I N D E X
SUMMARY 33
The Present Interval of Bondage
A comparison of Genesis 15:5-16. Galatians 3:15-18 and Ephesians 1:3-14 reveals that underlying the purpose
of the ages is a threefold development, viz.:
(1). An unconditional promise The will of the FATHER.
(2). An interval of bondage
The work of the SON.
(3). The promise fulfilled
The witness of the SPIRIT.
The will of God shall be accomplished, but not without conflict. There is an enemy at work. And just as Israel's
bondage in Egypt was connected with the iniquity of the Amorite, so the bondage of the true seed is connected with
Satan and the mystery of iniquity. Israel enter into the inheritance held by the Amorites and exterminate them. The
true seed will enter into their particular inheritance, and the seed of the wicked one, the names of whom not being in
the book of life, will be destroyed.
The Two Seeds
From the birth of Cain onward to the Giants of Noah's day, the Canaanites of Joshua's time, and the `tares' sown
by the enemy, there has existed side by side with the true seed `the children of the wicked one'. Not until these
`tares' are bound in bundles and burned can the `righteous shine forth in the kingdom of their Father'. The seed of
the wicked one being `of the Devil' cannot be `of God' and are not included in the `all things' that make up the new
creation.
The Kinsman-Redeemer
Scripture reveals three outstanding features which are fundamental to a true conception of redemption:
The redeemer must be next of kin.
The redemption touches:
(a) A forfeited inheritance,
(b) Bondage.
The redeemer is also the avenger.
Hebrew 2:14,15 reveals Christ as the great Kinsman-Redeemer (`flesh and blood, He likewise -- `), exercising
the twofold office of redeemer (`deliver -- bondage'), and avenger (`destroy -- the Devil'). The provision of the
cities of refuge was not for a `murderer'. Satan was a murderer from the beginning.
The Deity of the Redeemer is abundantly testified in the Old Testament. His humanity is necessitated by the
demand of kinship, and both aspects of His person are found in `Immanuel', the child born who was nevertheless
`the mighty God'.
The Mystery of His Will
God did not plan sin, but He provided against it. His original purpose is spoken of as His will; the provision
against sin and death is spoken of as the `mystery of His will'. It was the will of God that Israel should be `head and
not tail', but upon their temporary failure the mystery of His will was put into operation, placing Nebuchadnezzar
upon the throne, and giving dominion to the Gentiles until such time as `all Israel shall be saved'.
We most emphatically repudiate the horrible teaching that God definitely planned sin, and that the Devil was
deliberately designed to be `a devil', but we glory in the fact that in His matchless wisdom God has taken the wise in
their own craftiness and overruled evil for good.
The Two Mysteries
Two mysteries run through the ages, viz., the mystery of godliness, and the mystery of iniquity. Both have
relation to claims of Deity. The satanic mystery finds its goal in the man of sin, the son of perdition, who sits in the