Bro. Ostis Wilson Jr.'s Commentary

Church/Saints
 

Questions Concerning . . .

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Peculiar People

Question: What is the meaning of the term "peculiar people" in I Peter 2:9? Does it mean strange or odd?

Answer: Not at all. This text is speaking of what God's people are to Him, and God does not make a people who would be odd or strange unto Himself. On the contrary, they are His jewels (Malachi 3:17) and special treasure (Deuteronomy 7:6). They are the chosen of God, elect and precious. This is what God's people are to Him. Oh, the blessedness of being chosen by God to be one of His special people.

Of course, this does not describe what the saints are to the world nor the way the world looks at us. We are to them a strange spectacle with our conduct of self-denial, loving our enemies, doing good to them that hate us, praying for those who persecute and revile us, turning the other cheek, going the second mile, giving the cloak with the coat, etc., as compared with the self-centeredness, every fellow for himself, and the devil for us all, attitudes. But, as before mentioned, this text is referring to what the people of God are to Him and not to the world.

Now we will notice some texts which contain the term "peculiar," or its equivalent, and see what their use is in the Scriptures. "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation...." Exodus 19:5-6. Note the use of the term here, "a peculiar treasure unto me above all people." This would clearly refer to a separated group of people from among all the other people of the earth. In Deuteronomy 7:1-6 we read how the Israelites were to deal with the people of the land when they entered Canaan. They were to utterly destroy all their places and facilities for sacrifice and worship. Verse 6 plainly states the reason for this stern indictment. It says, "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." This text uses the term "special people" instead of "peculiar treasure" as in Exodus 19:5-6. These are alternate terms used in the same way and clearly mean the same things. Read also Deuteronomy 14:2; 26:16-19; 28:9; 29:13 and I Kings 8:53.

In all the above texts the terms of peculiar, holy, special and separate have the same meaning and describe the same relationship between God and His people. This is just about, if not altogether, the total meaning and scriptural use of the term "peculiar people" in the Bible.

Our text, I Peter 2:9 and Titus 2:14), may be the only places in the New Testament where the term "peculiar people" is used, and clearly it is used in the same way and means the same thing as its use in the Old Testament in regard to ancient Israel, the chosen people of God in that time. Titus 2:14 says this: "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." It is clear in this verse that the ultimate objective of Christ's sacrifice at Calvary was to redeem and save us from all sin and unrighteousness and purify unto Himself a peculiar or separated people. In II Corinthians 6:14-18 we read, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Here is clearly taught the doctrine of total separateness and the reason for it is: the opposites mentioned here can by no means blend. Therefore, since He has provided the sacrifice in His Son, Jesus, to fully cleanse us from sin and purge us from every impure and unrighteous thing through His blood, He now requires us to be separated from all these things unto Him. He now requires us to touch none of the unclean things from which He has purged us in the blood of His Son, and maintain a holy and righteous life separated unto Him.
 

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Saints Shall Judge the World

Question: What is the meaning of I Corinthians 6:1-3? Especially deal with Paul's statement, "The saints shall judge the world." How much territory does this cover, and what does it not cover?

Answer: I Corinthians 6:1-3 reads, "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"

The apostle here is giving out a strong reproof against the saints at Corinth for going to law one against another in the common courts of the land before the unbelieving (heathen) judges and putting on display their strife and disagreements before the world, whereas they should be showing to the outside world the picture of love, mercy, long-suffering and forbearance, charity and unity. He calls this a shameful thing, and surely it is a shameful thing and a reproach to the Christian profession. He argues that all their disagreements and differences should be tried before a select group of saints or even one who would have divine wisdom and be able to judge between his brethren. This is still good advice for saints today. We should never carry our affairs of any nature before the outside world to judge. A person who would not submit to the judgment of qualified Spirit-filled men of God would be wrong at heart even before he filed a case in court. Of course, it is a different matter if a saint is drawn into court by someone of the outside world through circumstances over which he has no control and should not be condemned by other saints for being in such a case unless he has given some occasion for it. If he has given such occasion or been at fault in the matter, then he would strive by all means available to him to correct his fault and settle the matter before it gets into court.

