The Revelation of Jesus Christ - Part 2 — T. Austin-Sparks

This is chapter 2. In the 5th page, we see his wisdom, and the wisdom of Solomon. Solomon is proverbial, if it is not fabulous. He got a long way in this. When he had done it all, he made it his life's business, he said.

The Vanity and Falsehood of Human Achievement

All is vanity. All is vanity. There's a lie in it all. There's a culprit in that very thing. Disappointment awaits the best that man can do. Disappointment is his destiny. That's the end. Man thinks he'll be free, but he's a prisoner.

He thinks he'll be made, but he's a fool. There's nothing standard in the life of people today, you have to say, of what fools they are. The wisest, the most cleverest, and the strongest, that's what fools they are.

They've, they've, they've looked away. He thinks he knows. He's a fool. He thinks he can do, and he does. He does many things, that's all that it is. In the hydrogen bomb, terror, fear, in all the earth.

Apprehension, holding of the breath. No matter what man has to do, has to do, that's what he can do. He only needs one little, one little work. All that he can do only leads to more trouble, fills more trouble.

He builds on sand, not on rock. His whole world is run by lies, tricks, misbeliefs, potentials, falsehoods. One of the rarest commodities in this world is sound, right honesty, in politics, in industry, in commerce, in business, in society, sound, right honesty.

Man can only succeed in this world if he misrepresents, or deceives, or pretends, I say quite generally, if he misperceives a bit, if he exaggerates a bit, what about all other delicacies? What a marvellous, marvellous world this would be if a mother came up and said, you know, I would love a son, so here he is.

Why, we should have reached utopia, we should all have immortal bodies, yes, the golden age would come, we'd only have a dozen of brothers and sisters. It's true, it's just a question, you just reach them, and of course you reach them, you touch it, and go off and buy this, that, food, or medicine, or something, and then you try it out in an awkward way.

It hasn't done nothing that it was advertised to do. But man can only run his world like that, he can only get on, he can only make money, he can only get any success by these appearances and exaggerations.

There's a lie within, somewhere, in the holy creation, and the lie has got into religion. We saw that our Lord laid a gate that cried for mosquerity, it was, in a horrible word, a horrible word, hypocrisy, play-up, pretenders, those who are making beliefs, hypocrites, whilst the outside of the platter was underneath, the circle so painted white, that inside, rotting bones, the Lord saw through.

Christ as the Truth and True Witness

It's a horrible story, isn't it, this story of man deceiving and lying nature. Over against that has been, Jesus said, I am the truth. I came to bear witness of the truth. His last, one amongst his last words of the cross was taken, the Pilate that he had come to bear witness of the truth, and Pilate was so unfamiliar with that commodity, that he said, well, what is truth?

I'm not familiar with that, I don't know anything about that, but what is it? What is what truth is called truth? This world doesn't know that, that is truth that's truly witnessed. You see, it's a great, pretty, pure, fundamental law.

That is why I said, it is so important to note these things at the beginning, that this is an unveiling of Jesus both in authority and in government and in just judgment, because it rests upon this, no one has a right to exercise authority or judgment at all.

No one has a right to be in a place of judgment unless this can be said of them. They are true. They are true. Absolutely true. They are true. There's no lie in them. There's no falsehood in them. There is no question about them.

There are no two things in them that contradict each other. You see, that is why the Lord Jesus came to the churches at the beginning. He started there. His judgment begins at the house of God, and He begins His holy provision, His authority with the churches, because every church is symbolic, of course, of the Holy Spirit.

And He stands before, and He is really saying this to us. You're weak. You have failed. Your testimony has broken down. The world is not feeling the impact of your presence. Hounds of evil are making inroads into your lives, the churches, and it is because, this is the implication, it is because there's something false there.

Something false there. Notice how again and again he messages the churches, He raises His custom of falsehood and truth. There are things that are true, that is important for its truth. It be like this about us, that we're real.

That we are real that we are genuine. That that which we say is true, that which we pretend that we're told is true about us. It must be like our perspective power in this world, if only the Church could recover itself from the weakness through which life has come, a safe position.

Something that is not really true, as the people these days. If our representation of God's mind were more exactly according to that mind, what power there would be, what power there would be. But as I said, as the creation is beginning to collect from those who keep it, because of my entering, it's an abiding and abiding fact.

That wherever there is anything that is questionable, doubtful, not true, not real, there will be sooner or later, hidden to collect. You have to be built upon the foundation of the truth, the truth. Now this psalmist claims that it's not the Holy Spirit, the title of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus Christ, and he, the spirit of truth is God.

