The Prophetic Telegraph - No.46
CONFESSION AND TORMENT!
We have to admit that
sometimes the titles of our PTs may appear to be a little bizarre. But there is
a very good reason for us to write on the themes of "confession" and
"torment", and the outcome, we promise you, will be far from bizarre.
We are now just a matter of hours away from Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of
Atonement, when the High Priest went, once each year, into the Holy of Holies
to present an offering for the sins of ALL ISRAEL. And as we come to the N.T.
and realise that our Great High Priest offered Himself without spot to God, and
entered into the Holiest in heaven, it was on behalf of ALL PEOPLE, not just
We should be ready to say
to people, "God has reconciled you, He has redeemed you by the precious
blood of His Son. Believe this great truth; give thanks to God for what He has
done." This gives greater force to the Gospel message, and removes the
assertion that it depends on our "decision".
And now to get to grips
with our subject matter. First of all, the word "confession." In some
ways, there is a bad smell here from the past, connected with Roman rites, of
forced confessions, and also their continuing practice of confessing to a
priest. But leaving this behind with no further comment, there is a most
precious truth to be learned from Phil.2:11, where Paul says that "every
tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father." It must be admitted that this is a difficult truth
for many to accommodate, because they do not envisage ALL of God's created
beings submitting to Him, either now or in the future. But the verse says just
that, and it comes from Isaiah, where the Lord spoke similar words.
What sort of confession is
it therefore? Is it a FORCED confession? Is it that in the end all the
rebellious ones are brought to the point where they have no alternative but to
bow the knee, and reluctantly they do so? Is that the meaning of the expression
in Phil.? We should like to examine what Paul said more closely, and to do so
we shall have to indulge in a lesson in Greek grammar. Some may object to this,
saying that the word of God (in English) is good enough for them. But we should
gently like to remind all such that the N.T. was written in Greek, and originally
understood by Greek-speaking people, and that no matter how excellent may be
our translations, they can never wholly express all the hidden nuances of the
original. Also we must remember that Paul was the equivalent of a University
graduate, well versed in Scripture, and a most able writer. John's Greek in the
Gospel is a very simple Greek, but Paul's Greek shows a real mastery of the
language.
The Greek word Paul employs
in verse 11 is EXOMOLOGESETAI, which admittedly is a mouthful! It comes from a
verb which certainly expresses the thought of "confession", but to
plumb the depths of Paul's wisdom, we need to know about the grammar. It is in
the aorist 1 tense, the subjunctive mood, and the MIDDLE voice.
By consulting the experts in Greek grammar, we have learned that the Middle
Voice (unknown in English) has a very specific usage. In our language we are
always using verbs in the Active and the Passive. The Active may be exemplified
by a statement like "I hurt him." The Passive would then be "I
was hurt by him." The Active speaks about MY action to HIM, whereas the
Passive tells about HIS action against ME. But the Middle Voice would say
"I have hurt myself." In other words, the action is reflexive, it
comes back on myself. It is the "boomerang" Voice. And furthermore,
Jelf's Greek Grammar tells us that when the aorist tense is used TOGETHER with
the Middle Voice, the reflexive sense is most pronounced.
That, very briefly, is our lesson in Greek grammar. (Those readers who have
received PT 20 "Every knee shall bow" will remember that we covered
this before, briefly.)
So how do we translate this
verse? To give the verb its full expression, we shall have to paraphrase it as
follows:- "and every tongue confess (for themselves, freely, of
their own volition, without any outside force being applied other than the
gentle persuasion of truth and logic - -) etc." If Paul had
meant it in any other sense, he would have chosen his Tense and Voice
appropriately, but with his normal precision he chose to express it in this
manner, and we are obliged to accept the fullness of what he said. If we should
rather not BELIEVE it, then that is a matter of our own choice before God, but
we cannot alter the FACTS as Paul presented them to his Philippian readers.
But the authors of this
paper believe that many will rejoice in the knowledge of what the original
language tells us. In this present world, and indeed throughout all history
thus far, man has in his supreme arrogance and ignorance rejected God. The
signs of creation abound before our very eyes, so that "we are
without excuse" if we fail to give God the glory for His
exquisite handiwork. Also history is replete with evidence of the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, and all those who have had the privilege of
KNOWING and REFLECTING on this great truth, and yet reject it, will likewise be
"without excuse". But when God comes to judge
the secrets of men's hearts, there will be a moment of painful realisation, the
effect of which will be to put all such on a different path. And this new path
will be one of gradual learning in the things that really matter in life. It is
not God's will to destroy the very people He has created, but to bring them
gradually to the place of LIFE. This is why repentance is called by Paul, God's
"gift" to mankind. He will never withhold this gift unto the ages of
the ages, and it will perform its beneficent work as steadily as the yeast that
causes the whole batch of dough to rise. No small part of the dough can escape
the action of the yeast, and neither will any small portion of humanity escape
the purifying, purging, refining, and enlivening purposes of God.
For some this will be a
terrifying experience of deep soul-searching, with many bitter tears following
a brief period of gnashing the teeth in anger. But for quite the majority it
will become like a breath of fresh air from heaven in a brief encounter, gladly
accepted and wholly appreciated. We make no apology for presenting this further
angle on our continuing theme of God's ultimate reconciliation of all mankind.
