If I didn’t know how much it pleases the Lord, and is even commanded, to show Messiah’s fulfillment of the OT prophecies, I would look for some other source of apologetic to convince Jews, such as love, NT revelation just on its own, or martyrdom, etc., because “the devil is in the details” of almost every significant translation question as well as in everything else. In fact, one invariably finds he’s already, long since, been on the job fixing everything up before you even get there.

All goes to convince me even further, that for all the mockery and dismissal it receives from the academic community, it’s so amazing how often the KJV gets it right, not just in Daniel but on messianic prophecy, especially in the delicate nuances of translation that militate against what I’m almost tempted to call a cover up (try seeing how that suggestion flies).

Quite convinced personally that God chose a particular translation, or at least a particular history of manuscript transmission (the martyr’s bible) to marvelously preserve against the odds. From the looks of it, He has pretty much let men have their way with some of the others that do not seem to demonstrate such marvelous preservation. Don’t tell anyone I said that, though; it wouldn’t be any use for them to know more of my unscholarly, unjustifiable dogmatism. For sure, this war of words won’t be won by anything less than a mighty anointing, appropriately, a corporate anointing.

http://www.messiahrevealed.org/rejected.html
https://www.biblestudytools.com/isaiah/49-7-compare.html

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In a five minute quiz I was given at my work place some years ago, I found myself writing something like this: There are only two great questions that rule the history of western civilization: 1) By what standard? (the question of authority) and 2) “Who decides?” (the question of interpretation). Both reduce to the question, “What is truth?” The first is occupied with the existence and source of truth, the second with how we can arrive at truth, and whether and how we can justify a truth claim. In other words, “how do you know? And how can I know what you claim to know?,” i.e., the basis of truth, the knowledge of truth, and the question of proof.

If God is the truth and the ultimate source of truth, then only He is reliably objective. That is why the questions of inspiration, canon, and contemporary claims to authority have been such sensitive issues. This in turn brings the question of the Spirit, which takes us beyond the mechanics of even the best tools. Since many claim to have the Spirit, the question of final objectivity remains with God alone, and our only safety is the demonstrably authoritative Scripture of Truth (demonstrable particularly through the miracle prophecy; Isa 41:21-22; 43:9; 44:7; 45:11, 21; 46:9-10; Acts 26:22; Ro 16:26; 2Pet 1:19; Rev 19:10 b).

No evangelical would ‘consciously’ neglect to depend on the Holy Spirit in his or her quest to get at the meaning and harmony of scripture. Certainly, so long as there is infirmity and weakness in even the best of God’s servants, there will be differences of interpretation of one degree or another. So how do we break the deadlock and escape our own subjectivity in our approach to interpreting the Bible? Although even this is by measure and degree, I would suggest that the only power greater than our subjectivity is the inward work of the cross.

Our only ultimate enemy is not the Devil; it is ‘confidence in the flesh,’ which is the hidden pride of our own innate and all-pervasive humanism. It is reliance or hope in man, even in his best and most pious state. Ironically, except saved by the work of grace, it is precisely those things about which we have the greatest assurance, particularly the presumption of righteousness, that can sell us into an unconscious opposition of God, as it did Saul of Tarsus. Only the cross is sufficient to conquer our subjective bias, even in how we approach and read scripture.

The degree of Paul’s use was the degree of his devastation. The revelation of Christ discovered to his astonishment that every pious confidence in which he took the greatest comfort was the very strength of his greater blindness and opposition of God. This is how Paul could so instantly detect what was hidden even from Peter. That ability to see enabled him to save Peter from a serious error, that taken to its logical conclusion, would have threatened to derail the fledgling church and set it on a disastrous course. It was the leaven that escaped (for a moment) even the trained eye of a Peter, who was also a devasted man.

That is why Paul’s constant cry was, “who is sufficient?” So while we wait on His deeper work in us, what can we do? The best we can do is to approach the text with trembling, since even with an absolute confidence in the authority of the canon, and with even the best tools of linguistics and well vindicated principles of interpretation, still, it is only by grace that we come to the truth. Having done all in our power, we are still hopelessly trapped in an invincible subjectivity, unless the Holy Spirit break through the veil, even as the Lord opened Lydia’s heart in order that she might heed the things spoken by Paul (Acts 16:14).

Paul is careful that we know that even if we have escaped error, it is only by grace alone, since it is God alone who makes any to differ (1Cor 4:7). Knowing this keeps us from the pride of impatience with others, since God is well able to open the eyes of the blind (Phil 3:15) and cause those who “erred in spirit to come to understanding and to learn doctrine” (Isa 29:24).

Certainly the Spirit of Truth is something more than a correct interpretation, but it is also not less. Not all error is fatal, but all error is to some degree costly, and a slack hand towards the importance of interpreting the text accurately cannot be without loss. We are stewards of His mysteries and He has been careful to make the fellowship of the mystery dependent on relationship. Therefore, even with the best use of the best tools, we are cast on His mercy, since He has ordained and constructed scripture in such a way that the pride of self dependency will sell us into error, and if not error, then the just as deadly pride of being correct.

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The Sphere of Humiliation – Chambers
“If Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us?” (Mark 9:22).

That is our condition when we are in the valley; we do not know God, we are full of skepticism. The great point of our life with God, and of our service for Him in the world is that we get the skepticism rooted out of us, and it takes the valley of humiliation to root it out. Look back at your own experience and you will find that until you learned Who Jesus Christ was, you were a cunning skeptic about His power. When you were on the mount you could believe anything, because it was in accordance with the selfishness of your nature, but what about the time when you were up against facts in the valley, up against questions which could not be answered? You may be perfectly able to give a testimony to sanctification, but what about the thing that is a humiliation to you? If you are without something that is a humiliation to you, I question whether you have ever come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are called to fellowship with His sufferings, and some of the greatest suffering lies in remaining powerless where He remained powerless. Had our Lord been a man, He would have healed the boy at first, but He waited until the father was in the last ebb of despair— “If Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.” Am I patient enough in my faith in Jesus Christ to allow people to get to the last ebb of despair before they see what He can do? We step in in a thousand and one ways God never tells us to; we say we cannot bear to see God appear cruel, but God has to appear cruel from our standpoint. As disciples of Jesus we have to learn not only what Our Lord is like on the Mount of Transfiguration, but what He is like in the valley of humiliation, where everything is giving the lie to His power, where the disciples are powerless, and where He is not doing anything.

