Reserved Unto Fire

by Robert Candlish

If the Lord were to act according to man’s deserving, there would be no interval, and no end of his judgments. “The imagination of man’s heart being evil from his youth” –no threatenings, no terrors, no floods of wrath, can purge away his guilt, or change and amend his nature. But where judgment is impotent, grace may prevail.

There is to be Blood shed which shall cleanse from all sin, and a Word of reconciliation preached, effectual to save the chief of sinners. For the shedding of that precious Blood, –for the preaching of that blessed Word, –the world is to be spared until the end come. There is to be no more any violent shock of nature, or universal destruction of life. The earth is to stand secure during all the remainder of its appointed days; and the seasons are not to cease.

But though its course is to be no more broken in the middle, it is to have a sudden and terrible termination at the last. The judgment of flood is but the type of the still more awful judgment of fire. The earth saved from water is reserved for fire. By both elements, –by the baptism both of water and of fire, –it must be purged before it can be fitted for the habitation of the Lord and His redeemed.

Meanwhile, the Lord is preparing a stronghold, an ark of safety. It is the ark of his everlasting covenant, to which all that will believe may flee. Their baptism, rightly improved as a figure of the salvation in which they believe (1 Peter 3:21), –uniting them to the Lord Jesus Christ and making them one with him in his death and in his rising again,–shuts them in within a covering of atoning righteousness, which no judgment can touch. In this ark, or in other words, in Christ, –they are now dead; they are buried; though still they have a hidden life, –a life hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). To the world, they may seem as fond and foolish as did Noah when he entered into his ark, and “the Lord shut him in.”

The men of the world, living at ease because all things continue as they were, may marvel and rage, when they see any of us, who once were of the world, moved by a wary fear of coming wrath, seriously to betake ourselves to the only hiding-place. But let us hear the word of the Lord: “Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers,” –the chambers prepared, made ready and set wide open for you, in the Lord’s ark, which is his Christ, his anointed one,–“enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth” (Isaiah 26:20). And who then may stand? Where shall the ungodly appear? Shut in, imprisoned, with no door of escape, while fire is devouring the earth!

But let the Lord hide us now. Let him shut us up into Christ’s blessed gospel of reconciliation; –let him shut us up into Christ himself. Let him separate us from an evil world, and make us to feel what it is to be “buried with Christ by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Then, although the elements should melt with fervent heat, and this earth and these heavens should be dissolved, we, in Christ, shall be hidden in security, floating in air above the fiery storm. And, finally, as the judgment passes away, an olive branch will be brought to us from the renovated world; –and in the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, we shall dwell for ever with the Lord, and offer the sacrifices of praise continually.

from Contributions towards the exposition of the book of Genesis

Our Great God

1 John 4:1-6 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Almighty God

The Spirit of God that is in the hearts of His children is infinitely greater than Satan, the god of this world. Yes, Satan is mighty, but God is the Almighty, the King of Creation. “Our enemy is Satan; but our friend is Jehovah, God in Christ. Satan knows much, but God knows all. Satan is powerful, but God is Almighty. Satan is cunning, but God is the all-wise. The wiles are Satan’s, but the armour is God’s. His will is that we should stand; and He has said, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ (2 Corinthians 12:9)” Francis Bourdillon

Satan has made himself god of this world and set himself up to be God’s rival. (see 2 Corinthians 4:4)  He continually strives to extend the empire of evil in the universe of God. He and his cohorts, all the “principalities and powers of darkness”, plotted and perpetrated Christ’s death in order to reduce him, as they imagined, to the lowest abyss of sorrow, suffering, and shame; and as they vainly supposed, to conquer and crush him forever. They erected a Cross and nailed Him to it. “As he was suspended there, bound hand and foot to the wood in apparent weakness, they imagined they had him at their mercy, and flung themselves upon him with hostile intent…but he grappled with them and mastered them.” F.F. Bruce

The Cross was selected as the battle-field on which to decide the great controversy between heaven and hell. On one hand was the Almighty God, on the other the combined armies of Satan. Just when it appeared that Satan had won the most decisive victory in history, Christ uttered the final word in the redemption of mankind, “It is finished!” This was “the greatest note of triumph ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe…” Oswald Chambers

Satan had early been warned of his coming defeat. He had, no doubt, observed the movements of Providence, and perceived that some mighty scheme was in operation. He might even have suspected, that eventually it would burst on his own head; but long success had made him confident. He almost fancied that, with his puny arm, he could ward off the blows of the Almighty. Hence, no sooner had the Son of God appeared in our nature, than Satan attacked him with all his forces, determined to make one universal, and, if possible, successful onset.

