In a previous chapter it was pointed out, from the repeated utterances
of the apostle Paul recorded in the last six chapters of Acts, that "the hope
of Israel" is identical with "the hope of the gospel," which hope is, of
course, the resurrection. We recall that to the Jews at Rome Paul said: "For
this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you and to speak with you;
because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain" (Acts 28:20).
What he had preached as the hope of Israel is clearly stated in
previous chapters of Acts. Thus, in chapter 23:6 he had said, "Of the hope and
resurrection of the dead I am called in question" (see also 24:14,15). And in
replying to his accusers before Herod Agrippa he said: "And now I stand and am
judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our father, unto which our
twelve tribes instantly (or intently) serving God day and night hope to come.
For which hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Why should it
be though a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead?" (Acts
26:6-8). And in the same address he solemnly affirmed that in all his
testimony, both to small and great, he had said "none other things than those
which the prophets and Moses did say should come" (v. 22).
Thus the apostle proclaimed everywhere, both by word of mouth and by
letter, that there is but one hope for all mankind, a hope which indeed had
been promised by the O.T. Scriptures to Israel only, but which, according to
the now revealed "mystery of Christ," is preached to Gentiles equally with
Jews. He taught that just as there is but "one faith" for both Jew and
Gentile, so likewise there is but "one hope of your calling" (Eph. 4:4), which
"calling" (as Chapters I-III were written specially to show) embraces both
Jews and Gentiles upon identically the same terms (Eph. 3:6).
This, however, was directly contrary to the doctrine of the scribes
and rabbis. According to their carnal interpretation of the Scriptures the
promises concerning "Israel," which Paul applied to a spiritual people, were
to have a material fulfilment; and "the hope of Israel," according to them,
was the national restoration of the Jewish people. The difference between "the
hope of Israel" as held and taught by them, and "the hope of Israel," as
preached by Paul, was so radical as to arouse against him their bitterest
hatred, insomuch that they denounced him to the civil authorities and plotted
to take his life.
ANOTHER HOPE
In view of these facts, so clearly set forth in the Acts and Epistles,
it is a matter of deep concern that in our day there has been a revival (and
that among evangelical groups of Christians) of the preaching of a distinct
and different hope for the natural descendants of Jacob. Thus the preaching of
the one and only gospel, with its "one hope" for all mankind, the only gospel
and the only hope preached or recognized by the apostles, has been so far set
aside in our day as to make room for the very same hope which the Jewish
teachers held in Paul's day. And not only so, but out modern teachers support
this radically different "hope of Israel" by the very same process of
carnalizing the O.T. prophecies and promises which Paul denounced and refuted
in his day. It was for this cause that he suffered persecution and
imprisonment; for it is certain that, had Paul preached the same "hope of
Israel" that is now commonly preached from orthodox periodicals, he would have
been honored by his fellow countrymen, rather than persecuted.
NOT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
It is admitted by those who teach a distinct hope for the Jewish
nation apart from the "one hope" of the gospel, that there is nothing in the
N.T. to support that doctrine. They admit that the N.T. will be searched in
vain for any statement to the effect that, when the day of grace is ended and
the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed from heaven in flaming fire, He will convert
the whole Jewish nation then on earth, and re-establish them in Palestine.
This admission that the doctrine we are discussing is not found in the
N.T. is fatal to it. For the prophecies concerning the second coming of
Christ, recorded in the Gospels, Epistles, and Revelation, are so full and
detailed that, if the national restoration of the earthly Israel were part of
the program of the second advent, it would most certainly have been clearly
set forth therein. And beyond all doubt Paul would have mentioned it in the
eleventh chapter of Romans, where he speaks distinctly of the future of
Israel. Moreover, he would surely have proclaimed it when put on trial as to
his teaching concerning this very matter, first before the Sanhedrin at
Jerusalem, and then successively before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa. We have
seen that on all those four occlusions the apostle maintained, and at the
peril of his life, that the "hope of Israel" was a radically different thing
from what the Jewish leaders supposed.
For those who accept the teaching of Paul this should be decisive of
the question we are now examining. But we propose to go further than this, and
to show that the doctrine of national restoration for the Jewish nation at the
beginning of the next dispensation, is directly contrary to the plain teaching
of the New Testament as a whole. And if we can show this, then it must be
contrary to the O.T. also; since there can be no disagreement between the two.
The present writer received the doctrine of the future restoration of
"Israel after the flesh" as part of a system of teaching which he accepted in
bulk because of the soundness and excellent of reputation of those who
sponsored it. But, having now learned to his sorrow and mortification that he
has held and taught error of a serious kind, it is his duty thus to confess
it, and also to do what in him lies to establish the truth of the matter.
