Jewels: February 2023
Table of Contents
Theme
A jewel is a precious (rare) substance designed and shaped to appear attractive by how it reflects and bends light. When one values another, they often give the gift of a jewel as an expression of their love and the value that person is in their eyes. So a diamond ring is a common gift of a man to a women, when he asks her to marry him and she accepts. We are precious to the heart of God and our Lord Jesus. God has chosen us to be the bride of His Son—the “chief corner stone,” the most precious One. We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ and clothed with the garments of salvation. Now we are being shaped and molded to be like Christ. In a coming day when the work of the Master craftsman is completed, we, as the bride of Christ, are described as “having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:11). Jewels are rare and valued, for the substance from which they are made is rare. As we read the articles in this issue, may we learn to value more what it means to be a jewel. A jewel is to display outwardly what should be true inwardly. Otherwise, it is “as a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion” (Prov. 11:22).
The Treasure, the Pearl and the Jewels
The Treasure
There are three expressions used in the Bible which show very clearly the place the Lord’s people have in His thoughts. In Matthew 13:44, the Lord Jesus speaks of “treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” It is not difficult to see that the Lord is speaking of Himself and His love to His own. What brought the Lord into this world? What led Him to lay aside His glory and His power? He whose glory Isaiah saw (Isa. 6), became the lowly Son of Man, who had no place whereon to rest His head. When here on earth, He did nothing in His own power, but He was ever dependent upon God, and all that He did was by the Spirit of God. Why did the Lord Jesus give up all that He had? Because, in this world of wicked and rebellious men, there were those He loved, His treasure, and He came to buy the field. The field is the world, and He has bought it that the treasure in it might be His. Nor was it only that the Lord gave up His rights and glories, but He gave up His life itself, that we who believe in His name might be saved. As an old writer says, speaking of this, “Having given the rest before, here He gave up His life to pay our score.”
Just think how He must have valued us — His people—to suffer all that He did! Notice, too, His words: “For joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath.” The Lord’s was no grudging gift, but as we might gladly give up something we prize for the sake of those dear to us, so the Lord, in an infinitely fuller manner, gave up all that He had ― “He gave Himself,” as Paul writes ― for us.
The Pearl
But this is not all. We do not usually prize unlovely things, so the Lord speaks of the beauty as well as the worth of His people; He compares them to “a pearl of great price” (Matt. 13:46). No doubt most of us know what a pearl is, and we admire its beautiful, pure hue. So the Lord looked upon His people, and the beauty the pearl had in His eyes led Him, as in the case of the hidden treasure, to give all He had to buy it. What marvelous grace! Yet, when He came, seeking goodly pearls, we saw “no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isa. 53:2). But He desired us, and the price He paid was His own most precious blood.
Jewels
One other word. The Lord speaks, in Malachi 3:16-17, of those that fear Him and says, “They shall be Mine in that day when I make up My jewels.” He is here speaking of those of His people Israel who will by-and-by fear Jehovah, but it is not less true of the Lord’s people now. “My jewels!” How sweet it sounds! And this is what the Lord says of sinful creatures like ourselves, not a whit better than others, save only for what His grace has done. What love is His! If we had some very precious jewels, we would often look upon them, and do you not think that the Lord always looks upon His people? Indeed He does, and I pray that, as we think of His love and of the delight He finds in us, we may be filled with peace and joy in Him. And more than this, if we have earthly friends who love us and whom we love, we seek to please them; how much more should we seek to please Him whose love to us is infinitely greater than any earthly love can be.
Good News for Young and Old, Vol. 25
Rebekah's Jewels
It is a well-known fact of Scripture that New Testament truth and principles are often illustrated by Old Testament history, and this is true of the story of Rebekah’s interaction with Abraham’s servant. The servant had come on a long journey from the land of Canaan to Mesopotamia, seeking a bride for his master’s son Isaac. The Lord prospered his journey, and according to his prayer to the Lord, he had been led to find Rebekah. Her brother Laban invites Abraham’s servant and those who were with him to stay with him, and he provides for their camels as well. However, in keeping with the theme of this issue, we want to focus on the jewels that were given by the servant to Rebekah and the typical meaning of them.
