THE CENTRALITY OF THE WORD OF GOD Dreams and visions are not meant to be eternal. They deal more with earthly history than with eternal verity, more with general observations than specific realities. But the word of God is not so. Jesus declared, ". . . my words shall not pass away" (Mark 13:31). The word of God is the "incorruptible" seed "which lives and abides forever" (I Pet. 1:23). Of old, David cried, "Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven" (Psa. 119:89).
"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for THOU HAST MAGNIFIED THY WORD ABOVE ALL THY NAME." (Psa 138:2) ". . . for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!" (Amplified Bible)
Devotion 29 of 30
THE ETERNALITY OF THE WORD
THE SENSE OF ITS ETERNALITY
The kingdom of God is an intelligent kingdom, dealing with a discernible purpose. It is therefore imperative that men not adopt overly-simplistic views of the "word of the kingdom" (Matt. 13:19). God's word is not "eternal" merely in the sense of longevity. There are very real words of God that will not transfer into the world to come. Men ought not to stumble at this, for it is true. "The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh" (Gal. 5:17). . . . "I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me" (Rom. 7:21). . . . "For in this [the body] we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:2). These words are not "eternal" in the cursory sense of the word. They pertain only to this world, to this time, and to men in the flesh. They have no applicability on the other side of "the veil" (Heb. 10:20), and are not descriptive of the glorified saints.
While some of the Divine affirmations address the temporal conditions of men, they nevertheless fit into an "eternal purpose" (Eph. 3:11). There is an "eternal salvation" that requires their affirmation (Heb. 5:9), and they have been "written" in view of "eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12). God's word – the word of the kingdom – prepares men for "eternal glory" (2 Tim. 2:10), and promises an "eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:15). From the viewpoint of what the word of God is designed to implement, it is an eternal word.
IT ANCHORS MEN TO ETERNITY
Once received and obeyed, the word of God produces a "hope" that is an "anchor of the soul, both steadfast and sure, and which enters into that within the veil" (Heb. 6:19). It enables men "in the body" to live with a heavenly perspective – to be cognizant of unchanging reality. They entertain no doubts concerning the temporality of this world, or the eternality of "the world to come." They enjoy a fellowship with "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," and "an innumerable company of angels . . . the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and . . . God the Judge of all, and . . . the spirits of just men made perfect, and . . . Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and . . . the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel" (Heb. 12:22-24). All of those realities are untainted with earth . . . they are all heavenly in their essence. Corruption and defilement are not found among them. It is, further, the word of God that has made such a glorious unity possible. It is an eternal word in that it has united us with eternal personalities and objectives.
CONCLUSION
God's kingdom is a moral kingdom. Heavenly rule concerns the accomplishments of a planned undertaking. Design and reason are woven throughout the fabric of that Divine purpose. As concerns men, God's will is being implemented in a moral arena – this world. Thought, decision, and intelligence are attributes of this kingdom – in both the King and the constituents of His kingdom.
The reconciliation of man – the revealed purpose of God – involves the uniting of God's offspring to Himself. That union, because it is an intelligent one, requires understanding on the part of men. For this reason, God has "magnified" His word above all of His name (Psa. 138:2). The word is the means of bringing men to this required understanding of God and His will. It is an appeal to the mind of man, and can remain a part of him when it is believed.
Dreams were never meant to be a permanent or preeminent means of heavenly communication. They are valid, but not superior. The things revealed by them were limited to this world and time – the time of the curse. They were generally relevant for only a relatively short period of time, and did not deal with eternal issues. Dreams dealt with earthly circumstances, and, with few exceptions, became obsolete with the passing of those that had them.
Visions were an accommodation to man's infirmity, and were limited in the intelligent concepts that they conveyed. Symbols and types were integral in visions, thereby often requiring lengthy interpretation. In fact, some visions were never fully interpreted (Ezek. 1). Their purpose was more the creation of impression than the communication of thought. Further, a very general impression was conveyed rather than specific thoughts.
The predominance of God's word confirms that it harmonizes more completely with His revealed purpose. It is, therefore, superior to dreams and visions – both logically and in the results that it produces.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the thoughtfulness and intelligence that pervades all of Your word.