The Stability Of The Times (TOM)
Format: audio, pdf
Publication Date: 02-03-1985
Pages: 5
Isaiah 33:5-6
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
(Mal 3:6); Isa 33:5,Isa 33:6; Exo 6:3, 4; Gen 2:4
Isa 33:5; Psa 19:9;Psa 111:10; Pro 2:6; Jam 3:17; Pro 1:7; Pro 12:1; Isa 33:6: Isa 32:1, 2
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The Stability of the Times
Victor Paul Wierwille
Tape of the Month 11/1986 Part 1
Publication Date: 02-03-1985
Take your Bibles and turn to Isaiah please. Tonight I want to teach you on the subject of
the Stability of the Times. This truth of this subject relates to our times as well as to any time.
The stability of the times is dependent upon the stability of the Word in the hearts and souls of
men and women. In the academic theological world there’s a subject known as homiletics. It’s
spelled h-o-m-i-l-e-t-i-c-s. Homiletics is defined as the art of publically expounding the
scriptures. An art can be learned, but you have to sort of have natural ability to develop the art.
But, homiletics is the art of publically expounding the scriptures. I have both my masters in
theology and my doctor’s in theology in this subject, homiletics. As a matter of fact, I have two
majors the other one is religious education.
Our topic is the Stability of the Times. I want to talk to you a little bit about topics.
Topics are always the best if they’re short: three, four, five words at the most, if you can work it
that way. A good topic, a top quality knowledgeable topic has two elements in it: the human
and the divine, or you might call it the human and the spiritual. As you will see tonight, this
topic is truly biblical because I’ve taken it directly from the scriptures, so I couldn’t be wrong on
that topic. Other topics like – remember the class Living Victoriously? Living is the human
side, victoriously was the divine or the spiritual side. Another good topic is the joy of serving.
Joy is the human side, serving is the divine or the spiritual side. The topic Jesus Christ is not
God is good because Jesus Christ is the human side, God’s the spiritual or the divine side.
Sometime you ought to take a little time in your life and just write some topics to see if you can
put both the human and the divine in it. It’s a learning experience, and it develops you so that
you can be a good Twig Leader.
There is absolutely nothing stable about the kingdoms of the world. One of the kingdoms
of the world is our country. There is nothing stable about the stock market; nothing stable about
the prices that they pay for food or that they charge you at the market. So, basically, there’s
nothing stable about the kingdoms of the world – always fluctuation or change. The reason, of
course, for that is that they’re not built on truth. Truth is a constant. Truth is unchangeable,
therefore, all truth is stable. You’ll remember the record in Malachi 3:6 where it says, “I am the
Lord I change not,” because He is truth, and He does not change.
There’s a record in Isaiah 33 that in two verses sets all the great integrity regarding this
topic or subject that I’m dealing with you tonight on the stability of the times. It’s in Isaiah 33,
look at verse 5:
Isaiah 33:5,6a
The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he [the Lord] hath filled Zion
with judgement and righteousness.
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times
Those are the words for our topic for tonight. And then it says:
Verse 6b
and strength of salvation: the fear [or reverence] of the LORD is his treasure.
The first thing you notice in verse five is, “The Lord is exalted”. It’s the exaltation of the Lord.
The word Lord there is the word Jehovah. There’s one thing you ought to write in your mind
and you ought to work: that’s the difference between the usage of the word God and the word
Jehovah in the scriptures.
Keep your finger here, but in Exodus, chapter 6 verse 3:
Exodus 6:3
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name
of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known [un]to them.
Verse 4a
… [but] I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of
Canaan
Every time the word Elohim is used in the scriptures it refers to God as the Creator.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heaven and the earth.
Elohim is God as the Creator. Jehovah is God in relationship to that which He has
created. In Genesis chapter 2, verse 4:
Genesis 2:4
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created,
in the day that the LORD [Jehovah] … [Elohim] made the earth and the heavens,
That’s the first usage of the word Jehovah. Now the word Jehovah for the Jews or Judeans
became such a great word that they never used it. The word is made up of four radicals: j-h-v-h,
that’s what it’s made of; that’s the radicals. The vowel points were appointed to it much later.
The Judeans never pronounced the name. Whenever they got to it they either skipped it or they
put the word Lord in it. That’s why the word Lord appears in your King James for the word
Jehovah; it was too holy of a name. The reason it said in Exodus that He was known as God
Almighty (but He was not known as Jehovah) is because the people of Israel at that time did not
recognize Him as the one who took care of them because they were always kicking the traces
[To ignore rules and/or tradition; to rebel or break free. Refers to a horse that has stepped over
the straps harnessing it to what it is pulling, therefore allowing it move more freely]. They did
not know Him as the one who took care of that which He created. That’s why it was that way in
Exodus.