Tokens of Love and Blessing
First of all, we find that when the servant met Rebekah at the well and asked her for a drink, she not only gave him a drink, but offered to draw water for his camels also. After this was done, he gave her “a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold” (Gen. 24:22). (Actually, the golden earring was probably a nose ring, which is quite common in the East.) Gold in Scripture generally speaks of divine righteousness, and we will speak more of that later. However, I would suggest that here the golden jewels given to Rebekah are, in type, more suggestive of love and a desire for blessing. Abraham had been blessed exceedingly, and all that he had he was going to give to Isaac. The servant seeking a bride for Isaac is here a picture of the Spirit of God, who is now gathering out of this world a bride for Christ. When the servant places the golden nose ring on Rebekah and the bracelets on her hands, it was a token of the good intentions, and also of the wealth, of the one who was seeking her hand. So it is that when the Spirit of God works in souls today to bring them to Christ, He imparts not only new life (through the Word of God), but also assures them of God’s grace and His desire for their blessing. Through the efforts of Satan, many in this world have been led to view God as an angry God who constantly needs to be appeased by mankind. It is true that God is light and cannot look upon sin, but the work of Christ on the cross has made it possible for Him to come out in love and grace to His sinful creatures.
Jewels of Silver and Gold
Later, we find that when Abraham’s servant tells his errand, both Laban and Bethuel acknowledge that “the thing proceedeth from the Lord,” and they are willing to let Rebekah go and be Isaac’s wife. It is then that the servant brings forth more gifts for Rebekah: “jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment” (Gen. 24:53). I would suggest that these gifts speak of full salvation and a walk that is in keeping with salvation.
First of all silver is mentioned, which is a picture to us of redemption. We see this first of all in the redemption money that was to be paid for all Israel: “They shall give, every one ... half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary ... to make an atonement for your souls” (Ex. 30:13,15). Later, the boards of the tabernacle were seated on sockets of silver, speaking of believers who rest on redemption, the finished work of Christ. All this is represented in the silver jewels given to Rebekah, placing her in a place of acceptance and favor.
Second, the servant gave her jewels of gold. Gold in Scripture, as we have already remarked, speaks of divine righteousness. The ark of the covenant was covered with pure gold, and both the mercy seat and the cherubim were made of pure gold — all of which displayed God’s righteousness (Ex. 25:10-11). Likewise, the boards of the tabernacle were covered with gold, typifying the believer, clothed in divine righteousness (Ex. 26:29). This is the result of redemption—a perfect standing before God. Because of the work of Christ for us in redemption, we are made “the righteousness of God in Him [Christ]” (2 Cor. 5:21). God has brought us into favor, even though we were sinners, and has done it righteously, for the penalty for sin has been paid on Calvary’s cross.
The Wedding Garment
Finally, Rebekah was given raiment. We may look at this in two ways. First of all, when we are truly saved, we are looked upon as being clothed with a garment of God’s provision. We see this brought out in the parable of the wedding supper, where a wedding garment was provided for each guest. The one who dared to come in without a wedding garment was taken away in judgment (Matt. 22:1-14). The wedding garment would speak of our being made fit for the presence of God, and thus set apart from this world.
However, raiment has another meaning in the Word of God, and we may express it as practical sanctification. When we belong to Christ, we are positionally separated immediately from this world. But as time goes on and we progress in divine things, we are progressively and practically sanctified more and more, as we become more like Christ. Thus raiment (clothing) speaks of our lifestyle in this world, our habits, perhaps our means of earning a living, all of which affects our testimony down here.
From the point that she said to her family “I will go” (Ex. 24:58), Rebekah was associated with Isaac and no longer with her family of origin. She was given garments to prove it, and all this would eventually result in her taking a pilgrim position in the land of Canaan, along with the family of Abraham. She learned what it was not to own land, but to look “for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). In this way her new raiment, given by the servant, was a picture of her being set apart, both positionally and practically.
The Egyptian Jewels
In all of this, it is interesting to note that long after Rebekah’s union with Isaac, her children, now very numerous, were slaves in the land of Egypt. But after the Lord had redeemed them, in type at the Passover, and they were about to leave Egypt, they “borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment” (Ex. 12:35). They had been told to do this back in Exodus 3:22, by the Lord Himself. (The word “borrowed” is rather inaccurate here; it should read “asked” or “demanded.” There was never any intention of these jewels being returned.) These same jewels, together with raiment, were to characterize them now as a people before the Lord, with all that the jewels and raiment spoke of.
We, as the church, are before the Lord in the same way. We are redeemed (spoken of by the silver), made righteous before God (typified by the gold), and sanctified practically by the raiment given to us. How important it is to enjoy all this and to exemplify it in our lives!
