.-STANDARD
  EA





        Volume   L, Number 1, October 1, 1973  1


2                                                          THE STANDARD BEARER


MEDITATION


                                             Jehovah's Goodness

                                        [Editor's Note: The meditation in this issue is a reprint  of  the
                                          very  first  meditation ever to appear in the Standard Bearer,
                                       from  Volume I, Number 1, page 1.  It is from  the pen of one of
                                          the original editors, Rev. Herman Hoeksema  We place this
                                        meditation instead of the regular one from the pen of Rev.  M.
                                        Schipper  in observance of the beginning of our fiftieth year of
                                        publication.  /

                                          "The Lord is good to all. . . but all the wicked will He destroy.  "
                                                                                           Ps.  145:9a,  20b.



     Emphatically, according to the Hebrew original, the poet,                  Good is Jehovah!
who is the inspired author of this psalm, puts it: "Good is
Jehovah".                                                                                                 ****

     The Lord is goodness essentially.                                          The Lord is good!

     Apart from any relation to His creatures, conceived all by                 And because the very Being of His adorable Godhead is
Himself, in Himself, for Himself, as the absolutely                         goodness, the Divine Nature in all the glorious attributes
Self-existent, Self-sufficient, Independent One, the Lord is                thereof is purest perfection and immaculate goodness. Neither
good. His essence is goodness, His eternally adorable Divine                is there any reason of want in God why He should need an
Being is only good. Could we enter into the amazing                         object unto which to reveal and upon which to lavish His
profundity and explore the fathomless depths of His infinite                goodness. For as the Triune God He lives from everlasting to
Being, the deepest depths of the incomprehensible divine                    everlasting the perfect life of Infinite goodness in and through
essence would reveal nothing but goodness.                                  Himself. Never there arises from the unfathomable depths of
                                                                            His perfect Essence the slightest thought that is not good,
     He is the Light and there is no darkness in Him. He is                 perfect, true. Never the faintest thrill of imperfection there is
Truth, Righteousness, Holiness, Purity, Love, Grace, Mercy                  in the Will of Jehovah. Never the most imperceptible discord
and Eternal Life, and there is no Lie, Unrighteousness,                     there is in His divine feeling. Never there is the tiniest ripple of
Defilement, Corruption and Death in Him.                                    evil on the stream of life flowing from His divine heart.

                                                                               No shadow of darkness ever bedims the light of life, perfect
     He is Summum  Bonum, the  Highest Good, not in a mere                  and infinite, of the Divine Family. Father, Son and Holy
superlative sense, not in a sense that would compare Him with               Ghost, each eternally subsisting in the unchangeable Essence of
other goods or goodnesses, that might perhaps be conceived as               limitless goodness, thinking in the Perfect Mind, willing with
existing next to Him though in a far inferior degree; but in the            the Perfect Will is living in absolute Self-sufficiency an
sense that He is the Sole Good, that there is no good apart                 uninterrupted divine life of purest goodness, dwelling in a
from Him or without Him. He is the ultimate and absolute                    Light that is never in any wise bedimmed.
criterion of all good. He is not good in the sense that He
answers to a certain standard of goodness that might be                        Yea, good is Jehovah!
applied to Him, but Himself is the only Standard of all that is
called good.                                                                   Everlastingly, solely, unchangeably good!

     He is good because He is God.                                                                        ****

     Very perfection in all His adorable virtues . . .                         Because the Lord is good, the absolute good in Himself, He


                                                       THE STANDARD BEARER                                                            3


is also good to all His creatures.                                   to groan and travail together in pain. And even thus the
                                                                     creature made subject to vanity and man in his guilt bending
    `.  v.
   Good is Jehovah to all!                                           under the cruel scourge of suffering and death are testimonies
                                                                     that the Lord is good and that there is no evil in Him.
   He is'the  Overflowing Fount of all good.

                                                                         But more must be said.
   All the good His creatures ever receive is solely from Him
and is only good because He is good, assumes an attitude of
goodness to them. He is full of richest benevolence which He            Suffering creation, sin and guilt and misery and death and
lavishes in profuse abundance upon all the wide creation. His        :all the thick darkness from hell only became the occasion for
goodness  profuses  the silvery lustre thruout the starry heavens    God to manifest His goodness more abundantly. Darkness was
and arranges their marvellous harmony night upon night. His          employed by Him as a prism thru which to resolve the pure
goodness decks the sun with that glorious attire of wondrous         white beam of His goodness into wonderful rays of manifold
gold, day after day. His goodness adorns the lily of the field       perfection. First of all, there is, on occasion of sin and
with purest beauty such as Solomon never possessed and               suffering, the beautiful and rich manifestation of God's
clothes the royal cedars of Lebanon with strength and majesty.       wonderful mercy and lovingkindness. His tender mercies are
His goodness causes the royal eagle to renew its strength as it      over all His works. Radiating from the cross of God's beloved
sweeps the firmament with powerful wing; and fills the mouth         Son this tender mercy beams its warm glory first of all upon
of the young raven crying to Him for food. His goodness              His chosen people whom He loved with love everlasting, with a
remembers the roaring lion and the chirping sparrow on the           love that is always first. Upon them He lavishes His tender
housetop. His goodness clothes the meadows in velvety green          mercy in the blood pouring from the heart of His only
and covers the fields with golden grain. His goodness made man       begotten, and in these streams of mercy He cleanses them
a little lower than the angels, adds keenness to his mind and        from guilt, heals them from sin, redeems them from the power
strength to his arm, and  fills his heart with gladness.             of death, comforts them forever for their misery, and makes
                                                                     them heirs of a glory unspeakable, of a life incomparably
   Surely, all the works of His hand speak of His goodness.          richer, fuller, deeper than ever First Paradise knew. They taste
                                                                     His lovingkindness and tender mercy, speak of it and sing of it,
   Good is Jehovah to all!                                           showing forth the praises of Him that called them from
                                                                     darkness into His marvellous light. But even as the awful
                              ***c*                                  darkness of sin and misery spread from the first Adam till it
                                                                     enshrouded an entire groaning creation in its horrors, so the
   Nor is this the last word that is to be said about the            glad light of redemption radiates from the Second Adam, falls
goodness of Jehovah.                                                 first upon the elect, thence to spread again over the whole
                                                                     creation. Remembering His groaning creature with bowels of
   It may be the last in the estimation of a Natural Religion,       mercy and compassion, the Lord stretches the rainbow of an
that knows of no sin and speaks of no grace.                         everlasting covenant over all. His tender mercies are over all
                                                                     His works.
   It might be the last word had Paradise not been lost. There
in the midst of that Edenic virgin beauty of creation, in that          The creature is made subject to vanity. It is subject to the
original state of unmarred perfection, where sin had not             yoke of bondage. It is travailing in pain together until now . . .
dropped her stain and misery had not left her scar and the
groan of the sufferer was not heard, - there God's goodness             But in hope!
displayed itself simply as goodness, overflowing riches of
benevolence, poured upon every creature according to the                The whole creation shall be, liberated from the bondage of
measure of its capacity.                                             corruption and be made to partake of the glorious liberty of
                                                                     the children of God!
   The single light-beam of God's goodness had not resolved
itself into the many-colored rays of His grace, tender mercy            Bowels of mercy!
and loving kindness in contrast with His holy wrath and
faultless justice.                                                      The Lord is good to all!! His tender mercy is over all His
                                                                     works!
   But sin entered. And in the wake of sin came death. And
with death followed suffering in a.lI  its awful forms, agony of                                   ****
soul and body, pain, sorrow, grief, fear. And the curse of God
was pronounced upon the creature and subjected it to vanity;            Good is Jehovah.
the chilling breath of a good God, maintaining Himself in his
goodness over against a sinful world, caused the whole creation         But all the wicked will He destroy.


4                                                       THE STANDARD BEARER



     Seemingly there is irreconcilable conflict here. The Lord is        They make the measure of their iniquity full.
good, and yet He destroys. Many a sinful mind will not.  have it
so. Many would dream of a goodness without righteousness, of                So are all the wicked.
a grace without justice, of a benevolence without holy wrath.
And yet, upon closer investigation this apparent conflict                   But the Lord is good. And because He is good and there is
disappears, dissolves itself into most sublime harmony. He will          no evil in Him, because He is a light and there is no darkness in
destroy all the wicked because He is good. The destruction of            Him, therefore, His soul loves the righteous and loatheth the
the wicked, God's wrath upon them is but another aspect of               wicked. His face beams with tender mercy upon those that
His perfect goodness.                                                    love Him, but bums with fierce wrath upon them that love
                                                                         iniquity; He preserves the righteous but destroys all the
     The wicked are the vessels of wrath, fitted unto                    wicked.
destruction. They are those that love iniquity and hate
righteousness. God is not in all their thoughts. They say  witbin           The Lord is good. Therefore there are in Him bowels of
their hearts, they express it in their words, they reveal it in          mercy and consuming fires of holy wrath!
their ways,  - that there is no God. They are God's enemies
and children of their father the Devil. They dwell in darkness              Hallelujah!
and love it. They crucify Christ and persecute His people.





EDITORIAL

                  Beginning Our Fiftieth Year  -
                                Thanks Be To God!

                                                  Pro.f H. C Hoeksema


     If you took note of the cover of  this  issue of our  Standard      year in some way in all twenty-one issues of this year, yet so
Bearer  when it arrived in your mail, you will already have              that the observance of this golden anniversary year reaches its
noticed that there must be something special afoot with our              climax, its grand finale, upon the completion of this
magazine. And indeed there is! Perhaps you have already                  volume-year, the actual Golden Anniversary.
discovered the nature of this special occasion. For if you
inspected the new symbol displayed on the cover, and looked                 Not only has the committee been laying plans; they have
carefully at the reproduction of the very first masthead ever            also been hard at work already. The anniversary symbol on our
used to identify our magazine, you will have discovered, too,            cover is evidence of  this,  for one thing. Some changes in the
that the occasion is the beginning of our fiftieth year of               format of our magazine are further evidence. The  Meditation
publication.                                                             appearing in  this issue, and which we deem to be particularly
                                                                         appropriate and in keeping with the note which our magazine
     That in itself means that we have reached a milestone.              has always sounded, is also part of the anniversary-observance
                                                                         in this issue. As noted, it was the first meditation on the first
                                                                         page of the  fast issue of the first volume; and it was written by
     Actually, however, we of the Staff and of the  Board-               one of the first editors, the late Reverend Herman Hoeksema.
conceive of matters thus, that we are now, as it were, running           The committee plans to reproduce a worthwhile article from
the last mile before reaching the more important milestone of            the past in every issue of this volume. And all the articles
the  completion  of our fiftieth year. That, if the Lord wills that      pertinent to this anniversary celebration will be marked by the
we reach it, will be the Golden Anniversary of our  Standard             little "50" symbol which is found at the head of this editorial.
Bearer.  And plans are already under way, through a joint
committee of the Staff and the Board, to observe  this fiftieth             The committee also asked your editor to devote a few lines