In verse 3 it says, "...We shall judge angels." Apparently the apostle here is referring to himself and his brother ministers in this case and not the saints in general as in verse 2. I have not had any very good explanation or understanding on this statement. However, Adam Clarke says that "Angels" here is generally believed by Bible scholars and commentators to refer to devils. This interpretation has a foundation in the Scriptures in II Corinthians 11:13-15, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." Also in Revelation 12:7 of the dragon (Paganism; heathenism) which is also called the Devil and Satan (that great opposer of the truth, the gospel of Christ, and believers in Him) and his angels. This text makes it clear that Satan has angles the same as God. Adam Clarke further says that it was through the preaching of the gospel by Paul and his brother ministers (Holy Spirit-filled men) that these satanic angels (false apostles and prophets that spoke contrary to the truth) and also evil spirits of all kinds were exposed and judged and cast out. Thus "we" (the Holy Spirit-filled ministers of Christ) judge angels (the evil spirits and agents of Satan). I have followed Adam Clarke at this place and have no better explanation that I can give at this time.

Now, in I Corinthians 6:2 it says, "...The saints shall judge the world." This is where the special emphasis is in the question. Again Adam Clarke says that, "the world" is a term in the Scriptures which generally refers to the Roman Empire or sometimes to the Jewish State. But in my discussion here I prefer to extend it beyond those borders to the whole wide world, even though in its direct meaning it may refer to a more restricted area. This is because I see it applying to our times also and in about the same way. In other words, the same Scriptures would apply in either case.

All will agree, no doubt, that the preaching of the gospel under Holy Spirit anointing and power is a judgment against all sin and unrighteousness. In Romans 1:16 Paul says that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. In verse 17 it says that in the gospel is revealed the righteousness of God, and in verse 18 he says that in the gospel is revealed the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. The judgments of God through His Word liberates and saves all who will accept His judgments. They also condemn all who refuse to accept them. I Peter 4:17 says "...The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God:..." Isaiah 1:27 says "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness." Isaiah 4:4 says Jerusalem shall be purged "...by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning." Isaiah 9:7 says the kingdom of God shall be ordered and established with judgment forever. Isaiah 58:1 says, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." All these scriptures refer to the preaching of the gospel and its effects, and that the same judgments that will condemn and destroy some will liberate, establish, purge and save others. It all depends on our response and attitude toward it.

The 149th Psalm is a psalm about the saints and their joyful habitation and their position of holy power. They possess in their hand a two-edged sword (the Word of God Hebrews 4:12). "...To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all his saints." This is exactly what they did when through the preaching of the gospel the works of the devil were exposed and the dragon bound and cast out. Devils were cast out of many by those whom Jesus sent out to preach and their successors after them. The kings and priests of the heathen world and pagan religions lost much of their influence with the people. It is also the same today where the pure Word of God is preached. He still honors His saints and confirms His word with signs following. In Isaiah 2:3, concerning the kingdom of God and its establishment, it says, "...for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." This describes the Church of God in action, executing the judgment written, and in this sense the "saints judge the world."

Psalm 1:5 says that sinners shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous. This introduces the thought that when sinners come into a congregation of the righteous where the saints are filled with the Holy Ghost and fire, and the Holy Spirit is anointing and reigning supremely, sinners and lukewarm professors are not able to stand there. They will be very uncomfortable and strongly convicted of their sins and lukewarmness. I Corinthians 14:24-25 says, "But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth." The results of a good, spiritual service is a judgment against all unrighteousness and a conviction of sinners. In this way also the saints judge the world.

Also, individually a person who is filled with the Spirit of God and manifesting a holy life will be a sharp rebuke and bring a conviction against the frivolous, foolish, and evil ways of the world when he is in the presence of worldly people. In this way also the saints shall judge the world.

