The Prophetic Telegraph No. 31
God's Pleasure
THOU ART WORTHY 0 LORD TO RECEIVE GLORY AND
HONOUR AND POWER, FOR THOU HAST CREATED ALL THINGS, AND FOR THY PLEASURE THEY
ARE AND WERE CREATED. Rev. 4:11
There is a certain grandeur
about these words that cannot be matched by any further comment from us, as
human-kind. It is sufficient that the 24 elders in heaven said them after
hearing the ascription of praise uttered by the 4 Cherubim. But it is well for
us to ponder the significance of these words, and ask ourselves what God's plan
of creation is all about. I shall not write as an authority, or as a learned
man, but as one who desires to express my thoughts, and confess my own
smallness and inadequacy, and above all to reflect the praise brought by the
elders in heaven.
Man's theories of the
Universe pale into insignificance by the side of these words. "Thou hast
created all things" A simple child-like faith in God is all that is needed
to accept and feel the security of these strong words. We are not at the
'mercy' of strange impersonal forces in the realms of Nature at large. We are
here at the PLEASURE of the Creator! Yes, the whole Universe was created for
God's pleasure, and that includes mankind. It is as though God has looked
across the valley of sin, and kept His pure eyes upon the glory of His own
purposes on the far side. We are here in the world of weakness, imperfection,
and rebellion, living in a 'teacup' of fury. But God is outside, and sees the
end from the beginning, and speaks about His PLEASURE in creation. Can we catch
a breath of His fresh air in these words? Can it be that our own spirits might
rise, might see over the rim of the teacup for a brief while and bask in the
glorious sunshine of His PLEASURE?
A few nights ago, after the
strong winds and rain, the skies had cleared, and the stars shone brightly. We
live in a dwelling surrounded by open fields. There are few lights to destroy
the beauty of the heavens, and so we wrapped up well and sat in the garden for
a while just drinking in the beauty of the stars and the Milky Way across the
zenith of the heavens. At such times one feels bound to be silent. The sheer
grandeur reduces one to a state of unimportance and insignificance. After about
ten minutes, when our eyes had adjusted to the dark, we were almost overwhelmed
by the sight. And as though to be 'rewarded' for our brief attendance, we
witnessed a number of bright fireballs racing silently across the sky.
For many years in my
professional work as a teacher, I gave talks and lectures on aspects of the
Universe from the Physicist's and Astronomer's viewpoint. As I recall those
days I remember telling my audiences that astronomers had estimated there to be
some 100,000,000,000 stars in our own Galaxy (the Milky Way). Also that they
had investigated the far reaches of the Universe through powerful telescopes
like the 200 inch reflector at Mount Palomar in California, and estimated that
there are at least 1,000,000,000 other Galaxies each with its own multitude of
stars. It is easy to throw out statistics like this. But what do they mean? As
we sat looking at the stars that night, I wondered inwardly about the greatness
of our God who could create in such magnitude and glory. Truly "the
heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows forth His
handiwork." But was I able to accommodate in my small brain God's true
creative splendour?
And then again, as a
physicist, I had taught aspects of atomic physics to my students. And in doing
so I had asked them to visualize a world as infinitesimally small as the
heavens above are infinitely large. And here we were to find the clear evidence
of law and order. Matter was not found to be a pudding-like conglomeration of
stuff, but rather to be composed of discrete particles of definite size and
electric charge. It was as though God had made the matter of His Universe from
three basic building blocks, which Scientists had named PROTON, NEUTRON, and
ELECTRON. In more recent days there is growing evidence that WITHIN the proton
there are further orders of particles, but evidence for their existence is not
as yet forthcoming, though their theoretical existence has been postulated for
nearly three decades.
Now, I find that my mind is
totally unable to assess the grandeur of the Universe at large. It just boggles
at the immensity. I am flattened by the sheer greatness of my God. I am totally
silenced into submission. But equally am I at a loss to accommodate the ability
of God to create the tiniest of things with such precision. When I think of God
walking in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day, and talking with Adam, or
appearing to Abraham under the oak trees of Mamre, I tend to think of Him as
'man-size' But this great God in whom we have been privileged to believe, was
able to accomplish things of vast size, and also of extremely small size. And
that I find impossible to grasp. I can only conclude that I was never intended
to grasp it. But believe it, I will! I am glad to believe it with all my heart,
because the heart is able to accomplish things that are impossible for the
mind.