NO SECOND CHANCE
In the first place then, we affirm with all possible emphasis that for
those who now reject the offer of God's mercy in the gospel of His grace there
is no second chance. This is the truth of God as revealed in every part of the
New Testament. It applies to Jews and Gentiles alike; for there is absolutely
"no difference" of any sort, kind, or description. All are in precisely the
same condemnation; and likewise, to each and all, the gospel of Christ offers
precisely the same salvation, with precisely the same eternal consequences for
all who refuse it. "For," says the apostle, "we have before proved both Jews
and Gentiles that they are all under sin" (Rom. 3:9) and from that starting
point of perfect equality in guilt ("all the world guilty before God") he
proceeds to declare the one ground of pardon for all, "the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus," and the one condition upon which it is bestowed, "through
faith in His blood" (Rom. 3:23-25).
Moreover, the apostle shows in this very passage that the true meaning
of God's promise to Abraham was not that his natural seed should possess the
land of Canaan, but that his spiritual seed (believing Jews and believing
Gentiles forming one family) should share with him "the promise that he should
be the heir of the world" (Rom. 4:13-17; and cf. Rom. 8:17). And finally he
shows that the promise was to be fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead (4:24,25).
According to the modern teaching we are now discussing, those who are
saved through the gospel are forthwith incorporation into the church, which is
the body of Christ, and these will be in the highest sphere of blessing and
glory hereafter; and those who reject Christ now, if Gentiles, will be lost
finally and forever, but if Jews, they will be converted in a body at some
time subsequent to the second coming of Christ. Now we are quite at a loss to
perceive wherein this doctrine differs from that of "Russellism," or
"Millennial Dawn," excepting that the second chance which the former limits to
the natural descendants of Jacob, is by the latter extended to all mankind.
Indeed we think the view of the Russellites would be easier to support from
Scriptures than the other; seeing that it is at least consistent with the
principle that God is no respecter of persons, and that all natural and
national distinctions have been forever abolished by the cross of Christ.
But to the entire doctrine of another chance, whether to all mankind,
or to a select portion of the human race only, we oppose the plain and
unimpeachable truth of the Scriptures that, in "the day of God, Who will
render to every man according to his deed" (Rom. 2:5,6) there will be no
salvation or mercy for any who reject God's offer of pardon and life now. We
affirm that, in that day, so far from there being any special salvation for
the Jew, God will visit "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon
every soul of man that doeth evil, OF THE JEW FIRST, and also of the Gentile"
(id. vv. 8,9). We affirm that "now is the accepted time, and now is the day of
salvation"; and there is no other day or hour of salvation for any individual,
or for any section of the human race. We affirm that, since the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ upon the cross, and by reason thereof, God now recognizes no man
after the flesh; and particularly that the old covenant and everything
connected with it, including the forfeited promise and hope of earthly
blessing to Israel after the flesh (which when given was conditioned upon
faithfulness and obedience on their part) has been abolished finally and
forevermore.
Does the New Testament teach that "Israel after the flesh" will be
converted after the second coming of Christ? and will be then reconstituted as
an earthly nation, and re-established as such in Palestine? Or does it, on the
contrary, teach that Christ's coming the second time will be for the eternal
salvation of all those who look for Him (whether by nature they were Jews or
Gentiles), and for the eternal condemnation of all, both Jews and Gentiles,
who have not believed on His Name? Does it teach that there will be given to
the Jews, after the ending of the day of grace, another opportunity to believe
on Him and be saved from the wrath to come,, and opportunity from which they
who are by nature Gentiles will be excluded? Will the coming "day" be one of
mingled wrath and mercy? the former for all unbelievers who are Gentiles in
the flesh, and the latter for unbelievers who are Jews in the flesh? These
questions truly are of great moment; and it must be that clear answers to them
can be found in the New Testament Scriptures. We shall seek them first in
THE PERSONAL TEACHING OF CHRIST
Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43. This passage contains the parable of the Tares of
the Field. Its teaching on the subject of our inquiry is plain; for the
meaning of the parable is explained by the Lord Himself. Its emphasis is upon
what will happen at the end of the age. Two classes of people are now mingled
together in the world, even as wheat and tares are mingled together in the
same field. That state of things is to continue "until the harvest," and "the
harvest is the end of the age." At that time there will be a complete
separation of the tares and the wheat. The tares will be gathered together and
bound in bundles to burn them. This will be done "first"; but the wheat will
be gathered into the garner (v. 30). The tares include all who are not "the
children of the kingdom," that is to say, all who, whether Jews or Gentiles,
have not been regenerated by receiving "the good seed" of the gospel.