And here it was ordered, in the wisdom of God, that—as in all his other attempts—he should appear to succeed. He had pursued Jesus with persecutions through life, and had brought him even to the very borders of the grave. But now, when, to the eye of men and devils, the victory was complete, when they were almost ready to raise the shout of hellish triumph, behold, to their everlasting confusion, they perceive that, with all their malice, they had only been fulfilling the counsel of God, for their own destruction! The time had now come, fixed in the purposes of eternity; and they were now on that spot on which he had determined their final defeat, and but a single word from the lips of the expiring Saviour, flashed anguish unutterable into the hearts of these dark spirits of despair. He said, “It is finished,” and the powers of darkness lay prostrate at his feet. He said, “It is finished,” and principalities and powers were spoiled—a show of them was openly made, and they were triumphed over in the cross.   The Evangelical Repository

A Defeated Foe

We have the advantage of fighting a defeated foe. Christ vanquished and triumphed over all our enemies, he overcame the world, he conquered the devil, he spoiled hell, he weakened sin, and he destroyed death. 1 John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Hebrews 2:14 says the same thing, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” He accomplished all this on the Cross.

The grand plot of hell was to ruin the works of God, to disturb the creation, to deface the image of God, and to set up his [Satan’s] empire in these lower regions: being cast out of heaven, he would set up his throne upon earth, and reign without control as the god of this world. But now, the purpose of the Son of God was to counteract the enemy, to sap and overturn the foundation of his usurped kingdom, and to set up and establish his own and his Father’s authority among the sons of men…

[Jesus Christ] is one that is successful in all his enterprises; he never lost a battle, victory follows him in his train and retinue. Wherever he goes, he stains his raiment with the blood of his enemies, like one that treadeth in the wine-fat; for he “treads them in his anger, and tramples them in his fury.” When death the king of terrors encounters him, he cries, “O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction.” When the armies of hell encounter him, he spoils them, and leads them about in triumph, and makes his ignominious cross a triumphant chariot, to which he ties them as so many trophies of his victory; he “casts death and hell into the lake of fire and brimstone.” And hence it comes, that this very name is the terror of hell; for “things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, bow at the name of Jesus.” Ebenezer Erskine

If Christ stands with us, our triumph is certain. If we  stand alone against Satan, we are doomed to utter despair. Unassisted flesh and blood cannot withstand the fierce wrath of the devil. Although our adversary has been defeated, he has not yet conceded defeat. He is busy sowing tares among the wheat and ruling hostile principalities and powers. He knows his time is limited, so his wrath is fierce. To stand against him, we must put on our spiritual armour, which God prepares and bestows.

So long as we muster in as munitions of war our intellect, self-sufficiency, egotism, etc., the cohorts will laugh at our delusion. There is but One who can out-general his maneuvers, silence his thunderings, checkmate his diabolical acumen, know his oily, snaky approaches, penetrate his angelic beneficence, understand his insidious schemes: that One knew him from the beginning, -and outranked him in heaven and conquered him on earth. Charles Franklin Wimberly

God Abides in Us

The security for our full and final victory over Satan and all the “principalities and powers of darkness” lies in the emphatic declaration: “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” He that is in you is the Spirit of God; for “hereby we know that God abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” We are able to overcome the assaults of all lying spirits because we are taught and kept by the Spirit of Christ, who is far greater than the evil spirit, “which still worketh in the children of disobedience.” (see Ephesians 2:2)

We who have trusted in Christ are safe in the love, and covenant, and arms of an Almighty God, who is our refuge. Our trials are many, but our God is great. He that made all things, and sustains all things, and governs all things, and possesses all things, is our God. Surely his grace is sufficient for us and his arms can bear us up: The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27 Let us rejoice, then, not only in the goodness, but also in the greatness of that God whom we have chosen for our portion.

Abide With Me

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word;
But as Thou dwell’st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.

Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings,
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea—
Come, Friend of sinners, and thus bide with me.

