The Signs of the Times
Israel, not the Church, is the subject of Old Testament prophecies. The times of Messiah's coming to Israel was indeed given in Daniel 9 :24, 25, but all those who have sought to compute the time of our Lord's return (or second coming) from these prophecies, to establish His kingdom upon earth, have necessarily erred. They have applied to the Church what belonged to Israel. The Church was an unrevealed mystery of God's purpose until the Holy Spirit sent by Christ glorified (Jno. 16 :7) had come. A helpful little chart on this subject will be found in the pamphlet, "The Mystery (the Church) and the Kingdom of Heaven," (18 cents. postpaid). It very clearly shows how the Church-the mystery, previously unrevealed-comes in while the prophecies and promises as to Israel are held in abeyance till Israel turns in repentance to the Lord whom they crucified.
Ephesians 3 :3 tells us positively by whom " the mystery" of the Church, the Bride and Body of Christ, was made known. The apostle Paul, Christ's chosen instrument for this revelation, tells us in verse 5, that "in other ages it had not been made known to the sons of men." And as to the length of time of the Church's continuance upon earth, it has pleased God to keep it to His own knowledge -purposely, may we not say-to keep the Church in the attitude of waiting for her Lord.
But if no prophecies have been given as to the set time of our Lord's return for His Church, according to His promise (Jno. 14 :3), we have been warned of the moral conditions that would mark the end of this dispensation of grace. Those conditions are outlined for us in 2 Tim. 3 :1-7 ; 2nd epistle of Peter, Jude, etc. Can anyone, whose eyes are in the least open to the truth, deny that we have been facing such conditions for some period of time already ? God's path for those that fear Him, and seek obediently to walk with Him, is given us in 2 Tim. 2 :15-23.
All this applies to the Church-not to Israel. Israel has been broken off the Olive Tree of privilege and blessing. They have crucified their Messiah, and are for the time lo-ammi (not my people), until the ingathering of the Church is complete, as Rom. chap 9 plainly declares.
Is there any sign that this restoration is near ? In this connection the following from the N. Y. times, of Nov. 9, is of interest and of deep significance :
BRITAIN FAVORS ZIONISM.
London, Nov. 8, 1917.-Arthur J. Balfour, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has written the following letter to Lord Rothschild, expressing the Government's sympathy with the Zionist movement:
" The Government view with favor the establishment of Palestine as a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing will be done that may prejudice the civil or religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine."
Mr. Balfour adds that this declaration of sympathy with the Jewish Zionist aspirations has been submitted to and approved by the Cabinet.
The Jewish Chronicle, commenting on Mr. Balfour's letter, says:
"With one step the Jewish cause has made a great bound forward. It is the perceptible lifting of the cloud of centuries; a palpable sign that the Jew-condemned for two thousand years by unparalleled wrong-is at last coming to his right. He is to be given the opportunity and means by which in place of being a hyphenation he can become a nation. In place of being a wanderer in every clime, there is to be a home for him in his ancient land. The day of his exile is to be ended."
Such an expression from the British Government naturally awoke general interest and great enthusiasm among the Jews generally. The same journal reports a few days later, thus:
The Provisional Zionist Committee yesterday sent a cable message of greeting and congratulation to the Zionist mass meeting which was held in London last night (Nov. 25), to celebrate the promise by the British Government to support the establishment of a Jewish State in Palestine. David Lloyd George, or some member of his War Cabinet, was to speak at the meeting, besides Lord Rothschild, Dr. Weitzman, President of the British Zionist Federation, etc., etc. The cable message from the American Committee read as follows:
"The hearts of millions of our people are filled with joy. The declaration of the British Government, approving the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people is epochal. . . . The declaration is the beginning of the fulfillment of the centuries-old aspiration of Israel to re-establish the Jewish homeland. . . . The united Jewry of America will give the fullest measure of support to the practical working out of the plan."
Within the last thirty or forty years efforts have been made, first to obtain permission from the reluctant Turkish Government, and then to help Jewish colonies to settle in different parts of Palestine; but now, at one bound, it is proposed to re-establish the Jews as a nation in their own land! They will, of course, need guarantees of support to secure national independency among powerful and not-much-trusted neighbors. Who will be the Guarantors, if not a coalition of Western Powers? Thus the prospect looms up of what we read in Daniel 9:27-a covenant to be made by the Roman Prince with Daniel's people (the Jews) " for one week" (the 70th heptad], but, alas, to be broken in the midst of the week, and then desolations shall be poured out upon the desolate people. Scripture informs us that it shall be, above all previous ones, the time of "Jacob's trouble " (Jer. 30 :7)-the time of tribulation for the returned Jews such as was not since the world began (Matt. 24 :21), and the direct cause of this tribulation is mentioned in verse 15 of Matt. 24 and Dan. 9 :27; while the time of its duration and its limit is mentioned in Dan. 12:7-13.
Is the time come for the accomplishment of these things? We know not. There may be further preliminaries to them yet; and God means to keep us, His people, in the attitude of waiting for our Lord from heaven, to take us Christians, home to Himself.
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season ?
" Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when He cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that He shall make him ruler over all his goods" (Matt. 24:45-47).