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Scripture Reading: Acts 21:18-39; Matt. 17:1-8; Heb. 1:1-3; 2:14; 3:1; 8:6; 9:15; Eph. 1:17-23; 2:14-16; 3:8, 17-21; 4:4-6, 24; 5:18; 6:11; Phil. 3:4-14; Col. 1:12, 15, 18; 2:2, 9, 16-17; 3:4, 10-11; Rev. 2:7, 17; 3:5, 20
Before we go on in this Life-study to another section of the book of Acts, I would like to give a further word concerning the need for a dispensational transfer, the transfer out of the Old Testament economy into God’s New Testament economy.
Concerning the matter of a dispensational transfer, let us consider the case of Peter. On the mount of transfiguration Peter took the lead to propose to the Lord that he build three tabernacles, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for the Lord Jesus (Matt. 17:4). “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I delight; hear Him!” (v. 5). When the disciples heard this, they fell on their face. When they lifted up their eyes, “they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone” (v. 8). Moses and Elijah had disappeared, and only Jesus remained. Peter had proposed to keep Moses and Elijah, that is, the law and the prophets, with Christ, but God took Moses and Elijah away, leaving “no one except Jesus Himself alone.” No one except Jesus Himself alone should remain in the New Testament. He is today’s Moses, imparting the law of life into His believers, and also today’s Elijah, speaking for God and speaking forth God within His believers. This is God’s New Testament economy.
In Matthew 17:1-8 we have a clear revelation of the fact that with the coming of Jesus both Moses and Elijah were over. Moses and Elijah represent the entire Old Testament, with Moses representing the law and Elijah representing the prophets. According to Jewish custom, the Old Testament was regarded as having two main parts — the Law and the Prophets. Even the Psalms were considered part of the Law. Therefore, the fact that Moses and Elijah were over indicates that the entire Old Testament, consisting of the Law and the Prophets, was over.
Peter had the experience of seeing the vision on the mount of transfiguration, and later, in his second Epistle, he referred to what happened on that mountain (2 Pet. 1:16-18). Why, then, did Peter say nothing about this vision when James was insisting on keeping the Old Testament economy along with the New Testament economy? I find this difficult to understand. In Acts 21 did Peter not have any remembrance of the vision he had seen in Matthew 17 and about which he later wrote in 2 Peter 1?
Peter certainly was knowledgeable concerning the disappearing of the Old Testament economy. On the mount of transfiguration he must have been impressed with this. He heard the voice out of the cloud declare, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I delight; hear Him!” (Matt. 17:5). He had also seen Moses and Elijah together with Jesus, and then he saw that Moses and Elijah had disappeared and that Jesus remained alone. Why, having heard this word and having seen this vision, was Peter silent in Acts 21? Why did he not rise up and say, “Brother James, let me tell you what I heard and saw on the mount of transfiguration. Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, are over. We should no longer hold on to the Old Testament economy. To do that is contrary to God’s move in His New Testament economy.” However, Peter kept silent and did not speak this way to James in Acts 21. Likewise, there is no indication that John, who was with Peter on the mount of transfiguration, said anything to James concerning it at that juncture. Neither Peter nor John stood up to testify regarding the vision they had seen and the charge they had received on the mount of transfiguration.
In Matthew 28:19-20a the resurrected Christ said to His disciples, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you.” “Nations” refers to the Gentiles. The disciples were charged to disciple the Gentiles by baptizing them into the Triune God. The Lord’s charge to the disciples in Matthew 28:19 is very emphatic.
According to Mark 16:15, the Lord, after His resurrection and before His ascension, charged the eleven, saying, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all the creation.” In this verse “creation” mainly denotes different peoples, although it includes more than this. As in Matthew 28:19, here the Lord commands the disciples to preach the gospel to all peoples, to all nations.
After His resurrection and before His ascension, the Lord Jesus spoke yet another word to the disciples to indicate that the gospel should be preached to all nations. In Luke 24:47 He told them that “repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” If we consider these three charges at the end of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we shall see how strong, definite, emphatic, and absolute they are.