                                                      THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                   5



 to this anniversary-beginning, with which request I gladly              And they can be very carnal! For they can lead to boasting:
hereby comply.                                                        and boasting on an occasion such as this would certainly be
                                                                      abominable in the sight of God.
                               *****
                                                                         How shall we observe this anniversary-year?
    How does one observe an anniversary?
                                                                         By saying from the heart: "Thanks be to our Covenant
    Naturally, one's first inclination is to reminisce. And I         God!"
could probably fill more than one page with such
reminiscences: not only the more valuable ones which have to             And what does that thanksgiving imply concretely?
do with the treasures. of theological and spiritual gold which
may be found enfolded in those volumes which go all the way              First of all, it implies that we recount before  Him,  before
back to 1924; not only reminiscences of the history of its            one another, before our children, before all the public,  His
publication - the trials and tribulations through which Society      manifold mercies and blessings. The very fact that we have
and Board and Business Managers passed, as sometimes they             been enabled to publish for all these years is due only to His
desperately struggled to keep the Standard Bearer alive and           grace. He has provided the means, even when at times it
fiscally healthy, as in the time, for example, of the Great           seemed impossible to continue. He has provided the men - all
Depression. But also interesting anecdotes, as well as serious        through the years - to write, to expound, to defend, to hold
accounts, concerning the labors of those two "mighty men of          fast the heritage once delivered unto us, the heritage of the
valor," Herman Hoeksema and George M. Ophoff, who for                Reformed faith. He has provided the readers, the loyal
years and years wrote the lion's share of the contents of our        supporters, the willing givers. Yes, indeed, He has made all
magazine. Oh, yes, I could reminisce. Not only can I do that         things well! It is of the Lord's mercies that we were not
by engrossing myself in the past volumes  - and whoever              consumed long before we ever reached this anniversary year!
possesses the volumes will know what I mean by that word             Thanks be to God!
"engrossing," for one can intend to look up a single article,
and in the process of doing so soon spend a couple of hours             But even then we have not touched on the most important
reading this or that article which is interesting, but which he      element. To reach the fiftieth year of publication is wonderful,
never intended to read at the outset. But I can also tell many a     but only because as we begin this fiftieth year, we do so
tale from personal experience and observation. I am only             without any essential change from what we were in the  fnst
slightly older than our  Standard Bearer;  and I have been           year of our publication, do so with the same Reformed stance
directly connected with its publication for not quite half of its    as in 1924!
fifty years. But I lived as a son in the home of our first
editor-inchief during the early years of our magazine. My first         We have not changed!
memory goes back to the days when I was a little boy: I can
still see my father and Rev. Ophoff and Mr. G. Van Beek                 Our Standard Bearer today bears the standard, the flag, of
gathered around our dining room table, pasting up a "mock-           the truth, even as it did in its very first issue. Yes, there have
u p " of an issue as they used to do in those days. Or I             been many changes: changes of format, changes of personnel,
can hear the clicketyclack of the old Remington Noiseless            changes of readership. Not only so, but there has indeed been
upon arising in the morning: for there were many "S. B.              change in the Standard Bearer in the sense that we have not
acticles"  written in the "wee hours" of the morning before the      stood still. There has been  progress.  There has been
family was awake. Or I can see my mother's embarrassed blush         development. But the progress and development have been a
when one of the late Rev. Gerrit Vos's articles came                 following of the same banner of the .truth of God's Word and
"Airmail-Special Delivery"  - right into the Sunday morning          of our Reformed Confessions which was held high from the
church service! I can stih see the genial Rev. Vos, too, the next    very beginning  of this venture of faith. This was brought home
time he met my mild-mannered mother when he was on                   to me forcibly on a Sunday evening not long ago. After serving
vacation in Grand Rapids. Rev. Vos was usually not at a loss         as a guest preacher in one of our pulpits, I stopped to chat a
for words; but for once he was stunned to silence when my            few moments with two of the "old-timers," men of the first
mother "bawled him out" for disturbing her worship with his          generation of our churches. One was in his eighties, the other
rush-article from Redlands, California. I can remember the           in his seventies. I love to listen to these men; they have insights
rejoicing when the Standard Bearer met with glad acceptance          gained from years of experience. Somehow the conversation
even in other parts of the world; I can also remember the            turned to the subject of our churches and their heritage. And
dejection of its editors when upon occasion our magazine met         these two brethren testified as they thought back upon the
with reproach and rejection from supposed supporters. Yes, I         years: "We have not changed! Our churches are the same in
can tell many a story . . .                                          their doctrine and their preaching as they were fifty years
                                                                     ago." They were right! And to hear these elder statesmen of
   But reminiscences as such are of not much worth. They             the church say this was music in my ears! But then another
may be pleasant, or they may be painful.                             brother joined in the conversation, a man of my own


6                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER



generation. And he said: "Yes, but we have not stood still!"         renewed zeal! Rededication on the part of our editorial staff,
"No," said the two brethren, "we have not stood still. We have       rededication on the part of our Reformed Free Publishing
developed, but we have developed in the line of the truth."          Association and its Board, rededication on the part of our
And that was music in my ears, too!                                  readers and supporters! Let us dedicate ourselves anew to the
                                                                     purpose of bearing forth the standard of the truth. Let us with
     But remember this:  thatwe have not changed is not due to       renewed zeal labor to spread abroad the truth which God has
us. No, it is because the Lord has not changed. Great has been       given us as a heritage. Let us consecrate ourselves again to the
the faithfulness of our Covenant God!                                purpose of passing on this tradition of the fathers to our
                                                                     children and our children's children.
     Let us recount the lovingkindness of our God, and say,
"Thanks, Lord, for Thy unchanging faithfulness and for Thy              May God give us grace to hold aloft, especially in  this day
preserving grace. All the thanks and the praise be only to Thy       of fierce battle against the powers of darkness and the lie, the
Name!"                                                               banner of the truth of His sovereign grace and His everlasting
                                                                     and faithful covenant.
     In the second place, however, let this thanks be more than
the fruit of our lips. Let our thanksgiving  find  concrete             All the thanks and the praise be to His Name alone!
expression in this anniversary year in rededication and





ALL AROUND US


                                                    Threats To

                                         Parental Education

                                                           Pro.f H. Hank0




     It is that time of the year again when our children have           Parents have not only sent their children to school in the
returned to school. This is an important time of the year for        realization that these children are precious gifts of Jehovah
covenant parents because the sending of their covenant chil-         their God, but also in the full consciousness that the education
dren to covenant schools is part of the  fulfiument  of the vows     of these children is a parental responsibility. This is a point
which they made at the time when they presented their                which,  I think, needs no argument among us. We believe that
children for baptism. They send their children to school with        the truth of God's everlasting covenant of grace carries with it
many prayers - prayers for the School Boards upon which              the solemn obligation for  parents  to instruct their children in
falls the responsibility for the operation of the school; prayers    the ways of the Lord. This is also emphasized throughout
for the teachers who have the difficult task of taking charge of     Scripture. God lays upon parents, and upon them alone, the
this aspect of covenant instruction; prayers for their children      task of giving their  &i&hen  covenant instruction. No one else
that, through this instruction also, the children of God's           is given this task in Scripture. It is for this reason that we have
covenant may be thoroughly equipped to walk as God's party           erected parental schools. And they will survive as covenant
in the midst of the world.                                           schools only if they remain parental schools.


                                                                 THE STANDARD BEARER                                                            7


              With all this I am leading up to a point of increasing            consider themselves a professional elite who alone are in a
           concern to me in recent years. I refer to various threats to         position to determine what must be taught in a given school
           parental schools which have manifested themselves from time          and how such instruction must be carried out. The argument
           to time. It is well that, at the  beginning  of a new year of        goes something like this. Teachers are trained for their
           school life we be warned of these threats that we may be on          profession. They go to High School, College and University
           our guard against them and strive earnestly to maintain our          with the express purpose of becoming masters in their own
           schools as parental schools.                                         fields not only, but also with the purpose of learning all the
                                                                                principles of education in the fields of philosophy of
              There is, of course, the threat of government intervention.       education and educational methodology. They consider
           This is a very real threat, and it comes particularly in the form    themselves, as a result, authorities in their fields. Add to this
           of government aid of one sort or another to those who operate        knowledge which they have acquired over the years, a number
           and maintain parochial.and/or parental schools. This problem         of years of actual classroom experience in which they have put
           of whether government aid to parochial and parental schools is       all they learned to the test of classroom work and have honed
           constitutional or not is still not completely solved and still       to a  fine edge their professional abilities, and there is a real
           awaits further judgment in the courts. The temptation is             danger that these teachers assume that they alone know all
      .    always there to ease the "burden" of supporting our schools          there is to know about this  .matter  of education. The
           through receiving government aid. But it is a sure way to bring      conclusion is therefore, that they, and no one else, are in a
           into our schools government control. The state knows perhaps         proper position to determine what ought to be taught in a
           better than we that the way to mold the minds and lives of           school and how such teaching should be carried on. In most
           men is to educate the youth according to the philosophies            instances parents are not as highly educated as the teachers,
           which the state believes. Especially in these days of refmed         and, if parents have been educated, they are at least, not
           methods of propaganda and subtle indoctrination the state is         competent in the field of education. So not parents but
           gradually attaining its goal of mass conformity to its godless       teachers must assume the entire responsibility of taking care of
           philosophies. We know that the state is determined that all the      the education of the children of the covenant. The whole
           populace shall be bent to its will and that not very subtle          responsibility then, is taken from parents and given over
           efforts will be made to include in such education the children       completely into the hands of a professional elite. This is one
           of God's covenant. We must stedfastly resist these incursions        threat to parental education.
           in whatever form they take. They spell the end of covenant
           education.                                                              I am  not  saying that this is happening in our own Protestant
                                                                                Reformed Schools. As far as I have been able to observe, this is
              But it is not with this threat that I am particularly             not, generally speaking,  an immediate  danger. Nor am I saying
           concerned in this article. I see, within our own school              that teachers ought to have nothing whatsoever to say about
           structures, a three-fold threat to parental education. As most       what ought to be taught in the schools; and that they should
           of our readers know, most parental  - Christian schools (not         have absolutely no voice at all in all questions of methods of
           parochial) are set up in such a way that a society of parents        teaching. Nor am I saying that education of teachers and
           appoints or elects a Board which is in charge of the operation       professional competence is a thing to be scorned. Do not
           of the school. To this Board is entrusted the responsibility of      mistake me.
           raising money, hiring teachers, determining the curriculum,
           etc.  Witbin  the schools the teachers themselves are responsible       But I am saying three things: 1) The danger is very real. In a
           for the education of the children while an administrator is          proposed statement entitled "Schools in the Christian
           responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school. This, in     Community" authored by James H. Olthuis and Bernard
           broad outline, is how the schools are operated.                      Zylstra the whole problem of parental responsibility in
                                                                                education is discussed. The authors come specifically to the
              There is in this set-up a three-fold threat to parental           conclusion that, "it is our conviction that the school as we
           education. That threat arises when either one of the three           envisage it today lies outside of the parents' authority in the
           involved in operating the school (parents, Board or faculty)         home." They add a bit later: "(Parents) execute that
           fails in some way in its assigned task.                              responsibility sending the children to a school, within which
                                                                                educational  authotity   is exercised by the team of teachers.
              It is possible for teachers to threaten parental education. I     From this vantage-point the authority of the parents does not
           am not referring to the fact that it is possible to have in the      reach into the educational process of the school." What is left
           school incompetent teachers who are simply not intellectually        to the parents?  " . . . when the child is too sick to attend
           and spiritually equipped to perform their task. This, of course,     school; what clothes it should wear; whether corporal
           can also happen. But it is not this which concerns me at the         punishment is to be allowed; in what context homework is to
           moment. What does concern me is the fact that there can              be done, etc." This is a flat denial of parental education and a
           conceivably be a spirit on the part of all or some of the faculty    complete abdication on the part of parents who hand over,
           in a given school which manifests itself in what I can only call     lock, stock and barrel, their responsibility to a professional
           professional arrogance. It is possible that teachers begin to        elite. This view has had more influence than we often




