THE LORD IS KING – The Law of the Kingdom
IN the first great public act of the ministry of our Lord, in the presence of such multitudes as rarely have gathered to share in the ministry of apostle, prophet, or minister, Jesus Christ gave utterance to the following solemn words:
‘Think not that 1 am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: 1 am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily 1 say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, until all be fulfilled’ (Matt. 5: 17-18).
Note the ‘I AM’ form of expression. This is the Jehovah name, constantly used by Jesus – i.e., ‘Before Abraham was, ‘I AM.’
Note also the conjunction – the law and the prophets. Now we keep the law; we fulfil the prophets.
So many people think that Jesus ‘fulfilled’ the law, and that therefore, having been fulfilled, it has passed. Not so!
Jesus kept the law, inviolably; and Jesus fulfilled the ‘prophets’ up to date at the time of His first advent, and ascension. But not all the ‘Prophets’ have been fulfilled, and shall not be, until the predicted passing of heaven and earth shall have taken place.
Therefore all has not been fulfilled; therefore the law stands as to every jot and tittle of it to this day.
It is necessary to define terms here. Indicating the subject of this part of His address, namely, the imperishable law, He shows what was in His mind by proceeding to review and strengthen certain of the statutes which form part of that law. But of the ordinances of worship contained in the ‘Law of commandments contained in ORDINANCES’- that is to say, the sacrifices, offering of incense, and so on, he is not here speaking, and for the very good reason that this matter is national and not ecclesiastical.
The law of the Lord therefore stands as the law of the nation, the keeping of which brings peace, prosperity, health and happiness to the nation and to the citizens of it, frorn the King to the Peasant.
That law cannot be broken today without penalty, any more than it could in any other age of the nation chosen of God to be the keepers of His Law and the bearers of His gospel.
0 that this nation, and the company of nations, would heed this warning! How we have suffered in the past because of refusal to walk according to the Divine law!
But men say, ‘we are not under law; we are under Grace.’
This is true in regard to the Spiritual Kingdom; but we are not discussing that field. We are discussing an earthly Kingdom established over our own nation, located in specific geographical positions and carrying on under national law.
We are under natural law.
For instance, the law of gravitation. Forget this and step over the edge into the abyss, and the experiment will at once prove that Grace does not free us from that law, and will execute summarily the penalty of the broken law, which unless some kindly influence intervene, such as a depth of water, or a snowdrift, will be death.
We are under British Law.
If that is doubted, let the doubter transgress and feel at once the hand of the policeman upon his collar. It is useless to urge to the magistrate, ‘we are not under law but under Grace’; he will hear the complaint, approve the case, and we shall bear the penalty, ‘for the ruler beareth not the sword in vain’ (Romans 13:4).
Now the question is:
What is the law that the Magistrate is administering? You reply, ‘British Law.’ Very true. Now what is British Law? The answer is, ‘The Common Law.’ True. But what is the Common Law?
Most men will answer..
The body of laws made by the British Parliaments. But the Common Law is older than recorded Parliaments, and, as we know them, it is older than Parliaments.
Whence, then is the Common Law?
Many authorities will tell you; for instance, Blackstone. But in this instance let King Alfred, the great Saxon lawgiver, tell. He declares that God gave the Law to this realm of Britain and to the People of Israel at Sinai simultaneously.
In his code, the law stated in Deuteronomy and the law upon the King’s statute book were almost identical word for word.
It is only in the last years that we have arrogated to ourselves the Divinely reserved prerogative of making and promulgating law. We are still nationally under the Divine law!
The votes of the Parliaments of all the world cannot change the law given by God, and administered by Jesus the King, by as much as ‘one jot or tittle.’ Neither can the consequences of the breaking of the law be avoided.
And yet Britain is now trying to revise, or to set aside, that law as never before. Let our beloved nation beware! Every broken law carries its own punishment, and every setting aside of the law of God carries with it forfeiture of the blessings the nation so much needs, and so desires.
Moreover, the Sabbath constitutes one of the special privileges of Israel in that it marks her Sabbath Communion with God. For God keeps the Sabbath with her. It is a seal of her Spiritual cornmunion with the Lord her King. To fail to keep the Sabbath with Him is to fail to spend the Day once in the week with Him.
There are actual stripes to be endured at the hand of the King, who is a King who RULES. Let us not forget that this is so!
Read the Covenant of the Constitution, which provides for His nation, IF IT KEEP HIS LAW, bloodless victory in war. Then consider why the heart of Britain is mourning a million slain.
Think of the fact that there are still two great wars ahead which might be averted, but because men will not take the way of peace, will not be averted.
Remernber that the Covenant of the Law of God is still alive, and that the nation may take shelter under its conditions and become immune from such suffering again.
But Britain is breaking farther and farther from the conditions of the Covenant of the Law of God. For instance, it is, throwing wide open the door for the desecration of the sabbath. What shall be the end?
Far from enjoying one day in the week in spiritual fellowship with the Lord her Saviour and King, the nation has fallen into the same condition which occurred at the foot of Sinai, when the people ‘Sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ (‘Play with it,’ ‘Mock,’ ‘Dance.’)
‘Listen, 0 Isles, unto Me, and hearken ye people from far…’ is still the call of the Lord.
Let us restore His Sabbaths, let us recover His law which we have so sadly mutilated in late years. Let us remember that ‘The Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our King,’ and in His service spiritually and nationally we shall find peace and safety, be it a time of peace or of war.
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ANCIENT ACCOUNT DESCRIBES JESUS
Description of Jesus by Publius Lentulus, Governor of Judea, addressed to Tiberius Caesar, Emperor of Rome. Found in an excavated city written in Aramaic, on stone.
‘There lives, at this time, in Judea, a man of singular virtue, whose name is Jesus Christ, whom the barbarians esteem as a prophet, but his followers love and adore him as the offspring of the immortal God. He calls back the dead from the graves, and heals all sorts of diseases with a word or a touch.
He is a tall man, and well shaped, of an amiable and reverend aspect; his hair of a colour that can hardly be matched, the colour of chestnut full ripe falling in waves about his shoulders. His forehead high, large and imposing; his cheeks without spot or wrinkle, beautiful symmetry; his beard thick and of a colour suitable to his hair, reaching below his chin. His eyes bright blue, clear and serene, look innocent, dignified, manly and mature. In proportion of body, most perfect and captivating, his hands and arms most delectable to behold.
He rebukes with majesty, counsels with mildness, his whole address, whether in word or deed, being eloquent and grave. No man has seen him laugh, yet his manner is exceedingly pleasant; but he has wept in the presence of men. He is temperate, modest and wise; a man, for his extraordinary beauty and divine perfections, surpassing the children of men in every sense.’
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