The Holy Spirit and the Work of Truth

The spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit is God. He is a self, he is particular, he, he, to everything. If you and I walk in the spirit, we could be very true, we could be very real, but there's nothing that is doubtful and false about us.

If we could be set up on everything, then maybe an exaggeration, maybe an exaggeration, it may be a pretense, a make-believe, anything that is not true, that is false. The Holy Spirit will set us up on that, not because he would like to bring us into judgment, but simply because it is so very important for the building of that which is going to stand, abide, and go through, and go right through to the end, and come out triumphantly at the end, it is so important that right from the foundation, the things will be true.

The Lord will take us down, take us down, take us down, all the pieces, and bring us right down to the bottom in order to begin with what is true. If there is a superstructure that is untrue because it is mixed, or because it is not true, and we ought to be thankful to the Lord that he is like that.

I'm sure you would say, Lord, let there be no falsehood in my position, no untruth in what I persist. There should be nothing that is not absolutely real in what people think about me. Very important, the Lord Jesus can, as he does, and as he knows, to judge, and to be the murderer, because he is the true witness, that is, he is the embodiment of the truth.

The True Witness and Christ's Resurrection

Now that is a Sunday word, it's a certain word, it is not perhaps a very inspiring and uplifting word. But you see, after all, this is a title of the risen Lord. The title of the risen Lord, why did God raise him from the dead?

Why could he be raised from the dead? God won't raise a liar. God will never even resuscitate a falsehood. He was raised because he was a true witness. He had, in his own person, borne a true testimony to his Father, and to the thoughts of his Father.

It's a matter of life, whether there's truth to it. Life can never go alongside of anything that's not true. Life demands the truth. We leave that then, and go to the second of the titles, the firstborns of the dead.

Christ the Firstborn from the Dead

Firstborns of the dead. What he has become in triumph over death. This phrase, firstborn, is used, as you probably know, quite a number of times in the New Testament. In Romans 8 .29 we have it that he may be the firstborn amongst many brethren.

The idea is here, again and again in the New Testament, in that great little section, chapter 1, for instance, 15. It's there again, as he's written, the first, the firstborn from among the dead. A very interesting reference to this.

It impressed me very much because I admit that I had not noticed it. Or it hadn't struck me, very possibly, before in Acts chapter 26. There's a great significance kept here in Acts 26 and verse 23. Here is Paul making his defense before Cephas and the others.

And this is what he says. How that the Christ must suffer and how that he first, by the resurrection of the dead, should proclaim life, both to the people and to the Gentiles. He first, by the resurrection of the dead, the first witness, the first preacher, the first one to proclaim, it begins with resurrection.

He's the first of the long line of people. Well, I'm not going to dwell upon that and make much of it. But I'm saying that this phrase, the firstborn, again and again, occurs in the New Testament regularly.

What does it imply? Well, firstly, it says that obviously it implies that there is to be a succession. And here we are back in Isaiah 53. We shall see history. We shall see history. He is the firstborn.

Well, by the way, in John 12, 24, the calling of preachers and the abundant result of it falling into the ground and dying. The firstborn among many brethren. Firstborn comes the day. Then it means that all these have received the first.

The many brethren, the seed, the progeny of his resurrection, will share the same deathless, triumphant life. There are families who have a life which has proved itself already in the first of the family more than a month for this.

Great hope, great assurance, great comfort, wonderful truth, that if we are part this company of the family of the many brethren, he has passed on the same life to us, that he has proved himself so marvelously and gloriously, that death is not equal to it.

Oh, death. Oh, death rose by the truth. Oh, death rose by the truth. That comes, as you know, in the resurrection supper. Now is Christ's way. The brethren, the many brethren, sharing the same death-conquered life.

Do you have it? Do you have it? If we are part this company. But it means a people of a distinctive character. And then the progression has sort of launched that people of a distinctive character. The Old Testament illustration of this, as you know, is the Levite.

The Levites and Separation from Idolatry

You remember the story of the Levites and their inception. When the people broke down and worshipped the golden calf at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Moses came down and saw what had happened. He took the tent of meeting right outside the temple.

And then standing at the door he cried,. And all the sons of Levi, and the Levites, as you so well know, were taken as representatives and in the place of all the firstborn of Israel. And became the church of the firstborn ones.

