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S. Van Mierlo

Summary of the Divine
Plan

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The Message of the Kingdom

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Three Spheres

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Alphabetical Analysis

Also -

HOPE

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THE ABOVE HEAVENS

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"Practical Truth in
Ephesians"

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A Study in Pentecost

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Heavenly Places

by Charles H. Welch
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Bible
Studies

The One Great
Subject of

The
Word

RIGHT DIVISION

By Charles H.
Welch

RIGHT DIVISION

by E.W.
Bullinger

RIGHT DIVISION

by Tom Ballinger

Present Truth

The Foundations of Dispensational Truth

Introduction To Acts 28

Dispensational Expositions

ACTS
28. The Dispensational Boundary

None Other Things

The One NEW MAN

Tested
Truth

Things That Differ

Before and After Acts 28:28

Who is
YOUR Apostle

The Ministry of
Paul

LO-AMMI

A
Study in Pentecost

The Elect Remnant

Time and
Eternity

Death,
Soul and Hell

Do YOU have an Immortal
Soul?

Satan

The Gift, Hope
and the Prize

The Fullness

Three
Spheres of Blessing

The Bride and
The Body

Structures or
Parallel Lines

Adoption

Children
vs. Sons

Earthly Things

EONS AND
WORLDS

Predestination

"Written"

Dispensational Outline Of The Books Of The N.T.

75 DIFFICULT
QUESTIONS

Gementria in Christ's
Geneaolgy

THE FOUNDATIONS OF DISPENSATIONAL TRUTH.

BY
THE LATE DR E.W. BULLINGER

The Three Spheres of
Future Glory.

THERE is still something more to learn
concerning the dispensations before we can rightly understand the
unique

position
and wonderful teaching of the later Pauline Epistles written from the
prison in Rome.

These dispensations are commonly spoken of as: two,
the old and the new, but we must bring them, as all else, to the

bar
of the written Word to see whether we have learned from man. or from God,
from tradition or from revelation.

To some extent we shall all
agree.

1. We shall all be agreed that the great subject of the Old
Testament prophecies is a restored Israel and a regenerated

earth
(Matt. 19. 281. It is surely unnecessary to quote the many prophecies
which tell of the time when the earth shall

be
full of the knowledge and glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea
(Num. 14:21,. Ps. 72:9, Isa. 6: 3 ; 11:9,.

Hab.
2.:14).

We are at one with all our readers in taking these
prophecies in their literal meaning ; and in not attempting to
explain

them,
or rather fritter them away by any spiritualizing interpretation which
deprives them of all their truth and power.

We all look forward
also to the time when " He that scattered Israel will gather him" (Jer.
31:10).; when they " shall

all
be  taught of God " (John 6. :45, Isa.51:13); when "the kingdoms of
this world shall become the kingdom of our

LORD,
and of His Christ" (Rev. 11: 15) ; and when the earthly Jerusalem shall be
restored in more than all its ancient

glory.

That
kingdom and sphere of blessing and glory will be on the EARTH ; and
the new Israel with a heart of stone

changed
to a heart of flesh and with a new spirit, will bring forth "the fruits of
righteousness " (Ezek. 36.2.1-36, Matt.

21.
23). This will be the regeneration (or Palingenesia) when the apostles
will be seated " on twelve thrones judging

the
tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19. 28).

This will be the first and lowest
sphere of blessing. I twill be on EARTH, and under the whole
heaven. These are

the
people  of the saints of the Most High " Dan. 7: 27)

All the
nations of the earth will share in this blessing according to God's
original promise to Abraham.

2. But Abraham and his spiritual seed
are "the saints of the Most High " as distinct from "the people " (of
these saints)

on the
earth (Dan. 7: 18, 22, 25), and occupying a distinct place in the
HEAVENLY SPHERE of this same kingdom.