IL


8                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER



recognize. 2) Parents must recognize that teachers are in a          sometimes that teachers take upon themselves decisions which
position to do much for their children and are certainly, under      they ought not because there is thrust upon them the necessity
normal circumstances, better equipped to advise and suggest          of making these decisions by parental sloth. The attitude often
concerning all aspects of the educational process. But this          prevails among us that, because we have excellent schools,
should be done in closest cooperation with parents. 3) The           dedicated teachers, consecrated School Boards, we as parents
final  and ultimate responsibility under God rests with parents      can safely leave the whole matter of covenant instruction to
and with them alone. They must have the right to have the            these teachers and we need not bother our. heads about the
final  say in all matters of education. No teacher may ever deny     whole matter.
a parent the right to have a voice in the education of the
children - although this voice must be expressed in orderly             There are two aspects to this evil which we ought briefly to
ways. No teacher or group of teachers may ever set their             remember. One aspect of the problem is the failure on the part
professional competence above that of the parents'                   of parents to concern themselves in  almost  any way with the
responsibility before God to instruct the children of the            education which the children are receiving in the schools.
covenant of grace in the fear of Jehovah.                            These parents never (or seldom) inquire of their children
     The second danger which is a threat to a parental school is     concerning their instruction, progress and work. They never
the danger of what we may perhaps call  `boardism."  An              supervise homework. They rarely talk to the teachers about
example of this lies at hand. It has been said to me that we         their children. They do not even, as a rule, attend society
should not elect to our boards in our Christian Schools any men      meetings. The education of their children is a process of which
except those who have had at least a college education. We           they have no awareness  - until disaster strikes in one form or
should not entrust the operation of our schools to uneducated        another. And then the teacher gets all the blame. Most, if not
parents, nor should we permit boards composed of parents             all, teachers welcome the active interest of parents in all
without some educational degrees to be in charge of the affairs      aspects of the educational process. They want the parents to
of the school. Behind this plea lay a supposition which              be involved as much as possible. And they fret when parents
amounted to a claim that all the power for the operation of          show little or no interest.
the school should rest with the Board. I have, in my own
experience, met with Board members who conceived of the                 The other aspect to this problem is the failure of parents to
relation between a School Board and a School Society as being        perform their own covenantal tasks in the home. Just because
analogous to that of a Consistory to the congregation. The           our children are regularly attending Christian schools does not
argument was then that just as a Consistory is invested by God       mean that we have nothing more to do in the calling and
with authority to rule over the congregation, so was a School        responsibilities of covenant instruction. The fact of the matter
Board invested with the authority to rule over a School              is that the instruction which children receive in the home is
Society. Hence, the Board and the Board alone have the "say"         still the spiritually  decisive  instruction of the covenant. So true
in the operation of the School. This Board not only                  is this that without faithfulness on the part of parents in their
determines on its own all matters which pertain to the School,       calling, the best Christian Schools will flounder and be of no
but it is not answerable to the Society for what it does. And        avail. Teachers, dedicated and consecrated teachers, not only
the implication is once again that the majority of parents are       know this is essential, but must, in the nature of their task,
nincompoops who do not have sufficient education or                  assume that parents are fulfilling their responsibilities all the
intelligence to  fulfil  the responsibilities which God has given    while these same children are attending school. In the final
to them and to them alone. This is a threat to parental              analysis, any successful education in the school becomes
education which is to be avoided like the plague.                    impossible without it.
     The third threat to parental education is a threat which
arises from the failure on the part of parents to exercise their        These are present day threats. I speak of them to warn you
God-given responsibilities. Whether this is the greatest threat      against them that you may be on your guard. We must, for the
or not I do not know. I do  know  that within our own school         sake of the precious truth of God's everlasting covenant of
system parental neglect and indifference to covenantal               grace and for the future of our Churches, maintain the
instruction lies at the root of many problems which the              principle of parental education.
teachers and the Boards repeatedly face. It is almost true





                              REFORMED DOGMATICS, (Second printing). $9.95 postpaid.


                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                9


CONVOCATION ADDRESS

                               God's Word Like A Fire
                                    And Like A Hammer

                                                        Bo& H. C Hoeksema



(Editor's note: The following address was delivered at the          Jeremiah 23:29,  "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord;
convocation of the Theological School  of  the Protestant           and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" This is a
Reformed Churches, held this year at the Southeast Protestant       word which is found in the context of one of the most severe
Reformed Church of Grand Rapids on Sept. 5, 19 73.)                 warnings against and condemnations of the false prophets and
                                                                    the pastors who destroy and scatter God's sheep. And for that
   This school year bids fair to be an historic year for our        reason it is all the more timely and pertinent in the peculiar
seminary. Last Friday evening I visited 4949 Ivanrest. Our new      days in which we live. If you read over the chapter in which
building is taking shape. Walking, in the quiet of the evening,     this word is found, it is almost alarming to note how the
through the already-erected framing, I could readily discern        description of the circumstances in Jeremiah's day accurately
the shape of the building and of the various rooms and could        pictures the circumstances of our own day. Well may we give
begin to visualize somewhat how things will be upon                 heed, therefore, to this Word of God.
completion of the building, hopefully about midway through
this term of our seminary. As I was there, I began to think,        The Idea of God's Word
too, about the fact that the Lord has graciously heard our
prayers, and has already sent us our third professor, the Rev.         When Scripture here speaks of the Word of God, it is
Robert Decker. And though I was aware beforehand of our             evident at once that it is referring to God's Word as God
enrollment for the coming term, this morning at registration I      Himself speaks it. The text here says that the Word of Jehovah
could not help but be struck anew by the fact that the Lord         is like a fne and like a hammer, that is, effectual. And we feel
has given us'  a larger number of students at our school than we    at once, therefore, that here we have to do with that Word of
have had in many, many years.                                       God as God Himself speaks it. This is a broader concept than
                                                                    the idea of Holy Scripture. I do not mean by this, you
   And what were my reactions?                                      understand, that we must conceive of several different Words
                                                                    of God, as is the presentation of some. Nor do I mean that we
   My first reaction was that all this seems almost like a          must differentiate thus, that God's Word, the written record of
dream. When one thinks back on our history - and I needed           that Word, the revelation of that Word as to its content, is not
only to think back over the brief span of the fourteen years        completely identical with Scripture. The latter is indeed true.
that I have served at our seminary - it seems almost to be          The revelation of the Word of God is not merely in Scripture,
unreal, too good to be true. And then there welled up within        but it  is  Scripture. The two are coextensive in content.
me an overwhelming sense of gratitude: how good the Lord            Depart from this,  - and I mean this in the strictest sense of
has been to us, and that, too, in spite of all our unworthiness!    the word - and you have destroyed the very nature of Holy
And with that came, thirdly, a sense  - almost as a note of         Scripture, and with it all possibility of a revelation of God to
caution - of the grave responsibility that is incumbent upon        us. If we depart from this, we have no revelation left. But we
our seminary, the school of our churches. After all, a  fine        must distinguish as follows. Scripture without an operation of
building, an enlarged faculty, a comparatively numerous             God, without a speech of God, does not constitute an
student body, an increasing degree of recognition - all these       effectual word. It does not accomplish anything, and it is not
are in themselves of no worth, and are not worthy of                capable of accomplishing anything. The Bible in itself as a
consideration, UNLESS our Theological School and all its            mere book, is a dead letter. The same is true of the word of a
labors are devoted wholeheartedly and unreservedly and              preacher, even though the word of the preacher is according to
antithetically to the Word of God and to the faithful ministry      the Scriptures. It is not in itself an effectual word; it is not
of that Word.                                                       able to accomplish anything. All this arises exactly from the
                                                                    fact that God Himself speaks His own Word. God is the only
   Something of this I want to convey to you at this                One Who is able to speak the Word of God, If God does not
convocation, on the basis of the Word of God as found in            speak it, there is no Word of God. There may be, and there


1 0                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER



is, a record, a written record of God's Word, that is, a written     Himself, the express image of God's substance. This speech of
record of the contents  of God's Word, a record of what God          God, of the Father, in the Son, through the Holy Spirit, is the
has spoken. But that is not the same as the idea of the Word of      speech of God in God Himself. This is the idea of the Word as
God. The- Word of God is the word which God Himself speaks.          God Himself alone can know and understand it. In the Son
And it is through that speech, or speaking, of God that the          God speaks of Himself to Himself.
Word, whatever may be its content in a given instance,
becomes effectual, like a fire and like a hammer.                       In the second place, there is the speech of God outside of
                                                                     Himself. God also speaks an outgoing Word, a Word that
       Hence, the idea of the Word of God is that it is God's own    proceeds outside of Himself. We may remark parenthetically
expression of His divine thoughts.                                   that here we approach the idea proper of revelation. God has
                                                                     from eternity willed to reveal Himself, to speak of HIMSELF
       We have a very weak reflection of this concept in our         outside of His own Being. This eternal thought and will and
human word. We humans may have thoughts about various                purpose of God to speak of Himself outside of Himself is, of
things. And we express those thoughts in words. That is the          course, God's counsel, His eternal wisdom in relation to all
idea of the human word: they are human thoughts and human            things. And this counsel and purpose of God, which includes
words, a human speaking. Thus it is with God on an infinite          all the divine thoughts, forms the content of God's  Word
and perfect plane. There are in God divine thoughts. Those           outgoing. It includes all that takes place in time, and that too,
divine thoughts God expresses through a divine speech. And           in creation and in recreation. We cannot take the time now to
that act of God .whereby  He in divine fashion expresses His         recount in detail the content of that speech. We only call
divine thoughts - that is the Word of God as it occurs in            attention to a few chief "moments" of this divine Word. And
Jeremiah 23:29.  It is the Word that goeth forth out of God's        then we note, in the first place, that the chief content of that
mouth, as Scripture calls it elsewhere.                              Word outgoing is God Himself, His glory! We must remember
                                                                     this. God's Word outgoing is the Word of  SELF-
       The content of that Word is God Himself. We must              REVELATION.  I believe, let me say in parentheses, that
remember this, also when we consider the Word of God as it           this is forgotten and overlooked in much of the current
proceeds outside of Himself. In the deepest sense of the word,       discussion about the nature and authority of Holy Scripture.
the Word of God is always a Word of Self-revelation. It was          The  thinking is not theological, but soteriological. There is
something of this that gripped and deeply moved the prophet          much discussion about the question whether the Word of God
Jeremiah, according to verse 9 of this chapter, when he              is always a saving Word or not, a redemptive word or a
referred to "the words of his holiness." He says there: "Mine        non-redemptive Word. But it is overlooked that the chief and
heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my            controlling idea (and glory!) of the Word of God lies exactly in
bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom            the fact that it is a Word of Self-revelation. Our thinking must
wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the          be theological also here. Secondly, this glory is centrally
words of his holiness." The words of His holiness are exactly        expressed in Christ, the Word made flesh, the Son of God in
words of His holiness because they are the Word of the               our nature. Thirdly, to that Christ a people is given, the
Self-revelation of the Holy One! This we must always                 Church, His body. That is the Word of election. The fourth
remember, therefore. When God speaks, the content of that            "moment" which I would mention is this: that people is
speech, whatever God says and about whatsoever God may               realized amid the chaff of the reprobated, ungodly world,
speak, is always in the deepest sense of the word, as to its         along the lines of sin and grace. In the fifth place, for the
content, God Himself. This is not true of our word. We are           realization of that people in Christ, the Firstborn of every
creatures; and as such we always consider things that  already       creature, all things in heaven and in earth, in creation and
are. For that reason our thoughts and our speech are never           history, are conceived and presently SPOKEN. And, finally, all
really original. But God's thoughts are only concerning Himself,     converges in the fulfillment of God's eternal covenant at the
and therefore His speech is altogether of Himself  - original.       parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ, when all the wicked
God knows and thinks Himself, and there is no one and                (speaking now in terms of the simile of our text) shall be
nothing beside Him. He alone is God. And therefore all God's         crushed and shall be burned up, and when the everlasting
thoughts are thoughts concerning Himself. And therefore the          kingdom shall be ushered in. Such, briefly, is the content of
content of God's entire Word, His speech;is also Himselj?  God       that Word which God speaks, which goes forth from His
is the speaking Subject, and God is the Predicate. He speaks         mouth through all the ages.
out Himself, and speaks of Himself. His Word has Himself for
its contents - in the deepest sense of then  word always and in      The Power Of God's Word
all His speech!
                                                                        Now the Scripture here emphasizes that this Word of God is
   This is true, first of all; in God Himself. In the divine         effectual. This is expressed in the figure of speech in verse 29.
economy itself, that is, in the life of the ever blessed Trinity,    There is a comparison here: the Word of Jehovah is likened
this speech of God takes  .place  in the Son, the Word, the          here to a.fue and a hammer. We will not go into detail as to all
Personal expression of all the divine. thoughts concerning           the various suggestions that have been made in connection