Regarding the situation of mixture in Jerusalem, Peter and John were silent. There is no record that they did anything to diminish this mixture. Rather, according to Luke’s account in Acts, only Paul bore the burden of this matter. It seems that Peter and John were not concerned about it. If they had been concerned, they should have spoken strongly to James and said, “James, before you were saved, we heard the word and saw the vision about the passing away of the Old Testament economy.”
According to the record of the New Testament, the James in Acts 21 was a brother of the Lord Jesus in the flesh. Along with the other brothers of the Lord, James was saved right after His resurrection, if not a little before that time. Therefore, it is possible that James was present when one or more of the charges recorded at the end of Matthew, Mark, and Luke was given. He must have known that the Lord had commanded the disciples to preach the gospel to all the nations.
Why did the disciples, including James, seemingly disregard the Lord’s word about preaching the gospel to all the nations and pay so much attention to the Old Testament? Both the revelation given to the disciples and the Lord’s charge were clear, definite, emphatic, and absolute. All the disciples, therefore, should have been clear concerning God’s economy. But in the midst of the situation in Jerusalem, none of them cared for the Lord’s charge. Instead, they were in favor of a mixture of the Old Testament dispensation with God’s New Testament economy.
Acts 21:19 says that Paul, after greeting James and all the elders “related one by one the things which God did among the Gentiles through his ministry.” When they heard this, they glorified God (v. 20). Then James took the lead to say to Paul, “You observe, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews who have believed, and all are zealous for the law” (v. 20). It was a shame to James that he spoke such a word. If I had been Peter listening to this word, I would have had a deep sense of shame.
In the early chapters of Acts Peter was bold. He and John were strong when they faced the opposition of the Sanhedrin. However, in chapters fifteen through twenty-one Peter seems to have lost his boldness. According to Paul’s word in Galatians 2, Peter even practiced hypocrisy concerning this mixture. How pitiful was the situation in Jerusalem in Acts 21! We all need to be impressed with the picture of this situation. However, we should not blame Peter, for, in principle, we are in the same kind of situation today.
It is correct to say that from the time of Acts 15 Paul was troubled deeply in his spirit about the situation in Jerusalem. Because of his heavy burden concerning this, during the course of his third journey of ministry, he was not able to forget Jerusalem. In 19:21 he purposed in his spirit to go to Jerusalem. His purpose was not only to carry out a loving concern for the need of the poor saints in Jerusalem, but also to have fellowship with James and the others concerning the mixture there. Apparently, Paul purposed to go to Jerusalem in order to bring financial help from the Gentile believers to those in Judea. Actually, in Paul’s spirit and heart was the concern for the dreadful situation in Jerusalem, which was the source of the Lord’s move on earth. According to Paul’s understanding, that source had been polluted. Therefore, he did not have peace to proceed further with the Lord’s move. He knew that no matter how much work he accomplished in the Gentile world, the polluted stream from Jerusalem would flow there. Realizing this, Paul purposed in his spirit to return to the source with the intention of trying to clear up the situation, to get rid of the pollution. It was also his desire to go on from there to Rome and even to Spain for the furtherance of the gospel to carry out God’s New Testament economy.
It seems that when Paul went to Jerusalem the last time, he did not have the opportunity to help matters there. Rather, the door was firmly closed, and he was pressed by James and the elders into a very difficult situation. Having no way out, he acted on the proposal to go to the temple in order to be purified with the four who had a Nazarite vow. But, as we have seen, the Lord did not tolerate this.
In 21:23 and 24 James said to Paul, “Four men are with us who have a vow on themselves; take these and be purified with them, and pay their expenses that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things of which they have been instructed concerning you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the law.” We have seen that the vow in verse 23 was the Nazarite vow (Num. 6:2-5) and that to be purified with the Nazarites was to become a Nazarite with them and to join with them in their vow.
Acts 21:26 goes on to say, “Then Paul took the men on the following day, and having been purified with them entered into the temple, giving notice of the completion of the days of the purification, until the offering was offered for each one of them.” This was an extremely serious matter. A Nazarite vow was not something ordinary; rather, it was special, particular, and extraordinary. Furthermore, the offerings related to the Nazarite vow were particular. It is difficult to believe, therefore, that the apostle Paul would go back to the temple, participate in the Nazarite vow, and wait for the priests to offer sacrifices for him and the others.