W. J. Prost
The Breastplate of the Priest's Robes
The long and elaborate explanation of the priests’ dress is, of course, full of important spiritual meaning. The Messianic colors and symbols are everywhere interwoven. The pendants of golden bells and pomegranates from his robes are considered by some to signify the principles of testimony and fruitfulness. When the fine linen is spoken of, it doubtless indicates personal purity. The Urim and Thummim were the means by which the will of God was made known to the priest. They correspond with the Spirit and Word possessed by every Christian of the present dispensation.
The Precious Stones
From the front of the high priest’s gorgeous apparel flamed a sparkle of blended lights, gleaming from the mass of precious stones of which the “breastplate” is made. The names of the tribes of Israel were engraved on them, for, like the 12 stones at the bottom of Jordan, the 12 on the bank thereof, and the 12 which Elijah built into an altar at Carmel, these 12 also represent the people of God. The character of these stones and the position in which they are placed show in a marvelous way in what estimation our Great High Priest holds His unworthy disciples.
We are accustomed to the thought of being regarded by divine mercy as objects of pity and benevolence, but perhaps we are very little accustomed to the thought of our being regarded by divine love as objects of value and beauty, of radiance and rarity. Ah! that is very different. The apprehension of it would enlarge our knowledge of that love which passes knowledge, and it would give us a higher estimate of the value of those whom He calls “My jewels.” It requires but a slight exercise of faith to believe in His mercy and goodness, but it requires the faith we possess to credit that His love actually values us, that He bears us on His heart, regarding us as precious gems of intrinsic and inestimable worth. Our Great High Priest regards us as valuable and — because His eyes have rested on us — beautiful and worthy of admiration. The more we know of one another and ourselves, the more marvelous does that love seem which could not only suffer for us, but could set such a value upon us. How to account for it? Who can explain love and the ways of love? When the mother of two prominent brothers in Roman history said, “These are my jewels,” pointing to her children, did she think them valuable because she had suffered and labored for them? Or because it really gave her pleasure to look upon them — or both?
The Most Valuable and Beautiful Gems
Gems are the most valuable and beautiful things the earth contains. As valuable as the rare metals, they are more beautiful; as beautiful as the flowers, they are more durable. But, after all, what are they, what is their origin? There is a well-known passage in a modern writer where he traces the course of the common mud or slime, composed of clay, sand, and soot. By process of time and the mysterious alchemy of divine power operating everywhere, the clay is gradually developed into a sapphire, the sand into an opal, and the soot into a diamond. And this is not mere poetry, but common scientific fact. The diamond is indeed “crystallized carbon” — glorified soot. It is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. How have they been thus transformed so that they adorn the king’s crown, the queen’s coronet, and the high priest’s breastplate? By the power of the Most High working mysteriously by means of heat and flood, of pressure, of darkness, and light. And when picked up from the dust, the work is not yet done: They have to pass through the discipline of cutting and grinding. The lapidary bends over them on the revolving lathe and makes them scream as he touches them here and there. He hurts them a good deal, but he will not harm them. They will shine with a more beauteous luster presently.
Protection and Care of Gems
What a sense of security this gives! Those who possess gems protect them with the greatest care. The gem may perhaps be in a poor environment, like that rich ruby which the Russian Peter took from his pocket in a piece of crumpled paper and handed to King William, or unpolished as the Koh-i-noor, before the Iron Duke (the Duke of Wellington) used to take it to the lapidary to be cut and ground for Queen Victoria. But it is too valuable to be uncared for. The duke would sit by, never letting the gem out of his sight till a new facet was cut, and then would carefully wrap it up in a silk handkerchief and take it away till the morrow. (The Koh-i-noor diamond is said to have originated in India, and it was eventually cut into a 105-carat jewel. It is now part of the crown jewels in England.) Such a care protects—and such a value is set upon—the people of God. The heavenly Lapidary bends over the crude misshapen stones as they move on the revolving wheel of life, and He touches them with many a sharp instrument and polishes them with their own dust. But He will neither harm them Himself nor let anyone else do so, and He says, “They shall be Mine ... in that day when I make up My jewels!”
J. C. Bayley (adapted)
The Free Gifts for the Tabernacle
“All the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all His service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord. And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them. Everyone that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the Lord’s offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it. And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair. And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; and spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses” (Ex. 35:20-29).
The people of Israel responded to the words of the Lord, delivered to them by Moses. The bondage under which law placed them was for a little while set aside by this appeal of the Lord to their hearts. The tabernacle was a type of Christ, God’s free gift, and therefore those who contributed towards it must show some faint token of the same liberal spirit. It would seem as if the beauty of the type, the costly gift of God to which it pointed, had suddenly opened their churlish hearts. Alas! Those hearts were soon to close again and ultimately to reject the very gift itself, which God in the fullness of His love offered to them.