                                                      THE STANDARD BEARER                                                            1 1



with these two figures. We will only point out positively that         fmished in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through that
the  fire here represents the power to bum up something, the           speech of God comes the enmity of Genesis 3:15,  and God's
power to consume. And the hammer is the symbol of great                covenant is maintained in the midst of sin and suffering and
and invincible and irresistible strength: a force able to smash in     death. Through that speech of God comes the flood: and
pieces the rock (the rock representing that which is apparently        God's church is saved by water from this present world.
unchangeable and  umnoveable  in all of creation). And the             Through that effectual Word of God comes Abraham: and
significance of these figures as applied to the Word of God is, I      God's covenant is established with him and his seed. Through
think, very evident. In the context of this chapter which              that Word of God comes Israel, comes the exodus, comes
speaks of the word of the false prophets, who say, "Thus saith         Canaan, come the enemies of God's people, comes the
the Lord," when the Lord has not spoken, these figures are             captivity, comes the deliverance and return from captivity.
obviously used here to portray the Word of God in its                  Through that speech of God in the  fuhress  of time comes
negative, destructive power. And then the figures together            Christ out of the virgin, comes the cross, comes the
denote that God's Word is effectual, powerful. There is a very         resurrection, comes the exaltation of the Word made flesh.
ominous note of warning in this expression. And there is this         Through that same effectual Word of God comes the church of
difference of emphasis between the two figures of speech: the         the new dispensation, gathered from among ah  nations. And
fire emphasizes the effectualness of the Word of Jehovah as           presently, through that effectual Word of God shall come the
such. As the fire burns up the fuel upon which it feeds, so the       new creation and the new Jerusalem. And always - because
Word of Jehovah is going to consume those who prophesy                Zion shall be redeemed through judgment - that Word of God
falsely. For our God is a consuming fne. And the figure of the        not only acts effectually in a positive manner, that is, to save
hammer applied to the Word of God emphasizes the innate,              and finally to usher in the everlasting kingdom of glory in the
unconquerable strength of that effectual power of the Word of         new creation, but acts as a fne and a hammer, to consume and
Jehovah. His Word is not a little power, effectual to                 to crush all the powers of darkness. And when all shall be
accomplish onIy  small things.  But it is a great and irresistible    finished, then all shall witness of the glory of God's eternal
force. That which is apparently most stable and immovable             Word, spoken in the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ and displayed
will be crushed and smashed to pieces by that Word: His Word          in the many Words of His holiness!
is like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces. Such is the
significance of these figures.                                        The Significance of That Word

   Hence, this is the meaning. God's Word goes forth from His            That Word God has caused us to know. He has not only
mouth. He sends it forth, speaks it. And God speaks and sends         revealed to us the content of that Word. But He has also
forth His Word to His purpose. And that Word is not merely a          revealed the power of that Word, and caused us to know it. He
sound, as is the human word, accomplishing absolutely                 has made known to us what He through all the ages speaks and
nothing. Such, indeed, is our word. It occurs after the fact, not     brings to pass by His Word.
before it. Things exist, and things take place: and only then
can we and do we speak of them. God's Word is different. It is           Thus it was already in creation, in the state of rectitude.
a mighty, living power. It accomplishes that which it says, that      There was a revelation of God in the "book of creation." But
is, all that God pleases, thinks,  all of His eternal counsel, His    there was also a man created to read those Words of God and
good pleasure.                                                        to receive them. That latter element belongs to the concept of
                                                                      revelation.
   Thus it is, first of  ah,  with respect to God's Word as He
speaks it in Himself, as the Triune God. God eternally speaks            And thus it is in re-creation. Jehovah reveals and declares
His Word to Himself. And that Word is the power of eternal            His new work in the Holy Gospel: through patriarchs and
generation. It is effectual. Within the Divine Being the Word         prophets and apostles, and centrally in our Lord Jesus Christ.
proceeds from the' Father from eternity to eternity as the            That Word, the written record  * of it, we have in the Holy
image of the eternal Son, the Logos, through the Holy Spirit.         Scriptures in their entirety. But that is not all. God also forms
                                                                      by His almighty and effectual Word of grace a people that can
   Thus it is when God speaks His Word outside of Himself in          believe and that can through faith understand that Word of the
creation. Through faith we understand that the worlds were            Holy Scriptures. God has made known to them His Word. And
framed by the Word of God. God spake, and it was' done; He            the reason for this lies in God's covenant of friendship. In that
commanded, and it stood fast. The Word of God in creation is          covenant His people are of His party; they are His friend
an effectual Word.                                                    servants and that people enters into the secret of Jehovah,
                                                                      which is for them that fear Him (Psalm 25: 14). He speaks with
   Thus it is also in recreation. God is not finished speaking        them as Sovereign Friend with His friends. He has no secrets
with creation. The world must, along the way of sin and death;        from them, but His secret is with them. And the purpose is
be raised up through suffering and death to eternal life. And         .that  His covenant people should know Him and tell forth His
God speaks His Word in Christ, the Word of the Holy Gospel,           virtues. The purpose is that in their deepest ways they might
the Word which shall not be  wholly spoken till all shall be          know God's high thoughts and-put their trust in Him.


     1 2                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER



            And if I may apply all this specifically to the occasion of     "thus saith the Lord," when the Lord has not spoken, then
     this convocation, then I must say this. To that Word and its           remember this: your word will never stand and will never
     ministry our seminary is and must be devoted. That is true, for        endure, and you will never stand and never endure. For
     the faculty with respect to all the branches of instruction.           Jehovah's Word will act as a fire, to consume, and as a hammer
     That  is true for the student body. It is true for you                 that breaketh the rock in pieces! Be warned, therefore, and
     seminarians, whose work is more nearly and more directly               never depart from His Word, which for us is always the Word
     geared to preparation for the  ministry of that Word of God.           of the Scriptures.
     But it is also true for  you pre-seminarians, though your work
     at this stage is more distantly and indirectly geared to                      But there is also a  sure'and  reliable encouragement in this
     preparation for that ministry. None of us must forget this. In         truth. It is an encouragement to learn and to know and to
     all our labors and in all our studies this must be our purpose.        speak His Word, and to say, "Thus saith the Lord," in truth,
                                                                            that is, according to the Scriptures. For His Word, which we
            There is a warning here. There is an ominous note of            then proclaim, is an effectual Word. It is living and powerful.
     warning in this Word of verse 29 as it occurs in the context of        It shall surely stand, and it shall accomplish all to which God
     this severe condemnation of the false prophets and the pastors         sends it.
     who scatter the sheep. (And remember: it is precisely the false
     prophets, who depart from the Word of God and speak their                     Only thus, but also surely thus, the task of preaching is
     own word in the Name of the Lord who scatter the sheep and             hopeful!
     fleece them, instead of gathering and feeding them.) And that
     word of warning is this, to you and to me: should any of you                  His Word is like a fire and like a hammer!
     ever think of going the way of the false prophets, who say,





     SIGNS OF THE TIMES


                                          Famine On The Earth

                                                              Rev. G. Van Baren



            We have been much preoccupied by shortages in our productivity of American farms. We might point to the
     land lately - whether these have been contrived or real               huge surplus which had been built up year after year.
     shortages, they have been affecting our land and our                  We could point out that where there is lack in one part
     lives. We are even inclined to complain: against the                  of our country, other parts can readily make up the
     government; against farmers; against the middleman.                   difference. But God directs all things. God can send
     Such complaint or dissatisfaction is rather strange  -                drought over large segments of our country. God can
     since we still have food in such abundance that it                    send diseases which destroy large amounts of crop and
     almost literally "comes out of our ears." Much is still               cattle. Our surpluses have been depleted. Famine could
     thrown away after meals are fmished. We have such                     conceivably also affect our land.
     variety yet that kings of old could hardly equal. And                   I do not mean to be a "crepe-hanger." I am leading
     when we read of the literal and terrible famines now                  rather to the point of emphasizing what Scripture
     affecting large areas of this earth, we might well be                 declares concerning famine as a sign of the end of this
     ashamed of speaking any word of complaint.                            age.
            Yet these shortages remind us again how close we
     can be to times of actual lack  - of real famine. Nor THE FAMINES OVER THE EARTH
     ought we to think that we, in our country, are immune                   Famines have been part of the recorded history of
     from such things. We may readily speak of the this world almost from its beginning. One reads of



