06-CHAPTER II SEVEN CHIEF METHODS IN GOD’S REVELATION TO MANKIND

CHAPTER II SEVEN CHIEF METHODS IN GOD’S REVELATION TO MANKIND

Great was the plan of God for man. As viceroy of God on earth, as the image of God, and His subject, he should have carried out the will of God. To reflect the image of God, by royal service to carry through God’s creatorial plan for the earth, to glorify and worship God in His essential nature— this was his call and appointment in Paradise. But then came sin and ruined all. The “tree of knowledge,” through which man had to display his obedience to God, and should have won his victory over the Tempter, became the occasion of his overthrow (Genesis 3:1-24). From that time and by that catastrophe dark powers enter his history. It is as if from this happening at the tree of knowledge a black serpentine line takes its start, issuing in three chief directions (see Chart).

Three Dark Regions of the Demonic

There is the dark line of death, in which ever after the course of man’s history is embedded. For “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 2:14-15).

There is the demonisingofworldhistory, which, hissing like a serpent, to a shocking degree draws into its curse politics and religion, culture and civilization, invention and discovery, development and progress. Without belief in the existence of real demonic powers which somehow influence, inspire, and lead the actions of men, the history of the nations, on into our own time, is simply beyond explanation (see Daniel 10:13; Daniel 10:20). Satan is the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11).

There are finally the spiritual powers of wickedness "intheheavenlyplaces" who from this their station work out their activities on the earth (Ephesians 6:12), and against whom is our conflict; an organized kingdom of wickedness (Revelation 12:7), with Satan at the head, the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). To conquer him, and to free the enslaved kingdom of the earth and men, is thenceforth the goal of the revealed history of salvation. Thereby must be shown to man the fright Savior of his fall, the insufficiency of his strength, and therewith the im­possibility of all self-redemption. Only so can he be brought to see that God alone must be his Savior, that everything must be given from above, that all must be of grace. But for this it is necessary that ever fresh opportunities should be given to him to test from all sides his strength and so practically and irrefutably to perceive his own impotence. This is the meaning of the varied methods of God’s revelation and the century-long development until the world-Redeemer came, indeed until is reached at last the final goal of the complete perfecting. From this point of view the revealed periods of salvation divide plainly into three pairs.•

TwoSections of Time in the Original Revelation In the first pair God’s revelation embraces the whole of mankind. It is the time of the original revelation. It lasts from the driving of Adam out of Paradise till the call of Abraham and divides into two chief sections. At first God gave man liberty. In the time between the Fall and the Flood God spoke to fallen man principally through the conscience. An established, authorized control over the whole of human society, or its single groups, or a God-appointed moral and religious legal institution (as later through Moses) was not found at first. Man stood in the age of self-determination. But in spite of the believing testimony of individuals, such as Enoch (Jude 1:14; Genesis 5:22; Hebrews 11:5-6), viewed as a whole the end was licentiousness, self-will, brutality, a murderous spirit (see Lamech’s Song of the Sword; Genesis 4:19; Genesis 4:23-24), and the conclusion therefore of this section of time was the Flood.

Now God changed His method, and gave to man the oppor­tunity to test his strength by a principle at the opposite pole from self-determination, namely, that of human authority and control. Since Noah the individual was placed under the oversight and legal authority of the community; "Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man’s hand shall his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6). Thus the principle of authority was introduced. "All authority is from God" (Romans 13:1).

Here also man failed completely. He misused the principle of authority in the erection of world-kingdoms antagonistic to God. The earliest Babylonian kingdom-which by the erection of the Tower would show its own glory by independence of God (Genesis 10:8-12; Genesis 11:1-32)-as well as Nimrod, are the beginning of a fateful world-development, which was retarded only by the confusing of the languages—a judicial act of God rendered necessary on account of His purpose to maintain the possibility of redeeming mankind. But mankind had in such wise failed that God no longer carried forward His revelation on this all-embracing scale but took a special way, in that He limited His revelation to a single man from whom there should come a people for God which as the "firstborn son" (Exodus 4:22), was only appointed to be the beginning of an ever-increasing super-national family of sons of God (Isaiah 19:25; Mai. 1:11; Micah 4:1-4).

TwoSections of Time in the Preparation for Salvation

Thus there begins with Abraham the second pair of chief epochs in the history of redemption. In especial manner it is the time of preparation for salvation leading directly to Christ. In harmony with the inner nature of redemption there must here be attained something twofold. As a fact this came in the form of two new great sections of time, so that from the choice of Abraham the Old Testament preparation for salvation necessarily divides into two chief periods of revelation. The sinner must be saved and be born again. But this can be only by his conversion. But conversion is a turning round, and this as such includes something twofold: a turning from the old and a turning to the new; a "No" to oneself and a "Yes" to God; therefore sorrow and renunciation as regards sin, and confidence in and devotion to the sinner’s Savior, or expressed Biblically, repentance and faith. This is now in fact the real meaning of the two chief revelations given by God since His choice of Abraham.

Trust in God—this was the meaning and the dignity of the covenant-promise with Abraham (Genesis 15:6); while the goal of the Mosaic law was the leading to repentance through the exposure of guilt and the working of the knowledge of sin.

Throughout centuries God spoke the word "Faith" into the history of salvation—this is the meaning of the covenant with Abraham. Through two thousand years it was an education in faith.

Throughout centuries God spoke the word "Repent" into the history of salvation—this is the meaning of the law of Moses. Through one thousand five hundred years it was an education in repentance.

