Chapters:
..1 The Kingdom of God
..2 Confirming the Promises
..3 The Contrast Between Abrahams Flesh and Abrahams Faith
..4 The Relation of the Law to the Messiah
..5 The Purpose of the Law
..6 Are the Messianic Promises Still in Effect?
..7 What happened to God's Promises?
..8 Important Events in David's Reign
..9 God's Covenant with David
10 The Message of Daniel
11 The Stone Cut Out Without Hands
12 Did Christ Postpone His Kingdom?
13 Seventy Weeks Are Determined
14 How to Reckon the Seventy Weeks
15 How History Confirms Prophecy
16 The Birth of the messiah
17 The Kingdom of the Messiah
18 Why the Jews Rejected the Messiah
19 The Trial and Death of the Messiah
20 Heralds of the Messiah
21 Heralds of the Messiah (continued)
22 The Termination of the Earthly Kingdom
23 The Temple Described by Ezekiel
24 Jesus Christ Is King
25 There's A Great Day Coming
26 How Long is a Thousand Years?
27 Who's the Antichrist?
28 The King Described by Daniel
29 The Second Beast in Revelation 13
30 The Great Tribulation
31 Who Are the 144,000?
32 The New Jerusalem
Conclusion
Chapter 1
The Kingdom of God
The gospel of Mark literally explodes into action. It begins with the announcement of "the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Verse 2 says "as it is written in the prophets, Behold I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." This was the announcement about the prophet John the Baptist, and in a very few short verses we read, "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time if fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (That is Mark 1:1, 2, 14, 15). The announcement that Jesus brought the gospel to mankind and called it the gospel of the kingdom of God is of paramount interest. It's interesting to note that the gospel is vitally associated with the call to repentance and the exercise of faith. Jesus didn't come to disrupt or dispute the rule of the Romans. He came to deliver people from the bondage of Satan and from sin. Significantly, when some sought to entangle Him in politics, He simply said, "Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it?" They answered their own question by saying," Caesar's." Thereupon Jesus said, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's and unto God the things which be God's" (Luke 20:25).
The kingdom of God is the message of Jesus Christ. When Pilate asked Him at His final trial about whether or not He is king, Jesus replied that He is a king, to this end was He born and for this cause He came into the world. But He also said that His kingdom was not of this world, and that His was a kingdom that wouldn't come with observation; that's to say outward show. It wasn't a kingdom to be demonstrated in politics or power or pomp like other kingdoms in the world. His kingdom was a kingdom of love, a kingdom of deliverance from sin, from Satan, from sickness and from the temptations of the Evil One. His was a kingdom that would endure forever, and His life and ministry succeeded in inaugurating this type of kingdom.
According to Webster's dictionary, one of the definitions of the word kingdom is "the spiritual realm of God." Perhaps the best definition that can be given is "The kingdom of God is the realm in which the will of God is done." The Kingdom of God is a benevolent dictatorship, God being the ultimate authority, with all those who yield allegience to God as subjects.
The Kingdom of God is not a republic where one votes for the leader. Jesus recognized His position when He answered Pilate's probing question, "Art thou a king then?" (John 18:37a). Jesus answered, "Thou sayest I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone that's of the truth hears my voice" (John 18:37b). Jesus was born a king, but as He said in John 18:36, "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence." Thus Jesus verified His Kingship. He also identified His subjects; namely "My servants."
Before we begin a study of the Kingdom of God it's imperative that we know just what the Kingdom of God is. In Luke 17:20, 21 we read, "And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or Lo there! for, behold the kingdom of God is within you." Much of the teaching of Christ was correcting the mistaken expectation of the Jews as to the kingdom of God. The Jews looked for a Messiah with great military skills and political power to lead them to victory over Rome. Israel hated tyranny. But the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed was one that promised victory over sin and deliverance from the power of the devil ( 1 John 3:8).