Going back to the words in
Rev.4:11, we find this mention of God's pleasure. Now I am aware that the Greek
word for pleasure in this context is THELEMA, and that it occurs nearly 70
times in the N.T. and in EVERY OTHER reference it is translated WILL. Some
modern versions striving at consistency use the word 'will' in Rev.4:11. Why
then did the A.V. translators decide to depart from uniformity, and employ the
word 'pleasure' here? A moment's reflection will show that the divine WILL (as
indeed also the human WILL) is focused towards that which gives PLEASURE. Hence
there is no real argument against its usage in this verse.
When Paul wrote to the
Colossians, he expressed the same thought. God's dear Son - - the image of the
invisible God - - - by Him were all things created - - by Him and for
Him." (Col.1:13-16) In these words we find that God's purpose in creating
is not just to display His greatness, (i.e. created BY Him) but for His own
pleasure and purposes (created FOR Him.)
Coming back inside the
'teacup' of our present world situation, what can we say about the ultimate
purposes of God? Can we find some grand theme presented to us in the Scriptures
, a theme which will be as difficult to receive and understand as the theme of
creation already discussed? I believe we can. And I find that Paul went on to
outline this purpose in the words following those already quoted in Colossians.
It is in verse 20.
AND HAVING MADE PEACE BY THE BLOOD OF HIS
CROSS, BY HIM TO RECONCILE ALL THINGS UNTO HIMSELF- - BY HIM, WHETHER THINGS ON
EARTH OR THINGS IN HEAVEN.
So great is the theme, that
it is all but incomprehensible. Is it possible to accept and believe what Paul
has said? What does he assert? He speaks about making peace through the shed
blood of God's dear Son at
But our God has declared
that He HAS MADE PEACE. And He has done so by the blood of His cross. We may
not SEE it, we may not even think that it could ever come about, but God has
declared it. It is part of His good pleasure for the whole world. He did not
say that this peace would only find a home in the hearts of a few, those who
yielded to Him. He firmly declared that He had MADE PEACE through the blood of
His cross. At
Furthermore, Paul asserted
that by this act of
Now, I am aware that it
will be difficult for many to accept what I have just said, because they will
say, "This man believes that in the end ALL will be saved, and the Bible
does not say that. It says that there will be everlasting hell-fire for those
who do not believe." I am painfully aware that this is the case, and have
had it 'thrown at me' now and again. But God has impressed the truth of His
grand theme on my heart, and I will no longer be moved. This is not a matter of
a dogmatic will that will not bend to another point of view, rather is it a
simple belief, and child-like acceptance of the word of God. Paul said that
Jesus was "the Saviour of ALL MEN, particularly those who believe."
(1 Tim.4:10) Words of this type cannot be misconstrued. If Paul had only used
the first part of the sentence, and ended his remark at ALL MEN, then
theologians would have a field-day arguing what he meant by ALL MEN. But he
went on to say "particularly those who believe". And this established
the fact once and for all. In all sincerity I ask my readers this question. If
you believe in everlasting hell-fire because 'the Bible says so', then why do
you not also believe Paul's words to Timothy, just quoted, because they also
are 'in the Bible'?
I have found amongst
believers there is a tendency to fix the mind on the unpleasantness of
everlasting hell, rather than the glories of God's ultimate plan. Whereas it
might be thought that ultimate reconciliation, taught so clearly by Paul, was
the breath of fresh air to blow away the sulphurous smells of the lake of fire,
I find instead that the smell of brimstone seems sadly to be preferred by some!
Paul's doctrinal statement was stated in plain words, simple to understand, and
of ready acceptance. But the Scriptures relating to hell-fire are all bound up
in figurative language, and accompanied by the mischievous mistranslation of an
ancient figure of speech, and made to become 'for ever and ever.' This paper is
not the place to expound on this figure of speech. But I will say this. I am a
firm believer in hell fire. Also I am a firm believer in the fact that it will
be a painful experience for those who have to endure it. But whatever the 'fire
and sulphur' signify, they cannot last for ever, and therefore demand an
understanding of what transpires when they have done their work.