According to what Paul had written in the Epistles to the Romans and the Galatians, he should not have returned to the temple, and he certainly should not have participated in this vow. It is no surprise, then, that the Lord did not tolerate this situation. Paul may have been trying to keep the peace, but the Lord allowed a great uproar to take place against Paul.
It was a very serious matter for an apostle such as Paul, after writing the Epistles to the Romans and the Galatians, to join himself with those who had the Nazarite vow and go with them to the temple to be purified and then to remain in the temple until the priest came to offer the sacrifices. The Lord tolerated Paul’s private vow in 18:18, but He did not tolerate Paul’s joining himself to those with the Nazarite vow in chapter twenty-one.
Actually, Paul should not even have made the vow in chapter eighteen. In Galatians 2:20 he had declared that he had been crucified with Christ. There Paul seemed to be saying, “I, the Jewish Paul, have been crucified with Christ. Now it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” However, in having a vow in the Jewish way, Paul was living not as a Christian but as a Jew, for he was following a Jewish practice, not a Christian one.
All the believers in Jerusalem were Jews. It was in Antioch that the believers were first called Christians (11:26). Had Paul forgotten the term “Christian” when, in Acts 18, he was carrying out a Jewish practice? Should a Christian have a vow for thanksgiving in a Jewish way? If not, then why did Paul continue to practice something Jewish? Although the Lord tolerated that practice, He had no toleration for what was taking place in Acts 21, when Paul was awaiting the time for the priests to offer the sacrifices at the completion of the days of purification.
From 21:27 onward we see the Lord’s sovereignty in a particular way. We also see His sympathy. On the one hand, Paul was faithful. He was even willing to risk his life for the Lord’s name (20:24; 21:13). He was ready “to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (21:13). On the other hand, Paul was still human and was not able to help himself in Acts 21. The Lord did not have anyone better or more faithful than Paul. Therefore, He intervened first to rescue Paul from the mixture in Jerusalem and then from the Jews who were plotting to kill him. Eventually, he was placed in Roman custody, separated from troubles and disturbances. In this way the Lord gave Paul a tranquil time for the writing of his last Epistles. In particular, Paul was given the opportunity to write the four crucial Epistles of Hebrews, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Let us now briefly consider these four Epistles, which should be grouped together.
In Hebrews we see that Christ is far superior to everything in Judaism. In Judaism there is God. According to Hebrews 1, Christ is the very God. Furthermore, in Hebrews 2 we see that Christ is also man. The God in Judaism is merely God, but the God in the New Testament is both God and man, the God-man. As such a God-man, Christ is superior to the angels, another important item of Judaism. Furthermore, the book of Hebrews reveals that Christ is superior to Moses, Joshua, and Aaron, the priest.
According to the book of Hebrews, the new covenant enacted by Christ is superior to the old covenant enacted by Moses (8:6-13), and Christ’s unique sacrifice is superior to the old sacrifices (10:9-10, 12, 14). God now cares only for Christ’s unique sacrifice, which has terminated and replaced all the Old Testament sacrifices.
In the book of Hebrews Paul presents a clear picture showing us that the Old Testament things are over. What remains now in God’s New Testament economy is Jesus Christ, the all-inclusive One. Having seen such a view, Paul could not tolerate a mixture of such an all-inclusive Christ with the inferior things of the out-of-date, Old Testament economy.