In thus teaching that the day of judgment will begin by an outpouring
of the fiery wrath of God, which will consume all the wicked, this parable is
in perfect agreement with the voice of the whole Scripture from beginning to
end. What then is the source, and what can be the purpose and effect, of this
modern doctrine which makes an exception in favor of an entire race of men,
and that upon the ground of natural descent only? The Lord's words are plain.
They admit of no exception. And moreover, they were spoken directly into
Jewish ears, and were intended primarily as a warning to a Jewish audience.
"As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in
the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they
shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them that do
iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth in the Kingdom of
their Father."
Thus the Lord has made it plain that the judgment of the wicked will
be simultaneous with, if not anterior to, the manifestation of the children of
God in glory. And by the testimony of many Scriptures it is clearly
established that the manifestation of the sons of God is at the same moment
with the manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Thus it is written
that, "When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear
with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). Again it is written: "When He shall appear we
shall be like Him" (1 John 3:2). See also to the same effect 1 Corinthians
15:51,52; and 1 Thessalonians 4:14.
John the Baptist had already preached the same warning concerning "the
wrath to come" to the many Jews who had flocked to his preaching, saying that
He who was to come after him would baptize them with the Holy Ghost (at the
beginning of the dispensation of grace) and with fire (at the end thereof,
says he - TD), "Whose fan," said he, "is in His hand, and He will thoroughly
purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the
chaff with unquenchable firs" (Matt. 3:11,12).
Thus from the very first, and to exclusively Jewish audiences, it was
proclaimed that there was but one salvation for all; and that when the day of
grace was ended, there would be an immediate and final separation of the saved
from the lost.
The foregoing Scriptures therefore completely refute the doctrine of a
special salvation for the Jewish nation after the manifestation of the Lord
Jesus Christ in glory.
Matthew 16:24-28. In this passage the Lord taught His disciples (all Jews)
that for a man's salvation it was necessary that he should take up his cross
and follow Him now "For," said He, "the Son of man shall come in the glory of
His Father, with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to
His works." There will be no mercy or grace to any unsaved ones after that.
This teaching is amplified by the Lord in Matthew 25:31-46, as will be
presently shown.
Luke 17:20-37. The Lord here replies to the question put to Him by the
Pharisees, "when the kingdom of God should come." He tells them first that the
kingdom was not coming then ("cometh not") with outward display, but was
already in fact in the midst of them (though they knew it not). But He goes on
to speak of the coming of that kingdom in power and glory. The coming of His
Kingdom in its future aspect will be "as the lightening, that lighteneth out
of one part under heaven, and shineth unto the other part under heaven."
And now let us attend carefully to what follows; for here we have
teaching of the clearest sort upon the subject of our inquiry. Our Lord's
second coming will be in circumstances like unto those in the days of Noah,
and those of the days of Lot. And the resemblance lies in this, namely, that
like as, in both those epochs of impending judgment, men in general pursued
with entire unconcern their ordinary occupations, as if things were to go on
in that way forever, even so shall it be "in the day when the Son of man is
revealed." And what then? There shall be an immediate and final separation.
"There shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken (to a place of
safety, as was Noah and Lot in his) and the other left (for the outpouring of
God's wrath). Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,
and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and
the other left."
The significance of the words "taken" and "left" appears clearly from
the context, which tells that Noah and his family were taken away in safety,
and all the rest of the world left for judgment; and so likewise in the case
of Lot and his wife and daughters. And the whole point of the lesson is that
the judgment, which destroyed "all" that were left, came upon the very same
day that those who believed God's warnings were saved. For the words are:
"until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and
destroyed them all" (v. 27); and again, "But the same day that Lot went out of
Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all" (v.
29). And then, to put the matter beyond all doubt, the Lord adds these words:
"Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed" (v. 30).
Is not this teaching, which comes to us from our Lord's own lips, as
clear as words can make it? How then say some among us that, so far from the
coming of sudden and everlasting judgment in that day upon all who are not in
the place of safety which God's grace has provided, that is, "the kingdom of
His dear Son" (Col. 1:13), the entire Jewish nation will then look upon Him
whom they pierced, will be granted repentance unto life, and will be saved
from the coming wrath?
As will be pointed out more fully below, the apostle Peter repeats
this teaching of Christ in his second Epistle (Chapter III) laying special
emphasis upon the unexpectedness of Christ's second coming and of the
prominence in those last days of a class of leaders who would speak derisively
of "the promise of his coming."
