CHAPTER 1

Rev. Rhem "put his views in writing for his critics in his [denominational] classis. He declared that he believed Jesus to be God's revelation. But he posed two questions: Is God known to others 'through any other manifestation' than Jesus? And can God grant salvation 'through any other revelation? Rev. Rhem said the answer to both questions was yes'."

In any discussion, an authoritative source must be utilized in order to seek the truth of any situation. In that Christianity is being discussed in this case, it is my contention that it is the Holy Scriptures (specifically, the New Testament) as source which must be utilized firstly, foremost and lastly and not ANY denominational theology or traditions. I also use the term "discussion" rather than debate as it is evident from Holy Scripture that the final chapter on revelation has not yet been written. And where closure is not present, definitiveness (debate) must, of necessity, be absent but discussion - in order to learn from others - must take place.

No less than The Apostle Paul, whom the Holy Spirit used to bring to us most of the New Testament, tells us that closure on revelation is absent. He tells us that there is more than one Heaven when he informs us that he was caught up into the THIRD Heaven! Have you ever heard a sermon taught scripturally about Heaven #1, Heaven #2 and Heaven #3? And he did not infer, imply nor state categorically that the third Heaven was the final one.

Most importantly, he says he - who was divinely inspired to write most of the words we follow in the New Testament - saw things in the third Heaven WHICH HE CANNOT UTTER. Which is interpreted: "I haven't, can't or am not allowed to tell you everything"! Which is interpreted: THERE'S MORE TO COME! THE FINAL CHAPTER HASN'T BEEN WRITTEN YET.

Think about it. There is much we don't yet know. That same Apostle said, "For we know in part [a part as distinct from the whole], and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away with" (1 Cor. 13:9,10 KJV). Paul, learned above all others, who saw things none other had seen, who - indeed - saw things so differently than the others that he called what he now taught "another gospel", said "When that which is perfect is come", the in-part knowledge will be done away.

Part of Rev. Rhem's problem is that most Christians do not know The CHRIST apart from Jesus of Nazareth. They do not TRULY know that CHRIST existed and was active in this world before being born as a babe in a manger. That means that CHRIST is NOT known BY HIS OWN AS HE REALLY IS. They, therefore, do not believe He appeared in other manifestations to other peoples nor probably do they believe that He no longer appears as Jesus of Nazareth EVEN THOUGH THOSE WHO KNEW HIM WELL BEFORE HIS CRUCIFIXION DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM BEFORE HIS ASCENSION - MARY, WHO LOVED HIM DEEPLY, TOOK HIM TO BE A GARDENER AT HIS TOMB - AND HE CERTAINLY DOES NOT APPEAR AS JESUS OF NAZARETH IN THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION (THE WORD "REVELATION" MEANS THE REVEALING, THE UNVEILING, THE DISCLOSING, THE TAKING THE COVER OFF) OF JESUS, THE CHRIST.

The first verse of Rev. 1:1 (KJV) begins: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" which revelation is being made to John, who knew and loved Him so much, who turned (that word itself is so very pungent with meaning) and saw Him standing among seven golden candlesticks and his beloved Lord looked nothing like the One John knew so well! (Rev. 1:12-17- KJV).

There are some profound scriptures from the New Testament which support Rev Rhem's convictions and which even make the question of Jews entering Heaven apart from Jesus of Nazareth a moot point for THERE ARE ÁLREADY JEWS IN HEAVEN. JESUS said (in Matthew 8:11 (KJV), "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." He also conferred with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration - who told Him things that were to come to pass (Matt 17:3 KJV).

Other scriptures will show that, though they and other Jews entered apart from Jesus of Nazareth, THEY DID NOT ENTER APART FROM CHRIST! Let us search the Scriptures to see if these things be so:

ROMANS 8:9 (KJV): "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Would you not agree that the inference in that verse is that if any man DOES have the Spirit of Christ, he IS Christ's?

Well, I Peter 1:11 (KJV) says: "the prophets of old [JEWS] Searching what, or what manner of time THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST WHICH WAS IN THEM did signify, when it testified BEFOREHAND the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."

GALATIANS 3:29 (KJV): "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye ABRAHAM's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

ROMANS 3:29 (KJV): "Is he the God of the JEWS only? is he not ALSO of the Gentiles [non-Jews]?"

HEBREWS 11:24-26 (KJV): "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; ESTEEMING THE REPROACH OF CHRIST [centuries before Jesus was born] greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season."

Paul lays out "the doctrine of Christ" very clearly in the Book of Hebrews. He very clearly states that "God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, IN THE BEGINNING hast laid the foundation of the earth" (Hebrews 1:9, 10 (KJV). Surely it is obvious that He laid the foundation of the earth thousands of years before manifesting as Jesus of Nazareth!

ACTS 7:38 (KJV) makes a very powerful statement about Moses and his followers: "This is he (Moses), that was IN THE CHURCH ("ekklesia", the same term used for the church in the NT!) in the wilderness".

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-4 (KJV): "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST."

1 CORINTHIANS 10:9 (KJV): "Neither let us tempt Christ, AS SOME OF THEM ALSO tempted [centuries before], and were destroyed of serpents".

EPHESIANS 2:12-17 (KJV): "That at that time YE [non-Jews] WERE WITHOUT CHRIST, BEING ALIEN FROM THE COMMONWEALTH (community) OF ISRAEL, and strangers from the covenants of promise, HAVING NO HOPE, and WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD; But now in Christ Jesus YE WHO WERE SOMETIMES FAR OFF [the NON-JEWS] are MADE NIGH by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us...for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace...and came and preached peace to you [NON-JEWS] WHICH WERE AFAR OFF, and to them THAT WERE NIGH [Jews]."

