Carl Hagensick
Mixing Oil and Water
There is an old saying that oil and water don't mix. Yet there is one place in the Bible where these two elements are combined to form one illustration. It is the illustration of unity, and it is found in the 133rd Psalm. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment [...]
Principles of God’s Law
The laws of God are not arbitrary. Neither are they each to handle one situation of life, but rather to encompass the underlying principles behind a multitude of ethical situations. To illustrate this concept, we will examine the underlying code of God's legal structure, the “Ten Commandments:' found in Exodus 20. Each of these laws, which God etched on “tables of stone,” outlines a [...]
Nine Men in the Life of Bathsheba
Lives are often defined by those with whom we come in contact. Bathsheba is a good example. There is little we know of her life and character from the scriptural account. We have no direct information concerning her character, either for good or for bad. She figures directly only in four incidents in the Bible: her illegitimate liaison with King David (2 Samuel 11), [...]
A House in a Walled City
“And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold,- within a fully or may he redeem it. And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established forever to him that bought it [...]
The Setting of the Vision of Ezekiel’s Temple
The vision of Ezekiel's temple is the most prominent part of his prophecy. It covers the last nine chapters of the book and is the focal point of his entire message. This remarkable book covers a span of 20 years, from the fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity (1:1, 2) to the vision of the temple in the fourteenth year after the fall of Jerusalem [...]
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." - Psalms 91:4 The familiar words of this divine promise present before the mental vision of many of us the mighty wings of a great eagle or the protective fold of the mother hen for her young. Either vision is comforting. Both [...]
Balaam’s Fourth Prophecy
Balaam is an enigma. That he was greedy seems clear. That he had some courage is also in evidence. That he was an enemy of Israel is certainly implied. He was honest enough to warn Balak that he would speak no more and no less than he was authorized by God. The passage does not imply he was a false prophet, for his predictions [...]
Solomon by Solomon
The Bible is notable for recording the faults along with the virtues of the characters that cross its pages. Rather than portraits of black and white, people of the Bible are sketched in various shades of gray. Few of its actors are more mottled in gray than Solomon, son of David, king of Israel at the zenith of its power. He was infamous for [...]
The Salutations of John
With the exception of the three epistles of John and, debatably, Hebrews and Revelation, the non-historical books of the New Testament begin with the author's name. The Apostle John appears to be the lone exception to this rule. The question naturally arises as to why this is so and if there is any importance to this detail. We will first examine the two debatable [...]
Woe to the Spoiler
Isaiah 33-35 Bible Students have long appreciated the poetic and prophetic beauty of the 35th chapter of Isaiah. It is the chapter that speaks of the desert blossoming as the rose, the lame man leaping as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb singing. It describes the glories of restitution, resurrection, the highway of holiness, and the ransomed of the Lord returning from [...]
The Silent Years
The Old Testament is the history of the people of Israel. Of its 39 books, only Genesis is not concerned with that story, encapsulating the history of nearly 2500 years from creation to the formation of Israel into 50 short chapters. The Israelites were God's people. They were the ones for whom he specially cared. Theirs were the patriarchs, priests, judges and kings. But [...]
Two Kings
“Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. And both these kings hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table,- but it shall not prosper.-for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.” Daniel 11:26, 27 In Volume 3 of Scripture [...]
The Right Hand
“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth.- my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy,- at thy right hand there are Pleasures for evermore.” - Psalms 16.-8-11 [...]
Why Rachel? Why Ramah?
“Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel [Rachel] weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and shine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the [...]
Maher-Shalal-Hashbaz
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shaft call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which [...]
The Restoration of Job
'And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before". (Job 42:10) Nearly all admit that the narrative of Job has an allegorical element to it. Though most apply it to the lesson of the permission of evil, Job representing mankind, there is an alternative and complementary possibility. [...]
The Burning Bush
`And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in aflame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside [...]