In the book of Ephesians Paul indicates that all the believers, both Jews and Gentiles, need a spirit of wisdom and revelation to see God’s calling, which issues in the church, Christ’s Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all (1:17-23). In Ephesians 2 Paul goes on to point out that all the ordinances in the Old Testament law have been abolished through Christ’s death on the cross so that in Christ the Jews and the Gentiles might be created into one new man (vv. 14-16). In chapter three we see that the riches of Christ need to become the constituent of the church life, and that we need Christ to make His home in our hearts so that we may be filled unto all the fullness of the Triune God to become His full expression (vv. 8, 17-19). In chapter four Paul speaks of the one Body, the one Spirit, the one Lord, and the one God (vv. 4-6). The Body is constituted of and mingled with the Triune God to become the new man (v. 24). Following this, in chapter five Paul indicates that the new man should be filled in the spirit with the Triune God in order to have a life that is the expression of the Triune God in Christ (v. 18). Finally, in Ephesians 6 we see that we must fight a spiritual battle for the kingdom of God (v. 11). This is a brief summary of the revelation in Ephesians.
In Philippians 3:7 Paul says, “What things were gains to me, these I have counted loss on account of Christ.” Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee as to the law (3:5). However, he counted all Jewish things, all the things of the Old Testament, as dung in order that he might gain Christ (3:8). Paul knew that in God’s New Testament economy Christ must be everything. Therefore, Paul pursued Christ so that he might live a life of being found in Christ (3:9-14).
According to the revelation in the book of Colossians, Christ is the reality of every positive thing. Christ is the portion God has given to the saints (1:12), the image of God (v. 15), the Firstborn of all creation (v. 15), the Firstborn from among the dead (v. 18), the mystery of God (2:2), the embodiment of the Godhead (2:9), our feast, new moon, and Sabbath (2:16-17), and our life (Col. 3:4). In Colossians we see that Christ must be everything to us. Colossians also says clearly that in the new man, composed of all the believers, there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, but Christ is all and in all.
If we consider together Hebrews, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, we shall see that to such an enlightened one as Paul, in God’s New Testament economy there is nothing but Christ. However, what Paul saw in Jerusalem during his last visit there was a mixture. Something of Christ was mixed with the things of the Old Testament economy.
Through Paul’s completing ministry (Col. 1:25) the all-inclusive Christ is revealed in a full way. In the fourteen Epistles of Paul, especially in Hebrews, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, Christ is unveiled as everything to the church and to the saints. But by the time the book of Revelation was written this view of the all-inclusive Christ had been all but lost. This loss is indicated by the seven epistles in Revelation 2 and 3. Christ, the Head of the Body, came in to call the overcomers to overcome the degraded situation. The overcomers in Revelation do not simply overcome sin, the world, and the flesh; they especially overcome the degraded situation in which the clear view of the all-inclusive Christ has been lost.
In Revelation 2:7 the Lord Jesus says, “To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” In 2:17 He goes on to say, “To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows but he who receives it.” Furthermore, in 3:20 the Lord says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.” These verses speak of the tree of life, the hidden manna, and feasting with the Lord. Here the Lord seems to be saying, “You need to enjoy Me and forget outward practices and forms. Come back directly to Me as your tree of life, manna, and feast. Turn from all the mixtures and the things replacing Me in the degraded churches and come back to Me as your everything.”
The problem in today’s degraded situation is that many things are replacing the all-inclusive Christ. We need to turn from all replacements and come back directly to the all-inclusive Christ as our tree of life, our hidden manna, our feast, and our everything. We need to come back to this One in the way of enjoyment, not merely in the way of doctrine. We need to return to Him not only in the way of knowing Him objectively, but in the way of enjoying Him as the tree of life, the hidden manna, and the feast.
To overcome the degraded situation among today’s Christians and to come back directly to the enjoyable Christ as our tree of life, hidden manna, and feast is to have a real transfer. This is a transfer out of old degraded religion into an up-to-date recovery, a recovery of the enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ. Today this Christ is not only the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) — He is the sevenfold, intensified Spirit (Rev. 5:6).
We need to have an overall view to see today’s degraded situation and also to see that the Lord’s intention is to bring us back to Himself so that we may be fully recovered to the enjoyment of Him. Every day we should know only one thing — to enjoy Christ as the tree of life, the hidden manna, and the feast. We need to enjoy Christ as our everything, even as our white garments (Rev. 3:5) and the white stone (2:17) to make us building materials for God’s eternal habitation. Our need today is to experience a transfer from degraded religion to the reality of the all-inclusive Christ in the way of enjoyment.