-excerpted from The Love of God by Oswald Chambers
_________________
We seek truths; God seeks to make us true. – Art Katz)). I’ll be passing this on to a few friends. I would like to commend to you the somewhat less famed, but equally valuable devotional by C.H. Spurgeon, “Morning and Evening,” as also his magisterial “The Treasury of David,” a devotional commentary on the Psalms.

Chambers was saved under Spurgeon’s preaching. For years, I used to tell Art, “Chambers ought ye to have done, but not to leave Spurgeon undone.” When once he was introduced to Spurgeon’s writings, it was love at first bite. After that, at many a morning prayer time, something from Spurgeon had stirred a new exhortation. He used to always speak of his envy of Spurgeon’s unique grasp and ability to communicate the “sweetness” of Jesus.

Spurgeon strikes an amazing balance that is a healing balm of encouragement to embattled believers. I find no mixture in his gospel, and that’s rare. I once read a small booklet entitled, “The Sufferings of Spurgeon,” which was a window into the way of divine wisdom in bringing His servant into the kind of priestly identification that is able to comfort and encourage other beleaguered and war weary saints in their fight of faith.

On his head stone, friends inscribed the words, “he being dead yet speaks.” What a rich treasury we have inherited in the sublime hymns and inspirational writings of the church! Spurgeon and the beloved Chambers are just two of the better known lights in that great cloud of witnesses. What wonderful gifts He has given! Paul said to the Corinthians that we inherit all of this in one another, so that “in Christ,” there can be no cause for vain comparisons.

As in all things, there is an outward church that is so easy to assess (“know”) after the flesh (some translations, “human point of view”). There is a way we can know the church “after the flesh” that robs us of the hidden glory that is veiled by the weakness and error that exists even in the church’s truest expressions. It is only the humble eye of faith that can see past her shame and imperfection to behold the glory of her inward beauty. In that sense, the church is a mystery. Already, even before her coronation, she is all glorious in her apparel, clothed with the Sun of Righteousness. Let all who love her and wait for her consolation, say continually “come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

The post Recommended Reading: Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening appeared first on Mystery of Israel.

“I thank God for Blackstone’s faith in the literal fulfillment of prophecy. I passionately oppose his pretribulational view of the rapture, but you should see the wonderful chapter in his book [Jesus Is Coming] on the restoration of Israel. Just the sheer volume of scripture cited and written out was worth the price of the book.” [more about Blackstone in the article: Regarding The Source of the Problem in the Middle East]

Reggie Kelly

Below is “that wonderful” chapter 15, Israel Is to Be Restored, of Jesus is Coming by W. E. Blackstone, published in 1908:

Israel Is to Be Restored

But, perhaps, you say: “I don’t believe the Israelites are to be restored to Canaan, and Jerusalem rebuilt.”

Dear reader! have you read the declarations of God’s word about it? Surely nothing is more plainly stated in the Scriptures. We would that we had space to quote the passages, but we can only give you a portion of the references. We beg of you to read them thoughtfully. Divest yourself of prejudice and preconceived notions, and let the Holy Spirit show you, from His word, the glorious future of God’s chosen people, “who are beloved” (Rom. 11 :28), and dear unto Him as “the apple of His eye.” Zech. 2:8.

1. God calls Abraham. Gen. 12:1. ((Genesis 12:1-3, 6-7 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. – And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.))

2. God’s promise to Abraham. Gen. 12:2-7; Gen. 13:14-17; ((Genesis 13:14-17. And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.)) Gen. 15:18; Gen. 17:8.
God’s promise to Isaac. Gen. 26:1-5, especially Gen 26:3.
God’s promise to Jacob. Gen. 28:1-15; Gen. 35:10-12.

3. The land described. Ex. 23:31; Nu. 34; Deut. 11:24; Deut 34:1-4; Josh. 1:2-6.

4. The land partially possessed. 1 Kings 4:21.

5. Punishment prophesied for disobedience. Lev. 26:14-39; Deut. 4:22; 28:16; 31:16.

6. Israel’s sins. Judges 2:11-19; 1 Sam. 8:6; 2 Kings 21:11; 2 Kings 24:3; Jer. 16:4; and many others, especially Matthew 27:25.

