Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

In recent years, the premillennial controversy has raged once again. Practically every time that an attempt is made to re-establish the nation of Israel, men begin to think that the time of the end is near. Consequently, they speculate concerning Bible prophecies in the light of the current events which they read in the daily newspaper. Since 1948 when Israel was once again established as a nation, the religious market has literally been flooded with materials proclaiming the theories of premillennialism.

The terminology of premillennialism has become well known. We have seen bumper stickers mentioning rapture. Radio evangelists have discussed pre- and posttribulation theories to such an extent that practically everyone is acqainted with the seven-year tribulation period. Another term of premillennial importance is the term “Battle of Armageddon.” Most every preacher has been asked on one or more occasions, “What is the battle of Armageddon?” I would like to try to answer some of the questions that people are asking about the battle of Armageddon. Certainly the term is a Bible term, although it is only used in Rev. 16:16. From the amount of discussion it receives, one could get the idea that it is mentioned on every page of the Bible.

However, before discussing the biblical meaning and usage of the word armageddon, let me be sure that you understand how premillenialists are using the term. In order to do this, I must briefly summarize the main points of premillennialism according to the pretribulation rapture point of view.

The Battle of Armageddon According to Premillennialists

Let me begin by relating the series of events which surround the battle of Armageddon according to this view point. We are presently living in what is termed the “church age.” Premillennialism teaches that Jesus came to this world to establish His eternal kingdom. However, when the Jews rejected Him and had Him crucified, a second plan was inaugurated which postponed the establishment of His kingdom. In the meantime, the “church age” occurs. At the end of this church age, Jesus is supposed to come again and take His saints quietly from the earth. Saints are supposed to mysteriously disappear from the earth at the rapture. The rest of the population on this earth will continue life as it is at the present.

The rapture will be followed by a seven year period of tribulation. This period is designed to prepare the nation of Israel to receive her Messiah. A remnant of the Jews will believe the gospel and serve as evangelists to try to persuade the rest of the Jews to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some Gentiles will also turn to the Lord during this period.

During this period a personal Antichrist will arise, be popularly received as a ruler over Europe, and oppose the work of Jesus Christ. The forces of the Antichrist and Jesus Christ are destined for a great final conflict called the Battle of Armageddon. After Jesus victoriously defeats Satan, He will establish His kingdom on the earth and reign over it for one thousand glorious years.

The participants in this battle are already revealed, according to those who accept premillennialism. Four world powers will enter the fray. (1) Europe. The first great world power will be Europe. This Europe will be different from the independent nations which presently are known as Europe. The independent nations of Europe will form a ten-state United States of Europe. Premillennialists generally interpret the Common Market which is presently developed in Europe to be the first steps toward a United States of Europe. This ten-state confederacy will be under the leadership of one man who is the Antichrist. Premillennialists identify this new United States of Europe as the Roman Empire prophesied in Dan. 2 and 7. (2) The Russian Confederacy. This is the second great world power which will participate in the Battle of Armageddon. Russia is identified as “Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal” (Ezek. 38:1-3). Her allies will be Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Togarmah (Ezek. 38:6,9,15,22; 39:4) which are identified as Iraq, Iran, Ethiopia, North Africa, Germany, Armenia, etc. (3) Egypt: the King of the South. The third great power in the Battle of Armageddon will be Egypt. Premillennialists understand Dan. 11 to be discussing the Battle of Armageddon and identify the king of the south with Egypt. (4) China: the Eastern power. Elsewhere in Dan. 11, a power from the East’ (v. 44) is mentioned. Premillennialists generally understand this to refer to China today, although premillennialists of the World War II era dogmatically asserted that this eastern power was Japan.

When the conflict begins, the battle will occur like this: Egypt will initiate a conflict with Israel. Because of the present tensions in the Middle East, premillennialists are convinced that this could happen at any time. At the same time that this occurs, Russia will invade the Near East pushing its conquests all the way to Egypt whom she will also defeat. The reason that Russia enters this war is her need for crude oil. Having defeated these countries, Russia will hear of rumors from the East (China) and from the North (Europe under the Antichrist). At that time she will return to Israel to defend her newly conquered area at Megiddo. Through some sort of nuclear holocaust, Russia will be defeated leaving a “power vacuum” in Israel which the Antichrist will quickly fill. Europe under the Antichrist will engage in battle with the East and then against the Jews.