These,
according to the Lord's words in Luke, are " equal to the angels," "
sons of the resurrection " (Luke 20:34

-36)
raised  in the " first resurrection " before the thousand years of
earthly blessing for Israel and for the nations " under

the
whole heaven "  (Deut. 4:19, Rev. 20:4-6). These belong to " that
great city the holy Jerusalem," which John saw "

descending
down from heaven,  having the glory of God ; and her light like unto
a stone most precious." This "holy

Jerusalem"
is fully described in Rev. 21: 9-27. It  is the" city which hath THE
foundations" for which Abraham had

been
taught to look (Heb. 11:10) when he "saw Christ's day and was glad " (John
8: 56) : for, as " faith cometh by

hearing,"
Abraham must have heard : and this " hearing " must have come "from the
spoken word of God" (Rom.

10.
17).

This is the " inheritance " of those who, as Peter declares to
the believers of the Dispersion, "have obtained like

precious
faith with us." That inheritance" is "incorruptible, and undefiled, and
fadeth not away, reserved in HEAVEN

for
you." The Greek, by the figure  Homoioteleutos, emphasizes
this " inheritance " as being not earthly, but

aphtharton,
amianton, amaranton (1 Pet. 1:4).

The inhabitants of that
heavenly city are declared to be " the bride, the. Lamb's wife " (Rev.
21:9).

From the call of Abraham there have ever been these two
seeds, the earthly and the heavenly.

The one was likened by Jehovah
to " the dust of the earth " or "the sand of the sea " (Gen. 13. 16 ; 22.
17); and

the
other was likened to " the stars of heaven " (Heb. 11:12 ; Gen., 15:
5).

Both expressions suggest multitude, but the former is specially
associated with earthly blessing, while the latter

points
to " the partakers of a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1).

These latter,
like their father Abraham, looked for a heavenly portion and a heavenly
blessing, for the city "

which
hath the foundations."

"These all died in. faith, not having
received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from
afar,

and
having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For
they that say such things make it

manifest
that they are seeking after a country of their own. And if indeed they had
been mindful of that country

from
which they came out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But
now they desire a better country,

that is
a HEAVENLY; wherefore God is not ashamed of them to be called their
God; for He hath prepared for

them a
city" (Heb. 11:13-16, R.V.)

Where,
and what could that city lave been if it was not the city which John was
shown " descending out of

heaven
from God," the foundations of which are specially described in Rev. 21:19
20.

All through the ages, from Abraham's day to the present, these
" partakers of a heavenly calling " may be traced.
They formed `'the
congregation of the Lord," and are continually spoken of as
such.

Not all Israel, were Tabernacle and Temple frequenters and
worshippers. Not all carried out the laws given by

Moses,
or offered the prescribed sacrifices, attended "the feasts of Jehovah," or
carried out the ordered ritual.

Those (probably the few, as we see
it to-day) who gathered to the stated worship of Jehovah are called
the

"assembly "
or the "congregation."

The Hebrew word for " congregation " is from
kahal (from which doubtless we have our English word "call ").

The verb
means to call, assemble, gather together : and the noun is
used of any assembly thus called. Seventy

times in
the Septuagint version of the Old Testament it is rendered ekklesia (the
word for ` church " in the view

Testament).*

I t is actually used in the expression ' the
ekklesia ('or church) of the LORD " in Deut. 23: 1, 2, 3, 8, 1 Chron. 28:
8

Micah
2:5. In Neh. 13. 1 it is ` the ekklesia (or church) of God."

It is
this ekklesia (or church) that is referred to as " the congregation " in
Ps. 22: 22: 26:12: 35:18 ; 40: 9 ,10 ;

68.26.** In Ps. 22: 25 it is spoken of as "the great
ekklesia or congregation," and in Ps. 149:1 as "the ekk lesia

of the
saints."

This is what David means in Psalm 22: 22, when he says
:

" In the midst of the congregation will I praise
Thee " (v. 22), and -

" My praise shall be of Thee in the great
congregation " (v. 25.)