A Servile Spirit—A Willing Heart
What a truth this tells us, respecting the way in which we should seek to please God! A servile spirit ill befits one who has tasted of His grace. A covetous heart is especially an abomination to Him who has not spared His own Son. Let us only contemplate more deeply, more truly, the vastness of His gift to us. Let us learn a little more of the heart of God as shown in His gift of Christ, and we shall acquire a more princely character — more true nobility of spirit. We shall be more ready to yield ourselves—all we are and all we have—a willing offering in His service.
These willing-hearted ones came, both men and women, and brought, first, their gold: “Bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold.” Their personal ornaments were thus freely given up, as a heave offering unto Jehovah. And in this women as well as men participated—the weak as well as the strong.
The Gold and the Brass
In this respect, there is similarity between the gold used in the tabernacle and the brass employed for the laver. The brazen mirrors of the women assembling at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation were given up by them, for the laver and its foot (Ex. 38:8). They preferred to look upon a vessel full of cleansing water, instead of contemplating their own beauty in the mirror. Just so, a sinner touched by the grace of God ceases to seek comfort or self-congratulation from his own comeliness and gladly turns away to the laver of regeneration, the death of Christ, which turns his corruption into comeliness and cleanses him from the filth of the flesh.
In like manner, these Israelitish men and women preferred the contemplation of the dwelling-place of God to personal adornments. They gave up their jewels of gold in order that all eyes and hearts might be set upon the tabernacle of the Most High.
The Wave Offering and Heave Offering
After specifying that both men and women brought their jewels of gold, it is added, “Every man that offered, offered an offering of gold unto the Lord.” The words “that offered an offering” are peculiar. It is literally “every man that waved a wave offering to Jehovah.” The gold is again called a wave offering in Exodus 38:24. Thus we have the two words used in this chapter with reference to the freewill offerings of the children of Israel, “wave offering” and “heave offering.” Two portions of “the peace sacrifice” were, respectively, waved and heaved, “the wave breast” and “the heave shoulder.” The action of waving before the Lord that which was presented to Him seems to denote the passing it to and fro before His eyes so that He may scrutinize every part, while the heaving an offering would represent lifting it off the earth in separation to Jehovah.
Every man in this instance waved a wave offering of gold to the Lord, distinct from the jewels also presented. In this action he called attention to the preciousness and purity of the mass of fine gold which he offered. It was the first material presented. It may be because it is the precious metal which, in type, represents the divine glory of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God.
H. W. Soltau (adapted)
Gideon's Ephod
After Gideon’s victory over the Midianites, the people of Israel come to him and want to make him a king. “Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you” (Judg. 8:23). Isn’t that lovely? His answer is orthodox all right, but the man’s heart is already away from the Lord; he can utter pious things, but his heart is not right.
“Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; besides ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were about their camels’ necks. And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house” (Judg. 8:24-27).
The Snare of the Jewels
That is sad, isn’t it? Gideon was willing to accept a little flattery. He wanted the earrings, jewels, and ornaments taken from the prey, and they became a stumbling block to his people, himself and his house. There is a warning there for us, dear saints of God. You may be used of the Lord mightily, as Gideon was, but if you do not keep that same meekness and lowliness that characterized him as humble and broken in spirit, you are going to get away from the Lord. When Gideon got away from the Lord, he took others with him. When you get away from the Lord, you are going to take others with you. His own son got into the snare.
God does not say a word about that in Hebrews 11; it is omitted. God is there giving a record of those men as men of faith, not as men of failure; they are going to be in that glorious resurrection in that coming day, “that they without us should not be made perfect.” They are candidates for that better resurrection. He passes over all their failure; isn’t that lovely! That is the kind of God and Father we have. Down here in this world we have to reap the fruit of our ways, but thank God, when we get through the wilderness journey, when we are gathered home to the Father’s house, we will be there without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
It is a wonderful thing to be a child of God — to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, and to seek, according to the measure of our faith, to live for Him the little time we are left here.
C. H. Brown
The Remnant - Past and Present
Let us turn for a moment to the last page of Old Testament Scripture — the prophecy of Malachi. Many years have rolled by since the bright days of Ezra and Nehemiah, and we have here a most sorrowful picture of Israel’s condition. Alas, “the down grade” has been rapidly trodden. It is the same sad story — “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself!” Let us quote a few sentences.
“Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted Thee? In that ye say the table of the Lord is contemptible ... Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? Neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand ... Ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even His meat, is contemptible. Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord” (Mal. 1:7, 10, 12-13; see also Mal. 3:5-9).