So, whenever you read the word Elohim (in this particular Bible I don’t have them all
marked, but I have a Bible that I marked every one of them wherever the word Elohim was used
or Jehovah so that I wouldn’t miss it, but, I’ve lived long enough to be able to handle it without
marking it today) it’s not the exaltation in Isaiah of Elohim. It’s the exaltation of Jehovah, God
in relationship to that which He has created. The Lord, Jehovah, is exalted, verse 5. It’s the
exaltation of God in relationship to that which He has created – that is what gives you the
stability of the times, our times or any times – God’s faithfulness or God’s ability and what He
has done.
In the book of Psalms:
Psalm 19:9
The fear of the Lord [the word fear is the word reverence, respect, awe (a-w-e)]
… [for] the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: [now watch the next
phrase] the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
So with the exaltation of Jehovah of Isaiah 33 you will get true judgment and true righteousness.
True judgment and true righteousness are in Psalm 19 verse 9. That’s the stability of our times:
to have true judgment and to have true righteousness. As I said there’s nothing stable about the
kingdoms of the world, but there is stability with God, with Jehovah in relationship to that which
He has created – for there you will have true judgment and you will have true righteousness.
Psalm 111:10a
The fear [or reverence] of … [Jehovah] is the beginning of wisdom: a
good understanding have all they that do his commandments:
The reverence of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, so with the exaltation of Jehovah you
have true judgment, you have true righteousness and you have true wisdom.
Look at Proverbs chapter 2:
Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD [Jehovah] giveth wisdom: [and] out of his mouth cometh
knowledge and understanding.
True wisdom comes from the Lord and the way we know this is because we know the Word.
The Word is the truth.
Look at James:
James 3:17a
But the wisdom
Here we’re talking about true wisdom.
James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above [from God] is first pure, [it’s] then peaceable,
[number three is] gentle, … [number four] easy to be intreated, [number five is]
full of mercy and [number six] good fruits, without partiality [number seven], and
[number eight – it’s] without hypocrisy.
That is true wisdom which you get from God (from Jehovah) and our knowledge of it comes
from the greatness of the Word.
In Proverbs chapter 1 verse 7:
Proverbs 1:7
The fear [or reverence] of … [Jehovah] is the beginning of knowledge
So people who have no respect, awe or respect for God and His Word just cannot have
knowledge. There’s nothing stable about the kingdoms of this world or the people in it. No
matter how intellectual they look to you or how great they may be in business or any other
profession, they lack the stability of the times because they do not know Jehovah or Jehovah in
relationship to what He has created. The reverence of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
Look at chapter 12 in Proverbs verse 1:
Proverbs 12:1
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
Whosoever loveth instruction loves knowledge. You cannot have knowledge and wisdom
without instruction and that instruction comes from the Word. That’s the stability of the times.
It’s the exaltation, the lifting up of Jehovah, God in relationship to that which He has created. In
you, He’s created His own spirit, in you according to that which He’s created within you. So,
God as Jehovah always makes available to you according to His Word: true judgment, true
righteousness, true wisdom and true knowledge. Those five (exaltation of Jehovah, true
judgment, true righteousness, true wisdom and true knowledge) are the stability of your times,
your life. And according to Isaiah 33:6, they’re the strength for your salvation. The word
salvation in Isaiah 33:6 is the word “wholeness”. They’re the strength for your wholeness. The
reverence of the Lord is his treasure. They’re not only the strength for your salvation, your
wholeness, but the reverence of Jehovah is man’s treasure. Your reverence of Jehovah is your
treasure.
Look at Isaiah 32 please.
Isaiah 32:1
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
In the light of what I’ve just taught you, that’s why a man shall be as a hiding place from the
wind, because you have the exaltation of Jehovah, you have true judgment, true righteousness,
true wisdom, true knowledge, therefore you as a leader, are a hidden place:
Isaiah 32:2
… from the wind [the cold winds, for other people], … [you’re] a covert [a
shelter] from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a
great rock in a weary land.
As I said those five are the stability of our, your times, your life and the strength for your
salvation, your wholeness and the reverence of Jehovah is a man’s treasure. That’s why as
leaders you are: hiding places for others; you’re a shelter from the tempest for others; you’re
like rivers of water in a dry place; you’re like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. That’s
the stability of our times in which we live.
I thought I’d just like to share that with you tonight because two verses of scripture in
Isaiah 33 give all the greatness of this exaltation of Jehovah and what He’s done for every one of
us. He made available for us: true judgment, true righteousness, true wisdom, true knowledge,
and He is the strength for our wholeness; and our reverence and love for God in relationship to
His creation in us is our great treasure.
Okay, that’s all I got to teach.