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee,
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Henry F. Lyte, 1847

Christ Cares for You

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

A Sympathizing Savior

In this world, we are exposed to innumerable foes and overwhelmed by personal afflictions. We have seasons of physical suffering, of losses, and of painful trials. We endure solitary sorrows and national distresses. Not only must we bear our own troubles, but the sorrows of others lie on our hearts. Nothing can exempt us from suffering so long as we live this side of Heaven.

Through all our infirmities, the Lord is not an idle spectator. He consoles us as one who has himself fought the battle. Christ “was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…” Isaiah 53:3, 4 Because he assumed our nature and suffered our infirmities, he is able to be touched with the feelings of our weaknesses. He has a first-hand knowledge of what we suffer. He suffers with us.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15,16

It is comforting to know that when we are pursued by sin and sorrow, we have a safe hiding place in Christ. We are not alone in our struggles. He is a “very present help in trouble.” His care extends to every Christian; the young and the aged, the weak and the strong, the poor and the wealthy, the doubting and the confident. Believer, He cares for you:

For whom? For you, who are begotten again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; who are born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever. For you, who are strangers and pilgrims on the earth as all your fathers were. For you, who are placed in humble circumstances, being numbered with the poor of this world. For you, who are compassed about with so many cares, and who enjoy so few comforts; who are surprised at the fiery trials which try you, as though some strange thing had happened unto you. For you, who are worried and harassed by Satan, who as a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he may devour. For you, who are persecuted by the world, and hated by all men for your Savior’s sake. For you, to whom Christ is precious, as he is to every one who really believes in him. For you, sinful as you are. For you, depressed and discouraged as you are. He careth for you. He cares for you individually, and according to the circumstances in which you are placed.

What does he do? He careth for you. He thinks of you. He watches over you. He sympathizes with you. He feels the deepest interest in you. He ever seeks your welfare. He infallibly secures your good. Your misery touches his heart, your wants lie open to his view, and your cries enter into his ears.

He cares for you, and his care is paternal; it is the care of a father for his child, the child whom he tenderly loves, and for whose welfare he feels the deepest concern. He cares for you, and his care is perpetual; he will never care for you less than he does at present; when age weakens you, when wants pinch you, when death appears just before you, he will care for you as much as he did in youth, or as he does at this moment. He cares for you, and his care is beneficial; it prevents innumerable evils, and secures the greatest possible amount of good.

This we know, that God will care for us, and caring for us, will fulfill his promises to us, and make all his goodness pass before us. If God cares for us, then let us cast all our cares upon him. James Smith

Under His Wings

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psalm 36:7

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Matthew 23:37

Storms of affliction can overtake us without warning. We need to be persuaded that God will take care of us. He promises that we are preserved in safety under his protecting care, just as the hen cherishes her chicks under her wings. Whenever danger approaches, the mother hen quickly gathers her chicks. They bury their head in her feathers and they are warm and comfortable. She will protect them even if her life is threatened. The young animals thrive under her constant care.

No figure, then, could be more happily chosen to express the infinite love of Christ, and his ardent desire to deliver his people from the sin and misery of their fallen condition, his watchful care, and powerful protection, and the safety and happiness of those that believe in his name. It beautifully expresses the singularly tender care with which God watches over our safety.

He Careth For You

Are you weary or troubled, perplexed or distressed?
In Christ there is comfort, joy, safety, and rest;
Go tell Him your sorrows, cast on Him your care,
He waits in His pity your trials to share.

He sees all your footsteps, He marks all your way,
In kindness, in wisdom, He’s planned every day;
He knoweth, He loveth, as none else could do;
Go tell to Him all things, “He careth for you.”

Perhaps no one else seems to pity or know,
None think of your welfare, nor mark where you go;
But your loving Redeemer, so patient, so true,
Is full of compassion, “He careth for you.”

Assured of His presence, protection and peace,
Of fellowship holy, let burdens all cease;
Though trials be many, and friends may be few,
Oh! what does it matter, “He careth for you.”

He careth for you ‘mid the sunshine and shade,
‘Mid the cheer of the upland, the gloom of the glade;
He thinketh upon you when poor and in need,
Oh! His is the sympathy sweetest indeed.

All power is His–He is mighty to aid,
So that none of His children should e’er be afraid;
You will never need aught that His love cannot do,
So trust in the promise, “He careth for you.”

   From Thoughts of Peace

   Photo Credits:
   Kelsey Lovefusionphoto
   Sukanto Debnath