This is the usage of the same
word in the Gospels when the Lord said

" Upon this rock will -I
build My ekklesia" (Matt.16:1 8).

He did not, when addressing
Israelites, use the word in the new, exclusive and special sense in which
it was

afterward
to be used in the revelation of "the secret " in the Prison Epistles ;but
in the larger and wider Old

Testament
sense which His hearers would  understand as embracing the whole
assembly of Jehovah's believing

and
worshipping people who were " partakers of a heavenly  calling" (Heb.
3: ).

When the Spirit by Stephen speaks of " the ekklesia in the
wilderness (Acts 7. 38) He means this congregation

of pious
worshippers.

Those who were kept secure  under
the shadow of the Almighty" during the 38 years of penal wanderings
in

the
Wilderness, see Ps. 90 and 91.

When the Lord added to the ekklesia
such as were being saved (Acts 2.:47) after Pentecost, He added them

to
the 120 who before Pentecost assemble ( together in the upper room, and
who "continued daily in the Temple

(no
longer offering sacrifices and partaking of the food furnishes thereby),
but , breaking bread (or eating; as in

Luke 24:
30, 35 and Acts 27: 35) at home, with gladness and singleness of heart,
praising God, and having favour

with all
the people.

"And the Lord added to the church (ekklesia) daily such
as were being saved " (Acts 2. 46, 47).

It is true that the words
"the church" (Gr. ekklesia) in vs. 47, are omitted by all the Textual
Critics (even the most

conservative
and least "  modern ") Lachmann, Tischendorf, Tregelles, Alford,
Westcott and Hort, and the Revised

version;
but we lay no stress on the omission here, because even as it stands, it
is used in the Old Testament sense

of
the congregation of the LORD,"  and not in the later sense as found
in the Epistle to the Ephesians : for, they

would
not have understood it (neither should we to-day,  if we had never
seen that later Epistle).

When Paul says he " persecuted the
ekklesia of God " (1 Cor. 15: 9: Gal. 1:13), he does not use the word in
a

sense
which he had  at that time never heard of, or had even the remotest
idea of. His words must be understood

in the
same sense in which he then used  them; and we must not read into any
passage of Scripture that which was

the
subject of a subsequent revelation;  especially, when the  sense
is perfectly plain and clear as it stands.

The word ekklesia in the
Gospels, Acts and the earlier Pauline Epistles must be taken by us in the
sense of its Old

Testament
(Septuagint)  usage as meaning simply the congregation or assembly,
or company of Jehovah's worshipping

people,
" partakers of a heavenly calling," having a heavenly hope, a heavenly
sphere of  blessing, and looking for

their
part in the ''resurrection unto life."

It had been revealed of old
that there would be a resurrection, (see job. 19. 25-27; Hosea 13: 14;
John 11. 24) ;

but it
was subsequently  revealed also that there would be two
resurrections, one to life, and one to judgement.

Paul
testified of the former as being the hope of  those who were
worshippers of God (Acts 24. 14, 15; David

hoped
for it (Psalm 16:9-11;*** 49: 14, 15). So did Daniel (Dan. 12.
1-3).

The Lord plainly spoke of the former as the resurrection of
the just " (Luke 14: 14) ; and, as "the resurrection of

life "
(John 5: 29). " By the word of the Lord " was revealed a further hope, or
rather, an expression of the hope

in John
11: 25, 26.

There was not only the hope for those who should have
part in the " first resurrection," but for those who should

be "
alive and remain" when that event should take place.

The " word of
the Lord" first mentioned it, and the Holy Spirit by Paul expands it in 1
Thess. 4: 16, 17

It concerns the Lord, not only as to His being
"the Resurrection," but as to His being " the Life" also. He
says:

c  | I am the Resurrection

d  | I and the life.

c | He that believeth in Me, though he
die, he shall live (again). [To him] I will be °' the resurrection "

d  | and everyone who [is- alive, and believing in Me shall to nowise
die, for ever." [To him  I will be the "Life."

