- 9
261
May 1926
_________________ T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
THE JEW : The Source of theWorld's
Herewith is presented the second and concluding in stallment of this thought provoking article on “ The Jen/’ by Dr. Matthews. A keen student o f Biblical prophecy, he brings to bear upon his treatment of this interesting theme all the vigor o f his consecrated in tellect.' ! Always a subject of real interest to Christian people, but now especially timely in view o f their pres ent return in considerable numbers to the Palestinian homeland, the question nat urally arises as to what sig nificance may attach to this present trend. This Dr. Matthews endeavors to an swer according to his own understanding o f its pro phetic meaning.
Salvation and Sorrow DR. MARK A. MATTHEWS
Paator of the First Presbyterian Church Seattle, Washington
Synopsis of First Installment: "The Jew— Notthe Productof Evolution;" "A God-Elected Witness;" ‘The Jew— The Source of Salvation;” "No Jewish National Existence Now. PART II H OTE these three reasons for the national rejection of the Jew: (1 ) Because of his idolatry i (2 ) Because of God-elected characteristics and na tional distinction. Isn’t that a fact? And yet he does not exist nationally, and cannot now exist nationally.
The Jew was decreed to be a bless ing to the world. He shall yet be a blessing to the world. In the Script ural sense that I am talking about, he has not been the blessing since he rejected Christ, because he has not had the blessing to bestow. And yet, d great blessing has come to the world through the Jew, namely, Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Christ. (2 ) The Source o f Rationalism Now, if through Christ and through the Jew this partial blessing— this blessing of salvation, this blessing of Christianity—has come, what will be (he blessing when the Jew nationally is brought back to God, regenerated and used as the evangelistic agent of God? Can you imagine it? Is it not marvelous? What will be the blessing? What have the Jews who rejected Christ been doing? They have been in all the countries of the world. They have known the Scriptures; and yet, the Jew is responsible for the evil propaganda of infidelity in the world. The real rejection of the Scriptures throughout the world has been the result of the propaganda of unregen erated, unsaved Jews. Spinoza, if you please, who once occupied a place as an orthodox Jew, and who was re jected by the Jews, and his compan ions— Spinoza is responsible, not only for the atheism, the attack upon the validity of God’s Word, but, he and his are responsible for the rationalism that, today, is cursing the world. Very easy to understand, isn’t it? In the providence of God, the Jew was decreed to be, not only a national blessing, but an individual blessing. If the Jews rejected their King and their Christ, who, according to their own Scriptures, came without broken line through David and Joseph, and,
his rejection of Christ; (3 ) Because he refused the Gospel to the Gentiles. He was required to give the Gospel to the world. It was the decree of God, the command <>f God. It was the duty of the Jew to give the Gospel to the world. Let me digress for a moment and say that the Jew will ultimately give the Gospel to the world. But, when he rejected Christ, then he rejected the opportunity of giving the Gospel to the world. The Jew was nationally rejected by Almighty God for these reasons. The land was taken from him. Immedi ately? No, he lived In Palestine nearly forty years after the Crucifixion of Christ, but the land passed out of his power and out of his control, and it has been out of his control ever since. It will never be restored to him until the steps that God has decreed are ful filled for the restoration of that land. But, that land shall be restored to him, and he shall be restored to that land. (1 ) The Jew— a Pact, Not a Theory Now, let us see what he has been doing since that time: He has been scattered all over the world. You should keep ever before you that the Jew is a fact— not a theory, nor a doc trine, nor a chance. The Jew is a fact __the most stubborn fact in history. Since the rejection of Christ, and since the Jew has been nationally re jected, what has occurred? He has been scattered all over the world, and has been imbedded in all the nations of the world, and yet he has not lost one single characteristic. Wrap him up in the nationality of any country, bury him in the bosom of any national ity, and you cannot destroy his individ uality and God-decreed, God-created,
on the other side of the house, through Mary— and they cannot deny the line unless they deny the Scriptures— and, therefore, In order to avoid the line and the convincing fact of the infalli bility of God’s Word they must attack it, though it came through their own lines and through their own prophets, they have been not a blessing, but a curse. Not only that, but they are respon sible for the rationalistic teachings of today; and, out of those rationalistic teachings, they, knowing the Scrip tures, have been led into the heresies of which you have heard. Some have undertaken to say that, through human efforts, human governments, and through human agencies, they would establish and accomplish what God has decreed in His Holy Word shall take place at the right time and under the right circumstances. They undertook to say that out of govern ments, and empires and republics they would build a government, estab lish an empire, set up a kingdom and ruie. But, they will never do it by human means, nor by human govern ments. It cannot be done in that way. There are prophecies in God’s Word, there are infallible statements in God’s Word, that when the time comes the kingdom of Israel shall be « established, and on the throne of David. The only one entitled to sit on it, namely, Jesus Christ, will occupy if and will reign supreme over the
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs