would the church have been deprived of his labors, and we deprived of the book that bears his name. It pays to be tolerant and long-suffering toward those who may be out of the way, and who do not manifest the devotion to the work that they ought. Let us imitate Him who would not break the bruised reed, or quench the glimmering torch.

Mark was not one of the twelve apostles, and his book is the shortest of any of the four Gospels; but, brief as it is, the story of Redemption is fully told in its sixteen chapters.

The writer introduces the subject thus: 'The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,' and then briefly refers to the work of John the Baptist. But was there absolutely no Gospel till John appeared? Certainly there was, for we find it in existence in the days of Moses and even of Abraham. See Heb. 4:1, 2; Gal. 3:8. What, then, is meant by the beginning of the Gospel? Doubtless much the same as Paul meant when, in writing to the church at Philippi, he said: 'Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.' But Paul's departure from Macedonia was more than twenty-five years after John the Baptist preached the Gospel. What is meant by the 'beginning of the Gospel' then in this passage? Doubtless the beginning of its promulgation in Philippi, and in the same sense is the same expression to be understood as found in Mark 1:1; for the Gospel has actually

existed ever since the promise of redemption was given in Eden.

The question may be asked: What is the Gospel? The answer is, 'It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.' Rom. 1:16. There has never been any other means of salvation offered to man. Acts 4:12. It is a very great error to receive anything as Gospel that is not Gospel at all, as may be seen from Gal. 1:6-9. But, serious as this is, it is fully as serious to reject that which is Gospel. Sometimes persons fail to discern what is Gospel, and what is not. They object to certain things that are being taught, and say: 'I do not care to hear on those topics, I want to hear the Gospel preached.' Perhaps it may be the explanations of the prophecies to which their attention is called, the prophetic symbols, and the fulfilment of prophetic time, and they say they want to hear the Gospel instead. But we read that following the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus Himself came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Mark 1:14. Surely Jesus knew what was Gospel and what was not. And what is His first Gospel announcement as given in this text? Listen! 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the Gospel.' The time is fulfilled. What time can be meant? —Prophetic time of course. So the special Gospel message that the Saviour proclaimed was in reference to time, and its fulfilment, and the necessity of the people's believing this Gospel warning that was thus based on prophetic time.

But if an announcement concerning prophetic time and its fulfilment was Gospel then, why is it not Gospel now? It must be Gospel, for we read that a warning goes to the inhabitants of the earth, just before the second coming of our Lord, which has for its key-note the fulfilment of prophetic time. This will be found in Rev. 14:6, 7. The announcement is that the hour of God's judgment has come; and this proclamation is said to be 'the everlasting Gospel.' Let no man think then that he is not hearing the Gospel when he is listening to the explanation of prophetic symbols and prophetic time. Chapter 13 of this book is worthy of special study along this line. It was given in answer to the earnest inquiry of the disciples concerning the future.

With pleasure would we pause a while and consider the interesting features of each chapter of this book, but space will not permit. We simply notice the sublime commission to the disciples given in the closing chapter: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.' How these words echo down through the ages, and how joyous the thought that this command is being obeyed by the heralds of the Cross who are going into the dark corners of the earth that are so full of the habitations of cruelty, to rescue souls from perdition. 'And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them.' Mark 16:20. Or, as the Latin version gives it, 'the Lord co-operating.' We have co-operative societies, and we all know very well what the idea of co-operation is. Divine power united with human effort brings sure success. May this co-operation be ours.