At this point, Christ’s second coming will occur. He will enter into a physical battle with the army of Satan under the leadership of the Antichrist and summarily defeat it. Having defeated His enemies, He will establish His kingdom and reign for one thousand years over the nations of this world from the city of Jerusalem. The temple will be re-built and animal sacrifices will be reinstituted. The glorious reign of Christ will begin.

It seems that a comment about the imminence of these events needs to be injected. Premillennialists have always expected the Battle of Armageddon to occur at “just any time.” In 1924, William Edward Biederwolf wrote,

“In keeping with the interpretation which makes the word descriptive of a characteristic (great slaughter) rather than a definite place, there are those who think the last world war lust closed (World War I-mw) was Indeed the very battle of ArMagedon, and that therefore, as John Robertson says, `The Second Advent of our Lord is now by Prophetical schedule due, and may at the next tick of the watch in your pocket be seen In the sky”‘ (The Millennium Bible, pp. 662-663).

The usefulness of such a theory to the evangelism process is readily perceived. Whether used intentionally or unintentionally, the premillennial theory is used to scare people into obeying the gospel because the end time is right around the corner.

Having a grasp of the premillennial theory of the Battle of Armageddon, you are somewhat better prepared to tell whether or not this is in harmony with the Bible. Does God’s word foretell the coming of such a great, physical conflict between Christ and a personal Antichrist? Can we see the signs which precede this conflict through the reading of our daily newspapers? These and other questions must be answered by going back to the Bible to see what it says about the Battle of Armageddon in particular and premillennialism in general.

(Continued next week)

Truth Magazine XXII: 13, pp. 211-212
March 30, 1978

By Larry Ray Hafley

Question:

From the Philippines: “Will you please explain about the thief on the cross? Was he saved without water baptism?”

Reply:

This is an old question. It is a frequent objection against the necessity of water baptism. Obviously, the denominational world has great confidence in the “thief on the cross argument,” else it would not make the contention that it proves salvation before and without water baptism. Thus, it must be dealt with each time it is presented (2 Tim. 4:2b).

The thief lived and died:

(1) Without believing that God had raised Christ from the dead. Can we (Rom. 10:9)?

(2) Without being a member of the body of Christ. Can we (Eph. 1:22, 23; 2:16; 4:4; 5:23-26)?

(3) Without hearing the gospel as preached by the apostles. Can we (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 3:3-6; 1 Pet. 1:10-12)?

If the fact that the thief was not baptized means baptism is not essential for us, then the same reasoning also excludes the three items listed above.

Jesus had “power on earth to forgive sins” (Matt. 9:6). He exercised that authority more than once (Lk. 7:50; Matt. 9:2). I believe the thief was saved by this same power. However, this was before the cross, before the preaching of repentance and remission of sins began in Jerusalem (Lk. 24:47-49; Acts 1:1-8; 2:1-5, 36-47). Jesus still has power to forgive sins (Matt. 28:18.20). That Divine right is expressed in the terms or conditions of the gospel. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:16).

Jesus is not now on the earth pardoning people as He did then. He is now qualified, certified and verified as Lord at the right hand of God (Acts 2:29,36; 1 Pet. 3:22). We are now living under the new testament system (Heb. 9:16, 17). It is the “new and living way” which He consecrated for us through His flesh, i.e., His death on the cross (Heb. 10:19.22).

Actually, whether the thief was saved with or without water baptism has nothing to do with our salvation. But forget the thief for a moment. Consider the rich, young ruler (Mk. 10:17-22). He could not inherit eternal life without going and selling all that he had. If one demands that salvation be “just like the thief on the cross,” then I shall demand that salvation be “just like the rich, young ruler.” So, we can exclude baptism, but we shall have to go and sell all that we have. Absurd, you say? Yes! Our terms are different from those of the ruler and the thief. One can understand that when he contemplates the ruler, and he ought to be able to do so when he hangs with the thief.

John 3:16

In the letter accompanying his letter, our querist mentioned John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 does not mention:

1) The necessity of repentance. Must one repent before he can be saved?

2) The command to confess Christ? Can one be saved without confessing Christ (Rom. 10:9, 10; Matt. 10:32, 33)?

If the fact that baptism is not mentioned excludes baptism as essential to salvation, then it excludes repentance and confession because they are not mentioned. Remember, too, that John 3:16 is in the context of John 3:3, 5, where Jesus said that one must be born of water and of the Spirit. That certainly includes baptism (Eph. 5:26; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:21).