John 5:22 says that the Father has committed ALL judgment unto the Son. Hence, the statement, "The saints shall judge the world" could not possibly refer to the saints participating in the general judgment on the last day. Jesus Christ Himself will be the one and only Judge on that day, and will judge all men including the saints. But the saints do stand in a very particular relation to this world and in a very unique relation with Christ and the Father. God has chosen to carry on His work and promulgate His gospel in the world through the Church, the body of Christ. The Bible says that the saints are "workers together with God" (I Corinthians 3:9 and II Corinthians 6:1), and Jesus commissioned His apostles and also their successors throughout this age of time to "Go...and teach all nations,..." Matthew 28:19 and again, "...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15. Incidentally, here is the answer to that part of the question, "How much territory does this cover?" That is, the entire world, all nations, and every creature.

You may ask, but what does all this have to do with the saints judging the world? Simply this: The proclamation of the gospel of Christ is a judgment against sinful men, and Jesus is with those who go forth with it (Matthew 28:20) and works with them, confirming the Word with signs following (Mark 16:20). Jesus said in His commission in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned." Thus, a judgment (preliminary) is going on continually by the faithful giving forth of the pure gospel from the Church and its God-called, God-sent, God-qualified, Spirit-filled and anointed ministry.

In Matthew 18:15-18, where Jesus is giving step by step instructions on how to deal with an offending brother, the final step is to take the matter to the Church and let them judge; then He said in verse 18, "...Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This makes it clear that God works in and through the Church and backs up and confirms its judgments when done in the Name of Jesus through the divine anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote in II Corinthians 2:15-16, "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" This makes it clear that those who go forth in Jesus' name carrying on the work of God are a sweet savor unto God regardless of the people's response to the gospel. It also makes it clear that the results are entirely in the people's hands as to how they respond and react to the gospel. Then the very solemn question: "Who is sufficient for these things?" Obviously the answer is, "Only those who are living victoriously and triumphantly." They only will be sufficient to execute judgment against sin of all kinds. II Corinthians 10:6 says, "And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, WHEN your obedience is fulfilled." In some instances judgment against evil is rendered ineffective when people who are not fulfilling these requirements get into it and endeavor to execute judgment. This only complicates things for those who are qualified and endeavoring to work out a problem.

Now let us look in upon a church (a congregation of saints) who is up to this standard and fulfilling these requirements and see how it works. If all the saints are on fire for God and full of zeal and fervency of spirit, and a lukewarm professor comes in among them, he will soon recognize that he does not fit in that atmosphere and become convicted of his need. If all the saints are manifesting an attitude of mutual concern for one another's welfare, bearing one another's burdens, and showing a disposition to help and encourage one another, and a self-loving, self-centered person comes in among them, it will be the same. If all the saints are joyful, happy and cheerful and manifesting a positive outlook on life; and some person who is glum and down in the dumps and with a sour disposition toward the world and everybody in it comes in, he will soon recognize that all that negativism does not fit in this positive crowd and will become convicted. If all the saints are full of expressions of appreciation for one another and for God and His blessings, and a habitual, chronic critic comes in among them, he will soon recognize that his criticism does not fit in that atmosphere and will be put to silence. If a covetous person comes in among a generous, liberal, free-hearted, big-hearted bunch of saints, it is not likely he will feel very comfortable and snug among them. In these ways and many more "The saints judge the world" by their outflow of godliness and manifestation of abundance of grace on every line.

In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Note: He said the preaching of the gospel was FOR A WITNESS. In Isaiah 43:10 and 12 God says to the Church, "Ye are my witnesses,..." God will surely execute judgment upon all sin and all sinners; but He must be justified when He speaketh, and be clear when He judgest Psalm 51:4. Therefore He wants His truth preached unto the glorious end of time as a witness even though it may prove a savor of death to everybody. He also wants the gospel lived and practiced by the Church as a witness unto the world. Therefore, He could clearly state to the condemned when pronouncing judgment upon them, "Here are my prophets who preached My gospel unto you and preached unto you the way of salvation and you rejected and refused them and would none of their reproof; and here are My saints who lived and practiced the principles of My truth right among you to show you the way; you made light of them, persecuted them and they were down-graded among you; and now you can only go your way to your own place." Of course, all of this speech will not be necessary and will not be said. Just seeing the saints whom they knew in this world, who manifested unto them the Spirit of Christ, the glorious life of the gospel, its standards of truth and holy living and let their light shine unto them, will be sufficient to condemn them in their own conscience and cause them to go away. In this very real sense, "The saints will judge the world."
 