What a deplorable condition of things! It is simply heart-breaking to contemplate. The public worship of God brought into utter contempt; the ministers of religion working only for hire; bribery and corruption in connection with the holy service of God; every form of moral depravity practiced amongst the people. In short, it was a scene of deep moral gloom, depressing beyond expression to all who cared for the Lord’s interests.
My Special Treasure
Yet, even in the midst of this terrible scene, we have a most touching and exquisite illustration of godliness. As ever, there is a remnant — a beloved company who honored and loved the Lord, and found in Him their center, their object, their delight. “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels [My special treasure]; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him” (Mal. 3:16-17).
How lovely is all this! What a contrast to the general condition of things! We may range through the entire history of the nation, and find nothing like this. Where do we read of “a book of remembrance written before the Lord”? Nowhere; not even amidst the brilliant victories of Joshua and David, or the splendors of Solomon. It may be said there was no need, but that is not the point. What we have to ponder is the striking fact that the words and ways of this feeble remnant, in the very midst of abounding wickedness, were so refreshing to the heart of God that He had a book of remembrance written about them. We may safely assert that the communing of these beloved ones was more grateful to the heart of God than the singers and trumpeters in Solomon’s day. “They spake often one to another.” “They feared the Lord, and thought upon His name.” There was individual devotedness, personal attachment; they loved the Lord; and this drew them together.
They Loved the Lord
Nothing can be more lovely. Would there were more of it in our midst! Those dear people were not doing anything very great or showy in man’s view, but they loved the Lord, they thought of Him, and their common attachment to Him drew them together to speak of Him. This gave a charm to their reunions which gratified and refreshed the heart of God! It stood out in bright and beauteous relief from the dark background of heartless routine with which they were surrounded. They were not bound together by certain views or opinions which they held in common, though doubtless they had their views and opinions. Neither were they held together by ritualistic services or ceremonial observances. No, they had something far better and higher than any of these things; they were drawn and knit together by deep-toned personal devotedness to the Lord, and this was agreeable to His heart. He was weary with the whole system of ritualism, but refreshed by the genuine devotedness of a few precious souls who got together as often as they could to speak one to another, and to encourage one another in the Lord.
Would that there were more of this amongst us! We long for it, and our one earnest desire in writing this paper is to promote it. We greatly dread the withering, paralyzing influence of mere formalism or religious routine— getting into a groove, and going on day after day, week after week, year after year, in a poor, cold, formal manner. This is most offensive to the loving heart of our adorable Lord and Savior, who desires to be surrounded by a company of wholehearted, devoted followers, true to His name, true to His Word, true to one another for His sake, seeking to serve Him in every right way, while ardently looking out for His blessed appearing. May the Spirit of God work mightily in the hearts of all His people, healing, restoring, reviving and maintaining a faithful company to welcome the heavenly Bridegroom! Let us cry to our gracious God for this.
C. H. Mackintosh
The New Jerusalem
The subject of the New Jerusalem is very little studied in comparison with the intense interest it should have for every one of us. Even on earth we sing, “There is no place like home,” and to it our thoughts always turn in all our wanderings. How much more then should our hearts enjoy the consideration of our eternal home — that Jerusalem of which Bernard of Cluny wrote so long ago:
“With jasper glow thy bulwarks; thy streets with emeralds blaze;
The sardius and the topaz unite in them their rays;
Thine ageless walls are bordered with amethyst unpriced;
Thy saints build up its fabric, and the cornerstone is Christ;
Jerusalem the glorious! The glory of the Elect!
Oh dear and future vision our eager hearts expect;
E’en now by faith I see thee; e’en here thy walls discern;
To thee my thoughts are kindled, and strive and pant and yearn.”
The City
In Revelation 21:9 we find that the heavenly Jerusalem is itself the bride, the Lamb’s wife. It is divine in its origin — it comes from God — it is heavenly in its character. It will be over the earthly Jerusalem to which it will give light and glory (compare Isa. 4:5). Although it is the bride of the Lamb that John sees, it is as a city he describes it, this being its appearance to the earth below. We are destined to know the deepest affections of Christ, as His bride, but to the world we shall be the center of heavenly rule, transmitting the glory and power of our Lord to the furthest parts of the redeemed world.
A Transparent Cube
The city is further described by the Apostle as a perfectly transparent cube, 1,500 miles in every direction, having the glory and brilliance of gold, and the crystal clearness of glass or jasper. This city is secure; she has a great and high wall (a symbol only) and 12 gates, or seats of judgment, of which angels are the doorkeepers (see also Heb. 2 and 1 Cor. 6:3), and at each of which a Jewish tribe is judged according to the Lord’s words in Matthew 19:28: “Ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (See also Luke 22:30.) The foundations of this glorious city are the 12 apostles of the Lamb, according to Ephesians 2:20. Such is the new and heavenly capital of the government of God. The foundations are precious stones (that part most seen from the earth), showing all the varied glories of Christ.
Creation, Grace and Glory
We get these glories figured by precious stones three times in Scripture. We find His glories shown in creation in Ezekiel 28:13. We get the varied glories in grace in the high priest’s breastplate, and we get them all in glory here. The pure white light of Christ’s glory is thus split up by the media through which it passes into its varied characteristics, as displayed among and apprehended by men. This city differs from the earthly one in having no temple, for the all-pervading presence of the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb is there. Such then is the general glorious aspect of our future home.
The City as a Light Bearer
The city is a crystal cube, having in it the seat and center of glory, of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:3). Every ray of the divine glory must pass through this transparent cube, to reach this earth, and comes from Christ alone, though it is all transmitted through the saints who will then form a perfectly transparent medium. They enjoy direct light; the earth, transmitted light. What a joy to think that then we will perfectly fulfill our high destiny of being light bearers of the glory of the Lamb.
Paradise Regained
In this wonderful panorama, we get again, in all their divine perfection, those things from which man was shut out in the earthly paradise, here reappearing in the paradise of God. This city is the source of the river of blessing; the tree of life grows there, its fruits doubtless for the inhabitants of the city, its leaves bestowed in grace to the nations for their healing. God and the Lamb, now united in glory, have their throne in the city, and those who compose it are their happy servants. God’s glory being seen in the Lamb, we get but one God; hence, they “shall serve Him: and they shall see His face” (Rev. 22:3-4). They too, like the Lamb (Rev. 11:15), shall reign forever and ever.
Our Position in It
We shall have our home in the immediate presence of Christ, whose face we shall ever see, and we shall be used to transmit His glories to the millennial earth, over which we shall reign with Him. We shall be secure from all evil; none of the defiling influences that will be seen on earth toward the close of the Millennium will ever mar our ceaseless joy. Death, sorrow and pain will all be forgotten words, save as they remind us, as we gaze on His still pierced hands, of the mighty cost which has secured to us all these endless joys. Oh, how the heart longs and sighs for the realization of those glorious scenes! However, thanks be to God, they are all secure, and surely we shall behold the King in His beauty and enjoy to the full those realms of bliss we have been considering.
Never-Fading Beauty
In the first four verses of Revelation 21, we find another glorious fact. In the new heavens and new earth succeeding the Millennium—when all sin is forever done away, when Satan has been cast into the lake of fire to deceive no more — in the eternal state, our glorious home remains unchanged and is seen descending from out of heaven as fresh and beauteous as at the beginning of the Millennium in verse 10. It may seem strange to some that verse 10 should really date before verse 2. The explanation is that the first eight verses of this chapter close the subject of chapter 20, and in verse 9 a new scene opens in which the angel describes to John the appearance of the new Jerusalem during the Millennium.
Too briefly have we considered it, but let not its glories be forgotten when this short article is laid aside, but let it be the means of awakening new and lasting desires for the moment when faith shall be changed to sight and prayer to praise.
A.T. Schofield (adapted)
Diamonds for Bread
The year was 1944 and the war in Europe dragged on. By this time, the Nazis realized that they were going to lose in the end, but they pushed on with their “final solution” to try to rid Europe of its Jewish population. Throughout Hungary more Jewish families were rounded up and put into boxcars for transportation to Auschwitz and other death camps.
Among these families was the Zisblatt family. Irene was 13 at the time, and she and her parents and siblings all climbed onto the trains heading to an unknown destination. Irene’s mother had a feeling that all was not going to go well, and she sewed several diamonds into the hem of Irene’s dress, telling her that she might be hungry and need to use them to buy bread. Diamonds for bread! It is hard for us to imagine.
On arriving at their destination, Auschwitz, the families were all separated, and Irene never saw her mother or siblings again. She saw her father once through a high fence.
Immediately on arrival everyone was told to put all the luggage they had brought in a huge pile, and also their clothing. What about those diamonds sewn into her dress hem? Thinking quickly, she tore them free and held them clutched in her hand. The lines of people moved through inspection. She could not keep them in her hand, so she put them into her mouth. But then she saw that the inspectors were checking everyone’s mouth too! She did the only thing she could, and swallowed them.