L


                                                 THE STANDARD BEARER                                                             1 3


  famines in Scripture. The instances mentioned in horse runs.
  Genesis of famine in the lifetime of Abraham are well              The third horse, of course, runs throughout the
  known. It was a famine in Canaan which became the history of this age. But he still runs today  - and
  occasion of Abraham's  .journey  to Egypt. Later, a increasingly is he evident. The concern about wheat
  famine brought Jacob and his family to Egypt where shortages in our own country surely must be a
  they remained for almost four hundred years. Famines reminder of the "measure of wheat for a penny."
  occurred with regularity in the land of Canaan and                 Though "Watergate" dominates the news lately, one
  surrounding countries. That there are famines, does note repeated references to terrible famines in our
  therefore, is not a new phenomenon.                          own day in certain areas of the world. Time,  in a brief
    And Scripture foretells the coming of famines.             article, explained (in Aug. 20, 1973 issue):
  There are more passages than I can presently point out                  The pinch on U.S. supplies of grain and beef is
  that speak of the coming of famines. I remind you                   only part of a worldwide scarcity of raw materials.
  only of a few. These speak not only of the possibility              For almost every important commodity  - meat,
  of famines, but of the fact that God Himself sends                  wheat, rice, soybeans, wool, cocoa, copper, lead,
these. We read in Jer. 24: 10, "And I will send the                   rubber - world production is falling behind ravenous
  sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till             demand . . .
  they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto                     The situation stems largely from a temporary
                                                                      combination of foul weather for crops and metal
  them and to their fathers." Or, again, "So I will send              miners' strikes  in Chile and Zambia.  But  trouble may
  upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall                     not be shortlived. World reserve stocks of many major
  bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass                   farm goods have been so badly depleted that years of
  through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I               bumper harvests will be needed to rebuild them.
  the Lord have spoken it." (Ez. 5: 17). It is clearly God           The Grand Rapids'  Press  has been giving brief
  Who sends the famine, and sends it in His wrath upon reports on occasion. On June 11, 1973, this newspaper
  the workers of wickedness.                                   stated:
    Jesus also spake of famines as signs of the end of the                The United Nations' early warning system for
  age. In Matthew 24, Jesus responded to the question of              famine is signaling a red alert.
  the disciples, "Tell us, when shall these things be? And                The Food and Agriculture Organization lists 28
  what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of             countries stricken by drought this year. The
  the world?" (vs. 3) Jesus said (among other things),                prolonged series of dry spells, the worst in 25 years,
  "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom                  has killed cattle and reduced crops in wide areas of
  against kingdom: and there shall be famines . . ." (vs.7)           Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
                                                                          The droughts came at. a time when the U.N. unit
  This is specifically presented as a sign of the coming              was already warning that food production in the
  again of Jesus and the end of the world. At the same                hungry nations was falling behind the population
  time, Jesus reminds us in verse 8 that "these are the               explosion.
  beginning of sorrows." The literal idea is that famine                  And other factors, many of them economic, were
  and other "natural" disasters represent the birthpains              reducing thinly stockpiled food reserves in the
  of the new creation. Each time these are seen on the                industrial nations. Floods on the Mississippi River
  earth, the child of God is reminded that the "birth" of             caused millions of dollars' worth of crop losses in the
  the new creation is that much nearer.                               United States, a country that traditionally makes up
    But famines shall increase as the end of time draws               food deficits in the hungry areas of the world.
  near. Concerning the third of the four horses of Rev. 6                 The United States and Canada also sold millions of
  we read, "And I beheld and lo a black horse; and he                 dollars worth of grain to the Soviet Union to help it
  that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And             to recover from a disastrous harvest.
                                                                          Experts at  F.A.O.`s  headquarters here estimate
  I heard a voice in. the midst of the four beasts say, A             that more than one billion people live in countries
  measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of                 where there is not enough to eat because of drought.
  barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and                   That's nearly a third of the world's population.
  the wine." The blackness of the horse is a reminder of             Again, the Press of June 13, 1973 reported:
  the blackness associated with the famished. A measure                   Remote and legendary Timbuktu, often a
  of wheat would be that amount which one man'needed                  synonym for the end of the world, has become a
  to live each day  - to be purchased by a penny, the                 major distribution point for relief food to thousands
  amount that a man could earn in one day. This                       struck by the four-year-old dry spell . . .
  indicates a time of scarcity and want. The wine and oil,                It has destroyed vast acres of crops, wiped out
  the luxuries of this earth, are untouched: the rich are             millions of cattle and, according to United Nations
  not apparently affected by the scarcity of the ordinary       ,     officials, could bring death to some six million
  daily necessities. The balances in the hand of the                 Africans through famine.
  horseman also indicates a careful measuring out of                 Then in the Press of August 9, 1973, one could
  things; there will be no superabundance when this            read:


I
      1'4                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER


                  Thirteen million people, twice as many as earlier       But also God reveals  His wrath against the corruption
              believed, are now facing famine because of drought in       evident in any one period of history. Today especially
              Sub-Sahara Africa, the League of Red Cross Societies        the wickedness of man has manifested itself in
              said Wednesday.                                             unbelievably terrible ways. There is no regard, even in
                  It said half of these people are children less than
               15 years old.                                              an outward way, to the law of God. Man does what is
                  Of the 24 million inhabitants of the six                right in his own eyes. Nor may man think that with
              Sub-Sahara, or  Sahelian  countries, 12 million are         impunity he can escape the judgment of God. Man
              threatened, the League said.                                who evilly uses  .the  material things of God's creation,
                  A further one million persons are in danger in          man who readily uses his inventions in the service of
              Ethiopia, which is not actually a part of the region, it    sin, that man will also taste of the terrible wrath of the
              said.                                                       just God. And these go together: man's wickedness and
                  Adding to the human suffering, the `League              the evidence of God's wrath. Both serve as reminder
              reported, is the loss by drought victims of 80 per cent     that soon the end comes and the judgment of God will
              or more of their livestock . .  ."                          be expressed in its full and final form.
             This all sounds frightening. In this world where men           Secondly, the earthly famines remind one of
     . boast of their ability to maintain productivity, where another sort of famine increasingly seen in the earth.
      men are able to transport vast quantities of materials              This other sort of famine is what Scripture calls the
      by ship or plane, where only a few years ago we heard               "famine of the Word." Amos 8: 11 states, "Behold, the
      of vast surplus "of  grain, in this country and farm-land           days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a
      was placed in the "land bank," now major portions of                famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst
      the earth are threatened by the  third,horseman.  Surely,           for water, but of the hearing the words of the Lord."
      it is a fulfillment of Christ's Word, and it is a sign of Such a famine is seen in the land today. It shall
      the nearness of the end of this age.                                become more and more evident. That kind of famine is
                                                                          far worse than physical famine. But the two again go
      SEVERAL THOUGHTS CONCERNING FAMINES                                 together. In connection with the wickedness of man
             In the first place, the famine is a clear sign of God's      who turns from the Word, God in His wrath also takes
      judgment. Thus is it presented especially in the                    away his physical food.
     .prophecies  of  .Jeremiah  and Ezekiel. God sends this in             But the child of God continues to look to God for
      His wrath upon the disobedient. It is evidence' of His              his daily bread. And he knows that shortly he shall be
      wrath against mankind who is born totally depraved                  delivered from this world of famines, for the coming of
      out of his first father and representative head, Adam.              "the Lord is at hand" (Phil  4:5).





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                                                      THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  15


THESTRENGTHOFYOUTH
                                     Christian Liberty (2)
                                                          Rev. J. Kortering

  We discovered in our previous article that. it is                     III, chapter 19, page 136.
difficult to define the scope of Christian liberty. We                Since- the question of Christian liberty comes to the
recognize that there is an area of our Christian calling            foreground in a' special and personal way in the life of
in which the individual Christian must determine for                a young person, we do well to investigate this aspect
himself whether a thing is good or bad. One Christian               further.
may decide it is bad for him, while another Christian
may deem it proper. Since it is not clearly defined, it             YOUTH AND CHANGE
gives rise for debate and sometimes severe judgment of
fellow Christians. On the one hand, a Christian may                   We may well  ask:, why does the question of
become overly cautious. We quote from John Calvin's                 Christian liberty come to the foreground so often in
Institutes, Book III, Chapter 19, page 134,                         the life of a young person? Isn't it interesting that the
       In the present day many think us absurd in raising           examples given by John  Calvinin  the 16th century are
    a question as to  the free eating of flesh, the free use        still a burden to parents regarding their young people:
    of dress  and holidays, and similar frivolous trifles, as       dress, wine, leisure time, music, etc. Why are they so
    they think them; but they are of more importance                sensitive in relation to youth?
    than is commonly supposed. For when once the                      Part of the answer has to be that youth advocate
    conscience is entangled in the net, it enters a long and        change. Young people like what is different. Certainly,
    inextricable labryinth, from which it is afterwards             the styles (or lack of it) of clothing, music,
    most difficult to escape. When a man begins to doubt            entertainment, all prove that the clever manipulators
    whether it is lawful for him to use linen for sheets,           of the youth culture are taking advantage of this fact
    shirts,  napkins, and handkerchiefs, he will not long be        of life. This has been true for every generation. The
    secure as to bimp, and will at last have doubts as to           difference is that the present generation has the time
    tow; for he will revolve in his mind whether he
    cannot sup without napkins, or dispense with                    and money to take full advantage of it. Young people
    handkerchiefs. Should he deem a daintier food                   want their own marks of identity, and the way to get
    unlawful, he will afterwards feel uneasy for using              them is to accept the latest fad in order to stay one
    loafbread and common eatables, because he will think            step ahead of grandma who is bound to catch up.
    that his body might possibly be supported on a still              This puts young people in the forefront of the
    meaner food. If he hesitates as to a more genial wine,          conflict. As soon as something new comes along,
    he will scarcely drink the worst with a good                    young people are psychologically ready to grab it. Look
    conscience; at last he will not dare to touch water if          around you: long hair, thick soled shoes, grubby
    more than usually sweet and pure. In fine, he will              washed off denim pants, the baggy look, rock music,
    come to this, that he will deem it criminal to trample          sports cars, and on and on. When young people grab
    on a straw lying in his way . . . When men are                  these things, they force themselves to face a moral
    involved in such doubts, whatever be the direction in
    which they turn, everything they see must offend                question, is it all right? Usually the older generation
    their conscience.                                               shouts,  no!  The young people say, yes! The area of
  Then there is the other side of the picture,                      change produces this area of conflict and moral
permissiveness. Calvin also warns that things which are             evaluation. In forming these moral judgments, we have
in themselves neither right or wrong may be used                    to discern as to what is sinful and what is included in
wrongfully.                                                         Christian liberty.
        Certainly ivory and gold, and riches, are the good          DO YOUR OWN THING
    creatures of God, permitted, nay, destined, by divine             In addition to the fact that young people like
    providence for the use of man, nor was it ever                  change, we must also observe that they like change en
    forbidden to laugh or to be full, or to add new to old          masse, they want to accept the new together with their
    and hereditary possessions, or to be delighted with             friends. In psychology this is  ,&led  peer identity. We
    music, or to drink wine. This is true, but when the             cannot help but be amused by the cliche of youth,
    means are supplied, to roll and wallow in luxury, to
    intoxicate the mind and soul with present, and be               "Do your own thing"; yet they are so afraid to be a
    always hunting after new pleasures, is very far from a          little different from their buddies. This was forcefully
    legitimate use of the gifts of God. Let them therefore,         pictured in a cartoon. A young bearded fellow was
    suppress immoderate desire, immoderate profusion,               sitting on the side of the highway strumming his guitar,
    vanity, and arrogance, that they may use the gifts of           his bare toes projected from beneath his flared jeans.
     God purely with a pure conscience.  Institutes,  Book          He had a sign, "I'm doing my own thing." Soon you