This great fact, contained in our Saviour's passion, is the crux of the Gospel,
and the ground for the greatest praise to God for a finished work, finished 'de
jure' at Calvary, and to be finished 'de facto' in the days to come, when
death, the last enemy, is finally destroyed.
Finally, we shall examine
another word in the N.T. - "Torment." What idea springs to mind when
this word is uttered? Does it not conjure up visions of a small boy poking some
unfortunate caged animal? And when we read that certain people will be "tormented
day and night for ever and ever", does it not create a
graphic picture, and a most terrifying one, of demons with forked tails and
three-pronged forks, prodding poor unfortunate souls as they flounder about in
a lake of burning sulphur? Many illustrations of this calibre have remained
from the middle ages, and even as recently as from the brush of William Blake,
who wrote "
Are we correct to think in
this way? Is there any justification for the human mind to travel along such
hideous routes? Is there truth in it, or should we purge our minds of such
fantasy, and treat it as the outworking of our old natures? Does the word of
God grant us any deeper knowledge of what "torment" really is, so
that we may adjust our minds to TRUTH, rather than ghastly INVENTION? The
answer is "Yes".
We were as troubled about
this subject as many of our readers must surely have been, and so we took pains
to seek out the original, and allow the experts to advise us about the meaning
of the Greek word. What we found was most amazing and informative, and well
worthy of repeating here. The Greek lexicon tells us that the word translated
"torment" is BASANOS. And by combining what we found from several
sources, we can give the following summary of information - BASANOS. The
touch-stone, (Latin Lapis Lydius), Basanite, a very smooth and finely grained
black or dark coloured variety of quartz or jasper, which resembles polished
steel. When specimens of gold or silver are rubbed on the stone, a mark is left
behind, by which an experienced analyst can determine the degree of purity of
the metal. Often a sample of known purity is rubbed over the stone alongside
the sample to be tested, thus giving a visible contrast. This stone was found
in
Figuratively, BASANOS is
used to describe the testing of human beings, to find out their true
"colour". Frith once wrote, "Lay them to the Touchstone,
and try them by God's word." Another writer of last century said,
"the Touchstone - - to distinguish the true man - - from the
pretender." Here then is the background by which we can formulate
a true understanding of how the word was used (and of greater import - what
meaning was conveyed) in ancient times. The BASANISTES, or
"tormentor" was an individual whose task lay in finding out the degree
of purity of gold and silver samples. It reminds us immediately of Malachi's
prophecy - "Who can stand when He appears, for He is the
Refiner of gold and silver." Yes, our Lord is indeed the
Assayer. He wants to know the "colour" of our gold. In other words He
will find out our TRUE character, and He will do so with great accuracy. "He
will purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver, that they may
offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."
(Mal.3:2-3) And if God is concerned that His priests offer RIGHTEOUS sacrifices
sufficient to warrant purging them and refining them, then He will likewise
pursue this task with relentless energy throughout all time, for ALL MANKIND.
And He will not be discouraged until He has completed this task. He shall see
the travail of His soul, and be satisfied. He will not be content until
"every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the sea, all
that are in them, say, 'Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him who
sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever.'"
(Rev.5:13)
What a magnificent time
God's Kingdom will be. In it there will be many who will act as God's
"tormentors", or more strictly, His Assayers of gold. They will test,
try, find out, of what stuff men are made. They will bring out into the open
that which man desperately tries to hide under the cloaks of their 'window
dressing of deception'. There will be no way of escape. In that day the deeds
of men will be made manifest, and none will be able to hide. Perhaps there will
be an element of "torment" in this, of the type which we are more
used to in our own language, but from heaven's point of view it is all part of
a process of testing and trying, purging and refining, and for some this will
have to be a continuous process, day and night, "unto the ages
of the ages", so great is their need for mental revision,
soul adjustment, and change of heart.
But as we said before, God
will not be discouraged until He has accomplished His task. He
"wills" that all men shall be saved, yet remains steadfastly true to
His own law of the inviolability of the human will - under no circumstances
will He invade that 'ability to choose' which is man's greatest asset, because
it is the created function that most nearly relates to the divine character. By
it we have been made "in the image of God."
Oh how many sensitive souls have been troubled and burdened by the dread
assertions of "hell-lusting clergy" who would have us believe that
quite the majority of all mankind will end up in fiery torment from which there
is never escape. Yet even these clergy will be met by the Lord Himself, and
their vengeful spirits will be calmed as they come face to face with the
uncompromising patient love in the Saviour's eyes, a love that can and will
soften the hardest of hearts, and melt the most bitter of natures, for there is
a greatness in God's love which is totally beyond the comprehension of man. And
when men are confronted with it, they will no longer have room in their hearts
for foolish theology. Like Paul, they will say, "What things
were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, I count all things loss
- - and count it to be dung, that I may win Christ and be found in Him, - -
that I may KNOW HIM." (Phil.3:7-10)
And with that we complete
our task in this paper. We commend these snippets of truth from the Greek N.T.
to our readers for examination and perusal, and also for heart-strengthening
and worship, that JESUS may receive ALL the praise that is so justly His due.
It is high time for the Church to preach this "eternal purpose" to
the principalities and powers in the heavenlies. How? By showing them that we
believe THE FULL GOSPEL, and will by preaching it become "ministers
of reconciliation" wherever we find ourselves.
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