Monday, December 18, 2017

Isaiah 59:1 – God’s Hand Is Not Short

Behold, the hand of Jehovah is not shortened, that it can not save; neither his ear heavy, that it can not hear. — Isaiah 59:1, Restoration Light Improved Version.

(1) Some tell us that God is doing all in His power for the world, to bring mankind to a knowledge of the truth, of His grace and the opportunities of eternal life through His Son. We believe no such thing — it is contrary to both reason and Scripture. Jehovah through His Word informs us that Satan is operating in the world in opposition to the light of truth and blinding the masses. We are also assured that God has full power over Satan. When His due time comes Satan will be bound, restrained, so that he will not deceive the nations until the thousand years are finished. During that thousand years of the Millennial Age the world will be free from all such blinding influences. (2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9; 20:1-3; Isaiah 29:18,24) The Scriptures tell us that darkness now covers the earth, society, and gross darkness the people. Yet in God’s due time the light of Truth will mount up high in the heavens as the Sun of Righteousness. It will scatter the darkness and clouds of sin and superstition. Thus from two standpoints a blessing will come by restraining the powers of darkness and by setting free the powers of light. Of that time we are further assured that the knowledge of Jehovah will fill the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. — Isaiah 60:2; Malachi 4:2; Isaiah 11:9.

(2) Those who think of God as having done all that is in His power to cause the knowledge of His grace and truth to fill the earth have not yet come to know the power of Jehovah’s hand. It is not shortened, as he tells us in due time all His purposes will be accomplished. (Jeremiah 51:29) The difficulty with mankind is in shortsightedness — the feeling that more should be done now. We need to be calm, and to sink into Jehovah’s will. We should not tell Jehovah how we think his plan for the glorification of his name and the salvation of man should be carried out. We should not try to carry out our own plans irrespective of the divine arrangement. We should, as obedient children, listen to the voice of our Father through His Son and through the apostles and prophets. These assure us that in His due time the message of salvation will be good tidings of great joy to all people. They also assure us that now He is doing a preparatory work of finding and developing His jewels, those who will be the judges and governors of that coming age of glory. (Malachi 3:17; Luke 19:15-19; Isaiah 32:1; 1 Corinthians 6:2) Mankind must completely learn the lessons pertaining to the rulership of sin and death. Then Jehovah will work through his chosen servants of this age to the fulfillment of His great and glorious plan, not merely for the salvation of those called in this age, but for the salvation of the whole world — that whosoever will may take of the water of life freely. — 1 Timothy 4:10; John 4:42; 1 John 2:2; Revelation 22:17.

(3) Thus Paul spoke concerning that time saying: “He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained. Of this he has given a guarantee to all, in that He has raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) This verse does not refer to the judgment of the saints of this age. Their judgment takes place in advance, and was already in progress when the apostle uttered these words. On the contrary, we are assured that faithful saints will not come into judgment with the world in the end of this age, but will be counted, not as “children of wrath,” but as “children of the day,” “children of God by faith.” — Ephesians 2:3; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:10.

(4) It is in full agreement with this line of thought and in disagreement with every other thought on this subject that the apostle declares: “Do you not know that the saints [dedicated ones] will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2) Here he distinctly differentiates between the Church [called-out ones] and the world. The saints, he tells us, are being judged now. Every son whom Jehovah receives is disciplined, corrected, and proven. (Hebrews 12:6) All do not receive the same reward. There are various stations and rewards to be given to the saints according to Gods choosing. (Luke 19:17,19) The world, he distinctly tells us, is not on judgment now — not on trial — but will be on trial in the future. When the world will be on trial the saints [dedicated ones] will be the judges. (Hebrews 12:6,7; 1 Corinthians 11:32) Having already passed trial themselves, the saints will be the judges under the Messiah as the great Judge. (John 5:22; 12:47,48) They will be judges of the world during its trial time, during the millennial kingdom reign. — Revelation 20:4; Isaiah 32:1.

(5) We should rid our minds of the thought that the day of judgment is merely a time for sentencing for past wrong doing. We should see clearly that, on the contrary, sin in the present life is of ignorance, of blindness, of superstition. These have come to all through the fall and through the power of the adversary. (Romans 5:18; 2 Corinthians 4:40) All this is to be forgiven men during the Millennial rule, if they accept Jehovah and His gracious arrangements through His Son, Jesus, just as these ignorances and blemishes are now forgiven the disciples of Jesus. (Jeremiah 31:34; Isaiah 2:4; 26:9; 29:24) If we believe in Jesus we can even now be counted as free from all condemnation though our Redeemer’s merit and sacrifice. (Colossians 1:13,14; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 8:1) Even so, the people blinded of this world, when they come to a knowledge of Jehovah and an appreciation of His arrangement during the 1,000 years of the Christ’s reign, will be cleared of responsibility for original sin and all the blemishes coming from it. They will be helped by Jehovah and the glorified Church out of all these blemishes, according to the promise of His word, that this will be a time of restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began. — Acts 3:21.

(6) No, Jehovah’s hand has not been shortened. All his good words concerning the world’s enlightenment will come true!

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