The Interrupted Vision
'The angel of the LORD answered and said, 0 LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words '. (Zechariah 1:12,13) Zechariah and Haggai were the two prophets [...]
The Book of Job
(Continued from previous issue ... full text available electronically from the author at chagensickl@attbi.com) DOCTRINAL SIGNIFICANCE Perhaps the main importance of the book of Job is to answer the simple question as to why a loving God permits evil. Viewed from this standpoint, job represents mankind grappling with the facts of sin and death around him. As representing man, Job can only be used [...]
David’s Prayer for Forgiveness
Overview, Psalm 51. “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba” (Psalm 51, Title). David’s prayer for forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba is rightly considered a model expression of repentance and plea for forgiveness. It is noteworthy that this Psalm is assigned to the chief musician — as a [...]
Priests and Levites
“And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 66:21). The context of the above verse places it in the time when all nations “shall come, and see my glory” (Isaiah 66:18). It describes the aftermath of the battle commonly called “Jacob’s Trouble” which is detailed in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Here we find the saga of [...]
Echoes From a Faithful Pilgrim
“Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy” (Psalms 33:3). This 580 page book contains a selection of writings by Carl A. Hagensick, a beloved elder with the Chicago Bible Students for many years and a founding editor of Beauties of the Truth. The bulk of the articles first appeared in The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom magazine and Beauties [...]
The Burden of Dumah
“The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.” Isaiah 21:11, 12 The burden of Dumah comes near the end of a series of “burdens” or “woes” on the nations surrounding Israel. As in [...]
The Philosophy of Atonement
The Apostle Paul is noted as a great logician. In few places is this more exhibited than in the fifth chapter of Romans, specially in verses 16-21. To get the background we will begin this study in verse 12. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have [...]
Where Will All Nations Be Gathered?
The concept of a “gathering of all nations” to the final battle between good and evil is a common one in Biblical prophecy. Seven different Old Testament prophecies refer to this event, as well as the well known reference to “Armageddon” in Revelation. However, though there are numerous references to such a gathering - and, being in end-time prophecies, they all appear to refer [...]
Peter and Mark in Babylon
“The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son” (1 Peter 5:13). This rather obscure scripture of greetings holds within it three enigmas. (1) Who is it that is in Babylon? (2) To which Babylon does the apostle refer? (3) What was the relationship between Peter and Marcus? It is the search for answers to [...]
Hezekiah’s Song of Trust
"I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake" (2 Kings 19:34). Sandwiched in between two wicked kings, Ahaz and Manasseh, Hezekiah was a reformer king in Judah. Although wavering at times in his faith, all in all he was one of the most remarkable rulers over the southern kingdom. Among the biblically recorded incidents [...]
A Divine Ladder — Which End is Up?
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Romans 8:29, 30). Most students of the Bible concur that these verses [...]
Cords and Pins
In an accompanying article, we read how the posts that held up the curtains around the tabernacle were strengthened and stabilized by the "fillets," or silver curtain-rods, which connected them. Considering the tremendous weight of a continuous curtain, seven and a half feet high and over 400 feet long, it is no wonder that such an architectural feature was required. However, these rods would [...]
Israel, Iraq and the Gulf Crisis
A LAND BROUGHT BACK FROM THE SWORD “After many years thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of [...]
The Creation Allegory
“In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth." - Genesis 1:1 Many Bible stories are allegorical. Not that they did not literally happen, but that the events they contain were so overruled by God as to contain a deeper allegorical lesson in addition to their historical facts. Examples of this include the life of Abraham and the book of Job. The Creation [...]
The Beasts of Job
When one wants to study prophetic beasts in the Bible, it is customary to turn to either the book of Daniel or Revelation. However, other books of the Bible also speak of beasts in a prophetic sense. In this article we want to address two beasts who figure prominently in the story of Job - behemoth and leviathan. OUTLINE OF JOB While the book [...]
The Dew and the Lion
“And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. And the remnant of jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a [...]