prised. True, the nation has returned in unbelief but it is the most amaz ing fulfillment of prophecy in the twentieth century. 3. The Bible Prophecies concern ing the Gentile Nations. Another line of prophecy, found in the Old Testament, has to do with Gentile dominion over the earth. And here again, the literal fulfillment of many of these prophecies gives unmistak able proof of the divine inspiration of the Word of God. In the second and seventh chapters of Daniel, God foretold that there would be four Gentile world empires —Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. Every school boy knows that the course of history has run into this mold. Of these four, Babylon, Medo- Persia, and Greece have come and gone. Ancient Rome, too, has gone; and in the place of the old Roman Empire, the nations of modern his tory have come into being. One day Rome’s “deadly wound” will be “ healed” (Rev. 13 :3 ); and the last form of the Roman Empire — re vived—will run its course. When Daniel was given these prophecies, none of them had come to pass. All were then in the future. Today, after 2,500 years, most of them have become history. By all that is logical and reasonable, are we not to believe that the yet unful filled portions of Daniel’s prophecies will be literally fulfilled? Add to this the testimony of our Lord Himself, who quoted Daniel (Matt. 24:15); add to this all the prophecies of John in Revelation, which dovetail with Daniel, fitting the prophetic picture as hand in glove; add to this all the prophecies of the other apostles, which corroborate and complete the picture. And what have you? Not only God’s plan of the ages; but also a clear mark of inspiration of both the Old and the New Testaments. No mere man could have foreseen cen turies and centuries of world his tory! No mere man could have writ ten the Bible, which is the eternal Word of the living God! 4. Bible Prophecies con cern ing Other “Signs of the Times." In ad dition to the three lines of fulfilled prophecy which we have been con sidering, there are other specific pre dictions concerning the “ signs of the times,” which shall prevail as this age of grace draws to a close. Our Lord warned against the setting of dates for His return; yet He Him self gave us some of these “ signs of the times,” that we might know when that day is approaching. Read His Olivet Discourse, recorded in Matthew 24:1—25:46 for some of
be meted out. God said so—to Abra ham; and God always keeps His word! To the father of the Hebrew nation He said, “ I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee” (Gen. 12:3). No Satan-inspired man or people can get rid of the Jew! The pages of history are filled with the record of miserable defeat and bitter retribu tion that have fallen upon the per secutors of God’s chosen people, whether they were nations or indi viduals. Not only so; but the promised blessing upon all who love Israel has been and ever will be bestowed by A MOTHER'S PRAYER Lord, nothing I can say will be enough To keep him at my side; But, when the way grows long, and steep, and rough, Be Thou his guide. My love would hold him close, but distance calls: The far horizon's rim Beckons. Beyond the shelter of these walls, Remember him. Thy mother knew the anguish, sud den, brief, That makes these eyes go blind With woman's tears: But Thou didst know the grief Of all. mankind. Thou wast a young man once in Nazareth . . . Henceforth I must forego His secret thoughts, his dreams of life and death, But Thou wilt know. This is the end: The work of heart and hands— The mother-task— all done; But, safely, with the One who under stands I leave my son. — Helen Frazee-Bower our covenant-keeping God. “ I will bless them that bless thee,” He said to Abraham. It should not be a hard thing to love the people who gave us our Lord and His written Word! Our sense of gratitude tells us that. Moreover, we have God’s direct com mand and His sure promise, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6). What of the return of the Jews to Palestine? When the Jewish state of Israel was born May 15, 1948, upon the ending of the British mandate over Palestine, the world was as tounded. Only those who knew the prophetic Scriptures were not sur
pre-written by God’s Holy Spirit concerning the history of the Jew: The Jew would give to the world the only Saviour of sinners. The Jew wou ld be scattered among the nations. The Jew would not be reckoned among the nations; he would dwell alone. He would not be assimilated by the nations; his identity would be preserved. The history of the Jew among the nations would be one of blood and tears. He would find no place of rest among the Gentiles. God would curse the nations that persecuted the Jew; and bless the nations that blessed the Jew. At the end of the Gentile age God would regather the Jew to the land of Palestine, and establish His people there. In these six statements we have God’s pre-written history of Israel. And every wise person knows that these six statements are literally true. That the Jew gave to the world Christ, the only Redeemer, history abundantly proves: In fulfillment of the many Old Testament prophecies, a few of which we have read earlier in this lesson, the eternal God came down to become “ The Prince of the house of David,” “ God manifest in the flesh,” “ Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” What a debt of love the Gentile world owes to the Jew! Not only did Israel give us our Saviour, but the Bible was written by Jews, “holy men of God,” who were “moved by the Holy Ghost.” God knew that Israel would reject her Messiah and King; and know ing this, He foretold her bitter chas tisement and suffering, brought upon her by her own unbelief. Moses said: “ And thou shalt become an aston ishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.” (Deut. 28:37.) My friends, except by inspiration from God, such words concerning the people of Israel could not have been written more than three thou sand years ago. How marvelous are these prophe cies when read in the light of the actual history of Israel! Man can disperse other peoples, and annihi late them as nations; but here is a distinct people, still a distinct people thousands of years after their dis persion ! Israel cannot be disposed of by dispersion. For such atrocities as men like Adolph H itle r have perpetrated against Israel, throughout the ages, certain and terrible judgment will
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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