Luke 19:11-27. In this parable also our Lord declares what will happen at
His second coming. The part which bears upon our present inquiry is what He
says as to the way He will at that time deal with His "citizens," who had
hated Him and sent after Him a defiant message, saying, "We will not have this
Man to reign over us." This passage is specially pertinent because the
description of those "citizens" applies specially to the unbelieving Jews
(comp. Psa. 2:1-3, and Acts 4:25). Does He say that He will then reveal
Himself to them in grace, and convert the nation in a body? On the contrary,
His words are: "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign
over them, bring hither, and slay them before me."
Matthew 22:1-13. This passage contains the parable of the wedding supper,
in which our Lord foretells the course of the preaching of the gospel and its
results. There is no need to speak of the details of the parable. It suffices
for our present purpose that the doom pronounced upon the man who had not on
the wedding garment is regarded by commentators of every school as revealing
what will be the fate of all, Jews and Gentiles, who refuse the garment of
salvation which is now offered in the gospel.
Matthew 24:36-44 In this passage our Lord repeats to His own disciples the
teaching He had previously given to the Pharisees (Lu. 17:20-37). The point He
emphasizes is that even His own people will not be warned beforehand of the
approach "of that day and hour." "For as in the days that were before the
flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until
the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and
took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be... Watch
therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."
Matthew 25:31-46. This passage contains the most complete statement our
Lord has given as to what will take place "when the Son of man shall come in
His glory, and all the holy angels with Him." As in all His teaching on this
subject, the first thing is the separation of all human beings into two
companies. For "then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory; and before Him
shall be gathered all nations; and He shall separate them one from another, as
a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats." By some expositors it is
thought that our Lord is here speaking only of those living on earth at the
time of His coming; and we will take it that way, since it is immaterial, for
the purpose of the present inquiry, what view of the scene is adopted. Let it
be noted, however, that the separation is by individuals, not by nations. All
the "sheep" are put on one side, and all the "goats" on the other. The two
companies are separated, not according to nationality, but according to the
nature of the individuals, as manifested by their conduct. To those on the
right hand the King shall say, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the
Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And to those on
His left hand He will say, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels." Here again we have a clear statement
that the judgment then pronounced will be "everlasting."
Those on His right hand, the "sheep," are evidently His own people.
"My sheep," He calls them in John 10:27. It is His "one flock" (John 10:16,
Gr.); and so here we are given to foresee the fulfilment of His precise
promise, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to
give unto you the Kingdom" (Lu. 12:32). His sheep hear His voice; and these
who stand on His right hand in that day have manifested that they are His
sheep by obeying His law of love.
But those on His left hand have manifested by their conduct that they
are not His; for they have repudiated His authority and His law. There is
perfect harmony here with the teaching recorded in Luke 19:11-27; for the
conduct of those whom He here bids "depart from Me," plainly said "We will not
have this Man to reign over us." There is perfect harmony also with the
teaching of Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 (to which reference will be made
more particularly later on) where he tells of the coming of the Lord to punish
"with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the
glory of His power," those that "Know not God, and that obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ." In both passages the occasion described is the coming
of the kingdom in power and glory; and the eternal blessedness or misery of
the individual man in that day will depend upon whether or not he has obeyed
the gospel. The righteous will then receive the long promised Kingdom, "the
Kingdom of God for which ye also suffer" (2 Th. 1:5). But for the rejecters of
Christ and His gospel, there is "everlasting punishment" (Shall be punished
with everlasting destruction"), away "from the presence of the Lord" (not His
own words, "Depart from Me, ye cursed").
Some have gone far astray in regard to the words: "Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of My Brethren, ye have done it unto Me." For,
in order to make the passage agree with the doctrine of a special judgment-day
salvation for the Jewish nation, the idea has been advanced that, by "My
brethren," our Lord meant the Jewish people (whom he had stigmatized as
"children of the devil," and as a "generation of vipers"), and that living
nations would be blessed or cursed in that day, according as they had treated
the Jews well or ill. But how can there be any uncertainty as to those whom He
is not ashamed to call "Brethren" (Heb. 2:11)? For, in this same Gospel is the
record of His own answer to the question, "Who is My mother? and who are My
brethren." He Himself asked that question; and thereupon He stretched forth
His hand toward His disciples and said, "Behold My mother and My brethren! For
whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My
brother, and sister, and mother" (Matt. 12:46-50). This makes it quite clear;
and all Scripture agrees, that those He is not ashamed to call "Brethren,"
whom He Himself has sanctified and brought to the Father (Heb. 2:10,11) are
they who have received Him by faith. For "as many as received Him, to them
gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His
Name" (John 1:12).