7. The promises to be remembered and restoration assured:
Lev. 26:40-45, especially Lev 26: 42, 44, 45. ((Leviticus 26:44-45 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.))
Deut. 4:30-31 ((Deuteronomy 4:30-31 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.))
Deut 30:1-10, especially Deut 30: 4, 5, 6. ((Deuteronomy 30:1-6 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; that then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.))
2 Sam. 7: 10-11.
Joel 2: 18-32;
Joel 3: 1-21.
Amos 9: 11-15, especially Amos 9:15. ((Amos 9:11-15 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.))
Hosea 1: 10-11; Hos 2:14-23; Hos 3:4-5.
Isaiah 2: 2-5; Is 9:6-7;
Is 10:20-23, especially Is 10: 21, 22;
Is 11:10-16, especially Is 11: 11 second time.
Is 19:23-25;
Is 27:12-13; ((Isaiah 27:12-13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.))
Is 33:20-24;
Is 43:1-7, especially Is 43:5, 6, 7.
Is 49:13-26 especially Is 49:22, 23.
Is 60:1-22, especially Is 60: 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 18, 21.
Is 61: 1-11.
Is 62: 1-12.
Is 65: 8-10.
Is 65: 17-25.
Is 66: 19-24.
Jeremiah 3: 12-19, especially Jer 3:17; 18.
Jer 11: 4-5.
Jer 16: 14-16. ((Jeremiah 16:14-16 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.))
Jer 23: 3-8, especially Jer 23: 3, 4, 6.
Jer 29: 10-14.
Jer 30: 1-24, especially Jer 30: 8, 9, 10, 11, 20.
Jer 31: 1-40, especially Jer 31: 8, 9, 10, 12, 28, 33, 38.
Jer 32: 36-44, especially Jer 32: 37, 39, 40, 41, 42.
Jer 34: 7-17, especially Jer 34: 7, 8, 14, 15, 16.
Jer 44: 28.
Jer 46: 27-28.
Jer 50: 4-8.
Jer 50: 17-20.
Ezekiel 6:8-10, especially Eze 6:9.
Eze 20: 36-44, especially Eze 20: 40, 41, 42, 43, 44. ((Ezekiel 20:40-44 For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.))
Eze 28: 24-26, especially Eze 28: 25, 26.
Eze 34: 11-31, especially Eze 34: 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 28.
Eze 36: 1-38, especially Eze 36: 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 21, 28, 31, 35, 37, 38.
Eze 37: 1-28, especially Eze 11, 12, 14, 16-28.
Eze 39: 23-29, especially Eze 39: 25, 26, 27, 29.
Eze 40-48, the New Temple.
Eze 48, see the order in which the tribes will be settled.
Micah 4: 1-7.
Micah 7: 8-20, especially Mic 7:12, 19, 20. ((Micah 7:18-20 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.))
Zephaniah 3: 8-20, especially Zeph 3: 11, 13, 19, 20. ((Zephaniah 3:19-20 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.))
Zechariah 2: 4-13.
Zech 3: 1-10, especially Zech 3:9.
Zech 8: 1-23, especially Zech 8: 4, 5, 8, 12, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23.
Zech 10: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. ((Zechariah 10:6-10 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD. I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased. And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again. I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.))
Zech 12: 1-14, especially Zech 12: 10, 11.
Zech 13: 1-9, especially Zech 13: 6, 8, 9.
Zech 14: 1-21, especially Zech 14: 11, 16, 20, 21.
Malachi 3: 10, 11, 12. ((Malachi 3:11-12 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.))
Matthew 23: 37, 38, 39, especially in Mat 23:39, “till.”
Luke 13:34, 35, especially in Luk 13:35, “until.”
Luke 21:24, especially “until.” “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
Romans 11: 17-28, especially Ro 11: 17, 20, 24-28. ((Romans 11:11-13 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:)) ((Romans 11: 19-21 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.)) ((Romans 11:25-27 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.))
Acts 15:13-16, – very important, as it is the apostle’s summary of the prophets. ((Acts 15:13-18 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.))

Psalm 51:18; Ps 102:16

And now, reader, if you have faithfully studied these passages, or if you have even read them, do you wonder that the great mass of Jews, at the present time, have an abiding faith that they are to be returned to Canaan?

All the orthodox Jews tenaciously cling to this hope; and shall we, who have accepted so much greater light, refuse this overwhelming testimony of the Word? God forbid.

It may be that you say, “These prophesies were fulfilled in the return from Babylon.”

Not so, that was the first time. But there is to be a Second Restoration.

The Second Restoration

“And It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the Islands of the sea.” Isa. 11:11.

In the first restoration only those who were “minded” came back from Babylon (Ezra 7:13), while many remained both there, and in Egypt and elsewhere. But in the future, or second restoration, not one will be left.

“If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.” Deut. 30:4.

“Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the ear and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, give up; and to the south, keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; even far, and one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him,” Isa. 43:5-7.

“For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day; and I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel.” Ezek. 34:11-13.

“Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led Into captivity, among the heathen; but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there” (Ezek. 39:28-29).

In the first restoration it was only Jews who returned. In the second, or future restoration, it will be both Judah (the two tribes) and Israel (the ten tribes).* ((* Except in this place, we use the word Israel in its broader sense, meaning the whole twelve tribes.))

“In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an Inheritance unto your fathers.” Jer. 3:18.

“And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it, and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded.” Ezek. 36:10.

Ezekiel was directed to take two sticks, representing Judah and Joseph, which should be joined and become one stick in his hand, and when the people inquired what it meant, he was directed to say unto them:

“Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them Into their own land: and I will make them one nation In the land upon the, mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided Into two kingdoms any more at all.” Ezek. 37:15-22.

Permanent Restoration

At the first restoration they returned to be overthrown and driven out again. But in the second, they shall return to remain, no more to go out. They shall be exalted and dwell safely, and the Gentile nations shall flow unto them.

“I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord their God.” Amos 9:15.

“And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beasts of the land devour them: but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.” Ezek. 34:28.

“And I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: – yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my, people Israel; – and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.” Ezek. 36:11-12.

“Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that- no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a Joy of many generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shall suck the breast of kings; and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.” Isa 60:15-16.

All Nations Shall Flow Unto Israel.

“As I Live saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, a bride doeth… I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall ‘bring thy sons In their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders, and kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet.” Isa. 49:18, 22, 23.

“But In the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow into it. And many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk In His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Mic. 4:1-2.

“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; it shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the Inhabitants of many cities And the Inhabitants of one city, shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will also go. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that Is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” Zech. 8:20-29.

“And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” Zech. 14:16.

In the first Restoration, because of their blindness, and hard, stony hearts, they rejected and killed Jesus. But in the future Restoration they shall repent of all this, and have clean hearts, and accept Christ, who will be their King.

Look Upon Me

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shalt mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. In that day there shall be a great mourning In Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon -In the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the ‘family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.” Zech. 12:10-14.

“They shall come with weeping and with supplications will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a. straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim Is my first-born. Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare It In the isles afar off, and say, He that scattereth Israel will gather him. and keep him, as a shepherd doth his Bock. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:9, 10, 33)

The Cleansing of Israel

“For 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 shall 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 ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye 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.” Ezek. 36:p4-29.

“Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their Idols nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwellIng places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them; so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: . . . and they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they and their children and their children’s children, forever: and my servant David shall be their prince, forever, . . . my tabernacle shall also be with them: yea, I will be their God and they shall be ray people.” Ezek. 37:23-27

“And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and Increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord. Behold, the days ,come, saith the Lord, that I will raise to David a righteous Branch and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute Judgment and Justice In the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this to his name whereby he shall be called, ‘THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. [Jehovah, Tsidkenu]” Jer. 23:3-6.

