13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

THERE are two kinds of Christadelphians: those who recognize and appreciate the value and soundness and stability afforded by the writings and labours of brethren Thomas and Roberts—and those who do not. Not much can be done to help the latter kind. They are on their way back to the old Apostasy. Resuscitations of the Gospel Truth have run this pattern over and over: a period of soundness; then a drifting of the majority back to the main orthodox stream.

Brother Thomas assembled the total Truth. Admittedly, others had disjointed parts, some this, some that. He revealed a beautiful, harmonious, living whole. His critics and scorners owe what knowledge they have of it to him, squirm as they may under this embarrassing fact.

Intelligent men will recognize their debt and dependency, and will be humbly thankful. Intelligent, mature believers will not feel they have to devise anti-brother Thomas theories, to demonstrate their independence, but will be anxious to stand with the sound Truth as he revealed it—and that includes a true conception of the book of Revelation.

Bro Growcott - Search Me O God

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

àThe people will not know that he is coming; they will be asleep. Jesus Christ comes as a thief. Thieves make their appearance to break into houses in the dark. There is one thing however, Jesus Christ will not come as a thief to that class of society who are preparing themselves for his reception

...Now, no one can watch for anything in the dark if it is very dark, and you are going to watch for anything you must have a light. It is equally true of things intellectual, moral, and spiritual. For anyone to watch for things set forth in the Scriptures the watcher must have light, and, as the light of an oil lamp will throw no light on spiritual or intellectual matters, so it is necessary that the light to discern spiritual objects must come from the Scriptures.

We must be the recipients of the unction by which John said that those in his day knew all things, and which taught them all things. So if we have the understanding of the truth in us, we are answered with that truth. And our earthen vessels, that is our bodies, our material organisations are as a lamp, as an oil vessel. Apart from the Scriptures of truth, our material organisation is a very empty vessel; for the natural man does not know the things of God as the result of the thinking of the flesh.

Whan a man has, by the study of the truth, come to understand the truth, then his earthen vessel contains the spirit, or the oil, or the unction, and he has just so much of the unction in him as he has of the truth, affectionately received and obeyed. This is the light within the man which he does not bring with him into the world. If we have any of the light, it is from the Scriptures of truth. Therefore, the apostle says—

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom" (Col. 3:16).

When, therefore, we have that unction in us, it teaches us all things that God considers necessary for us to know. This is the light, then, whereby we are enabled to watch; "Behold, I come as a thief; blessed is he that watcheth."

Bro Thomas reproduced from Shorthand Notes

The Christadelphian, Jan 1888

Pre-millennial and post-millennial wars

We learn, then, the peculiar fate of the subjects of Age-punishment, as far as it can be learned from a word, not from kolasis, but from basanidzoo, which indicates the kind of kolasis, or punishment, they shall endure. The text below says,

'he shall be tormented (basanistheesetai) in fire and brimstone;" and 'the smoke of their torment (basanismou) shall ascend."

These words come from basanos, which signifies

'a species of stone from Lydia, which being applied to metals was thought to indicate any alloy that might be mixed with them, and therefore used in the trial of metals; hence examination by the Lapis Lydius, or by torture.'

Thus it came to stand for torture, torment, severe pain, &c., and is so used in the New Testament. The basanism of the goats and exiles is the examination of them by torture, so as to make the survivors of the goat-nations confess that Jesus is Lord.

—To basanize nations (the verb which signifies to apply a touchstone; to inflict torment; and in the passive voice, to be tormented, pained, &c., by diseases, or any thing else) implies great loss of individual life, but not necessarily the extinction of the national polities themselves. This appears from the use of the word in the following text—

'It was given to the Locusts that they should not kill the men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads, but that they should be tormented (basanisthoosi) five months: and their torment (ho basanismos) was as the torment (basanismos) of a scorpion when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it: and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.'

This was kolasis by basanismos, or punishment by torment that lasted 'five months' of years without abatement.

Now it is well understood by the best interpreters of prophecy, that the Locusts represent the Saracen invaders of the Greco-Roman territory, styled 'the earth.' The history of their career illustrates the torment to which they subjected their enemies. They were not to kill, or extinguish the Greco-Roman dominion; that was reserved for their successors, the Euphratean Cavalry, or Turks; but they were to harass the catholic idolators with all the calamities of a fierce tormenting war.

—From this use of the word, then, in the Apocalypse, it is evident, that the torments, or basanisms, it predicts before and after the Future Age, with whose terrors the evil-workers who partake in the premillennial and postmillennial resurrections, are to be overwhelmed, are wars of the most terrific and destructive character, in which 'men shall seek death, and shall not find it,' until the purposes of God are fully accomplished upon them.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Nov 1852

But [Nevertheless] there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish. In the former time [Et HaRishon] He brought into contempt the land of Zebulun [Artzah Zevulun] and the land of Naphtali [Artzah Naphtali], but in the latter time [acharon (afterward, in the future)] hath he made it glorious [did bring to honour Derech HaYam], by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan [Way to the Sea, land between Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean), beyond Yarden in the], Galilee of the nations [Galil HaGoyim]. RV/ [OJB].

(The OJB has v1 as the last verse of Ch 8)

Galilee of the nations

Verse 1: Zebulun and Naphtali-the land of Galilee-suffered the most and the longest in the heathen invasions. They were the gateway to the land, and took the full brunt of the invader every time. The darkness struck them first and hardest, but it was to them that the Light most especially came.

Immanuel's home and headquarters were in Galilee. Most of his labours were there. Most of his followers were Galileans, and to speak with Galilean accent was to identify one as associated with him, as we see in the case of Peter (Mk. 14:70).

And the angel addressed the up-gazing disciples who watched him ascend, as "Ye men of Galilee" (Acts 1:11).

Galilee was known as "Galilee of the Gentiles" (Matt. 4:15), because of its mixed and cosmopolitan character, so different from the rigid and legalistic Jerusalem. Jesus' seeming origin in, and association with, Galilee was a great stumbling-block to the Jewish leaders-

"Search and see: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet" (Jn. 7:52).

Bro Growcott - BYT 2. 11