EPHESIANS 3:4-6: "Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my (Paul) knowledge in the MYSTERY OF CHRIST which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of man, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; THAT THE GENTILES [NON-JEWS] SHOULD BE FELLOW HEIRS and OF THE SAME BODY, and PARTAKERS of his promise in Christ BY THE GOSPEL!"  (KJV.)

Paul further speaks with great passion of the excellency of Christ above all others, including Moses "who was faithful in all his house". He further states, contrary to Christian belief, that Jesus LEARNED obedience (through the things He suffered) and that He WAS MADE perfect (through sufferings). Paul also then tells us that in the Scriptures are milk ("elementary principles" for babes) and meat ("solid food" for the mature). He proves the lack of maturity of the church in Hebrews 6 by calling that which the church considers to be "the-end-all-and-the-be-all" of the gospel, "the doctrine of Christ", ELEMENTARY TEACHING! He says in Hebrews 6: "Therefore leaving THE ELEMENTARY TEACHING about THE CHRIST, LET US PRESS ON TO MATURITY (PERFECTION! the GOAL OF God - in the Jews in the wilderness and in us today!) NOT laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits (GO ON TO MATURITY: PERFECTION)." WHICH IS "THE REST OF GOD" ("for he that is entered into his rest, HE ALSO HATH CEASED FROM HIS OWN WORKS [SELF-righteousness], AS GOD DID FROM HIS."

CHAPTER 2

It is obvious that there are Christians who do not TRULY realize that there was a time when the Lord DIRECTLY appeared to peoples WHEN THERE WAS NO ORGANIZED RELIGION.  The Bible shows that He appeared to people prior to both Jewish and Christian eras.  People "began to call upon the name of the Lord" as early as Genesis 4:25. (Centuries later, Jesus taught the disciples to do that!)  This means that the Lord was KNOWN TO AND CALLED UPON BY OTHER PEOPLES BEFORE HE WAS KNOWN BY EITHER JEWS OR CHRISTIANS.

Noah - "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5 KJV) -  was one of those and had sons (saved with him in the ark) who knew the Lord - Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Of these sons it was said:  “and from them the whole earth was peopled. (Gen. 9:19).  Their descendants were the peoples of the Indo-European, African and the Semitic peoples of Mesopotamia, Syria and Arabia!  Ham's son, Cush, peopled Ethiopia from which Moses took a wife (Numbers 12:1)!  Faith waned in the earth but it was there after the flood.

Abraham was one of those, too, who was pre-Jewish and pre-Christian.  Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldees, a city in southern Babylonia, Chaldea being a territory in lower Mesopotamia bordering on the Persian Gulf. "Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein...Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham" (Neh. 9:6,7 KJV).

The Lord appeared to Abraham IN ANOTHER MANIFESTATION:  "And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God ('el) Almighty, but by my name YHWH ("Jehovah; the Lord") was I NOT known to them"   (Exodus 6:2,3 KJV).

It is to be understood from scripture that Abraham was NOT under the law but was in covenant with God BECAUSE OF FAITH (belief) IN GOD!  This faith was "reckoned to Abraham for righteousness" (Romans 4:9 KJV).  And, wonder of wonders, he was counted righteous: NOT AS A JEW NOR AS A CHRISTIAN.
FAITH = BELIEF IN GOD = BELIEVER!

      
"CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT"
T. Austin-Sparks:

 "We closed with what is perhaps the most difficult aspect and most difficult thing to say, but I believe it is here.  This Someone was manifested personally in the midst of the nations, that is, in Israel.  You will recall many theophanies, Divine appearances in man-form in Israel, and you will recall that in not a few instances it is impossible to discriminate between the one who is called the angel and The Lord Himself.  They are interchangeable terms, synonymous words.  Of the same person, first the word 'angel' and then the word 'Lord' is used.  The angel, as it seemed, took up the conflict with Jacob, and he eventually cried, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen 32:30).  
 

"That angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham and was confessed to be the Lord.
The Lord said to Israel, "Behold, I send an angel before thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.  Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression:  for my name is in him" (Exod. 23:20-21).  Who is this?  Paul said about the smitten rock, that the rock was Christ (I Cor. 10:4).   But do you remember this, and this is the point of the whole incident, that when the Lord was giving commandment to Moses about smiting the rock, He said, "I will stand before thee there upon the rock" (Exod. 17:6).  It was the Lord who was the rock, says Paul; it was the Lord who was smitten to save the life of His people, and you cannot smite the Lord twice.     
 
 

"Then it is said that the rock followed them (I Cor. 10:4), meaning, I think, that the waters of the rock, the values of the rock, the efficacy of the smitten rock, went with them on their way; "and that rock was Christ", it was the Lord.  "I will stand before...the rock."  So I could gather up many other of these instances, where the identifying of the one called the angel of the Lord cannot be made without saying that it is the Lord Himself, and, seeing the connections, you cannot but see the Son of God.  If that wants proving, go to the last book of the Old Testament, where mention is made of the messenger of the covenant.  "The Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple" (Mal. 3:1).  That word translated 'messenger' is the same word translated elsewhere 'angel'.  Who is this angel of the covenant?  "The Lord, whom
ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple...But who can abide the day of his coming?"  It is none other than the Son of God. But there He was manifested in Israel, again and again personally present, not as yet incarnate, but in manifestation none the less.
 

"Well, there is the Scripture.  Now, you see, that is the Old Testament.  It is shot through, we have said, with expectation, and anticipation.  Someone must finally and fully come to answer to it all...Every thing centres in Him and radiates from Him to the bounds of God's created universe."
                                                "The Centrality of Jesus Christ" - T. Austin-Sparks
 
 
 

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