“And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David: he shall feed them, and ‘he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.- Ezek. 34:23-24.

Nothing has ever yet been built like the temple which Ezekiel describes in chapters 40 to 48, and this includes a definite description of the location of each tribe, as they shall be settled in this great future restoration. (See Ezekiel 48).

Confusing Israel with the Church

It would seem that such overwhelming testimony would convince every fair-minded reader, that there is a glorious future restoration in store for Israel. And yet, many say, that we must interpret all this Scripture “spiritually,” and they fritter away the point and the force of such explicit declarations, in attempting to apply them to the persecuted Church.

This is a very great error, and we believe it has arisen, principally, from a misunderstanding of Paul’s arguments in his epistles. He does not confound Israel with the Church when he says, “They are not all Israel which are of Israel.” Nor does he confound the Church with Israel when he makes us children of Abraham by faith; but he demonstrates that we all stand by faith alone. In I Cor. 10:32 ((1st Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:)) he makes a clear distinction between the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church of God. ((*The Jews who accept Christ in this dispensation become part of the Church)) There are special blessings for the Church, and special blessings for Israel He plainly shows that not all the natural seed are true Israelites. He only is a Jew who has circumcision of heart in the spirit. ((Romans 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.)) And though multitudes of Israel have passed away in unbelief, still Paul distinctly declares that there is a remnant which shall be saved. ((Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. Romans 11:5Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.)) He so loved them that he could sacrifice himself, and even be separated from Christ for their sakes. ((Romans 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh)) He saw their future glory, as the natural branches yet to be grafted into their own olive tree, which should be nothing less than life from the dead. ((Romans 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?))

Jesus said, in Luke 21:24, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” And Paul understood this mystery, that when “the fullness of the Gentiles be come in,” “there should come out of Zion the Deliverer, who should turn away ungodliness from Jacob!’ Rom. 11:25-26.

And this is fully confirmed by the following: In Amos 8 and 9, we read of the awful calamities which should come upon Israel. And not until- they had been sifted among all nations ‘would the Lord gather -and plant them, and raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen. When the apostles and elders were gathered in the first council at Jerusalem, considering this same question about Israelites and the Church, the Holy Spirit directed the mind of James to this very prophecy in Amos, to show that during this sifting of Israel, God was to take out of the Gentiles a people to His name, and after this to build again the tabernacle of David. Acts 15:13-17. So we see that these restoration prophecies can not be applied to the Church, which is first to be taken out before Israel and Jerusalem are to be restored.

Again, one of the most specific prophecies of their restoration is addressed, not to the people, but to the mountains of Israel, which leaves no possible doubt as to the literal meaning intended. ((Ezekiel 36:1, 8-11 Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. 8-11 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.))

The Day of Jacob’s Trouble

Surely Israel shall be restored; but there is an awful time of trouble awaiting her. Their sins are mountain high. Upon them is the guilt of innocent blood, even the precious blood of Jesus Christ (Mat. 27:25).

The faithful prophet saw it when he wrote:

“And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether 9. man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his -hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness. Alas! for that day is great, so that none Is like It: It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of It” (Jer. 30:4-7).

“Then shall ye 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” (Ezek. 36:31).

Yes, they shall repent and loathe themselves. They “shall pass through the sea with affliction.” ((Zechariah 10:11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. Ezekiel 7:1-4 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land. Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations. And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 7:8-9 Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations. And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth.)) Many shall die, but the third part shall be saved.

“And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold Is tried; they shall call on my name and I will hear them; I will say, it is my people; and they shall Say,, the Lord Is my God” (Zech. 13:9).

All this is intimately connected with the coming of Christ, not at the Rapture, but at the Revelation. For we read, “When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory” (Psa. 102:16). It is when He appears with His saints (the Church) in flaming fire to execute judgment (2 Thes. 1:7-10; Jude 14) upon the nations and upon Israel, who are the third party in Mat. 25:36, etc. ((Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.)) and who are not to be reckoned among the nations (Numbers 23:9). It is when He sits as a refiner and purifier.

“Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming? and who, shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering In righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling In his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 3:1-5).

“He shall indeed refine Israel in the furnace of affliction. ((Isaiah 48:10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Psalm 66:10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.)) And they shall arise and shine, for their light will come. ((Isaiah 60:1-4 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.))

Arise and shine In youth immortal,
Thy light is come, thy King appears!
Beyond the centuries’ swinging portal,
Breaks a new dawn-THE THOUSAND YEARS!

We might fill a book with comments upon how Israel shall be restored, but all we have desired to do was to show that it is an incontrovertible fact of prophecy, and that it is intimately connected with our Lord’s appearing, and this we trust we have satisfactorily ‘accomplished.

The detail of the manner of their restoration, and of their repentance and acceptance of Christ, is not so important to us. For those who are of the Church are to be taken away first, in the Rapture, and escape all these things through which Israel must pass. ((Luke 21:36
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.))
True, many have found the study of this detail a rich blessing, and we give the result which one has reached on pages 187 to 195, and yet we believe that we cannot now discern the order of these things so clearly as Israel will in the great rush of events, after the Church is taken away, and when the Book is more completely unsealed and opened. Dan. 12:4.

It is enough for us to know that it will be in the latter days (Isa. 2:2) that Antichrist is to be revealed and destroyed by Jesus the King of the Jews, who is coming (2 Thes. 2:8), and that Israel, His people, “are at hand to come.” Ezek. 36:8.

The post Recommended Reading: Israel Is to Be Restored (Ch. 15 of “Jesus is Coming”) appeared first on Mystery of Israel.

Hi Reggie,

What does “the kingdom” mean to you when you see it in scripture? For instance:

“Jesus went through Galilee… preaching the good news of the kingdom…” Matt 4:23

“After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:3

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6

“Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.” Acts 19:8

This seems to be a real key focus of the preaching of Jesus (he spoke about that specifically during the forty days after His resurrection) and Paul (who seems to argue on that for 3 months) and I’m curious as to what it evokes in you when you read statements like those.

