prospects of Israel.
determination to put a literal meaning on its prophetical portions, and to reject traditional interpretation, and the difficulty will vanish away.
I assert that the peculiar position which Israel occupies in the earth is easily explicable in the light of Holy Scripture. They are a people reserved and kept separate by God for a grand and special purpose. That purpose is to make them a means of exhibiting to the world in the latter days God's hatred of sin and unbelief, and God's Almighty power and Almighty compassion. They are kept separate that they may finally be saved, converted, and restored to their own land. They are reserved and preserved, in order that God may show in them, as on a platform, to angels and men, how greatly He hates sin, and yet how greatly He can forgive, and how greatly He can convert. Never will that be realized as it will in that day when "All Israel shall be saved."
3. I will ask you in the third place to consider the very peculiar future prospects of Israel.
The singular condition of the Jews at the present time, we have seen, is most painful and instructive. They are still lying under the just displeasure of God. Because they despised His prophets and rejected His messages, because they "would not believe the voice of His Scriptures read to them every Sabbath day," because they killed the Prince of life and were His betrayers and murderers, for all these reasons His wrath is come upon them to the uttermost, and for a time they are cast off and rejected. Like Cain, they slew their holy Brother, and like Cain, they are fugitives and vagabonds on earth, and bear the mark of God's displeasure. The blood of the Messiah, whom they murdered, is upon them and their children. And their eyes are yet blinded. The veil is still upon their hearts. They stand before the world at this moment, like a beacon at the top of a hill, a perpetual witness that nothing is so offensive to God as unbelief, formalism, self‐righteousness, and abuse of privileges. Such is their
present position. But what are their future prospects? Let us turn once more to the Bible and see.
The history of Israel then has not yet come to an end. There is another wonderful chapter yet to be unfolded to mankind. The Scripture tells us expressly that a time is coming when the position of Israel shall be entirely changed, and they shall be once more restored to the favor of God. For what says the Scripture which cannot be broken? What is written in that Book of which no prediction shall ever fail?
I read that when the heart of Israel "shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away" (2 Cor. 3:16).
I read that a day is coming when God says, "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son" (Zech. 12:10).
I read that in that day "there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1). I beg you will remember that the primary application of these prophecies of Zechariah belongs literally to the Jews.
I read, furthermore, that God says in Ezekiel to Israel:
I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people,
and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that you shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall you remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, says the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord God: in the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, this land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places and plant that which was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus says the Lord God: I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezek. 36:24‐38).
Once more I remind you that this wonderful passage primarily belongs to the JEWS. No doubt the Church of Christ may secondarily make a spiritual use of it. But let us never forget that the Holy Ghost first caused it to be written concerning Israel.
But time would fail me, if I attempted to quote all the passages of Scripture in which the future history of Israel is revealed. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, all declare the same thing. All predict, with more or less particularity, that in the end of this dispensation the Jews are to be restored to their own land and to the favor of God. I lay no claim to infallibility in the interpretation of Script–many excellent Christians
cannot see the subject as I do. I can only say, that to my eyes, the future salvation of Israel as a people, their return to Palestine and their national conversion to God, appear as clearly and plainly revealed as any prophecy in God's Word.
Concerning the time when Israel shall finally be saved, I shrink from offering an opinion. No doubt there are many "signs of the times" which deserve the serious attention of all Christians, and it would be easy to enumerate them. But, after all, we are always bad judges of anything that happens under our own eyes. We are apt to attach an exaggerated importance to it, for the simple reason that we ourselves are affected by it. Let it suffice us to believe that whatever God has said concerning Israel, God will do in His own good time. Let us not be hasty to fix dates. Those last words of our Master are very instructive, when the disciple said, "Wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" He answered, "It is not for you to know the times and the seasons, which the Father has put in His own power." (Acts 1:6, 7). To study prophecy is most useful and brings a special blessing. To turn ourselves into prophets is not wise, and brings discredit on the cause of Christianity.
Concerning the manner in which the complete salvation of Israel will be effected, we shall do well not to enquire too closely. We must avoid rash speculation and conjecture. If I may venture an opinion, I should say that Scripture seems to point out that Israel will not be restored and converted without an immense amount of affliction, affliction far exceeding that which preceded their deliverance from Egypt. I see much in the words of Daniel: "There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at THAT time your people will be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book" (Dan. 12:1).
I believe the words of Zechariah are yet to be fulfilled: "It shall come to pass, that in all the land, says the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined,