Jehovah God Reigneth
Jehovah God Reigneth JEHOVAH GOD REIGNETH
By L. S. White
I count myself happy to have the privilege of ad-dressing you on the great question, “Jehovah God Reigneth.” Your beloved President assigned this subject to me; and told me the purpose of these lectures at night: “Is to stress the eternal things which we can hold to with assurance at any time”; and specially re-quested me: “To emphasize the fact that there is a God, and that he reigns”; and I gladly follow his suggestions along this line. For a foundation for this discourse, we read from Genesis 1:1, first verse in the Bible, and first four words of that verse: “In the beginning God.” The name “God” is of such vast importance that it is used several thousand times in the Bible, beginning, as our text shows, in the first verse, and goes on through the Bible, even to the very last, as we read: “If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:19). There are only two more verses in the Bible after the name of “GOD” is used the last time. On the meaning of the name “God,” Webster says: “The Supreme Being; the eternal and infinite Spirit, Creator, and Sovereign of the universe, Jehovah”; and, an inspired apostle says: “God is love” (1 John 4:7). And, many centuries after the flood, God appeared to Moses to have him lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, as we read: “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty; but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them” (Exodus 6:2-3). And still later, King David said to God: “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth” (Psalms 83:18). Also, a grand old prophet said: “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song” (Isaiah 12:2). And, as to how long the good Lord will be what he now is, the same prophet says: “Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:3).
And, to further impress this great truth, we read to you from the inspired apostle Paul, who in preaching to educated heathens, said: “God that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands; . . . . seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth; and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; . . . . and that he is not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being; .... and that we are his offspring” (Acts 17:24-28). And, in speaking of God to another people, the same inspired apostle said: “To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:5). And now, a very important thing to us is: “How shall we think of God?” For, when some one says: “I believe in God,” he may have in mind an entirely different conception of God to some other person who says the same thing; and, this is so important, that, upon one’s conception of God, will depend the nature and quality of the religion he practices, as well as the character of his life; for it is impossible for us to rise higher in life than the thoughts of our hearts, as the wise man said: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). We must have correct ideas about Jehovah God, and these must be Christian ideas as taught in the Bible; for nothing else can be right; and wrong conceptions of God will even lead Christians astray, for all our correct thoughts about God come from the word of God, the Bible, consequently, we just simply cannot rise higher in life than our conceptions of God!
Then, Jehovah wants us to understand that he loves and cares for us, as we read from his word: “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7); and also: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). And we are so glad that our great Jehovah wants all people to be saved, as we read: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Then, to be true Christ- tians, we must surely have the right conception of God. But what is the Christian’s conception of God? In the first place, a Christian must realize that Jehovah God is the source of all things, as we read from his word: “0 Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth” (Psalms 8:9). Also: “The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament showeth his handiwork” (Psalms 19:1). But, of course, this is only done to those who have been taught the word of God from the Bible. Hence, we can see at a glance the great value of teaching the plain word of God. And we are glad, that to real Christians, Jehovah God is more than the “creator,” for, to Christians, God, is Father, Savior, Friend!
Then, in the next place, we remind you that Jehovah “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), and we must “Worship him in Spirit and in truth,” as we can see that Jehovah God has intelligence, thinks, feels, and wills, as we have already shown that God does not want any one to be lost. In the next place, to the real Christian, Jehovah God is personal. For a person who does not believe in a Personal God, does not believe in the true God at all. By this we mean that God knows himself as God, directs his own actions, and is the one perfect personality ! Then, we must fashion our own personality after that of Jehovah, because our personality is in an imperfect degree. In the next place, The Christian’s conception of Jehovah is that God is good, as our Savior, Jesus Christ, said: “There is none good but one, that is God” (Matthew 19:17). The Bible clearly teaches that God is inwardly perfect, and outwardly consistent with this perfection. And, “in Christ” we see what the “goodness of God” really means, as we read: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:1 and verse 14). No greater truth ever challenged the attention of the human family than that “The Word” became flesh and dwelt among us, for thus we see that the Holy Christ was the manifestation of Jehovah God in human flesh. And this is so true, that after one of the apostles wanted Christ to “show the Father to them,” Christ said: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show us the Father?” (John 14:9). With these wonderful Scriptures before us, let us now study Jehovah God’s plan: In Genesis 1:26-27, we see God’s purpose in creation, as we read: “And God said, Let us make man in our 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. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Then, when that image was marred by sin, Jehovah God never lost sight of the destiny he planned for us; and this plan is worked out in Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of God, as we read: “We all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). And the power of “looking” is so great, that Christians are taught to be “looking unto Christ” (Hebrews 12:2). And our Lord further impressed this truth, when he said of himself: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 8:32). And is just as true today as it ever was, that we will go the way we look. So, if we look the way the holy Christ has shown us, we will go that way, and he has shown us the “way of salva-tion,” as he said to his disciples just before he ascended to heaven: “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 condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). Then, by reading Ephesians 4:7-16, we get a view of the consummation of God’s plan for us in Christ.
God’s Manifestation in the Old Testament:
In Old Testament times, God looked for people who would open their. eyes to the light of divine truth; and..a .few did this, such as Noah,. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,'Moses, Daniel,'Isaiah, Job, and others, including a number of good women. But in New Testament times, God manifested himself through Jesus Christ, as we have already seen; and he also manifested himself through the Holy Spirit, as we read in John 14:15-17; John 6:62-63, and other scriptures. And, as we read in Acts 1:8, Christ promised that the Spirit would come in a few days from that time; and by reading Acts 2:1-4, we see that promise fulfilled. So now, we have the three-fold manifestation in the sense of being baptized “into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This is the great “spiritual marriage ceremony” by which we are spiritually married to the Holy Christ, and the concluding act by which we become Christians, and entitled to wear the name Christian. And the distinct personality of these three is made plain in the Bible: Jehovah God promised Christ; Christ promised that God would send the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, and guided them into all truth in teaching people what to do to be saved, how to live the Christian life; and also guided them in writing the New Testament as our only guide in the realm of religion! Then, we can see at once that every Christian has a partnership with Jehovah Cod, as we read: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). And to further show this fellowship, Jesus Christ said to his apostles: “He that receiveth you, receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me” (Matthew 10:40). Our success or failure will be counted according as we accomplish that which Jehovah God has taught us and intends for us to do; for we must take God into account. When we recognize God’s ownership of all life, it produces a stewardship that demands for the life a definite plan for living and serving! Then, we must, if we live the Christian life, take Jehovah God into every phase of every plan and purpose that we have in life; and love is a large part of the very foundation of this sublime relationship with Jehovah God, as he has told us through an inspired apostle: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Love is also the foundation of our relation with God on the human side, as we read in the word of God: “And now abideth faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). When we get to heaven, faith will then be sight, and hope will be a glorious reality, but we still have love to bind us to God and to each other for ever and for ever. Consequently, as long as real love acts with the right kind of “faith and hope,” we are sure to be all right; for the faithful steward — the good Christian — determines to match God’s, plan in.his own life,, as bur blessed Lord set us the example of prayer to' God, when he said: “Not my will, b ather, but thine be done (Matthew 26:39). And here, we remind you that when Jesus Chiist called his disciples, he offered them himself; and asked but one condition, and that was personal loyalty to him and to Jehovah God his Father; and the very same condition is binding on us now, as Christ said of people after being baptized into the “name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” they are then Christians, and must “observe all things he has com manded them to observe” (Matthew 28:19-20); and, this is so tiue that we cannot get to heaven without faithful obedience to him, as we read: “Christ became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (Ileb. 5:9). Also, we read: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). Even Jesus Christ did not do his work to please himself, but to please God his Father, who sent him, as he said: “For I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). And now, our invitation to all others is: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come: and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
Three Kingdoms of God:
And now, let us spend the remainder of our time for this discourse in the study of “Three kingdoms,” and see what they are, who is reigning now, and who will continue to reign. The first kingdom we name is “the kingdom of nature.” This kingdom we entered when we were born into this world. It is in this kingdom that we “live, move and have our being” at the present time; and, it is in this kingdom that we receive so many temporal blessings. Jehovah God rules in this kingdom, and has been the ruler in the kingdom of nature from the beginning. All people are in this kingdom so long as they live here on earth; and all kinds of people receive the blessings of this kingdom, whether saints or sinners, as our dear Lord Jesus Christ says of God: “He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). And by reading the first two chapters in the Bible, we see that God created every thing in the “kingdom of nature.” But what will become of this earth and every thing in it? Answer: The earth and all in it will be burned up, as an inspired apostle says: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). And, it would be difficult to make anything plainer than the apostle has made this; and that is, in the “day of judgment,” the earth and all in it, in fact, every thing in the kingdom of nature will be burned up. Jehovah God reigns in the kingdom of nature, and has