Yours in Him,

TQ

Tom, There is a great book that was listed in “Christianity Today,” as one of the top 50 best evangelical books of the modern era. It is George E. Ladd’s, “The Gospel of the Kingdom: Popular Expositions on the Kingdom of God.” He also wrote another book that is currently out of print called, “Crucial Questions Concerning the Kingdom of God,” also, “The Presence of the Future.” He is ‘hands down’ my favorite on the subject. But you asked what the term means “to me”, and what it evokes in me, so I’ll say a little for myself on the subject.

If I take the phrase in all of its uses, noting its meaning among the populace, as a term evoking familiar and well agreed notions and ideas, but also noting the new meaning that Jesus invests in the term, as He speaks of “mystery of the kingdom,” noting also a certain versatility of meaning in different contexts, I take the following impressions:

The kingdom cannot be bound to a time or a realm, though it has its operation in both. It is at once the present rule of God in terms of His sovereignty and providence over all things, and the divine conquest in subjugating all things to Himself. It is the saving action of God in both the present retrieving all that He has chosen (Eph 1:9) from the power and dominion of Satan. So the kingdom can also be defined in contrast to Satan’s kingdom. This is the eschatological dualism that gives the kingdom its future aspect, as realized now in part, more fully in the coming millennial age, and perfectly in the new heavens and earth.

Whenever Satan is bound or routed by the action of the Spirit, there is the working of the kingdom of God. So the kingdom can be equated with the powerful working of the Holy Spirit. Before it is manifest in time and place, the kingdom is first a revelatory phenomenon. This recognition helps to make sense of many otherwise very difficult applications of the term, particularly by Jesus.

When revelation and divinely quickened truth breaks in, there is kingdom authority and power. There is transformation and also subjugation of Satan’s territory and possessions.

The kingdom is taken by force when the sincere quest for righteousness exceeds and outweighs all other competing concerns. This ‘pressing into the kingdom’ is the surest sign that the Spirit has come to awaken and quicken the benumbed senses of the natural man to stir him to urgency and from there to regeneration, which puts him into the kingdom.

So the kingdom is also a realm that may be entered. We see Jesus charging the lawyers who had the keys of the kingdom (the responsibility to reveal) with the crime of “blocking” access to those who are trying to enter. Some were entering then, and some were refusing to enter. It was a realm that co-existed in time with the natural realm. The kingdom brings a different kind of righteousness, even the righteousness of God Himself, which is of a transcendent order that lies outside the realm of what man can attain (Isa 45:24; 51:6; 54:17; Jer 23:6; 32:40; Dan 9:24; Mt 5:20; 6:33; 11:11).

The kingdom is working when God is working. It had come to them; yet it was still coming. It was present and active; it was making its presence felt, as its powers were being manifest, removing the cloak and shutting men up to the crisis of decision. It was at hand, not only in the sense of near, but as standing by, as knocking, requesting access and inviting entry.

For Israel, a crisis moment of decision had arrived, as though the waters had been stirred through the revelation and power that was present and at work in Jesus. A watershed of ultimate division had appeared that would be ultimately determinative for life or death. Men’s relationship to the coming kingdom was being decided now by their response to its compelling presence in the works and words of Jesus.

Whether in its present or future aspect, the one common denominator in all that pertains to the kingdom’s forward conquest is the power of the Spirit to reveal and to regenerate, but also judge. “It’s not be might nor by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord.”

As I see it, before it is anything else, the kingdom is the powerful ‘in-breaking’ of the Spirit of revelation; it is the divine disclosure of mystery, or where truth is to some extent known already, it is the power of the Spirit to quicken that truth unto new creation. In that, whether present or future, the powers of the age to come become to some measure accessible even now through revelation, and can be received according to the measure of faith. Albeit, such present possibility is not only limited by human weakness and sin, but also and more ultimately by what it has pleased God for His purpose for that time.

It is ultimate humanism to suppose that God is always doing the same thing, to the same degree, at all times, that the only thing in the way is human sin or indifference. Though always a factor, that is certainly not all there is to it. There are times and dispensations of requirement in God. There are sovereign moves of His Spirit, and there is a woe for failure to discern those divine initiatives, as there is grateful praise for the grace to recognize and not miss what God is doing.

Your brother, Reggie

Updated: Feb 27, 2010

Reggie,

I was a bit surprised to see that you made little mention of Israel in your comments.

Could I impose on you to sometime elaborate on the statement in the last paragraph regarding the “ulimate humanism” and “the woes of failing to discern those divine initiatives?”

I do want to follow your suggestion and add some important points about Israel in relationship to the kingdom. I tend to forget that for many, the future of the kingdom does not include its theocratic stage in fulfillment of all that God has promised Israel as a fully redeemed nation at the head of the nations, thus, the necessity for a millennial interim. You and I know how deep this issue is to God as intrinsic and inalienable to the everlasting covenant. So you’re right; it’s not like me to fail to emphasize that on every opportunity.

As to my meaning on the point about humanism, I’ll try to clarify that some more too. I’m very glad you asked me about that. I simply meant the tendency to ignore that in many things, God is not waiting on man, but on His own timing. There are things that God does in some seasons that He does not do in others, and it is not always only because man won’t let Him do more (though that is sometimes the case too; see Isa Isa 48:18; Mt 23:37). But some things wait for His sovereign time and choosing, when He shall rise up (“in the day of His power”).

I was thinking of the ways God has chosen to bring His reluctant people to points of great transition and revival by the circumstances and tribulations that He ordains to move them to the necessary place of obedience and faith (“another will gird you and take you where you would not have gone”). I was objecting to the view that man ties God’s hands, so that He is not able to bring things to their appointed goal, “at the appointed, or set time.” That’s why we have such concepts as ‘apocalyptic determinism’ and appointed seasons of special divine initiative that distinguishes one dispensation from another. Some speak as though they think of God as struggling in a kind of cosmic dualism that ties His hands, so that the best He can do is chip away at evil in hopes that with enough human cooperation, someday, He will someday prevail. I’ve also heard othodox Jews talk this way. While there is indeed a dualism between good and evil, God is absolutely sovereign in His wise management of the conflict, demonstrating His judgments and His salvation, as He instructs the angelic order through it. See what I mean?