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Whose Coming is After the Working of Satan

Question: Please comment on II Thessalonians 2:6-11 with emphasis on the words "Only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way" and "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders."

Answer: First, let me suggest that the readers take your Bibles and read this entire passage so you can get a better over-all idea of the context being discussed here and I will not need to take up so much space inserting the full text here.

Matthew Henry in his comments at this place states that there are many who believe that the one referred to in the passage who was then letting and would continue to let until he was taken away was the Holy Spirit; but the majority of commentators believed it to be the Roman Empire. I recognize that the Roman Empire with its Pagan religion which was in power when Jesus was here and through the early period of the Christian Church at the time this passage was written stood as a deterrent to the Roman Empire under Popery (the Catholic religion) which is here described from coming in. In the 13th chapter of Revelation where the Roman Empire under Catholicism is symbolized by a beast having seven heads and ten horns, it is said in verse two that the dragon (in chapter 12 the Roman Empire under Paganism is symbolized by a great red DRAGON with seven heads and ten horns) and here it is said the dragon gave this beast (Catholicism) his power and his seat, and great authority. One of them followed the other; they were not on the scene at the same time and it is evident that Paganism had to pass off the stage of action before Catholicism could come in. I have no problem with that and no quarrel with those who hold that view. But I do have some problem in identifying this text with that view or at least limiting it to that view and my thinking runs more with those who believe this to be the Holy Spirit and my discussion will be along that line in general.

First, let it be remembered that Jesus instructed His apostles to not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). This was to endue them with power from on high (divine Power) (Luke 24:49). This power was to be imparted to them by the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:8) and Jesus told them they would be baptized with the Holy Ghost "not many days hence" (Acts 1:5). This actually came to pass on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Jesus recognized the full importance of this and told them to not go anywhere or do anything until they received the Holy Ghost. He knew how futile all their efforts would be without the Holy Ghost. The apostles did not know it then (they could not have possibly know it then) but they did later on and we must recognize that also and never attempt anything in the work of the Lord without the unction, anointing, inspiration and guidance of the Holy Ghost.

The Church of God, the body of Christ, was built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the body of Christ, the Church, and directs and supervises all its activities and doings. It was born and came into active being on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost moved into it to dwell there and have charge of all its activities. This new creation of God the one new man (Ephesians 2:15) came forth a full-grown body just as the first man (Adam) that God created was a full-grown, fully developed man fresh from the hand of God. So this new man, the body of Christ, the Church, came forth fresh from the hand of God full-grown and ready to do service for God and that very same day there were about three thousand souls saved and added to them through the power and operation of the Holy Ghost in those apostles. (Acts 2:41.)

The Holy Ghost is the supervisor and general overseer of all the work of God being carried on by the Church. It is by the Spirit that believers are baptized or inducted into the body (Church) and their unity and oneness is maintained by drinking into that one Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:13.) In I Corinthians 12:7-11 Paul enumerates nine spiritual gifts placed in the Church for the profit of the entire body and declares it all to be a work of the Spirit. God through the Spirit sets all the members in the body as it pleaseth Him (I Corinthians 12:18) and through the Spirit God tempers the body together (I Corinthians 12:24) and verse 28 describes the different parts and phases of the ministry that God through the Spirit has set in the Church to teach, instruct and build it up in the most holy faith. The Holy Spirit was the predominant one and in supremacy in all the activities of the Church throughout that first golden period of its history and how glorious it was. The book of Acts gives the history of the Church and its work through the first few years of its existence. But we see the Holy Spirit in all those pages and all those doings until we conclude that book could have, with all propriety, been called "The Acts of the Holy Spirit" as "The Acts of the Apostles." Beautiful!

All the apostles and ministers were humble servants of Christ and of the Church. What if some were more useful and effective in their work that the Holy Spirit had called them to and qualified them for; none of them were seeking or desiring preeminence or authority over any of the others. They were just all busy doing what the Holy Ghost was working in them and letting everyone else do the same. One historian said in describing the Church in its first golden period, "The Christian Church in its beginning was a community of holy brethren guided by a few of the brethren." How beautiful! In Ecclesiastes 3:11 we read, "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:..." And surely God made a most beautiful and grand thing when He made the Church of God.