1 6                                           THE STANDARD BEARER


realized that in the distance the cartoonist drew Because the end of such a path is complete rejection of
another one doing the very same thing, and farther and God and a worship of the devil.
farther in the distance you could see up to half dozen, CHRISTIAN LIBERTY  - USE INDIFFERENTLY
all exactly alike, each bearing the same sign. How true!
 Perhaps' you parents have tried the same tactic I have         In this setting, the quotation of John Calvin is very
as a minister. If everyone is doing his own thing, why important. Let us quote it once more,
                                                                    They say there are things indifferent: I admit it
isn't it easy today for fellows to have their hair cut            provided they are used  indifferently  (emphasis mine
reasonably, so they can be `distinguished from a girl?           j .k.). But when they are indulged in luxurious
Why cannot Christian young girls wear skirts and                  profusion, things which otherwise were in themselves
bathing suits that at least cover them decently and not          lawful are certainly defiled by these  vices.  Institutes,
flaunt their bodies with the latest nude look. Be                 Book III, chapter 19, page 136.
different! Yes, they will be different from mom and             Our young people are surrounded with many things
dad, but not from their own generation.                       that seem indifferent in themselves, but when
        The point that is so important here in connection considered in light of the powerful movement called
with the place of Christian liberty is this: what is their the "Youth Culture," they cannot be viewed as
generation? We cannot isolate the entire question of indifferent. Here we face the important question of
dress, entertainment, sports, drugs, etc. from the           identity, if we dress and act like the modern youth
character of this generation. There is no doubt in my who dress and act out of rebellion against God and
mind that the present generation is more hell bound          violate all things morally required in His Word, we have
than the former one. Each generation is getting a different situation. Our young people may well ask,
morally worse; we believe in the development of man do we use some of these questionable things
in sin, don't we? This generation is getting close to the indifferently  or  defiantly.  The latter use is sin.
end and may produce the last generation of which                One thing that gives us reason to be thankful to God
Christ said, "It will be Like the days of Noah," Matt.        for our young people is that God gives to them a
24:37-39.  If you want a sobering description of our          conscience.
present generation look up II Peter 2 and read it.              Surely, young people within the sphere of the
       It is not difficult to point out distinct features of church have a sinful nature that is drawn to the
the youth culture of our day. Consider rebellion: they enticements of the world. From this point of view they
are driven by a passion to throw off tradition, they         like to go along with the "youth culture." It sounds
laugh at the morals of their parents and the past            exciting to assert their independence. They like the life
generation, they justify their evil ways by erecting the     style of this generation, it seems so carefree.
barricade called "generation gap." Morals are relative,         But , they have more than that. They have a
times change; therefore all is well, we just act regenerated heart and a soul that has received
differently, pooh on parents, preachers, teachers, and       instruction from the Word of God. Their conscience is
anyone over twenty. Try lust: the morality of the            bound to that Word of God. True covenant young
youth of the world stinks, they wallow in their sexual people cannot get away from that. They are often tom
license worse than animals, and they call this sexual        between the temptations of the flesh and the clear
liberty. Think of pleasure: television is by and large a mandates of the Word of God. This is the precious
spoof on life and everything sacred; what a mockery!         difference. God has made them different from the
Look at the sports craze. Yes, this is the Pepsi generation that is heading for destruction.
generation which has a lot to live. The gals are spurred        Here is the important point. Because young people
on, "You've come a long way, baby!" How about                have their sinful nature, which is drawn to ways of sin
sensationalism? Young people like to wow people, and the pleasures of the world, they would like to be
especially adults. They want you to look at their             able to go along with the times and not have a guilty
grubby clothes; it's their revolt against rich conscience. They would like to have parents,
materialism. Why those bold zippers on the jeans and         preachers, teachers, tell them it is all right, that they
blouses? They want you to say, Wow! You wince at may join in the fun of this age, because this is their
their loud music: it's their way of saying, "Stay away,      Christian liberty.
we're feeling our way to utopia."                               If we give this to them, the results will be
       We can be sure that God's judgment rests upon such devastating.
a generation. Why has venereal disease become                   We owe it to our young people to guide them in
epidemic? Because God has a way of demonstrating discerning what belongs to Christian liberty and what
that the wages of sin is death. Why are so many young        doesn't. Never may we give them the liberty to sin
people ruined by drugs? Because God is not mocked            against God. Never may we call the wrong way good.
Why do broken homes, divorced couples, abandoned                Next time we will consider, D. V., how young
children, follow modern marriages? Free love has its people and adults can work together to evaluate
price.  ,Why the increase of the occult and satanism?        Christian liberty and use it properly.


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  1 7


THE DAY OF SHADOWS

                                       Saved By Water
                                                 Rev. John A. Heys

  Yes, Noah and his family were saved by water.             destroyed the other by those same waters, we find that
  We usually think of them being saved from the             God had told Noah why He was doing  this. For God
waters of the flood and by the ark.                         had said to Noah in Genesis 6: 18, "But with thee will I
  Now this is certainly true. While all the other           establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the
inhabitants of the earth were swept out of the land of      ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy son's
the living by those waters of the flood, Noah and his       wives with thee."
family were saved from such a calamity. And the
means which God used to save them while He was                There  are' several elements here worth noting, and
destroying the rest of the human race was the ark. We       this is a good time to pay closer attention to this
have no argument with those who would state the facts       statement of God, which was given before Noah began
                                                            to build the ark. It has special force while he safely
that way.                                                   rides high and dry on the waters and is completely
  However, the Almighty Himself tells us also in I
Peter  3:30 that "eight souls were saved by water." And     delivered by them from all his fleshly enemies. Let it
                                                            be remembered, then, that the essence of God's
then the idea is that they were saved in  the ark and by    covenant is friendship and fellowship. In the ark Noah
means of the water. From the wicked world, from the         was God's guest in His house. Recall that in Genesis
hordes of unbelievers, from the multitude of' their         7: 1 God had called from out of that ark to Noah with
enemies Noah and his family were saved by those             the words, "Come thou and all thy house into the
waters of the floods. The lives of these children of ark." As such a friend of God Noah at once begot the
dark,ness were snuffed out by the flood, and life for       enmity of the world. Because God's covenant was
the church of that day was made safe again. The Cains       established with him so that God in His grace makes
and the Lamechs, the murderers of brothers and of Noah spiritually different from the fallen human race,
fellowmen, the unregenerated who wanted to put an the unbelieving and unrepentant world can only hate
end to Enoch's testimony by taking his life  - while        him.
God crowned it by bringing him to a higher life in
heaven  - were rendered powerless; and the church             What now was the unbelief of that first world? Was
received a breathing spell.                                 it merely that they did not believe that God was going
  The first prayer in our Baptism Form refers to this       to send the flood? Is that all that we can say of the
truth when we read therein, `0 Almighty and eternal unbelief of the present world, namely, that it does not
God, Thou, Who hast according to Thy severe                 believe that Christ is coming in judgment soon, and
judgment punished the unbelieving and unrepentant           that there is salvation only in Him and  His cross? Of
world with the flood, and hast according to Thy great       course not! This article of unbelief  - for though we
mercy saved and protected believing Noah and his            have articles of our Christian faith, the unbeliever has
family . .  ." Here reference is made to the fact that his articles of unbelief  - is due to a more profound
with the flood God punished the unbelieving and             one. He does not believe in God the Father Almighty
unrepentant world. The flood was  His tool, or Maker of heaven and earth. He believes Satan's lie that
instrument, to bring down His just judgment upon he can do as he pleases with God's earth, and can
them. And it is stated that according to His great          decide for himself what is good and what is evil. He is
mercy He saved believing Noah and his family. Put the       atheistic and an idolator before he is anticbristian. And
two together, and we find that this flood was an act of     his unbelief is not simply a lack of trust in God  -
God's mercy according to which He brought a severe          which is certainly true, even as in Adam's temptation
judgment upon the enemies of His church and saved           there was that element of getting him to cease trusting
them from those who, because of their unbelief and          God as the one Who was seeking his good - but it is
unrepentant hearts, could only want to destroy the          also a wholehearted hatred of God. As Paul writes to
man of God whom they had so often and evilly                the Roman church, "The carnal mind is enmity against
ridiculed for his faith, and hated for his preaching of God." Romans  8:7. And of this hatred it never
righteousness.                                              repents, and cannot repent. For Paul, having said that
  But, be that as it may, when we look more deeply          the mind wherewith each man is born into this world is
for the reason why God saved the one by that. flood and     enmity against God, adds not only that "it is not


18                                              THE STANDARD BEARER


subject to the law of God," but adds even to this very and the covenant would have had to end right there, if
significantly, "neither indeed can be."                         it were conditional and a two-sided covenant. God
      On that background, as we see Noah and His family established it with Noah. He took the initiative. He
safe within the ark, we must see also that covenant             gave the promises. He supplied the grace that would
which God established with him and because of which make Noah faithful in that covenant. It is, in every
He now saves him as His friend. The world is one camp           respect God's covenant. And it is ours only to enjoy in
of enemies of the living God, a generation of the seed          the way of faithfulness to it with a faithfulness which
of the serpent that hates God and all the seed of the God must and does give us.
woman which that covenant of God brings forth                      Believe that, and you will have confidence for the
through Christ and His cross and Spirit. But here is one        final judgment upon the world. If it depends upon us,
who is different. Here is one who loves God, rejoices in        there will be no Noah and his family. There will not be
being God's friend, enjoys His friendship in His ark, eight souls left on this earth for whom Christ will come
safe and sound with Him amid all the howling storm of with fire to. save from the Antichrist and his universal
His fierce, destructive wrath, amid thunders and                kingdom. There will not be found even one who  .is
lightnings, the windows of heaven being opened, the             worth saving. There will not be one friend of God
fountains of the deep being unstopped, volcanoes anywhere on the face of this earth. Friends of God,
erupting, earthquakes of indescribable violence shaking faithful servants of  Him are not brought forth by man
the whole earth and disturbing the waters of the sea! `or by the will of man. They are brought forth by the
Serene and calm in an atmosphere of friendship with             grace of God's covenant. They are children of God
God, a man and his family calmly ride out the storm,            because He brings them forth. And that is why we are
and are, in fact, benefitted by it! How wonderful is            sure that there will always be a covenant people of
that covenant which God establishes with us in Christ!          God to the very end. They may be only a handful as at
Therefore we one day also will be delivered fully from the time of the flood. But they will be there. And they
the whole anti-Christian  world and are safe in the arms        will be as few in number or as numerous as they will
of Jesus.                                                       be, because that is the way He wants it to be.
      But take away that covenant which God established            God did not succeed in coaxing into the ark eight
and according to which Noah becomes His friend, and             souls. That is all He eternally intended to save by
`because of which He makes Noah live in friendship              water. He spelled out just exactly how many animals
with and not enmity against Himself, and you can were to be saved in the ark; and He determined to the
never explain so terrible a destruction to save so few last man who would of the human race be delivered
people. Look at the almost unbelievable upheaval that           from all the rest! He established that covenant with
formed such an island as this one of Jamaica, (on Noah and did not accept what man was ready to offer
which these lines are being written) with mountains             to Him. Man has nothing to offer Him except that
literally rising up out of the sea, with chasms and             which He cannot and will not receive. All man has is
canyons in the interior that have sheer walls and that carnal mind that is enmity against God. Can the
unbelievably        steep    sides, with valleys that are Holy One of Israel accept such an offering? Can that
interrupted by tree-covered peaks that rise up with carnal mind that is enmity against God want a
towering heights reaching in a perpendicular line covenant of friendship with God? All it can do is hate
toward the sky, and all this in valleys that themselves Him. All it wants to do is fight Him, break His law,
are so very narrow to begin with, that fold upon fold           ignore Him and use all His creation to rebel against
of rock appears in an area so small that even the idea Him. And this they showed very clearly when He came
of a road through such country is ridiculous. And God in our flesh, for they used His iron, and  His tree to
did all this all over the world for eight souls?                seek to take away His life. They used the judicial body
      Well, no,`not for eight souls, but for a hundred forty    of His church and His judge in the State to get Him
and four thousand, for the whole church, for all  His condemned. They set all creation against its Creator.
covenant people, for all His friends whose spiritual              From that wicked world God has in principle saved
minds, by the grace of that covenant `are not filled with us already. And soon He will by a judgment of fne save
enmity but with love toward God, are subject to His us completely because it pleased  Him eternally to
law, and indeed can be because He established that choose us in Christ and to establish His covenant with
covenant with them in Christ.                                   us in Christ and make us friends whom He desires to
      But make no mistake here. God established that save from His and our enemies. And it is only because
covenant with Noah. Noah did not establish a He has established His covenant with us in Christ that
relationship of friendship with God. If it depended on we are sure of being saved not only from His wrath but
Noah and on man, then this is not an everlasting by His wrath. For by  His awful wrath against the devil
covenant  - which it certainly is. For shortly after and his kingdom of darkness He will send His Son back
Noah and his family came safely out of the ark into a at the proper moment to deliver us from all of our
new world, he reintroduced the sins of the old world,           enemies, including that last enemy that is death.