My own reading of the
Scriptures now shows me that fire is an Old Testament symbol for refinement,
and not for destruction. And if God has to use His 'fires' to refine that which
has resisted Him vehemently, it is bound to be painful. But in the end God
wins! How can man for ever resist His overtures of reconciliation and peace?
In this my final plea on
the reconciliation issue, I would like to draw together the threads of the
argument in this paper. I have shown how difficult it has been for me (even
after having a University training in physics) to comprehend the vastness of
God's creative ability in the Universe, whether it be the magnitude of space
and the Galaxies, or the progressively sub-microscopic world of the atom and
nucleus. But even so, my heart swells at the very appearance of the vault of
heaven on a clear night. Even so does it respond to the beauty of living things
upon the earth, and the impossibly-complicated magnificence of the human body
and mind. That which the mind is unable to grasp, the heart finds pleasure in
believing. And I know that many others who have yielded their lives to the Son
of God would agree with me here.
But the difficulty of
believing in ultimate reconciliation is not of the same order at all. The
difficulty arises due to TRADITION. It is the difficulty of walking a road that
is unfrequented by the majority in Christendom. It is the difficulty of
standing alone, when all our friends depart and look narrowly upon us as
'heretics.' It is the difficulty of 'statistics', when it is pointed out that
for the last 2000 years VERY FEW seem to have believed that God could
ultimately redeem ALL His creation. But Paul told the Colossians that God had
already MADE PEACE. All mankind HAS ALREADY BEEN REDEEMED. The whole stain of
sin has been expunged from the Universe. It is an accomplished fact. God is
rejoicing! His work is done! Christ has died, yea, has risen again! Even if yet
we do not SEE the end, why cannot we believe it?
In all the years of this
world, up to the present day, God has been selecting a small company of people,
those who yield to Him, and accept a punishing lifestyle of obedience amongst
the hostile surrounding forces of darkness, both human and demonic. But this
day is shortly to end, and the 'little flock' of God's choosing will become His
ambassadors, His teachers, His princes and governors, in His Kingdom on earth.
And in this new day, God will visit the 'residue of men', and call them unto
Himself by the same token of divine love that was so precious to His remnant
church, namely the uplifted Son of God, and the shed blood of His cross. The
teaching that sees ONLY the church 'in heaven' , and the rest of mankind in
'hell' is a dark stain on the character of God, and does not accord with the Bible
at all. But in the Kingdom, we shall say with many others, "You have made
us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth."
(Rev.5:1O) Not sitting on clouds in heaven, but reigning on earth. Not spending
our days idling away our time in personal bliss (I do not call it such, to me
it would be sheer boredom!) but doing a most important job for our Master and
Lord, in teaching the nations the way to know God. It will be just one more
step towards the final reconciliation of ALL.
Is it really possible for
anyone to say that God cannot achieve this objective? Are we really implying
that when God gave man freewill, He expected Satan to win some 90% of mankind
by opposing God? Is this the type of victory you are looking for? Would it not
be more true to say that the God who was so wonderfully able to create the
Universe with all its wonders and mysteries, is also capable gradually,
inexorably, and finally to bring the resistive will of man back to Himself. I
believe that He can, and that He will, because the 'freewill of God' is far
superior to the warped 'freewill of man.' Patiently He will wait until the
hardest of hearts begins to shed tears at the everlasting mercy and grace of
God. It WILL happen. It MUST happen, otherwise we shall have believed in a
defeated God.
"He shall see of the
travail of His (Son's) soul, and shall be satisfied." (Isaiah 53:11) Yes,
satisfied, not disappointed. In the margin of my Companion Bible I have this
note by the author, Dr E.W.Bullinger, "We have not an impotent
Father, or a disappointed Christ, or a defeated Holy Ghost, as is so commonly
preached; but an omnipotent Father, an all-victorious Christ, and an almighty
Holy Spirit, able to break the hardest heart and subdue the stoutest
will." Amen to that robust statement!