In the fourth chapter of Zechariah he had a vision, the principal objects of which were a candlestick and two olive trees, one on either side. To determine the identity of this candlestick let us look at a vision John the Revelator had in Revelation 1:12-20. In verse 12 he saw seven golden candlesticks. In verse 20 he was told that the seven candlesticks were the seven churches. The book of Revelation was addressed directly to the seven churches in Asia. There was one candlestick for each church. In Zechariah's vision there was only one candlestick which would represent the entire universal Church and not just a single congregation.

The candlestick, then, was the Church. But what of the two olive trees? They are of prime importance here because it was from them that the oil was supplied to light the candlestick and without them the candlestick would have just stood there dark; giving no light. Zechariah asked the angel to explain what these two olive trees represented. Revelation 11:3-4 throws some light on this matter. Verse 3 speaks of God's two witnesses in the earth and verse 4 identifies these two witnesses as the two olive trees. In John 5:39 Jesus said that the scriptures testified of Him. In John 1:45 Philip declared to Nathanael that they had found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write. Luke 24:27 says, "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." Then it is evident that God's WORD is one of the two witnesses.

Then Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with out spirit,..." Again in the last part of I John 5:6 we read, "...And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth." Then going on through verses 7 and 8, we read "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." Here is definite, conclusive proof of the Spirit being a witness of the Son of God and of salvation in the earth. But let it be noted that both the Spirit and the Word (the term "water" in verse 8 is symbolic of the Word) bore witness in heaven which would make it sure and indisputable that the witness of both the Spirit and the Word could be of heavenly and eternal things here in the earth. This is further confirmed by what Jesus said in Matthew 18:18-20 concerning the exercise of discipline and executing of judgment in the Church. He said, "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Read on through verse 19 and then verse 20 says, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Here we see the divine government in the Church being executed through the agency of Holy Spirit filled men and God can accept it in heaven because the same agents (Word and Spirit) which are in heaven and bearing record there are also in the earth and bearing witness here and exercising preeminent leadership in the government of the Church and directing all of its activities.

Therefore it is established that the two witnesses of Revelation 11:3-4, and the two olive trees which Zechariah saw standing one on either side of the candlestick (Zechariah 4:3), are the Word and Spirit of God. This is confirmed by what the angel said to Zechariah in explaining the vision to him in Zechariah 4:6, "...This is the word of the Lord...by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Thus it is evident that the Word and Spirit of God are the two representatives (vicars) of God in the Church and that the Church of God is a called out body of people in the earth in which these two agents are preeminent in the oversight and operation of all its activities. This is what makes it the Church of God. Take these away or relegate them to an inferior position and it is not the Church of God anymore.

It is very beautiful and interesting to watch the Holy Spirit operating and working and directing all the affairs of the Church in that early Church which had just come fresh from the hand of God and was just exactly like He wanted it. It was His new creation and was very good.

One requirement of all who held prominent places and exercised leadership in the Church was that they must be persons filled with the Holy Ghost. (Acts 6:3.) And by this means quietness, peace and harmony were maintained in this fledgling Church which was being threatened with schism by murmurings of discrimination by some of its members. These seven Spirit-filled men who were chosen by the Church and ordained for this service (deacons) by the apostles, took charge of this situation and were enabled by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to steer things in the right course.

In the 8th chapter of Acts we read how the Church at Jerusalem was scattered by severe persecution but as they went they preached the Word. And Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ unto them and a great revival broke out down there. But with all this going on there the Spirit led Philip, by an angel appearing unto him, to leave and go down on the Gaza desert. Philip obeyed and went. There was one lone man riding across that desert in his chariot and the Spirit led Philip to go and join him. Philip obeyed again and joined this man who was seeking after the things of God. Philip preached Christ unto him and he believed and was baptized but this was not the end of that story. This man was a very important man in the service of Queen Candace of Ethiopia and he carried what he got from Philip on down to Ethiopia and a sizable church was raised up there through him. This is a very beautiful example of Holy Spirit leadership in the Church and that He knew what He was doing when He took Philip away from the revival at Samaria and led him down to the desert to intercept his man.