That was the beginning of a long process of swallowing her diamonds every time inspections were made, and then retrieving them again. She couldn’t use the public latrines, as the diamonds would be lost forever. She had to find a private spot, risking her life each time she had to swallow and then retrieve the diamonds. There was no place in the prison camp to buy bread, but she might need them some day! And they were her only connection with her mother and her happy childhood.
A Pendant of Memory
January 27, 1945 will always be remembered by those that were in that camp. It was the day that liberation finally came to those who had survived its horrors. Irene along with many other very sick and emaciated people were free to leave.
As the years went by, Irene came to live in America, and as she told her story there were tears at the remembrance of all she had been through. No, she had never bought bread with her diamonds. She finally had them made into a pendant in the shape of a tear drop, as a memory of all the sadness that they brought to her mind.
As I heard that story, it made me think of those verses in Malachi 3:16-17 — “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels.”
We are in difficult times. But in a coming day, very soon, our Lord will gather us, His jewels. We will bring Him much joy, not sadness! May we be thinking upon His name.
—Adapted from a documentary on the final days of Auschwitz.
World Order and Disorder
World Order and Disorder
The terms “World Order” and “New World Order” have been used in various ways and at different times during the past 100 years. In general, the term refers to a set of political, economic and social conventions that are accepted in the world during a particular era, and the effect that these have on relationships between different countries. The term was probably used first in modern times by former U.S. president Woodrow Wilson after World War I, and later by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill after World War II. Both of these leaders were speaking about the “new world order” that they wished to establish after the huge conflicts they had witnessed and the tremendous disorder that had resulted. Some feel that the concept of world order goes all the way back to 1648, when the Treaty of Westphalia was signed in Europe. This treaty, signed by most major nations in Europe, ended the disastrous Thirty Years’ War in Germany and established certain principles and boundaries, supposedly for the good of all.
More recently other world leaders have used the term, especially during the so-called “Cold War” that existed between the West and the Soviet Union during the years of 1945 to the late 1980s. Henry Kissinger, U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor during the Nixon and Ford administrations, authored a book bearing the title “World Order” in 2014, in which he explores the concept of world order over the history of this world. The term is being used again since the COVID pandemic began, an event that has also greatly altered the general order that existed in the world a few years ago.
One-World Government
The term “New World Order” has other meanings for some people, particularly in the realm of so-called “conspiracy theories.” There are some who have been convinced for many years that a group of “elite” conspirators are working behind the scenes to try and establish a “one-world government,” using financial, political and social pressures to achieve their ends. Since the COVID pandemic began, these conspiracy theories have also focused on what is perceived to be an attempt to gain control by the secret spreading of the virus, or perhaps by the enforced use of vaccines against it. (In making these remarks about conspiracy theories, I want to emphasize that I neither confirm nor seek to disprove these theories. It is not our purpose to consider them in this article. I merely mention them in connection with the phrase “New World Order.”)
The post-World War II period was seen as an opportunity to bring in idealistic proposals for global order by collective efforts — efforts that would address worldwide problems beyond the capacity of individual nation-states to resolve, while respecting the right of nations to self-determination. The goal of all this was, in Kissinger’s words, “an inexorably expanding cooperative order of states observing common rules and norms, embracing liberal economic systems, forswearing territorial conquest, respecting national sovereignty, and adopting participatory and democratic systems of government.” This liberal global order served as the bedrock of peace and stability for many years after 1945. It was purposefully designed by the U.S. and its Western allies to prevent armed conflict, through agencies such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the World Trade Organization, and NATO, as well as through a host of lesser treaties and agreements. While experiencing its ups and downs, it has worked reasonably well.
World Disorder
In the last few years, however, all this has suddenly changed. Edward Fishman, a former member of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. State Department, made the following observations recently:
“At rare moments, confidence in the old order collapses and humanity is left with a vacuum. It is during these times that new orders are born — that new norms, treaties and institutions arise to define how countries interact with each other and how individuals interact with the world.
“As the most far-reaching global disruption since World War II, the coronavirus pandemic is such a moment. The post-1945 world order has ceased to function. Under a healthy order, we would expect at least good faith attempts at international coordination to confront a virus that knows no borders. Yet the United Nations has gone missing, the World Health Organization has become a political football and borders have closed not only between countries but even within the European Union. Habits of cooperation that took decades to entrench are dissolving. Whether we like it or not, a new order will emerge as the pandemic recedes.”