This was (and
still is) the hope for all who are " partakers of a heavenly calling "
(Heb. 3:1).

Many of these were to be found when Messiah came. They
were those who waited for the consolation of Israel

(Luke
2:25)

who "looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38),

who " trusted that the Lord was He who should have redeemed Israel "
(Luke 24:21),

who " waited for the kingdom of God " (Mark 15:43,; Luke 23: 51),

who were " as many as received Him " (John 1:12),

who gladly received Peter's or Paul's word " on the day of Pentecost
and after (Acts 2:41, 8:14, 11:1, 17:11,

who received the word in much affliction "(1 Thess. 1: 6) : and

who "
when they received the word, accepted it not as man's word, but even as it
is truly God's word which worketh

effectually
in you that believe" (1 Thess. 2:13).

who
"received not what was promised," (Heb. 11:39) but who believed and
embraced it by faith.

Which of us has not been in difficulties as
to those we speak of as " the Old Testament saints"?

Well, here
they are seen all through the Old Testament as being " the church or
assembly of God," " partakers of a

heavenly
calling," possessing a heavenly hope, and looking for a heavenly sphere of
blessing.

3. This brings us to the third sphere, which is the
greatest blessing of all, and the highest in glory.

It had been
kept secret "  from ages and from generations." It is the eternal "
purpose " of God, made " before the

foundation
of the world," and was not " made manifest " by being committed to
prophetic writings.

It was a secret not relating to Israel on
the earth ; nor to the " partakers of a heavenly calling " ; but to Christ
and

the
elect members of His body.

Even in the ministry of Christ it was
among the things He could not then reveal even to the twelve apostles in
the

privacy
of the upper room after the last supper. Not only could He not say these
things then, but the apostles

themselves
would not have been able to bare  them if He had.

And, if the
Lord did not mention these things in the Gospels then, certainly the
apostles could not have " confirmed "

them in
the Acts of the Apostles, afterward.

They were" the things of
Christ," i.e., those things which stand in a special relation to Him, the
things that relate to the

whole of
the truth.  " the truth " which would not be complete without
them.

They were, of necessity, reserved for " the Spirit of truth "
to reveal. " HE will guide you into the whole of the truth."

These
precious  " riches of grace," and of glory these were the doctrines
which had for their foundation the facts of

Christ's
mission, which had not at that time taken place: though they were all then
near at hand.

Those events in Christ's life on earth were the
foundation of the doctrines built upon them; and without them the

doctrines
could not  have been known.

Until He had suffered, died.
risen. and ascended, how could the doctrines of Eph. 2: 5, 6 based on them
be revealed

and
taught.

But this special coming, ministry and guidance of " the
Spirit of truth " must be held over for our next Editorial: for we

must of
necessity  include that last phase of what " Jehovah hath spoken
"before we commence our consideration of

the
Prison Epistles : for therein and only therein, do we find the " riches "
of grace and glory into which the Holy Spirit

was to
guide: them, the good news of which was destined to fill the long era of
Israel's blindness and the nation's dark

(spiritual,)
night (Isa. 60:1-3).

The Prison Epistles, following immediately
after the proclamation of Israel's judicial blindness and hardening
(recorded

in
Acts 28: 25, 26), have for their one great subject the revelation of the
third of the three spheres of blessing and glory

which
stands in special relation to Christ and His church.

This sphere
is not on the earth.

It is not
over the earth.

It is in the highest
heavens.

Hence, it has nothing to do with earthly " signs and
wonders "that would follow those who in happy obedience believe

what is
there written.

Such surpassingly exalted language has never before,
or since been spoken of human believers.

The very glory of that
sphere is inconsistent with any earthly signs or manifestations however
wonderful. or, ordinances

however
once significant.

Those Epistles view the believer of them,
not with " signs following," but they view him as " dead " to this world
and

all
earthly associations and connections, and as having jointly suffered,
jointly died, jointly risen, and being jointly

seated
with Christ in the highest heavens.

