why is john 6:15 the death knell of premillennialism
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They knew what they worshipped, but not the Father, nor were they "true." But when the Lord speaks of His cross, and not God's judicial requirements only, but the gift of Himself in His true personal glory as the occasion for the grace of God to display itself to the utmost, then, and not till then, do we hear of eternal life, and this connected with both these points of view. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? If she turned aside to questions of religion, with a mixture of desire to learn what had concerned and perplexed her, and of willingness to escape such a searching of her ways and heart, He did not refrain graciously to vouchsafe the revelation of God, that earthly worship was doomed, that the Father was to be worshipped, not an Unknown. It was not intended for other beings it was God's free gift to man, to the believer, of course. If a man looks at the Lord Jesus as One who entered the world in a general way, and calls this the incarnation, he will surely stumble over the cross. (See Hebrews 12:2, Hebrews 13:11-13) Again, let me just remark in passing, that although, no doubt, we may in a general way speak of those who partake of the new nature as having that life, yet the Holy Ghost refrains from predicating of any saints the full character of eternal life as a present thing until we have the cross of Christ laid (at least doctrinally) as the ground of it. John 1:11-12; John 1:11-12) It was not a question now of Jehovah and His servants. (Ver. There is no changing or bettering the old man; and, thanks be to God, the new does not degenerate or pass away. behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. The Jews, with all their privileges, were strangers here. their words and gestures: that they would come and take him by force, and make him a and 'Death Knell for John Knox' bottom centre and '3/23' Purchased from Monika Kinley (Grant-in-Aid) 1983 The following . The man could not tell the Jews the name of his benefactor. Nicodemus, not understanding in the least such a want for himself, expresses his wonder, and hears our Lord increasing in the strength of the requirement. Therefore, it seems to me, He adds verse 24. The death knell is recognizable by its muffled sound. Thus we all not only receive of His fulness, (and what fulness illimitable was there not in Him!) and the more manifest from His lips to one who was a real impersonation of sin, misery, blindness, degradation. The rejection of Christ is the contempt of God Himself, in that of which He is most jealous, the honour of the Saviour, His Son. When Jesus therefore perceived So in the baptism with the Holy Ghost, who would pretend to such a power? (Verses John 4:20-30), The disciples marvelled that He spoke with the woman. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. thinking about a temporal kingdom, as the people, and might Just as in John 4:1-54, so here it is a question of power in the Holy Ghost, and not simply of Christ's person. This brings in the great counterpart truth, that even God present on earth and made flesh is not enough. What is there in God more truly divine than grace and truth? So we see in the attractive power, afterwards dealing with individual souls. Had it been meant, it was no wonder that Nicodemus did not know how these things could be. They would fall a prey to Antichrist, and meanwhile are accused of Moses, in whom they trusted, without believing him; else they would have believed Christ, of whom he wrote. It finds, of course, a present application, and links itself with that activity of grace in which God is now sending out the gospel to any sinner and every sinner. He that comes from above from heaven is above all. convinced of their mistaken notions of him as a temporal prince: "But He said to them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of." This is indispensable; for God is a Spirit, and so it cannot but be. The ignorance of the world has been proved, the rejection of Israel is complete: then only is it that we hear of this new place of children. Isaiah 44:3; Isaiah 44:3, Isaiah 59:21, Ezekiel 36:25-27 ought to have made the Lord's meaning plain to an intelligent Jew. Not only man under law has no health, but he has no strength to avail himself of the blessing that God holds out. Jesus saw the man, and knowing that he was long thus, prompts the desire of healing, but brings out the despondency of unbelief. Mark what, as such, He does declare Him. In the five porches, then, of this pool lay a great multitude of sick, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. And while He does not hide the privilege of the Jews, He nevertheless proclaims that "the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. This we have had fully before. John 6:15. "He must, increase, but I decrease." The Lord, in the latter part of the chapter (verses John 6:27-58), contrasts the presentation of the truth of God in His person and work with all that pertained to the promises of Messiah. For Jesus perceived that they were on the point of coming and carrying Him off to make Him king. Heavenly things are set in evident contradistinction, and link themselves immediately here, as everywhere, with the cross as their correlative. First, a new nature is insisted on the Holy Ghost's quickening of each soul who is vitally related to God's kingdom; next, the Spirit of God takes an active part not as source or character only, but acting sovereignly, which opens the way not only for a Jew, but for "every one." The question really is, whether man would trust God. They entered not into His words more than His grace, but thought and spoke, like the Samaritan woman, about things of this life. Flesh and world are judged morally. John gives us this point of contact with them, though in an incident peculiar to himself. But "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must ( ) the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (SeePsalms 2:1-12; Psalms 2:1-12) But the Lord tells him of greater things he, should see, and says to him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, henceforth (not "hereafter," but henceforth) ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man. How can such have relationship with God? Nay, "the world knew him not." [whose?] Lastly, closing this part, we have another most remarkable contrast. As the new birth for the kingdom of God, so the cross is absolutely necessary for eternal life. No man hath seen God at any time. Here, accordingly, it is not so much the means by which life is communicated, as the revelation of the full blessing of grace and communion with the Father and His Son by the Holy Ghost, in whom we are blessed. But the Spirit would not confine His operations to such bounds, but go out freely like the wind. "In the consistory of Dec. 15, 1958 . A second and wholly new man appears the bread of God, not of man, but for men. And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." He would have every soul to know assuredly how he stands for eternity as well as now. Now, it is no longer a question of nature, but of relationship; and hence it is not said simply the Word, but the Son, and the Son in the highest possible character, the only-begotten Son, distinguishing Him thus from any other who might, in a subordinate sense, be son of God "the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father." They were on the way to Jerusalem, and they were thirsting to throw off the yoke of Rome and of . Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, but withal, as he had said, the eternal One, yet in view of His manifestation to Israel (and, therefore, John was come baptizing with water a reason here given, but not to the Pharisees in verses 25-27). The Jews wanted to force Christ to be a king like Saul, David or Solomon. This would make all manifest. As a present fact, the Lord justifies the judicial act before their eyes by His relationship with God as His Father, and gives the Jews a sign in the temple of His body, as the witness of His resurrection power. Resurrection will be the proof; the two-fold rising of the dead, not one, but two resurrections. Then (ver. It is the revelation of God yea, of the Father and the Son, and not merely the detecter of man. Details are not called for now, but just the outline of the truth. John 3:31-36) he speaks of His person in contrast with himself and all; of His testimony and of the result, both as to His own glory, and consequently also for the believer on, and the rejecter of, the Son. alone; It is not that He denies the truth of what they were thus desiring and attached to. Here the unlimited scene is in view; not Israel, but the world. (VerseJohn 4:1; John 4:1) It was strange to her that a Jew should thus humble himself: what would it have been, had she seen in Him Jesus the Son of God? THE WORLD'S GREATEST . And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 2. Premillennialism turns Jesus into a failure. 2. All disciplinary action, every probationary process, disappears. Man, dead in sins, was the object of His grace; but then man's state was such, that it would have been derogatory to God had that life been communicated without the cross of Christ: the Son of man lifted up on it was the One in whom God dealt judicially with the evil estate of man, for the, full consequences of which He made Himself responsible. The man went off, and told the Jews that it was Jesus: and for this they persecuted Him, because He had done these things on the sabbath. it may be chiefly, that he prayed that God would open the minds through "sin." P07901 Death Knell for John Knox 1972 Etching 18 5/8 19 3/4 (473 500) on paper watermarked 'Arches France' 37 3/8 29 1/2 (955 750) printed by Jack Shirreff, Westbury and published by the artist Inscribed 'John Bellany 72' b.r. In vain did any come to the Baptist to report the widening circle around Christ. But here it was not God's purpose to record it. that we may give an answer to them that sent us. Did the dead (for so men are treated, not as alive under law) did they hear the voice of the Son of God? "John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This is he of whom I spake: He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me." God orders matters so that a favoured teacher of men, favoured as none others were in Israel, should come to Jesus by night. man, and seize him in a violent manner, whether he would or not; he would not. It is not denunciation, but the most solemn sentence in the calmest manner. it was no lack of testimony; their will was for present honour, and hostile to the glory of the only God. The resurrection of the Lord is not more truly a demonstration of His power and glory, than the only deliverance for disciples from the thraldom of Jewish influence. But He, being God, was manifesting and, on the contrary, maintaining the divine glory here below. But there was a man who had been infirm for thirty and eight years. No mere man, nor angel, not the highest, the archangel, but the Son. Later He was determined to be Son of God with power by resurrection of the dead. encourage them in this undertaking: the mountain Christ went It is there that we found the Lord, in the other synoptic gospels, fulfilling His ordinary ministry. The effect is thus final, even as His person, witness, and glory are divine. What can be conceived more notably standing out in contrast with the governmental system God had set up, and man had known in times past? C. Death knell for "Good Pope John" . Augustine believed God's purposes were always being fulfilled, the gospel was always advancing into "the nations at the four corners of the earth." The saints who had been spiritually raised to. Life out of death was wanted by man, such as he is; and this the Father is giving in the Son. 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