"Repent" and "believe the gospel" said Christ, and thereby embraced both in a redeeming unity. This is the purport of the Old Testament as given in the New Testament. But here again man failed. Instead of belief there came unbelief,¹ instead of confession of sin came Pharisaism, and when Christ appeared the people that had the revelation refused and rejected Him, the living Centre of salvation. "He came unto His own, and they that were His own received Him not" (John 1:11).

TwoSections of time in the Accomplishment of Salvation

Therefore there came a new turn in the methods of Divine revelation. The third pair of the Divine dealings was introduced. At the same time they were the period of the fulfillment of salva­tion. First God builds His church; then He erects His kingdom. In the period of the gospel, witness is borne to the physically absent Christ; in the second (the Millennial kingdom, Revelation 20:2-6) He reigns as visibly present. In the first all takes place through the Word and the Spirit, in the second through His direct kingly rule as well. The turning point is the parousia (arrival), the appearing of the Lord-in glory {epiphany,2 Thessalonians 2:8), His unveiling and revelation in splendor (apocalypsis). But what is the answer of man to these two methods of redemp­tion in the New Testament time of fulfillment? Again complete failure! The period in which the Spirit of God glorifies the absent Christ ends with the turning away of cultured man to Antichristianism (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; 1 John 2:18; Revelation 13:1-18). The period in which Christ, after His return, will dispense to die world visible blessings through long centuries will end—after the re­lease of the Devil for the testing of mankind—in the greatest revolt of all time, with a devilish inspiration never before known, an international rebellion against God led by Satan himself (Revelation 20:7-10). The lost estate of man cannot reveal itself more catas­trophically.

Nevertheless God goes victoriously on His way. Through world destruction, world judgment, world transfiguration will the goal be reached: the eternal estate, the Day of God (2 Peter 3:12-13), the final perfecting (Revelation 20:10-15; Revelation 5:1-14).

Thus the New Testament unfolding of salvation perfects itself by a mighty threefold ascent. This embraces the special activity of the Spirit of God during the absence of Christ, in the period of the church: the visible kingly rule of the Son of God after His appearing in splendor to establish His kingdom in the period of the Millennium: the eternal kingdom of God the Father, to whom the Son will at last give over all, "that God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28).

Thus it will be clear that the New Testament unfolding of salvation bears a Trinitarian stamp. Out of the depths of the Divine Being the three Divine Essences come ever more clearly into view, and the ascending process in the revelation of redemp­tion becomes at the same time an ascending self-revelation of the God of redemption. But now the last—the kingdom of the Father—does not properly belong to the unfolding of salvation, but is its goal and is therefore not "history" but eternity. On the other side, Para­dise before the Fall—although, of course, not strictly redemptive history—is still history and must consequently be viewed together with the six historical periods of which the three above-named pairs of time-sections consist. They all, together with the dis­pensation of Paradise, are one course of human history. There­fore this whole course of development of salvation, as revealed in the Bible, stands before us as a series of seven great periods which proceed out of the pre-mundane eternity and merge into the post-mundane eternity. These seven periods are:

All that is beyond these seven periods of salvation is veiled to us. Out of the Savior of the Divine ages (Ephesians 2:7; Revelation 22:5) the eternal God has revealed to us only this section. With this we must be content. But even this knowledge causes our hearts to worship. Great is our God. His ways are adorable. Even this comparatively brief course of history between the eternities testifies how infinite is His Savior.

Grace as the Character of the Biblical way of Salvation and its only Possibility At the same time it is grandly illustrated that salvation must be of grace. In ever new forms it is shown that man can add nothing to his salvation. By historical and experimental proof, that is at once continuous, powerful, universal, and embraces the millenniums, it has been set openly before the eyes of all the world that God is justified in the matter of redemption in having entirely excluded man’s strength, and has made it to be wholly Hisact on the principle of a gift of grace (Romans 3:24-28). In this way God stands before His whole creation, in heaven and earth, as justified in having appointed precisely this way of salvation (Romans 3:4). His way of salvation in Christ now appears as not only the only way, but as also the only possible and necessary way, and the whole history and course of revelation becomes an irrefutable and obvious proof that there can be only one way which leads man to peace, that is, God’s grace alone and the cross of Golgotha. " There is salvation in no other, also no other name under heaven given among men wherein we shall be saved" (Acts 4:12). Hast thou laid hold of this Savior as thy personal deliverer? Bethink thyself: there is no other way to God. He only stands in salvation who has a living experience of Jesus Christ, and of Him as crucified and risen. Jesus Himself says:"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me" (John 14:6). Therefore lay hold of Him, and with Him thou hast all salvation and happiness.

Notes

¹ This turning from the universalism of mankind as a whole to limiting the direct revelation to a special circle (Israel, church) is indicated on our Chart in that the main green area, which represents mankind in general, in the whole course from Abraham occupies only the half (the lower) space, while the upper half is shown by another (blue) color as a separate special way of the Divine principles. This twofold division in two-colored section ceases where the general course of the chart reaches that section which represents the visible kingdom of God, that is, where , after the completion of the church, the special method of restricting the revelation ceases and merges into the restoration of the nations (Isaiah 19:23-25; Micah 4:1-3, Malachi 1:11). Consequently, this Millennial kingdom is then represented by an again undivided, single, continuous one-colored (green), common area, which the gold-silver crown of the high priestly God-King of all mankind in the center (Zechariah 14:9; Zechariah 6:11-13). This parallel two-colored sections indicate thus the special historical way of God with Israel and the church during the setting aside of the nations: the undivided, continuous, single colored section denotes the original and final universal revelation for the whole race. ^j Comp, the ten times disobedient and murmuring Israel in the wilderness at the end of the period of the basic, patriarchal promise to faith (Hebrews 3:17-19; Hebrews 4:6 b)