Because they separated themselves from that initiative. They separated themselves from that sin. From all idolatry. From all disobedience. From all corruption. They separated themselves and went outside the realm for that immediate thing.

What it was. It's to this type of illustration that the many brethren of whom our Lord is the firstborn constitute the church of the firstborn, so different in character. And so the context is vividly appropriate to what we all have here about the firstborn, and we can see unto him that loveth us, and lifteth or washeth us from our sin in his own blood.

It's a different character that is here in the firstborn one. They take their character from sin. And then during the firstborn days, he is in every sense the prototype of the family. He has given us the grace to turn out to the heart of God from eternity past.

And he has said to be transformed to the image of his Son. Transformed to the image of his Son. In resurrection, he is the prototype of all the sons to be. We hurry to the third title. The ruler of the kings of the earth.

Christ the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth

That the earth is exaltation and vindication. Ruler of the kings of the earth. Fuller's founder title here is given us in the 17th chapter of this revelation. King of kings. And Lord of lords. Now at present, this is not official and temporal.

In a sense, not literal. It is spiritual. It is a long-term thing. I say this because I know the problem that arises when you say Jesus is on the throne. He is ruler of the kings of the earth. King of kings.

And Lord of lords. Then, then, then, why? Why, sir? Why these men doing what they are doing? These rulers of the earth taking the course that they are taking. These kings of the nations. Why we don't live on the throne?

Let us remind ourselves that this is first of all spiritual. And it's a long-term thing. On his throne, as ruler of the kings of the earth, he will, over a long term, be the utter, utter palatian ultimate of all their sons.

We have been hearing this all this afternoon. Even younger ones have lived through bacteria. In fact, we have seen them lifting up a certain head the rulers of this world. I didn't mention their names.

I'm not going to. This one, that one. Within our lifetime, they have lifted up their head to take the government of this world. To take the government of this world. Their whole idea has been world dominion.

One was going to bring all the nations under his government. To be the dictator, not of his own nation English, but of all the nations. And he set himself to do it. And another one was going to be the final king.

To gather everything under his control. And yet another. We've seen them rise. We've seen them go so far. And seeming to be, seeming to be in the way of doing it. That's what has happened. We have no memory at all of these men.

The holy father stood up to others. Did the same thing. These men of conscience. Shame and dishonor. Yes. There's someone on the phone who says the world dominion belongs to me. Made him ruler of the kings of the earth.

Christ's Sovereignty over Human Empires

And no one can take that place. It may be a long term and painful out working. But there it is. And it's happened like that throughout history you see. It happened with Babylon. It happened with Rome.

It has happened with Adam and Eve. And it is right up to date. And it is right up to date. God has given the empire to his son. He may let men go so far. But he only will let them go so far as he did her.

In order to show his superior might and strength. Over all that man can do and can be. That's such history. And that is still history in the moment. He is the lord of the kings of the earth. But I can assure you.

In this way. That his government is on to these two things. On character. Such a thing as truth. You know in the end truth has to go in. In the end it has to go in. It's the only thing that's done. Men may set up a whole regime.

And system of lies. Lies. And oh. It's a terrible thing. Today we have great world powers. That based upon lies. Indeed they don't seem to know what the truth is. They are laying themselves out. To execute their way by lies.

They say. Cut. Wait. And see. This way today. And the lying king will say to Jesus. He is ruler of the kings of the earth. So it is now. The day is coming. And this book of the regulations. Says us. The day that is coming.

Christ's Final Judgment and Universal Recognition

When it will not be the long term business. And not be just the outworking of. Spiritual. Things. See they can't. And. Very swiftly. He will arraign. The king of the earth. And all the forces of this world.

He will have the kingdom before him. And he will command. The judgment. And the verdict for eternity upon him. That day is coming. When he shall be free. By all. He heard this morning. That we are to see him.

All shall mourn because of him. And they have pierced him. What the fuck. They have pierced him. They have said two thousand years. They have stopped. To not despond in the earth. That I shall see him.

They have pierced him. They shall see him. They. Oh yes. He can't get away from this one. Can't get away from him. Time or any other thing does not. Get rid of him. The end you have to face him. He is ruler of the kingdom of the earth.

Because. God has exalted him. And God has vindicated him. It's like that. These five great things. All bound up with his revelation. Titles of the written law. They are titles of great comfort to the church.

A great instruction to us. Believers. Apostles of great terror. To the ungodly. The Lord. Give us. New joy. Incomprehensibly. That's the richness of our written law.