Truth Magazine XXII: 13, p. 210
March 30, 1978

By Dennis C. Abernathy

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Cor. 1:21).

These are very beautiful verses indeed. They show God’s power and His wisdom in the carrying out of His plan in spite of man. Man has always prided himself with his much wisdom. Why the learned men, the philosophers of the day, with all of their investigations, experiences, and etc. knew not God. Some even denied His very existence; some represented Him under some idol form (Acts 17) showing that they had no real acquaintance with the true God.

But the same is still true today. Our society is almost education mad. We pride ourselves with our much learning. We think we know so much. We are so self-sufficient! Therefore “the Bible is put-dated.” “It was fine for those ignorant people back there, but not for our enlightened age.” Men are still denying God in outer space, in the test tube, in the theories of evolution.

But, my friend, God chose His plan (it may not suit the learned of our day) but He is yet pleased with it. It is simple. This, of course, involves His only begotten Son, who left the riches of heaven and made Himself a little lower than the angels and became as man to suffer and die the cruel death on a Roman cross. All of this because you and I were sinners, and this was God’s means of saving us from our sins. It involves the teaching of God’s Son, that is recorded for us to read and understand and then do, so that we may be pleasing to the One who loved us so much and shed His grace forth unto us. It may not be like man would have done it, and man may think he can improve upon it, but it is according to the wisdom of Almighty God and it pleases Him. Therefore it should please us.

1.”The Foolishness of preaching”: Not, by “foolish preaching” but, by the preaching of the cross, which was regarded as foolish and absurd by worldly minded men. God’s plan is wise, but along corner puny man, and esteems it as foolish. Who can believe that we can live or have life through one who died? That we can be blessed forevermore by one who became a curse? That we can be justified by one who was Himself condemned? That we can be saved by one who could not save Himself? That is foolishness to many who do not know any better.

But not only was the preaching considered foolish, but also the manner of preaching the gospel was considered foolish. Not many of the famous men of wisdom and eloquence were employed, just a few unlearned and ignorant fishermen. But my friend, the power was not in the men, but in the message and the one from whom the message came. They had been with Jesus. They could not be discounted as just ignorant and unlearned men. Even the elite of the day marveled and took note of them (Acts 4:13).

Men yet today will scoff at the gospel of Christ, ridicule it proclaimers, and disapprove its precepts. These have never seen the beauty of the cross. They have not humility, and know not greatness through service.

2. It Is The Power of God To Save Them Which Believe: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation-to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). Man may consider it foolish and he may ridicule its proclaimer, but it is God’s power to save man. Man must put self behind, discard his human wisdom, humble himself at the cross and accept the preaching of the gospel-the cross, that he may be saved.

I may trust in my wealth, but it cannot save. I may trust in my wisdom, but it cannot save. I may trust in my popularity, friends, prestige and station in life but they cannot save. But God can save, and He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). He wants all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4); but His power to save is in the gospel.

Dear reader and friend, do you think of the gospel as foolishness and trivial? Give it a fair hearing, examine the evidence, and you will see God’s wisdom. It is the foolish one who does not accept the teaching of the Lord. He is as the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. The floods came and the winds blew and that house fell, and great was the fall thereof. A failure to accept the gospel means the loss of one’s soul. Think about it!

Truth Magazine XXII: 12, pp. 205-206
March 23, 1978

By Norman E. Fultz

He was a middle-aged fellow. Accompanied by his teenaged son, he had come across a couple of states from his home to the big city where he hoped to find work to support his family. Being a Christian, he sought out the saints on Lord’s day that he and his son might worship God after the New Testament order. After services they did not hurry away but lingered to meet fellow Christians in this strange metropolis. My wife and I asked them home for lunch and, when they faltered because they would not have much time, we assured them they need not feel obligated to stay longer than they felt they should. The couple of hours proved to be enjoyable.

A few days passed and a letter came from the brother who had settled on the opposite end of the city. The letter expressed gratitude for the hospitality, and on the back of it he had scrawled a poem which appears at the end of this article. Whether he was the original author, I do not know for it was unsigned. Being untitled, after reading and pondering upon the poem, I gave it the title “Mutual Aid.” That was quite a few years ago and I have neither seen nor heard from the brother again, but I have read his poem many times. The point I see in the poem is the point I seek to make in this article.