                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER                                                          1 9


CONTENDING FOR  THEFAITH

                    Eschatoiogy -- The First Period
                                  (80  - 250 A.D.) THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST

                                                         Rev. H. Veldman

  The church of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ,                    toward a cbiliastic conception of Christ's advent,
during its New Testament infancy, probably looked                    although it cannot be maintained that millenmalism
upon the second advent or coming of Christ as near at                was generally accepted by the church. Some of the
hand. We must not misunderstand the expression,                      fathers do not speak of a millennium at all; others
"during its New Testament infancy." This expression                  oppose the idea. Nevertheless the chiliastic
does not refer to the infancy of the church as during                conception was found not only by some Judaizing
                                                                     sects, as the Ebionites but also by such fathers as
the early years of the New Dispensation. We must bear                Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. And they
in mind that the church of God has been in existence                 often picture the millennium as a kingdom of peace
throughout all the ages, from the beginning of time.                 in very strong and realistic colors. The teaching of the
T.his is also the position of our confessions, as                    glorious resurrection of the body was  .general  in this
expressed, e.g., in our Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's                 period. It was generally accepted that the same body
Day 21. In answer to the question, "What believest                   that was buried would be raised in the last day. The
thou concerning the `holy catholic church' of Christ?",              resurrection of the body is not a new creation.
we read: "That the Son of God from the beginning to                  Several rather speculative questions were raised even
the end of the world, gathers, defends, and preserves to             at this time in connection with the resurrection of the
Himself by His Spirit and word, out of the whole                     body. These questions concerned especially the form
                                                                     of the resurrection body, and more particularly those
human race, a church chosen to everlasting life,                     members for which there will be no place and no
agreeing in true faith; and that I am and for ever shall             function in glory, as for instance, the digestive organs.
remain, a living member thereof." So, in this answer                 As far as the latter was concerned, Irenaeus uses the
we read that the church of God exists from the                       rather less appealing illustration of the mule. Grigen
beginning of the world. When, then, we speak of the                  makes an attempt to eliminate from the conception
New Testament infancy of the church, we refer, of                    of the resurrection all these elements to which reason
course, to its infancy as during the New Dispensation,               might object and in that way of rationalism
the infancy or early years of the New Testament. We                  sometimes almost loses the reality of the resurrection.
have already called attention to this expectation of our             As might be expected the  Gnostics  denied the
Lord's early return as very common in the church of                  resurrection of the body entirely. Closely connected
God during these early years. This expectation of an                 with the resurrection in this first period was the
early return of Christ undoubtedly was fed and                       doctrine of the last judgment. Both the righteous and
                                                                     the unrighteous would be called out of the graves and
received impetus from the fierce persecutions which                  appear before the judgment seat of God. With some
raged against the church of Christ during these early                of the fathers the idea is found that the Father
centuries. I suppose that the people of God assumed                  Himself would appear in judgment. Others, however,
that Christ could not permit these fierce attacks upon               teach that all judgment is delivered to the Son.
His flock to continue very long.                                     However, this may have been a mere difference of
  From the notes of the late Rev. H. Hoeksema on the                 emphasis.
History of Dogma, we now quote the following from                       Since the end of all things and the perfection of
what he writes concerning this first period, 80  - 250               salvation were waiting for that final judgment, the
A.D.:                                                                question arose even in this period concerning the
                                                                     condition of the souls before the resurrection. The
         From some parts of the New Testament it is                  answer which the Apostolic Fathers gave to this
    evident that even at the time of the apostles there was          question was rather vague. About the place of the
    a rather general expectation of an early second advent           souls between  death.and  resurrection they speak very
    of the Lord. This expectation was kept alive and                 little. Justin Martyr speaks of a better place for
    continued in the early church during the period under            believers and a worse place for the ungodly. As to
    aiscussion. This was especially true in the first part of        their condition, they do not teach definitely that the
    this  period and under the pressure of more or less              souls of believers immediately after death go to
    severe persecutions which the church had to endure.              heaven. They do have indeed a certain presentiment
    It may also be said that there was a strong tendency             of their eternal destination and wait for the


2 0                                                      THE STANDARD BEARER


        resurrection of the body. Only the martyrs are                        description. They believe that at the last day, when
        received up into Paradise immediately after death,                    Christ shall reign at Jerusalem, and the temple be
        but even this Paradise must be distinguished from                     rebuilt, the Israelites will be gathered together from
        heaven. This was the conception of Irenaeus, and                      alI the ends of the earth. They will have no wings to
        Tertullian approximately agrees with him. The place                   fly, but they will come in wagons of Gaul; in covered
        of the dead he conceives as being in the heart of the                 chariots of war, and on horses of Spain and
        earth. It was divided into two apartments, separated                  Capadocia; their wives will be carried in litters, and
        from each other by a deep ravine. On the one side of                  ride upon mules of Numidia instead of horses. Those
        this ravine was the place for the believing souls. On                 who hold offices, dignitaries, and princes, will come
        the other side was the fire  which cannot be quenched.                in coaches from Britain, Spain, Gaul, and the regions
        Far above both these two parts of the Sheol is                        where the river Rhine is divided into two arms; the
        Paradise. Thither went Christ after His death. There                  subdued -nations will hasten to meet them. But the
        are  Enoch  and Elijah, and there also the martyrs find               Clementine Homilies and the Gnostic Ebionites, far
        their place until the resurrection.                                   from adopting such gross notions, even oppose them.
           Gnostics taught that the souls of the perfect elite              But this was also true of several orthodox Fathers,
        who are even now risen with Christ and attained to
        the perfect knowledge (gnosis), after death enter            such as Papias of Hierapolis, Justin, Irenaeus, and
        immediately into the fuhress  of glory. Others who did       Tertullian. Eusebius accuses Papias of having spread
        not reach that height of perfection-in this life must        millennialism because of a misunderstanding of the
        pass through various stages after death until they           apostles. Justin, however, writing at the time of Papias,
        reach that same fulness of glory. This might seem to         says that it was the general faith of all orthodox
        be the beginning of the Romish doctrine of                   Christians, and that only the Gnostics did not share in
        Purgatory. In fact Clement of Alexandria and Origen          it.
        do speak of a certain purifying fire through which  the             According to Gieseler,  Text Book of Church
        souls of believers enter into glory. However it would        His tory:
        be an error to find with them the beginning of the
        doctrine of Purgatory. It is evident from their                         In all the works of this period (the first two
        writings that, by this purifying fire they mean                      centuries)  millenarianism is so prominent,  that we can
        something quite different, a mystical process whereby                not hesitate to consider it as universal in an age, when
        the souls are cleansed from the defilement of sin.                   such sensuous motives were certainly not unnecessary
        Origen even refers to this fne in connection with the                to animate men to suffer for Christianity.
        final  destruction of the world. Of the doctrine of                 However, comparing the writings of Clement of
        Purgatory, however, there is no trace in this period.        Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp,  Tatian,  Athenagoras and
       According to Hagenbach, there were premillenarian Theophilus of Antioch, we  find  that in none of them
tendencies in this early period of the church of God in millenarian notions are propounded.
the New Dispensation. The book of Revelation (which                         Let us now examine some of the writings of the
many ascribed to the apostle John, while others denied Apostolic Fathers. These leaders in the church lived
this, and even contested its canonicity), in its immediately after the time of the apostles, and were
twentieth chapter, gave currency to the idea of a called Apostolic Fathers because they are said to have
millennial kingdom, together with that of a second been taught personally by the apostles. They lived in
resurrection, also found in the same book; and the the first half of the second century. Hagenbach names,
imagination of those who dwelt fondly upon sensuous first of all, Papias of Hierapolis.
impressions, delineated these millennial hopes in the                       Papias has the credit of association with Polycarp, in
most glowing terms.                                                  the friendship of St. John himself, and of "others who
       This was the case with the Judaizing Ebionites, and had seen the Lord." He is said to have been bishop of
now we again quote from Hagenback's History of Hierapolis, in Phrygia, and to have died about the same
Doctrines, Vol. I, page 214:                                         time that Polycarp suffered; but even this is
           Jerome, in his Comment on Isaiah  66:20  (which           questioned. So little do we know of one whose lost
        reads as follows,. quoted by the undersigned: And            books, could they be recovered, might reverse the
        they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto      received judgment, and establish his claim to the
        the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in              disputed tribute which makes him, like Apollos, "an
        chariots and in litters, and upon mules, and upon            eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures." He was a
        swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith           hearer of the Apostle John, and was on terms of
        the Lord, as the children of Israel, bring an offering in    intimate intercourse with many who had known the
        a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.), observes        Lord and His apostles. Eusebius speaks of Papias as a
        that the Ebionites understand the passage, "And they
        shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the       man most learned in all things, and well acquainted
        Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots,        with the Scriptures. But in another passage he
        and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift               describes him as of small capacity. The fragments of
        beasts," in its literal sense, and apply it to chariots      Papias are translated from the text given in Routh's
        drawn by four horses and conveyances of every                Reliquiae  Sacrae,   vol. 1.


                                                        Ti-lE  STANDARD BEARER                                                       21


FROM HOLY WRIT

                       Exposition Of Hebrews 11: 30

                                                            Rev. G. Lubbers



HEBREWS 11:30                                                         THE LORD OF HOSTS (Joshua  5:13-1.5)

   The time between Hebrews 11:29,  which speaks of the                  Can you picture the scene? Jericho is straitly shut up! None
passing of Israel over the Red sea, and the event of Hebrews          went out and none went in. The city is besieged by the hosts
11:30  is forty years. Much had transpired, between these two         of Israel. And the Captain of Israel is the great Jehovah God
points, of the wonder-work of God in delivering Israel from           Himself as he manifests Himself in the Old Testament Christ,
Pharaoh and His bringing them into the promised land. The             the Angel, Messenger of the LORD. He is the Personal God
writer to the Hebrews selects the events very carefully to show       Himself as he comes in the person of the Son, as the Head of
the power and greatness of the faith of the fathers.                  His people.

                                                                         The "hosts" here evidently can refer either to the angelic
   What Jehovah did at the Red Sea signalled the complete             Hosts in the heavens, the myriads of the ministering spirits of
deliverance of Israel from Egypt. In our present passage from         God sent out for the benefit of those who will inherit the
Hebrews 11 Israel stands before the land of Canaan proper.            promises. The term can also refer to the hosts of Israel, the
Now the Lord will, in a very wondrous and miraculous way of           camp of the Lord of hosts in their tents about the tabernacle,
grace, give all the land to Israel. And what He does at Jericho       as they are the picture of the city foursquare, the heavenly
is of fundamental and typical importance. It was the final            Jerusalem. It would seem that although the former need not
fulfilment of the-promise of God to Abraham. For this is a            be excluded here the emphasis falls upon the multitudes of the
people which is now sanctified unto the service of the Lord.          thousands of Israel. The LORD here is the Captain of Israel;
Joshua will bring them into the promised Rest. It will be a           He is the chief captain of their salvation. He is the better
coming into the land as the  fulfrlment  of the year of Jubilee.      JOSHUA who will lead the people into the  final  rest through
                                                                      His death and resurrection, and his ascension and final return
                                                                      to glory when he shall come with all  his holy angels to redeem
                                                                      his saints, from the East and the West, and to bring them into
   Was Israel not sanctified? Had Joshua not at the hill of the       the promised land of the heavenly Jerusalem!
foreskins,  Gilgal;  circumcised all the male members of the
church? Israel has been restored into the covenant relationship          Small wonder that Joshua is commanded to put off the
with the LORD once more. They had subsequent to the                   shoes from his feet. Surely the place where he stood was holy
circumcision also eaten of the Passover of the Lord. They             ground. Joshua worshipped this Captain of the hosts of Israel
might fellowship with the Lord and enter into the joy of              and it was not idolatry. It was a believing acknowledgment
the Lord's salvation. And the reproach of Egypt was removed           that the LORD would be with him as He promised: "Nay; but
from them. They are no more the congregation which is                 as the captain (prince) of the host of the LORD am I now
wandering in the wilderness, aimlessly; endlessly, hopelessly as      come." Here is the LORD Himself with His glittering sword
those who died in the wilderness because of their unbelief.           over Jericho. The city  cannot  be redeemed with a sacrifice; it
                                                                     is a devoted thing. Now we shall see that it is terrible to fall
                                                                     into the hands of the living God, who shall slay the wicked
   And the sin of the Amorite is full. The word of the LORD          with the sword of His mouth.
spoken by Noah in the testament upon his sons is being
fulfilled,  "Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be        And Joshua bows and believes in holy adoration.
unto his brethren," (Gen.  9:25, 26). It is now the fourth
generation and the children of Israel  shah  come again into the     THE WALLS OF JERICHO FALL  (Hebrews  11:30;  Joshua
land according to God's sure promise to Abraham. Israel may          6:20)
walk in the thick darkness for a while; however, the LORD
will pass through the darkness and walk between the "pieces"            Jericho is the city of palm trees. It is also the accursed city
of the sacrificial covenant all alone, (Gen. 15: 17). That will      whose walls and gates may never be built again with impunity.
happen here at Jericho as it did at the Red Sea and at Jordan.       Of this city it is said, "Cursed be the man before the LORD,
And great was the glory of the Lord of Hosts!                        that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho; he shall lay the


2 2                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER



foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in  his youngest son           seeking Him. It was clinging as to the Rock of ages; the Rock
shall he set up the gates thereof." (Joshua  6:26;  I Rings             of Israel, His faithfulness and power, and might was the only
16:34).                                                                 expectation in this mighty battle at Jericho.

