Immanuel
The name Immanuel or Emmanuel is found only twice in Scripture: in the promise of Isaiah 7:14 and in its fulfilment in Matthew 1:23.
The name means “God with us.” El is the Hebrew word for “God” and the rest of the name means “with us.” This is the interpretation of the name given through the angel Gabriel by God Himself in Matthew 1:23.
The name was first announced in the Old Testament to King Ahaz by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14. It formed part of the sign God gave Ahaz to assure the faithful in Judah that God had not forsaken them in a very difficult time and would never forsake them.
Later, when Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in the birth and naming of Christ, God showed how He would be with His people and why He would never forsake them. He would be with them in Christ and would never forsake them for Christ’s sake.
The name therefore refers, first, to the fact that Jesus is God and man in one person. In Him God is with us in the closest possible way, taking our human nature into union with Himself. Thus the name Immanuel is the fulfilment of all God’s covenant promises to be the God of His people and to dwell with them.
Indeed, Jesus as Immanuel is the realisation of that covenant of friendship and fellowship, for through the union of the divine and human natures in Him He makes us partakers of the divine nature (II Pet. 1:4). As the only begotten Son of God, He dwells with us and in us in unbreakable union (Gal. 2:20) so that He is “one bone and one flesh with us” (cf. Eph. 5:30).
As Immanuel He is the true tabernacle or temple of God in whom the promise of Revelation 21:3 is fulfilled. That is why there is no temple in the new Jerusalem, for “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” (22).
The name also refers, however, to the work of Christ, for God cannot be “with” sinners except through atonement for sin. The name reminds us that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself” (II Cor. 5:19). God is “with us” in Immanuel as the one who comes to us in our lost condition, takes our sins upon Himself and takes them all away in order to redeem and deliver us from them.
What a blessing, then, that name is to all who believe in it! In one word it is a kind of gospel in miniature, teaching us about our Saviour and the blessedness of salvation in Him. Rev. Ron Hanko
Jesus’ Soon Return (1)
“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17).
“But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come” (Matt. 10:23).
“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28).
“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matt. 24:34).
The reader of our News who asked for a consideration of the texts quoted above explained why these passages present difficulties. He asked for a treatment of these and similar texts which seem to imply that Jesus would return during the lifetime of His hearers and yet has not returned.
It is best, I think, to consider each text separately, for they refer to different things.
Matthew 4:17 is best understood if we remember that the kingdom of heaven was established by the work of our Lord Jesus Christ while He was on earth. Perhaps we can picture the Old Testament church as a small child who had not yet learned to read. This is also the figure in Galatians 3:23-4:7. God gave the church a picture book filled with beautiful pictures of the kingdom of heaven that was to come. Some of these pictures were the temple, the sacrifices, the throne of David and Solomon and the Aaronic priesthood. But these were pictures, not the reality.
The reality came in the New Testament. Jesus Christ came to establish the kingdom by His work. By His blood He laid the foundation of the kingdom, for it is a kingdom of righteousness. By His resurrection He earned the new life which is given to the citizens of the kingdom (I Pet. 1:3-4). By His ascension He brought the kingdom into heaven, for it is a heavenly kingdom and not of this earth (Dan. 7:13-14). From heaven He pours out His Spirit so that His own, who receive the Spirit, are made citizens of the kingdom of heaven.
Thus, when Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven was “at hand,” it truly was, for He Himself established it.
Matthew 10:23 has a different emphasis. Jesus is sending out His disciples with specific instructions, but in doing so He is also giving instructions to His people throughout the whole new dispensation.
One outstanding characteristic of this period, in which the church of Christ goes out to testify and witness to the truth, is that the faithful will be persecuted. Such persecution often makes it necessary to flee from the city where persecution arises to another city where it has not yet come.
This was literally what happened to Paul and the other apostles and it has literally happened to the church throughout this dispensation.
But it will also continue to the very end. Persecution will always be the lot of those who faithfully testify of God’s word in a wicked world.
Here we have a unique promise of Jesus: when the church is forced to flee because of persecution, there will always be a place into which to flee.
For the disciples this meant that, within the confines of Palestine, there would be places to which they could flee. For the apostles it meant that somewhere in the Mediterranean world they would be able to find a hiding place from their persecutors. For the church throughout the ages it means that, though many saints have been killed for their faith, there will always be some place of refuge for the saints.
Even at the end, when Antichrist comes and comes as close as anyone ever does to destroying the church, somewhere God’s people will still find a place of safety.
The reason is clear. Christ wills that His church be on earth until the very end, for when Christ comes again there will be saints living who will be changed to glory without having to die (I Cor. 15:51-52).
That is comforting. The enemy will never be able to wipe the earth free from the presence of the saints, no matter how hard they try.
We will have to wait with the other two passages until our next News. Prof. Herman Hanko
What About the Law?
We have received several questions about the law and wish to address them in this and subsequent issues of the News. The questions are as follows:
1) Would you explain the relationship between the civil and ceremonial law and the moral law?
2) What does Paul mean when he says that the law serves as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ? Is this the function of the moral law today?
3) Which law applied to the Jews in the Old Testament economy to bring them to see their need for a Saviour? the civil and ceremonial law? the moral law? or both?
4) Was the law given to Adam the same in essence as the Ten Commandments and the summary given by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40?
5) Is the law a rule of life or a means of condemnation?
6) In Galatians 4:22-31, what are the two covenants and what relationship do they have to the covenant of grace? Is the law part of the covenant of grace in these verses?
7) What is antinomianism?
It is clear that the place and function of the law is a difficult matter for many. Most of our readers know that there is considerable difference of opinion among Christians on this subject.
On the one hand, some believe that the law of Moses, including the moral law or Ten Commandments, has no place in the New Testament. They appeal to passages such as Romans 6:15 and Galatians 3:10. If Christians are bound by any law, they say it is only the “new commandment” given by Jesus (John 13:34), though even this is defined differently by different people.
Others hold that some of the Ten Commandments remain binding, but only those explicitly repeated in the New Testament. This view excludes the fourth commandment concerning the Sabbath.
On the other hand, there are those who teach that some or all of the civil laws of the Old Testament are binding on New Testament Christians. These are often known as Theonomists or Reconstructionists.
Finally, there is the traditional Reformed and Presbyterian position that while the civil and ceremonial laws are abrogated and no longer binding on New Testament Christians, the moral law remains in force. Even here, however, there is disagreement about the precise function of the moral law, as some of the above questions indicate.
We do not intend to answer each question separately. Rather, we plan to treat the biblical teaching concerning the law in a systematic way so that we may be as clear and thorough as possible. In this way, we trust that all the questions will be addressed.
Recognising the wide differences that exist among Christians on this subject, we do not expect that all our readers will agree with us. We ask only that you consider our reasoning carefully, examine it in the light of the word of God and write to us with any further questions or comments.
May God guide us in our study of His law. Rev. Ron Hanko