No man is an island. One man is not a nation any more than one clod is a continent. None lives nor dies to himself. He affects and is affected by others. What he is, he is because of his contact with others, at least in part. And all who have come into contact with him are changed because of that contact. Where is the fully self-sufficient person? Maybe the wild “mountain man” or the hermit is self-sufficient! But God never so intended man’s life to be this way. By nature, he is a social creature depending upon others and being depended upon by others.

Even so it is in the church, a community of believers. It is God’s intention that we aid, comfort, edify and encourage one another; this can best be done by knowing, understanding and communicating with one another. But am I alone in the feeling that with the passing of years, brethren are growing more cold and indifferent toward one another, toward the stranger who comes among us as a visitor or newcomer, or even toward the regular members of the local churches? In a number of places where my work has taken me, I have detected on the part of many what seemed to be a tendency to keep, one another at arm’s length. “Closeness” seems to be feared. At the same time, there are others who seem to yearn for a closeness with kindred spirits from whom strength and encouragement in the Christian life can be drawn. They need help to keep from getting “Sodom-cankered,” and they see that possible help in those whose “spirit . . . soareth tall.”

The Lord’s church is essential. That essentiality is seen in its mission. It is to save souls (1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Thess. 1:8-9; Matt. 28:18-20). Salvation is in the body, the church (Acts 2:47; Eph. 5:23). Both its purchase price, the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28), and the fact that it was in God’s eternal purpose (Eph. 3:10-11) underscore the importance of the church. All that being true, how important then becomes the relationship of those who compose it!

There is a need for “mutual aid” in the local church. When I speak of aid, I do not mean turning the church into a glorified “Red Cross” or social club, though each must stand ready to help a needy brother (1 John 3:17). I refer to a dependence each has on the other. The church is a body composed of many members. Paul uses that figure twice. In Romans 12:4-5 he says, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” We are members one of another. Please note that expression and turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 12:20-27 and read it. There Paul further develops the analogy; he said, “God hath tempered the body together . . . that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.” Look at it. We are members one of another and should have the same care for one another.

In other passages, we are taught that the “strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Rom. 15:1), that we should “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2), “consider one another to provoke unto love and good works” (Heb. 10:24), and to “comfort one another” (1 Thess. 4:18). We are to “by love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13). In a context speaking of brotherly love, John wrote that “we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). The first Christians were happy in their association together. Of them it is said they were “breaking bread from house to house, (and) did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart” (Acts 2:46). Are we, because of the hurried pace of our own life, afraid to “open up” and “reach out” in genuine friendship and brotherly love? Are we wary lest we do find someone who needs some help with a burden and lest we be called upon to serve another?

Those who are stronger often fail to realize the needs of the weaker, the need for someone “to rub on” the “balm for aching hearts,” to be near “while God and Christ seem far away.” Even those who are newborn in Christ are often set adrift on their own, and many of them falter and fall whereas they may have been strengthened and saved if some had been “given to hospitality” (Rom. 12:13) and had used it (1 Pet. 4:9). There may be some who “yearn and often cry” for the company of one of like precious faith for his small spirit needs a tall spirit to aid and strengthen him. Ponder the poem and see what I mean.

Mutual Aid

I’ve blundered o’er the paths of life

And had my share of joy and strife.

Some good I’ve done along the way,

But much more bad, I’m bound to say.

The evil thoughts and deeds are mine

To blame another, I decline;

For God, the Father, and His Son,

Are with me always, three in one-

That is, if I myself would take

And purge my spirit for His sake.

So why on earth should you or I

Be aught but good if we should try?

For you, I hope, the task is small;

Your spirit, maybe, soareth tall.

But mine, alas, I blush to say

Gets Sodom-cankered o’er the way,

And for the cure which God supplies

It sorely yearns and often cries,

Not being willing quite, I find

To look ahead and not behind.

In Christ, the balm for aching hearts,

Through His Spirit, God imparts.

But who’s to rub it on each day

While God and Christ seem far away?

You, my brother, sister, friend,

By loving, helping, to the end.

And, oh, the joy and peace untold

That comes to any wandering soul,

When Christians, all, not asking why

God’s balm of love and truth apply!

Yes, brother and sister in Christ, your company with a weaker Christian may be the deterrent to his falling away, and by helping him, you will yourself be strengthened.

Truth Magazine XXII: 12, pp. 204-205
March 23, 1978