       Jericho stands in a very strategic position in the land of           In faith Israel conformed to the battle-strategy of the
Canaan. It is a large city, with strong walls, which blocks the         LORD. They marched ever so silently, waiting upon the
way into the land. It is a mighty fortress of the Canaanites.           LORD and His salvation. God will drive out the heathen with
The walls of Jericho are the last bastion which Israel must             his outstretched hand. He will plant Israel, the vine of His
conquer; it is the enemies' stronghold. But they shall fall down        choosing, in the land. Yea, he will afflict not only Jericho, but
before the face of Israel at whose head the Captain of the              all the people of the land. He will cast them out! And now
Lord's host marches to victory. Nothing shall allay His                 Jericho is the very stronghold which typifies the strength
onslaught on this mighty city. The Lord of Hosts is on Israel's         of the enemy which shall be broken. When Jericho falls, the
side. The victory is sure.                                              back-bone of wicked Canaan is broken.

       What a strange battle-strategy. It is the strategy of God and        Yes, faith is in action about the walls of Jericho! Faith
of His faithful covenant dealings. Israel will not break down           looked to the LORD and sang, "Through thee will we push
these walls by the power of the sword, nor shall she storm the          down our enemies." Glory and joy is in the soul of Israel while
ramparts. Israel must walk the walk of faith and childlike              Jericho is subdued under Israel, (Psalm  44:s)
confidence. Seven times she must surround the city. It is a
priestly battle. The Ark of the Testimony must go in the lead,              By faith Israel sings, "God is gone up with a shout, the
carried by the priests. Seven priests must walk before the              LORD with the sound of a trumpet," (Psalm 47).
LORD blowing the trump of God. They blow the typical
trumpet, inaugurating the Day of the LORD! Did the                          Such was the faith of Israel of old. And this is the faith
inhabitants of Jericho tremble with terror and fear at the              which the saints, to whom the writer to the Hebrews writes,
testimony of Israel's crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, and           need. They must have a faith which presses forward to
did they melt in fear at the report of what Israel did under            salvation and which does not fall back into perdition.
God to Og, the Ring of  Bashan,  Sihon, the king of the
Amorites beyond Jordan? Much more are the hearts of these               THE TYPICAL ENTRANCE  INTO THE LAND
godless Amorites, whose iniquity is full, filled with anguish
and fear at the noise of the trumpet of God proclaiming &at                 Yes, here we have typology. It is a real entering into the
His Day had come. God will come to his sevenfold rest, to His           land of Canaan, and the manner is also typical of the entrance
Eternal Sabbath, to tabernacle amongst His people in the land!          of the church into final glory. Did not Abraham dwell as a
Seven times Israel marches, and on the seventh day is the               stranger in this land of promise looking for a better country, a
grand finale of Israel's faith.                                         heavenly country? Was that not the clear testimony of the
                                                                        faith of the patriarchs? (Hebrews 11: 16) God was not ashamed
       And on the seventh day after the seventh time about the          to be called their God. They looked beyond Jericho and its
city Israel must shout! And after Israel has shouted with a             tumbling walls. They looked for the city which  has
mighty shout of triumph the walls come tumbling down. God               foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God.
will shake the earth to bring in an  tmmoveable inheritance.
One day he will not only shake the earth but also the heavens.              Thus here, too, we see that Israel is entering into the rest.
Here is the mighty voice of the LORD! God is, as it were,               Yet, the rest is more than some spoils of a city. 0, A&an, had
shouting in His people. They shout by the working of the                you but seen what the holy patriarchs saw and sought after!
power of His might.                                                     Achan receives but a heap of stones for himself and for his
                                                                        children. But the believing people of God enter into the Rest,
THE WALLS OF JERICHO FALL BY FAITH  (Hebrews
11:30)                                                                     We see this in the number seven. Was it not seven priests
                                                                        carrying seven trumpets? And did they not need to walk about
  -Yes, these walls fall by faith. They fall by the means of the        the city seven times on seven different days? And was not the
faith  of Israel. This is the faith which is the substance of things    last day the Sabbath day on which they walked about the city
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. That is the teaching        seven times? And was this not .a living exhibition of laboring to
of Hebrews  11:30,  where we read, "By faith the walls of               enter into the rest?
Jericho fell down."
                                                                           They entered by faith! This was real Sabbath-keeping, was
       This was a faith in the word of God and in His sure              it not? It was the typical rest which they achieved. Yet, there
promise. It was not mere idle faith, some superstitious                 remained a better rest. There remaineth a rest for the people
speculation. It was not trusting in the arm of flesh, either. It        of God! If we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, all the
was believing that God is and that he is a rewarder of those            walls and obstacles,will     be removed and cast into the sea!


                                                              THE STANDARD-BEARER                                                                 2 3


                                       News  ~From  Our Churches

                       CLASSIS  REPORT                                      Rev. C. Hanko, incidentally, preached in New Jersey on
                       September 15, 1973                                September 2 and 9; Rev. H. Veldman planned to be there for
                                                                         that purpose on September 16, 23, and 30, and Rev. G. Van
                                                                         Baren  on October 7 and 14.

   For church news in a nutshell, we've lifted the following
paragraph from the September 9 bulletin of First Church:                                    MPOR  T OF  CLASSIS  WEST
                                                                                                  September  lo,1973

   "Candidate M. Joostens has accepted the call extended to                 Classis  West of the Protestant Reformed Churches met in
him from Jenison. Candidate M. Hoeksema has asked for an                 Loveland, Colorado on September 5,1973.
extension of time in the consideration of his call to Forbes.
Rev. J. Kortering has received the call to South Holland. Rev.              Rev. G.  Laming, president of the previous Classis,  led the
H. Veldman leaves this week in order to labor for three                  Classis  in opening devotions. He read Matthew 11: 16-25 and
Sundays in New Jersey. Rev. D. Engelsma expects to be in                 spoke to the Classis  on verses 25 and 26.
Houston, Texas, for three Sundays beginning probably on
Sept. 16. Plans have also been made to organize a Protestant                Eight ministers and thirteen elders conducted the business
Reformed Church at Prospect Park, New Jersey, this coming                of the  Classis.  Two ministers were absent, Rev. D. Kuiper
Tuesday (Sept. 11). Rev. C. Hank0 and Rev. H. Veldman plan               because his wife presented him with a baby daughter the day
to be present."                                                          of Classis  and Rev. R. Decker because he had accepted the call
                                                                                                                        (continued on back  page)





                       Change of Address                                                     Resolution of Sympathy

  The new address of the stated clerk of Classis  West is:                 The Ladies' and Men's Societies of the South Holland Protestant
                                                                         Reformed Church wishes to express their sincere sympathy to Mrs. N.
                        Rev. David J. Engelsma                           Haak and her family in the recent loss of their husband, father,
                        709 E. 57th St.                                  grandfather and brother MR. NICK HAAK.
                        Loveland, Colorado 80537                            "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,
                                                                         which the Lord, the righteous Judge shall give to me at that day; and
                                                                         not to me only, but also to all them that have loved His appearing."  (II
                                                                         Timothy  4:8).
                         Prof. Robert D. Decker
                         2230 Cranbrook, N.E.                                                                         Mrs. John Holleman, Sec'y.
                                                                                                                      Mr. Jack Lenting, Sec'y.
                         Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505
                         Phone:  (616)  451-3303





                                                                                               Wedding Anniversary
              Since thy Father's arm sustains thee,
                      Peacefil  be;                                          On October 8, 1973, the Lord willing, our parents, MR. AND MRS.
               When a chastening hand restrains thee,                    PETER KNOTT will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
                      It is He.                                             We, their children and grandchildren, thank our Heavenly Father
              Know His love in  fill completeness                        that they could give us a covenant upbringing, and we also thank Him
              Fills the measure  of  thy weakness;                       for the years of instruction we were privileged to receive from them.
              If  He wound thy spirit sore,                                 May God, who has given them these years together continue to bless
               Trust Him more.                                           them in their earthly pilgrimage.

                                                                            Children: Mr. and Mrs. Andrew (Mary) Brummel, Mr. and Mrs.
                                                                         Donald  (Jacquelyn)  Offringa, Mr. Robert Knott. Grandchildren:
                                                                         Rachelle Brummel, Kristi Brummel, Dennis  Ofhinga.


  THE STANDARD BEARER
             P.O.  Box 6064
 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506





 24



to the Seminary. Rev. R. Van Overloop  from  Classis  East was
present as a visitor and was given advisory vote. Rev. R.
Miersma presided over the meeting.

       In executive session,  Classis  advised a consistory to proceed
with the erasure of a baptized member.

       In response to South Holland's request for a moderator
during their vacancy,  Classis  appointed Rev. W. Bekkering.

       The following schedule of classical appointments was
adopted. Loveland: Sept. 30, Oct. 7 - Miersma. Forbes: Sept.
16, 23 - Lanting; Oct. 14,21  - Kuiper; Nov. 11, 18 - Moore;
Dec. 9, 16 - Kortering; Jan. 13,20   - Miersma; Feb.  lo,17  -
Bekkering; March 3  - Woudenberg; March 10  - Kamps. South
Holland:  Oct. 7  - Bekkering; Nov. 4  - Kortering; Dec. 2  -
Lanting; Jan. 6  - Moore; Feb. 3  - Kuiper; March 3  -
Engelsma.  Classis  East was asked to help supply South
Holland.

   Classis  read a letter of farewell from Rev. R. Decker and
instructed the Stated Clerk to respond, expressing the Classis'
gratitude to God for giving him to our Theological School and
Classis'  remembrance of him in their prayers.

   Classis  will meet next in Door-r, Iowa on the First
Wednesday of March, 1974, the Lord willing.

                                               Rev. David Engelsma,
                                                         Stated Clerk
                                                         Classis  West

                                *****

   Although this meeting of  Classis  was very brief, the
delegates enjoyed two other activities at the time of  Classis.
On the Tuesday evening before  Classis,  Rev. W. Bekkering
lectured on "Neo-Pentecostalism" in the auditorium of the
Loveland Church for the benefit of both the delegates and the
Loveland congregation. On Wednesday afternoon, after  Classis,
the delegates held a conference for several hours. A paper was
given on the subject. "Our Protestant Reformed Position
regarding `the Free Offer of the Gospel,'  " and a lively
discussion followed. Several visitors also attended the
conference, present and former officebearers from the
Loveland congregation and other Protestant Reformed
Churches, as well as ministers in other denominations.
Through these activities also, the delegates were built up in the
faith and enriched in the fellowship of the saints.             D. E.