In much love and appreciation, Reggie

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I was wondering if you had a recommendation for a book on the parallels between Joseph and Jesus, or if you yourself have written on it. I truly believe that this subject is one of the greatest keys, if not THE key, to explaining Christ to Jewish people, and to introducing Gentiles to God’s prophetic scenario. The more light we can get on this subject the better. Do you have any suggestions?

I do indeed, Eli. First, let me recommend the below Bible study by long friend, Dean Van Druff: http://www.acts17-11.com/joseph.html I read it today for the second time and was as moved as I was the first time.

Also, I’ve not had much time with it yet, but I’m quite impressed with a book that I found while searching for this topic on Amazon.com It looks to be a very valuable resource for our interest. Other than Dean, this is the only author that I know of who has published something that compares Joseph’s self revelation to his brethren as a type of Jesus’ revelation to Israel at His return. She also says it is something that was for her a new discovery that she considers timely in the church’s relation to Israel. Just today, I notice she expects another expulsion and flight of Jews. That’s a comparatively rare perspective. The book is: “Joseph, Jesus, and the Jewish People: A Gospel Tract Hidden in the Torah” Reggie

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Reggie, good morning…
See attached. I stumbled on to this piece: The First Resurrection by
Tregelles. I’m almost certain that you know of it but I was thinking that
it may be a good article to post on the new website.

Bro. Phil

Thanks, Phil. Excellent suggestion. I’ve always wished for a forum for apologetics of this kind, with appropriate position papers etc., dedicated to the support and defense of the view that we see as so vital to the church, especially that church that will stand before the spirit of Antichrist in its final embodiment. As Francis Schaffer said, “Apologetics is an enterprise of Christian compassion.” Indeed, to know and love the faith is to have a heart for its defense.

I knew of Tregelles’ well defended thesis from other authors. So appreciate seeing this for the first time. I’ll pass this on. Appreciatively, Reggie

The First Resurrection
By
S. P. Tregelles, LL. D. (1813-1875)
(author of “Remarks on the Prophetic Visions in the Book of Daniel”)

There are two objects which we have to keep more or less in view when discussing any controverted portion of revealed truth: the one is, that of simply establishing from Scripture the definite teaching there given; the other is, that of maintaining controversially a portion of truth against those who seek to set it aside; for this, it is needful to meet objections, and thus to discuss details such as never would have been connected with the subject had it not been for the erroneous teaching of gainsayers. From time to time we have to consider new objections. Whilst truth as revealed in the Word of God must ever remain the same, the multi-form developments of error are ever changing.

There are positions which, when once they have been definitely established from Holy Scripture, might be regarded as settled for ever; and this would be the case absolutely if it were not that every truth is questioned as soon as it is found to be of practical importance: and then for the full establishment of those who desire to hold fast Scripture teaching, and with the hope of the deliverance, through the mercy of God, of some who have been led astray, the whole subject may have to be again taken up controversially, that is to say, with the definite intention of meeting objections.

What, then, does the Scripture reveal as to the first resurrection? Who are to partake in it? When will it take place? These may be called the primary points of inquiry; and when they have been answered from Scripture, we may next ask, — In what special modes do the introducers of false teaching at present set aside any of these points? What do they set forth instead? On what grounds do they seek to maintain the positions which they assume? And what is the practical consequence of any such erroneous principles?

The one passage in the Scripture in which the first resurrection is mentioned by name, is Revelation 20:5, 6. The apostle saw certain symbols, and the interpretation of the vision which he received is: “This is the first resurrection: blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” It is on this interpretation that we have especially to rest in seeking to understand what is here set before us.
The distinct points to be noticed are:
That it is an actual resurrection that is taught; that is, the resuscitation of the bodies of persons that have died.
That it is the resurrection of the believers who have died up to that time.
That as this is the first resurrection, so no resurrection of believers can possibly precede it.
That this resurrection cannot take place till after the development of Antichrist, and his reign; nor yet until the time when God sets His hand again to restore His ancient people Israel.
That this resurrection takes place when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again in manifested glory.

To consider these subjects in their order:

I. That this is an actual resurrection which is here taught
may be learned from the mere statement of the Scripture itself; for if this is not an actual resurrection, how could we suppose that to be so in which the small and great stand before the great white throne and are judged? If this be not a resurrection of persons, what can be signified when it is said that the rest of the dead live not again until the end of a certain period of a thousand years? But this point is one which need not be dwelt on in detail, since it has often been established in opposition to those who would turn the facts of Holy Scripture into some mere figures, and who seek to substitute principles for persons.

II. But who are they who shall then rise?
Some, from a partial consideration of the symbols of the vision, have thought that it was limited to martyrs for Christ, and to them only; others have seen that it must also of necessity include those who have refused to acknowledge Antichrist: the true exposition, however, being that these are here set forth as symbolical classes. Why these classes should be thus seen in the vision is most easily and simply explained. John had seen the servants of Christ in vision put to death under Antichrist, or else exposed to extreme suffering for refusing to worship the beast and his image. He now sees them set in this place of glory and blessing. The images in this book relate frequently in their form to the contents of the Revelation itself. It is a great mistake if any suppose that the book of Revelation should be interpreted in such a way as to contradict other Scriptures. This book may throw further light on what had been previously revealed; but such truths communicated before are to be assumed as already known by those that would learn from this book. Thus the second coming of Christ was a truth known by the Church as her hope before the Revelation had been given to the beloved Apostle; and so, too, the resurrection of the just had been promised as that which should come to pass at that time.