When Cornelius was instructed of the angel of God to send to Joppa and get Peter to come down and tell him the way of salvation, he did so. Now be it remembered that Peter, being a Jew, was not permitted by Jewish custom to go in to one uncircumcised. But he explained when called in question about this that "...the Spirit bade me go with them,..." and he went and the results were wonderful and the gospel of salvation was opened to the Gentiles. This is just another outstanding example of Holy Spirit leadership and that the Spirit knew what He was doing. (Acts 10:1-8 and Acts 11:1-12.)

Again witness the operation of the Spirit in Acts 13:1-3. In this case there was a company of prophets and teachers in the Church at Antioch who were ministering and fasting and the Holy Spirit spake to them saying "...Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." God had a far-reaching work for them to do. So the company of disciples were obedient to the instruction of the Spirit and, after further fasting and prayer, laid their hands on them and sent them forth. Their work on that journey brought in a regular influx of the Gentiles into the Church. They went far and several churches were raised up.

On another missionary journey they went through Phrygia and the regions of Galatia and would have gone into Asia but the Spirit forbade them to do it. Then they went to Mysia and assayed to go into Bithynia but the Spirit did not allow that either. Was this because God did not want those people to have the gospel of salvation? Nay, verily. God is extremely anxious that every person hear the saving gospel of the Son of God. However, He knows His times and seasons and knew the time and conditions were not ripe right then in those areas. Asia was evangelized later on and Churches raised up there and the book of Revelation is addressed to them. But for that time the Holy Spirit had other work for Paul and Silas to do so He led them into Macedonia where they had not originally planned to go and there was some great work done over there and Churches raised up. Paul said in Acts 20:28 that the Holy Ghost appointed the elders to be overseers in the Church. He not only appointed the overseers over the different congregations, but also endowed them with gifts and qualifications to fulfill their responsibilities and take care of the Church of God.

This was very beautiful and this was indeed the glory period of the early Church but it was not long to continue in this way. This was the period when the Holy Spirit was in full charge and directing all the affairs of the Church. In other words, He was the One who was letting or overseeing and supervising everything. "...Only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." (II Thessalonians 2:7.) Though the Holy Spirit was in full charge then, the time was soon to come when He would be relegated to a "back seat" position and taken out of the way to make way for the "Man of sin" to come in.

A prophecy concerning this is found in Isaiah 63:18 and reads thus, "The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while:..." Again another prophecy concerning this same thing is found in Amos 8:9 and reads thus, "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day." In verse 11 it continues on to say that God would send a famine of hearing of the Word of the Lord and verse 12 says that they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not find it. This, no doubt, had a direct fulfillment in Israel's night when the prophecy was cut off and there was no voice from God for 400 years between Malachi and Christ. But it also has a second direct fulfillment in what happened to the Church in the period we are now discussing in the second chapter of II Thessalonians.

In the first part of II Thessalonians 2:7, Paul said, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:..." The seeds had already been sown and were taking root and growing in Paul's day. In those early times of the Church, the ministry consisted of elders OR bishops (not elders AND bishops; the two were the same) and deacons. They were all humble men of God subject to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and there was no one among them seeking preeminence or to be lord over the others. However, this idea did surface among the apostles in their early days before the Holy Spirit came James and John desired the chief places; one on the right hand and one on the left hand of Jesus in His kingdom, and all the apostles debated among themselves at one time who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Read Mark 10:35-45 and Luke 22:24-27). In these places Jesus taught them that was the way of the world and of the Gentiles and their kings and great men exercised lordship over them but it should not be so among them. And in Matthew 23:8 He nailed it down when He said, "...One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren." The apostles got the point of that teaching and this thing never showed up in them anymore throughout their lifetime. They all remained just, humble men of God entirely submitted to the directions of the Holy Spirit. As one historian who has already been referred to said, "The Christian Church was in the beginning a community of brethren guided by a few of the brethren."

