August, 1939
324
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
vision; and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy [Lit., a most holy place]/’ In this passage several points should be noted: First, all these blessings have to do with a certain people and a certain City —the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem. It is Jewish transgression and sin that is to be brought to an end. No more, after tlje close of the 70th week, will this people be found in re bellion against their own God and Messiah. Second, the phrase “to make recon ciliation for iniquity” does not here refer to the death of Christ, as some have assumed, but refers to what God will do for Israel ón the basis of the death of Christ. As Sir Robert Ander son has already pointed out; the sacri fice itself was not the reconciliation, but rather the means by which the reconciliation was made. At His glori ous appearing, which will close the 70th week, our Lord on the basis of His sacrifice at Calvary will “reconcile” the chosen people unto Himself. Third, “to seal up vision and pro phecy" is generally taken to mean that prophecy is to be brought to an end by its ~fulfillment, but there may also be the further idea that the very fountain of prophecy will be sealed because with the Son of God personally on earth His word will go forth directly, no longer through the medium Of the pro phet. Fourth, “to anoint a most holy place” (R. V. margin) is undoubtedly the cor rect reading and translation. The refer ence is to the great millennial temple which will be consecrated as a place of worship and prayer for all nations at the beginning of Messiah’s kingdom. During that blessed age, not to Geneva, nor to Rome, will men come to worship the Lord. But there will be a temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, and there God will meet with men in a “holy place” sanctified by the personal presene^ of our Lord Jesus Chirst ' Himself. This will ' not abrogate the universality of worship ushered in by Calvary (John 4:21-24), as some have objected, but will add to this universality a further glory in the personal presence of the Son of God on earth. To go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord will no more detract from the present univer sality and spirituality of worship, than the going to a church building for worship as we do today. Today even modernistic theologians will spend a great deal of time and energy and money to make the trip to Jerusalem for the purpose ; of seeing the city where His blessed feet once trod. It will be a thousand times more wonderful to gò when He is there once mòre, as we trust He soon will be. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” [TH E END ]
flee into the mountains . . . For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:15-21). It should be noticed that our Lord sets the beginning of this terrible persecution at the time of the placing of the “abomination of de solation” in the "holy place,” which can be nothing else but the moment in the middle of the week when the Beast breaks his treaty, stops the sacri fice, and usurps for himself the holy place of divine worship in the temple. The Coming Storm The outbreaking and almost universal spread of anti-Semitism, incredible as it may seem today, is but the prelimin ary blast of the storm which is yet to come. There will be a false calm during the first Sy2 years of the 70th week under the treaty with the Roman Beast. Then the storm will break in its final fury, so terrible that our Lord has said, “Except those days should be shortened there should no f l e s h be saved: but for the elects sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:22). The Greek verb does not mean “de crease,” as our English term “shorten” might suggest, but rather the idea of limitation. In His mercy, God will de finitely “limit” the time of this “great tribulation” to exactly 1,260 days. To prolong the period would endanger the very existence of the chosen race. Israel Reconciled to God 6. The end of this final seven-year period will bring to its close the entire series of the Seventy Weeks, and there fore will usher in the great blessings promised to Israel in Daniel 9:24. “Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish [the] transgression, to make an end of sins, to make .reconciliation for [purge away] iniquity, and to bring in ever lasting righteousness, and to seal up
VIEWS AND REVIEWS [Continued from page 294]
case of war, some ten million Czechs could be counted on to give aid and comfort to the Reich’s enemy at every opportunity. Hence, a "cultural advance” through Czechoslovakia is being strategically planned. The little nation will be "Prus sianized” through a “Supreme Cultural Council” already set up to direct the subtle propagandizing of Czechs into Hitlerites. Propaganda, like everything else, probably has its limitations. Yet, so far, these seem not to be in sight. Human nature itself can, temporarily at least, be radically altered by effective use of propaganda. Hen can be made to act contrary to their own nature. They can be made to think contrary to their Own convictions. Democracy can not defend itself unless it can give to men convictions of Right, convictions of Morality, convictions of Justice, so strong and so set and so secure that the most diabolical forms of propa ganda cannot shake or subvert them. (Jer. 30:7) so fully discussed by the Old Testament prophets. As. a divinely inspired prediction, it was an old story in the days of Daniel. Daniel’s contri bution to the prophecy was to provide the chronology of the period of perse cution. Our Lord paid special attention to this period in the future history of Israel, warning them solemnly t h a t "When ye therefore shall see the abom ination of desolation, spoken of by Dan iel the prophet', stand in the holy place I • •Then let them which be in Judea DANIEL’S PROPHECY OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS [ Continued, from page 299]
SICK FROM HUNGER. RUSSI0N CHRISTIAN APPEALS FOR HELP
We just received a letter from one of the missionaries describing the terrible suffering conditions of one of,, the Russian families on the border of Soviet Russia. The letter reads as follows: “Dear Brother Pleshko: l am writing this letter to you in a hurry to let you know about the terrible economic conditions of one of the Christian families. The mother of this family is sick in bed from being undernourished. I have not found a thing to eat in their home. / have helped them all I could but how long will my help last them? They need constant support, and fj am not able to assist them much as I am in great need myself. Please send them support at once, otherwise she will die. Yours in Him, B. F.” We are urging all God’s children to help us save the life of this dear sick Christian mother and her family. Send your gifts to: RUSSIAN CHRISTIAN RELIEF SOCIETY 690 Eighth Avenue, Room 506 K, New York, N. Y, Rev. Peter Pleshko, General Director
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