What else do we learn from the latter part of 1 Thessalonians 4? The Lord Himself shall descend with all the circumstances of publicity and manifested glory; the dead in Christ shall rise, those who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds; this was to be the comfort of the early church in connection with any of their brethren who had died: it thus teaches us authoritatively that all the dead in Christ shall rise in that day. So, too, 1 Corinthians 15:23: “they that are Christ’s at His coming.” An absolutely revealed truth like this can never be set aside by any supposed after limitation; on the other hand, we may be sure that such supposed limitation is based on some entire misapprehension. In Revelation 20, “they that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and they that had not worshipped the beast,” etc., must be regarded as a description of the class of persons who rise, and not as a definition of who and what they are. We know from previous Scriptures that “they that are Christ’s” rise without limitation “at His coming”; we know that this was the consolation for the Thessalonian Christians as to their departed friends, whether martyrs or not; but if the principle of limitation were brought in as to martyrdom, it would apparently be right to exclude all who do not suffer in a particular way and at a particular time. No doubt that the specification of those under the antichristian persecution is wisely given; but the expression, “the rest of the dead lived not till the thousand years were finished,” must not be supposed as excluding any of those who are Christ’s, who at that time must rise. For “they that are Christ’s” would comprehend all those that are His, who have departed up to that time, and not one of them can be shut out. Nor can the Old Testament saints be in any way excluded so long as the words of Christ remain recorded by the Spirit as to those who “shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven”; the term, “the rest of the dead,” means simply all the dead who do not then rise.

III. No resurrection can possibly precede it.
I should have thought it needless to argue that the first resurrection of the saints must be one which has not been preceded by another of any portion of them, had it not been that the plain words of Scripture have been set aside. 1 Corinthians 15 teaches us the order of the resurrection: “Christ the first fruits; afterwards [next in order of succession] they that are Christ’s at His coming.” There is no room left for mistake or doubt, unless we depart from the plain words of Scripture. With all confidence we may say that God intended to teach in this place, when saying, “this is the first resurrection,” that He will not raise any of His people with bodies incorruptible prior to the time and the development of circumstances here spoken of.

It might seem superfluous to reaffirm that,

IV. No first resurrection can take place prior to the manifestation of Antichrist,
since those who suffer under his persecution then rise; and, indeed, argument is vain when plain Scripture testimony is set aside, except, indeed, as enforcing and re-asserting such testimony. But as some have thought that a first resurrection will occur before the reign of Antichrist, it may be well to ask such what the first resurrection can mean? and whether a first resurrection which shall precede the first is not such a contradiction in terms as sets aside the Scripture in such a manner as to make it impossible (if such arguments are admissible) for even inspired writers to express themselves in definite language? The fact stands on the face of the passage that there shall be no first resurrection of saints until those of them who shall be cut off in the antichristian persecution have so died; for these are some who then rise.

Also this cannot be until the time of the acting of God for the restoration of Israel; because in 1 Corinthians 15:54, we are taught, “when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, THEN shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. “Thus the resurrection of the saints takes place the same time, when the passage in Isaiah 25:8 (which the Apostle authoritatively cites) shall find its accomplishment. Any mode of interpretation which would otherwise connect it must of necessity be erroneous; for God has given us His own note of time in the synchronism of events.

If we look at the various Scriptures which speak of the resurrection of the saints, we find that

V. That event takes place when the Lord Jesus comes;
and if we ask what kind of a coming it is that we are taught to expect, we find that every adjunct of manifested glory and publicity is specified, as though there should be no excuse for our making any mistake on this point. “Behold, He cometh with clouds: and every eye shall see Him”; this is the advent in the hope of which the church responds, “Even so. Amen.” “Surely I come quickly; Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

This, then, is the hope of the First Resurrection; so that through the darkest period of antichristianism the church may look on rejoicing in hope, because that special and most fearful gloom shall be the forerunner of the morning; and thus in the time of persecution and of martyrdom to many, the hope of resurrection shall be then possessed of a special power. For how near then shall the resurrection of the saints, “the First Resurrection,” be; then will be the time for the people of Christ to lift up their heads, knowing that their redemption (redemption in all its fullness of meaning) draweth nigh. And if we see deepening shadows of moral evil falling on the world, and on that which professes to be the church, then may we see this hope as that which may give us a confidence while seeking to contend for the truth of God in the midst of opposing errors, whether it be Pharisaic ritualism or Sadducean infidelity.

But ours is no mere selfish hope; it unites us to all the family of faith who ever have been; for the first resurrection embraces them all; it connects us with the glory of Christ; for He shall then be glorified in His saints; it teaches us to look for no present rest; for true rest we can have none until that time “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:7, 8).

Such is the plain teaching of Scripture, which, as to the five particulars just specified, might be largely confirmed and extended from what we learn from other portions of the inspired word. If indeed we are content to follow Scripture, these points might be regarded as axioms. And yet there are those who profess to hold the hope of our Lord’s second coming, who deny and oppose almost every one of these points. They have the Scripture; they borrow its phrases, applying them to their own cherished fancies; they take truths from it, but they apply them in connections not only false in themselves, but even in direct contradiction of what the word of God distinctly states. How can any learn from Scripture, if they will maintain that events shall come to pass at a different time and in a manner directly contradicting what the Scripture says? Is a man a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ because he uses His name, while denying every material truth as to His very Godhead and very manhood, and the true substitutional sacrifice of His death? What, then, in a similar manner, should be said of those who hold a first resurrection, differing in time, manner and circumstances, from THE first resurrection of which the Scripture makes mention? who expect a coming of Christ (such as He Himself said should never take place) without publicity, without manifested glory, without His taking vengeance on any, without His so taking the kingdom into His own hands that thenceforth antichristian blasphemy and persecution should be impossible? Must it not be said that Scripture terms have been applied to the opposite of Scripture truths?

