WHEN GOD WAS ALONE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 6 September 1913, Page 3

WHEN GOD WAS ALONE.

BY PASTOR RUSSELL (Of the London Tabernacle.) (Inserted by Arrangement.) "From everlasting to everlasting, 'l'hou art God." (P,sa. xc. 2.) "I am Jehovah, that is My Name, and My Glory will I give to another." (Isa. xlii. 8.) ''Hear, 0 Israel, the. Lord our God is one —Jehovah." —Deut. vi. 4. These and other Scriptures tell us of a. personal God, the Father or Life Giver of all, the Great One who inhabiteth Eternity. St. Paul declares that to the heathen "there are lords many and gods many, but to us there is one God, the Father," and one appointed agent of His in dealing with humanity—one Lord Jesus Christ—also that''every tongue shall confess that Jesus, Messiah, is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father" (Phil. ii. II). The Scriptures tell us of "the beginning of the creation of God," hence there was a time before that beginning of creation, when Jehovah, God was alone—"He that inhabiteth Eternity." Not even the great . Michael was-with Him, the great' Messiah, whom He has so highly honoured and whom He declares He will still further honour throughout eternity. He was not with the Father before the beginning of creation, because ho himself was "the Beginning of the creation of God—the First-born of every creature" (Rev. iii. 14Col. i. 15). He was the first expression of manifestation of the Divine attributes. (John i. 18). Every attribute of the Divine character was the same millions of years ago that it is to-day, but that character was intended to display, the Divine character more and more, and each successive step and development of creation has brought forth new. creatures capable of compreherdihgthe Eternal One. We deem it- not unreasonable to assume that Jehoy-f ah's creative power will continue to be. exercised throughout all coming time.,-, Astronomical photography now re-* veals nearly 125,000,000 suns around which circle our sun, and of which our earth is a part. We think it not unreasonable to assume, from the Scriptures, that the great work of or-, dering all these hundreds of- millions of planets stretches forward into eternity, and that the work of Divine grace, begun on the planet "Earth," will be continued throughout the universe, not only in conjmiction .with the planetary systems We can discern/ but probably, with millions more too far removed from us to'he discerned even by photography. THE PERMISSION OF EVIL.

Doubtless Divine methods in connection with other worlds and their inhabitants will display the manifold wisdom of God. For instance, we understood the Bible to indicate .tliat while the permission of evil in the earth was wise, it will hot necessarily be wise nor expedient for any reason to permit a similar reign of Sin and Death in any other of the millions of worlds, in connection with their ordering or development and their .peopling with glorious creatures who will show forth the praises of the great Creator without passing through experiences with sin and death such as have been permitted in connection with the humanity of-earth. Can we not see a broad reason for the permission of evil on the earth— ~ for the permission of the reign of sin and death, which for 6000 years has apparently disgraced the Creator, degraded humanity, astonished the angels and constituted our race a groaning creation P Only when Ave discern that Messiah's kingdom will surely bring order out of this confusion, do we begin to , get the proper focus upon our subject arid realise, sometliing of the greatness! of our God. From the standpoint of the completion of. the Divine purposes in connection with humanity, and from that standpoint alone, can we see illustrated Divine Wisdom, Justice, Love and Power. ' .

The primary lesson was Justice—that sin brings suffering and eventually death. The second lesson was that of Divine compassion, sympathy —Love. This lesson was manifested in the sending of th°, Redeemer and in , his subsequent reward of exaltation, his gathering of an "elect" Church'to be his associates in glory and" in the blessing of the redeemed race.. The 1 reign of glory* the of' Messiah, soon to be introduced, /Wjll iift'ttp poor : humanity from :sin' atid sorrow, from degradation and death, and give to each and all the fullest opportunity 1 to return to human perfection, to Di- , vine favour and everlasting life. Then finally, from the standpoint of the completion of Jehovah's great purposes and dealings with man, will stand revealed the foreknowledge and Wisdom of God, who knew the end from tliG beginning, and who foresaw how even the permission of a reign of sin and death could be made eventually to work out to His own glory and to the blessing and instruction of His creatures on both the human and angelio planes. Then will be reveal- -* ed to all the glorious character of their Creator, and the necessity for 1 His requirement of absolute righteousness and perfection. THE GLORIOUS ISSUE. Surely the result, eventually will be, as the Scriptures declare, and that all. shall lenrn righteousness, and hate iniquity, and that every creature in heaven and in earth shall acclaim both Jehovah, who sitteth upon the Throne of the Universe, and the Lamb, the Redeemer —for ever. Were we to allow ourselves to speculate respecting the future —respecting the, Divine purposes in relation to the millions of worlds around us, oar speculations would run thus . Those instructed and used of Jehovah in conjunction with the initial development of the Divine plan in the earth will thereby be fitted and prepared to be the Divine agents to other worlds. The great Redeemer and his "elect" associates, after dealing with humanity for their uplift out of sin and death conditions, will surely be qualified for 'further service in other worlds to "show forth the praises of Him who called the.ni out of d.irkness into His marvellous light."

And what sliall wo say of humanity when perfected at the end of Messiah's glorious reign ? Will not all be "Well prepared, -not only to approve righteousness in themselv.es, but to "•tell in other worlds, toother races, the story of the fail and of the reiguof sin and death resulting then of the redemption accomplished by God's; •love; and of the ffva.it restitution ; as well an of the lessons learnt. The qualities of the Divine charateri tor which we have just, considered*-*;' Wisdom, Justice, Lo-. o and Power — .belonged to our Creator in the great eternity preceding creation. But there was no ohe afc that time to appreciate God—it requires a full view of the perfected plan of the Ages to make known to any and to all the glory of the Lord, As vo have just seen, thus far the secret of the Lord and the glories of His character are known only to His "sons,'- begotten of His holy Spirit. But the time nears when "the whole earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the great deep." Paul assures us that every feature of the Divine plan which we see in process of executioa was known to Jehovah from before the foundation of the world. Almighty God, infinite .in-Wisdom, Justice. Love and Power, purposed the orderly exercise of His infinite attributes, ;is a great Father, desirous of giving life and happiness, to his creatures. These? intelligent onea were designated "Sons of God" so long as they maintained their attitude of perfect loyalty to Him, their Creator and Father, Nor only was it the Divine tJo mil- _ but it - w*as ajso. the Divine .-bo imanifeSt ;tp 'His; creatures His vOwn ; afiil the perfection of His own good•ness that they might.enjoy Hira and He enjoy them everlastingly. >.■,