Even the "affections" and
"thoughts" are not to be concerned with the things on earth ; they are to
be centred on "

the
things above "where Christ is already seated at the right hand of God.

Hence,
we do not read in those Epistles about the coming of Christ to the earth,
but rather about our being removed

to be
with Him where pie is, not about His parousia, or presence on earth, or "
in the air " ; but about our presence

and
manifestation with Him in His own glory; not about anastasis or
resurrection (which is the subject of the earlier

Pauline
Epistles), but about an "ex-anastasis," (Phil. 3: 11) and "the calling on
high" (Phil. 3: 14) which is the subject

of the
later Epistles; not about any personal happiness which we may have, but
about Christ's personal glory, in which

we
have the wondrous privilege of sharing.

In this connection we would
call attention to one word, which, in our judgment, is the real key-word
of the Prison

Epistles,
and of this third and highest sphere. It is a remarkable word, found. in
this form, only here, in the New

Testament.
It occurs once before in Rom. 13:9, but there it is in the present passive
voice (anakephalaioutai), and

means "
is summed up." But in Eph. 1:10  it is the Aorist Infinitive of the
middle voice, (anakephalaiosasthai). This

difference
is ignored both by the Authorised and the Revised Versions, which read the
middle voice of Eph. 1. to

as
though it were the Active. This is an almost unpardonable oversight, in
the interest of the ordinary Bible reader,

who has
an undoubted right to a correct grammatical rendering from such a
quarter.

Translated correctly, the word and the entire passage
emphasize the underlying fact that in all things there revealed,

our
Heavenly Father has, FOR HIMSELF, purposed what is here stated, viz.,
that

according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in
Himself, in order to a dispensation of the fulness of

the
seasons, TO-SUM-UP-FOR-HIMSELF, every thing in Christ: things in heaven
and things on earth,

even
in Him, in whom we were taken as an inheritance, being foreordained
according to the purpose of Him

who
worketh all things according to the counsel of His own will, that we
should be to the praise of His glory

who
have before hoped in Christ.

This will be enough to show us
that the Cosmos, as shown in Col. 1: 15, 16, is a larger, higher, and
greater sphere than

(1)
that of earthly glory, or (a) that of the glory reserved for those who are
" partakers of a heavenly calling."

The Old Testament, the Acts and
the earlier Pauline Epistles deal with these two lower spheres of
glory, but the

later
Epistles reveal a third sphere of Headship and Heirship above the earth
or the heavens.

1 Cor. 15:40  tells of " terrestrial "
glory and of "celestial's glory, which differ the one from the
other.

But there is a third sphere; a sphere of cosimical glory (if
we may use the word in this connection) high above all

created
beings, whether principalities, or powers, or, might, or thrones, or
dominions, which are mentioned (though

not
defined or explained) in Eph. 1:21, Col. 1: 16 in relation to Christ, who
shall be "Head over all."

This includes the putting down of all
enemies, and the final crushing of the head of " the old serpent" the
devil.

This is why the enemy's great endeavour, now, is to blind
the minds of men so that the light of this " good news (or

gospel)
of the glory of Christ" should be hidden from them (2 Cor. 4: 3,
1).

And this is why we, who obey God by believing Him as to this,
His greatest and most glorious revelation, should

cherish
it as our earnest hope and constant theme; and, not being  ignorant
of Satan's devices," since we are thus

told
against what his assault is being made, therefore know where our defence
is to be directed.

In other words, we are to labour to make known :
the riches of glory " which are connected with this third and

Highest
sphere of blessing and glory and honour for " Christ and His
Church."

==================================================================================================

*'The Hebrew word is rendered _
congregation " 86 times; "assembly," 17 times; "company," 17 times;
multitude," 3 times.

** In Num. 16. 3
and 20.4 the Hebrew kahal is rendered in the Sept. sunagoge =
synagogue.  In the R.V. this is rendered "the assembly
of the Lord."

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