In opposition to the word of God it has been assumed that the hope of Christ’s coming is one which excludes the possibility of intervening events having been made known, and that if the Lord has given any warning or indication that His coming draws near, then we cannot be waiting for that day. But what is this assumption except to lay down how God ought to have communicated truth, instead of inquiring how He has done this? When it has been assumed that no intervening events can be matters of revelation, the difficulty remains that

VI. Many events are given which will precede the coming of the Lord.
How can this be disposed of? By assuming that Christ’s coming is to be divided into two utterly different events—a secret coming as the hope of the church, and a public coming when He shall be seen in manifested glory. But what is the warrant for such a division? None whatever, except the previous assumption that there can be no events revealed before Christ comes in connection with His church; that is laid down as an axiom, and the plainest facts and the clearest definitions of Scripture are set aside because they contradict this cherished hypothesis. Those who maintain the doctrine of a secret coming of Christ, often adopt any theory in order to explain away difficulties; thus it is that they have shifted their ground again and again; and distinctions, the futility of which had been long ago felt by those who once defended them, have again found their places in the array that is exhibited in opposition to truth.
To every mind that is rightly and truly subject to Holy Scripture,

VII. The doctrine of the first resurrection sets aside the notion of a secret coming of Christ as a private transaction.
For when we are told that the coming of Christ in the air (1 Thess. 4) to take away His saints may happen any day, while many events precede His manifested appearing, it is well for us to remember that when we meet the Lord in the air, the dead in Christ rise first (i.e., before the change and rapture of those still living); there is no such thing as the living believers going to the Lord without the resurrection of the sleeping saints also having taken place. Thus we find no coming of the Lord Jesus except with the first resurrection then occurring, and that first resurrection cannot be until the events which usher it in, such as the full development of Antichrist and his persecution of some of those who are then to rise, having preceded. To wait for any coming of Christ (or for anything else as the coming of Christ) without the resurrection of His people then taking place, is to substitute some mere fancy for the hope that has been given us. To suppose a resurrection prior to the first resurrection is to deny the truth and exactness of the revelation of God. To say that our hope is a secret coming of Christ, is the same as to teach that 1 Thessalonians 4 does not set forth that coming; for in that passage every adjunct speaks of publicity.

A new theory has been circulated of late, that while the first resurrection of Revelation 20 is the portion of the church in general, some for special devotedness, etc., shall previously rise and be taken away. This theory is part of a ramified system of doctrine the general principle of which is that there exist essential (and not merely circumstantial) distinctions between Christians, according to what they are in the Spirit (as shown in service, devoted-ness, etc.); and these distinctions quite set aside the oneness in Christ of the saved. I have not now to discuss this theory, and to show its unscriptural character. On this subject it is enough to say that the words. “This is the First Resurrection,” suffice to set aside the arguments advanced for the different resurrections of different classes of saints prior to the reign of Christ.

At present a danger to which true believers are exposed is that of substituting a kind of sentimentality for truth; seeming spirituality is often used for leading away from the use of the written word and reliance on its teaching. This ought to cause those who value the truth of God to be the more definite in their testimony; even though they may be sure that their statements will be misrepresented, their doctrines misstated, and they themselves regarded as unspiritual; and that, too, by true believers (in many cases), who have so accepted ethereal fancies that facts revealed by the Holy Ghost seem to them unspiritual.

A time has come in which men will not endure sound doctrine, and those who maintain it need that their souls in the midst of opposition be well stayed on the truth of God, and in the hope of His promises as He has given them.
But patience of hope is now what sentimentalists specially oppose; and those who thus oppose idealize truth and Scripture, so as to leave no definite ground of apprehending revelation as from God.

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I was wondering if you could suggest a few good reads? I’m looking for some stuff with real meat on it. Be it devotional, historical, or academic/theological. What have you been reading lately? Also, for your e-mail audience, I was wondering if you might consider regularly listing what you are reading that you find to be truly edifying and beneficial?

Many blessings,

You happen to have caught me just as I am working through one of the first books I’ve had the pleasure of reading in quite a while. I think its one that you would particularly enjoy, if only for its ability to revive some of the themes of mutual interest in eschatology. Its “A Case for Historic Premillennialism; An Alternative to Left Behind Eschatology,” edited by Craig Blomberg and Sung Chung.

I’ll forward this recommendation to our larger group of friends with the caution that it is academic in character and approach, and might seem tedious to some. I suggest that any that think they might be interested first go on line to Christianbook.com, or Amazon.com, and check out the table of contents and read some excerpts before buying.

By no means is this a blanket endorsement to such a diversified collection of essays. It is only some iron that may sharpen those that have a specialized interest, or that labor and in this field. One of the essays might be of particular interest for those interested in a concise historical survey of Jewish views of the after life and the ‘messianic age’. It will inform but sadden.

Your friend in Christ, Reggie

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In His great grace, Reggie

The post Recommended Book: “Rapture? Sure… but When?” appeared first on Mystery of Israel.

Dear Reggie,

Thanks so very much for recommending David Baron. I’m reading his
commentary on Zechariah and have been very blessed and challenged. What a
wonderful, tasty meal of chewy delicious meat!

I am also in search of a few choice commentaries on the prophet Daniel from
the same rich vein of writers. Any that you could recommend?

Your appreciative bro

In an instant, I have exactly who to recommend on Daniel. First, and most accessible would be S.P. Tregelles’ “Remarks on the Prophetic Visions in the Book of Daniel,” available through Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony in Essex (on line at sgat.org).

Second, or perhaps even first in importance is a much more rare book entitled “Prophetic Interpretations” by P.S.G. Watson. It is available to view on line through the Dallas Theological Online Library, Antiquarian Books. Unfortunately, they have it where it can only be leafed through; it can’t be copied to be printed. If upon your preview of the book, interest should happen to soar, I would be happy to take my xerox copy to a printer here and have a copy made to be sent. I could let you know the cost. But look through it first, and see what you think. In my view, no one is so good as Watson on the case for ‘futurism’ and a literal hermeneutic, particularly in regards to the ‘abomination of desolation’ and the centrality of its place and role in the unfolding of last days events. I know of no other that so nearly approximates my own findings and view of the subject. His exegesis is surgical; and the things he says about the inexcusable unbelief of the church concerning the return of the Jews in an initial preparatory return while yet in unbelief is impressive and exciting coming from a mid 19th century perspective. Primarily for his reliance on Tregelles, I would also recommend G. H. Lang’s “The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel.”

In appreciative friendship, Reggie

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