done so from the beginning. But, of course, while Christ was here on earth during his personal ministry, Jehovah God gave him control over every thing in the kingdom of nature when a lesson could be taught by the same, such as healing the sick by miracle, raising the dead, controlling the wind and the sea, providing food for the hungry, and many others, all to help make believers that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that people might have life through his name, as we read: “These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that, believing, ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). And to further show that Jehovah God rules in the kingdom of nature, we read this scripture: “The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (Daniel 4:17). Blit, as we have already shown, all these will be burned up in the day of judgment, so we need not spend more time on this thought. The Kingdom of Grace:
The next kingdom we name is “the kingdom of grace.” The kingdom of nature makes no provision for the forgiveness of sin; and whoever violates a law in. the kingdom of nature, must pay the penalty, and therjOs na.escape from this.. But, we thank God that- in the kingdom' of grace provision is made for salvation, and at last, a home in the eternal city of God for all people who enter the kingdom of grace, and remain faithful in living the Christian life. But how do people enter the kingdom of grace? Answer: We entered the kingdom of nature by a fleshly birth; and we enter the kingdom of grace by a spiritual birth, as we read: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:24). And our dear Lord, himself, tells exactly how to enter the kingdom of grace when he said: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). And, to be “born of water and the Spirit,” is to be baptized into Christ, as we read: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ,” (Galatians 3:27). And we are happy to know that to be “in Christ” is to be in “his kingdom,” or the “kingdom of grace,” and to be in the kingdom of grace is to be in his church, for the church of Christ, the “kingdom of Christ” and the “kingdom of grace” are exactly the same thing; and, the kingdom of grace— the church—was established on the first Pentecost after the resurrection and ascension of Christ; and, to rule over this kingdom of grace, God gave to Christ “all authority in heaven and on earth,” as we read in Matthew 28:18. Christ also said to his apostles, “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). And, in the very next verse, Christ calls the church “the kingdom of heaven”; and, on the day of Pentecost, the inspired apostle Peter informed the people that Jesus had been made both “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). And we thank God that Jesus Christ still reigns over the “kingdom of grace.” But how long will Christ reign over this kingdom? Answer: Christ will reign over the kingdom of grace, his church, till the end of the world, which will be the day of judgment, as we read: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the res-urrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the first-fruits; afterwards they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:20-26). Then, Christ’s reign as King over the kingdom of grace will end on the day of judgment, for, on that day, Christ will turn his kingdom entirely into the hands of Jehovah God. And what will then take place? Answer: God’s people, on that day, the day of judgment, will enter into the kingdom of glory, as we read of the faithful: “Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11). The grand old apostle, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote this to the same people whom he taught on the day of of Pentecost to “repent and be baptized into the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,” and who were on that day “born of water and of the Spirit” into the “kingdom of grace”; and thus we see, that in the day of judgement, Christians will enter into the “kingdom of everlasting glory,” or into heaven itself; and then, as long as the eternal years of God shall roll their cycles on, Jehovah God will reign over this eternal kingdom, and give his people all the blessings that the Holy Christ is now preparing for his disciples in the “home where changes never come”; for he assured his disciples that he was going to “prepare a place for them, and would come again to receive th^rn into this heavenly home” (John 14:1-3). And here are some of those marvelous blessings and joys that the Beloved anostle John saw in store for faithful Christians: “And I John saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out ot heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God- And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, "Write; for these words are true and faithful” (Revelation 21:1-5). And now, let all of us while we are here in the “kingdom of nature” and in the “kingdom of grace,” if we are Christians, do all we can to get all others to enter the kingdom of grace, the church, and then may we all live in such a manner, that in the day of judgment, we may hear the welcome: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”; and there we will to be with God, with Christ and the holy angels, and with all the pure and holy of earth as long as eternity shall last; and, all the time in “the home where changes never come,” Jehovah God will reign over us. Amen!