As one indication of this dramatic change, we have seen Russia invade the Ukraine, and as I write this in October 2022, the Ukraine (with Western support and arms) seems to be having some success in defending itself. As a result, Russia has resorted to greatly increased “sabre-rattling” and has even threatened to use nuclear weapons.
An Emerging Superpower
In another area of the world, the following recent comment by CNN news emphasizes another factor that strongly influences world order:
“In little more than three decades, China has transformed itself from a closed-off Asian nation mired in poverty to an emerging superpower that rivals the United States. Now, the tendrils of Chinese influence are gradually wrapping themselves around the world, upending roles and relationships that have dominated the global order for half a century.”
Institutions That Create Order
Perhaps some of our readers are beginning to ask, Where are we going with all this? A few days ago, I was arrested by an article in the National Post, a prominent national newspaper in Canada. It appeared on September 21, 2022, and was written by Brian L. Crowley, the managing director of the MacDonald-Laurier Institute. Among other things, he said the following:
“In the coming new world disorder, Saint Paul’s [comments] will be the key insight ... ‘When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things’ (1 Cor. 13:11).
“One of the defining features of the postwar period was its almost unprecedented order and stability. That, in turn, created the comforting but childish illusion that the world was simply made this way, that we could insouciantly nibble away at the institutions and behaviors that underpinned this order and suffer no consequences. ...
“Families in general, and marriage in particular — which since time immemorial have been celebrated as the indispensable means of ... civilizing children, caring for the aged and passing on both culture and property across the generations — could be allowed to reach such a degraded state that we celebrate people breaking up their marriages because they feel ‘unfulfilled.’
“The coming world disorder is the result of the second law of thermodynamics, which essentially says that the default state of the world is disorder, not order. In other words, order must be endlessly rebuilt ... [in] a hostile world that is tirelessly working to undo our efforts.
“If you don’t maintain the institutions and behaviors that create order and stability because those institutions and behaviors are constraining, you don’t simply remove the constraints while maintaining the previous order; you get different and far more painful constraints without the blessings of order (emphases mine).”
Christian Principles
As believers, we know from God’s Word that things in this world are going to get worse and worse, and it seems from the article from which I have just quoted that even the secular world is beginning to recognize the source of the downward trend. While the quotations from Edward Crowley’s article do quote the Word of God, yet they do not (nor would we expect it in a secular newspaper) show us clearly that it is largely the giving up of God and His claims that has resulted in the chaos we are experiencing today.
When the Western world established a new world order after World War II, it did so largely on the basis of Christian principles and showing kindness to those who had been defeated. Some may argue with this, perhaps with good reason, for since nations were formed at the Tower of Babel, men and nations have always acted in their own interests, at least to some extent. Yet when God was honored, even in an outward way, the proverb was found to be true: “Righteousness exalteth a nation” (Prov. 14:34). But in the last 40 years, the moral tone of Western countries has greatly degenerated, and the consequences are being felt. Instead of world order, we are seeing increasing disorder.
Heavenly Citizens
Where does this leave us as believers? We are heavenly citizens and are not called to go out and try to straighten out the world. However, we will need to redouble our diligence to avoid disorder in our personal lives, in our homes, and collectively as Christians. The hostile world about which Edward Crowley speaks is a world under Satan’s control, and he is indeed using all his power to undo any effort at order, whether in the world or among Christians.
Man may work hard at trying to establish some sort of world order today, but God’s comment on it all is, “I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him” (Ezek. 21:27). Already we are seeing the beginning of overturning, but the real fulfillment of this prophecy will occur after we are called home and God begins to judge this world.
Our work today, in the words of another verse with a three-fold emphasis, is to proclaim, “O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord” (Jer. 22:29). We may be concerned about the increasing disorder in the world today, but it is nothing compared to what will take place during the Great Tribulation. It is only the gospel of God’s grace that will save souls from coming judgment, and while applying God’s Word to ourselves, we have the privilege and earnest responsibility to proclaim it to others. The time is short!
W. J. Prost
Love's Jewel
Can the jewel e’er regret
Her rock-bound prison home, when set
In gold and brilliants richly met?
Such our love’s Jewel! rich and bright
In heaven’s fair setting; in His light,
Who fashioned it for His own sight.
The tie He wove from nature’s loom
Has linked us in that training-room
Where links are forged that mock the tomb.
Yes! Links of gold without alloy,
Which time nor death can e’er destroy:
From Him, our life, our common joy.
What music in that holy sphere,
Like that which had its keynote here,
Which, mid earth’s din, beat soft and clear!
And such was ours — such will it be,
Eternal music! For ’tis He
Whose master-hand has set the key.
G. V. Wigram