This was all very beautiful just like God makes everything beautiful and good; but Paul detected in his time the sprouting of the tares which had been sown among them and said the mystery of iniquity was already showing its symptoms. He called it the "mystery of iniquity." (II Thessalonians 2:7.) John wrote in III John 9 about one named Diotrepes who loved to have the preeminence among them and went on in verse 10 saying this man would not receive the brethren and forbade others from doing so and those who did he cast out of the Church. This was after Paul's time but he encountered some of the same things himself. He wrote in I Corinthians 4:18 saying, "Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you." How different this was from those humble men of God in the early days of the Christian Church.

The evidences of spiritual decline were manifest in the Churches of Asia in the Revelation. The Church at Ephesus was holding steadfastly to the doctrines and standards of Christ and His apostles but they had left their first love. Jesus reproved them for this and commanded that they repent and do their first works or He would come and remove their candlestick. (Revelation 2:1-7.) To keep the Word of God and hold Its standards (outwardly) and not possess the Spirit and love of God (inwardly) is to substitute the form for the fact of godliness. Christ called this a fallen church. It was to this very church that Paul gave his solemn charge in Acts 20:17-35 and admonished its elders with tears to be alert and watchful. He saw these things coming.

The Church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) had become very worldly and fallen to a very low spiritual level and become lukewarm and rating their spiritual status by their worldly prosperity. In a lukewarm state they were very obnoxious and nauseating to Christ and He was ready to spew them out.

Things were wrong in every church except Smyrna. They had false teachers and various kinds of wickedness. This low spiritual level and a high level of worldly prosperity combined to produce among the church leaders a lust for power and authority and preeminence and a competition for position. Soon every group of elders exalted one among them to a position of preeminence and to him was reserved the exclusive title of "Bishop" (before they were all bishops). Then the idea of ecclesiastical organization progressed a step farther and several bishops in an area formed a conference and the most influential bishop among them was elected to the position of Archbishop with authority over all the bishops in that diocese. Then as it progressed still farther one of the archbishops in a large district was exalted to the office of Metropolitan with authority over all the archbishops in his district. And so on and on until the Pope of Rome was declared to be the universal head of the church. He had authority over political kings and could humble and dethrone them and actually did this in some instances. Today the universal head of the church reigns with almost absolute authority over the world's largest congregation of 800 million souls.

This man sits in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. (II Thessalonians 2:4.) His title is "Vicar of the Son of God" and this title is lettered across his miter. But, as we set forth in the first part of this discussion and confirmed with definite scriptures, God's Word and God's Spirit were His two representatives (vicars) in the Church. So the title attributed to this ecclesiastical ruler is blasphemous and presumptuous. As this apostasy developed and the system produced, by each step of its progressive build-up, a human government over the church system, the Holy Spirit, who had formerly exercised leadership and governmental authority in the Church, was relegated to a lesser and lesser place and human preeminence took away His authority. He was taken away to make place for the man of sin (this human government system and its head, the supreme pontiff of Rome). This is what is referred to in Revelation 11:3 where it is said, "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, (the Word and Spirit) and they shall prophesy...clothed in sackcloth." This signifies that they would be in humiliation and mourning and would be relegated to the background and have a very limited operation. Their operation during all the time of the dark ages (1260 years) and the reign of the apostasy was just among the few who were faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel and would not bow to human rule and faced the bitter persecution that came against them from this false, human, and apostate system.

And as the system of human organization progressed to its climax in the Roman Catholic hierarchy, those carnal, exalted, power and position-lusting men declared that God had given unto them the power to "Prescribe authoritative rules of faith and manners to govern the people of God." Thus they became a legislative and governing body for the church with power to enact laws and make decrees which they did and many of which were carnal ordinances and in direct opposition to the New Testament teachings of the pure truth of the gospel of salvation. Thus the Word (the other of the two witnesses (vicars of Christ in the Church) was taken away and denied its rightful place in the Church.

It has been pointed out earlier that a body of religious worshippers must have both the Word of God and the Spirit of God working among them with full liberty in order for it to be the Church of God. Since this vast, apostate system to which the whole world bowed and worshiped, had neither the Word or Spirit it could not be of God but was totally human and of hellish and devilish origin. Therefore it is said, "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders." This was Satan's substitute church and directly in opposition to the true Church of God in the earth and its head, Jesus Christ.
 

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