BAMIDBAR

IN THE WILDERNESS

24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

The proclamation of good in midheaven by the Saints (and there is none else to do it) is not only to warn the nations of what is about to break forth upon them, but so to operate upon the scattered Israelites, as to make them willing to acknowledge Jesus as David's Son and Lord, and to place themselves at his disposal; so that whatever he, as the Prophet like unto Moses, may command to be done, they will readily and zealously obey under the direction, orders, and superintendence of those of his Brethren he may appoint.

The saints will have, not only to make proclamation, but to consummate such a military organization as will make Israelites and the "mixed multitude" who accept their proclamation, bodies of efficient soldiers in all the countries where such may be found. The means developing this result will be "a noise," and "a shaking," whereby the very dried bones of Israel shall come together, bone to bone, and flesh and sinew shall come upon them, and they shall live politically, and stand upon their feet an exceeding great army (Ezek. 37).

This standing up of Israel upon their feet is the political resurrection predicted by Balaam, and recorded by Moses..

"Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion; he shall not lie down until he eat the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. His King shall be higher than Agag (or Gog), and his kingdom shall be exalted. AlL brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath, as it were, the strength of an unicorn; He shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows" (Num. 24:7,8).

Eureka 19.10.

25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all [at all make a brocha on them].

Whatever God uses or endorses becomes his. He did not lay hold on Paul or any other Scripture writer, to exhibit that writer, but to use him as the vehicle of spiritual ideas, and so much of the writer as is allowed to appear becomes by that allowance the Spirit's own in that shape. All things belong to the Spirit, and when used by the Spirit are none the less the instrument of the Spirit's work, because having an individual shape.

The Christadelphian, Mar 1890