This is the clear teaching of Luke 19:12-27. In this passage Jesus tells of a nobleman who was to receive a kingdom, and later to return to account for the stewardship of those who occupied the kingdom. We're told that the citizens hated him and sent an ultimatum saying, "We will not have this man to reign over us. In Luke 19:15 we read, "And when it came to pass, that the man was returned....HAVING RECEIVED THE KINGDOM, then he commanded the servants to be called unto him..." In every reference to the kingdom, Jesus acknowledged that it was now in effect. He never indicated that it would be a political kingdom. He never limited it to any segment of humanity to the exclusion of others, for His message was to "whosoever believeth." He came to his own and his own received him not" (John 1:12). In other words, His own people, the Jews as a nation rejected Him.
The history of the Kingdom of God had a long period of preparation before the coming of Christ. Abrahan was a Syrian...living not far from Babylon (Deut. 26:5) in a place called Ur of the Chaldees. Abraham was definitely called by God to leave his surroundings and migrate to a place called Canaan. He was a shepherd. In Canaan he became known as Abram the Hebrew, a word that meant "the other side," because he'd come from the other side of the river Euphrates. Abram settled in Canaan and he sent his servant back to his homeland to get a wife for Isaac. Jacob also went back to his uncle, Laban the Syrian, to find his wife.
Although Abraham, as he became known after his encounter with God (Gen. 17:5) was surrounded with pagan idol worshippers, he maintained the true monotheistic worship of God. He erected an altar in every place he camped. The lineage of faith is preserved in Isaac, and later in his grandson Jacob, to whom twelve sons were born. It was during Jacob's later years that a world-wide famine occurred and the entire family moved to Egypt where they remaind for four hundred and thirty years. During this extended period of time the Israelites increased from a small beginning of less then one hundred, to a nation of more than one million people. The fears of the Egyptians were shown as they imposed rigorous slavery upon the Israelites. They made almost impossible demands of them under the threat of torture if they failed. It was at this time and under these circumstances that Moses was called by God to lead Israel out of Egypt.
It should be noted that no other nation in the world ever began like Israel. There were more than one million Israelites living in absolute slavery under Pharoh's cruel task masters. The Israelites were delivered miraculously from bondage and they forged out a nation that has provided the greatest benefits to the world. At Sinai the Ten Commandments were given. The nation formed at this time is described in Exodus 19:5, 6. "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."
God's original plan was for Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. In other words, the plan was for God to be their God and form them to be His people. But Israel transgressed God's Law and sinned grievously (Exodus 32:8). In doing this, they broke the covenant relationship between Israel and God.
At a much later date Israel committed another sin when they asked for a king like all the nations. In 1 Sam. 8:7 we read, "And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." Israel under her kings can be summed up in God's words to Hosea, "I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath" (Hosea 13:11). It's plain that the kingdom of Israel wasn't the Kingdom of God.
The history of Israel from its earliest beginnings shows the prevalence of idolatry. This idolatry prevailed until the time of Israel's captivity in Babylon. There's no evidence of any significant influence of idolatry after the Israelites returned from Babylon to their homeland. A new spiritual awakening had taken place and we find another form of spiritual leadership had taken control. A group of people known as scribes copied the Old Testament writings with meticulous care and preserved them. Thus they performed an incalculable benefit to mankind. The lawyers who majored in interpreting the law became a significant factor in Hebrew religion. The people known as the Pharisees and the Sadducees should not be overlooked. Strictly speaking the Pharisees were the fundamentalists and the Sadducees were the modernists of their time. The Sadducees didn't believe in angels or spirits. The Pharisees, a word meaning separatists, were adherents of all the fundamental beliefs, although they were extreme legalists and they placed greater emphasis on the letter of the law than they did on the spirit. The Scribes, or writers, were also teachers of the law.
During this period of time the Talmud had it origin. The Talmud was the entire body of the Jewish interpretation of the law and the prophets. Emphasis in the Talmud was placed upon the future of Israel as a political force in its unfolding history. It looked forward to a Messiah who'd have complete dominion in the world and who would deliver the Jews from the bondage of Rome and make of them a great nation. This's where the teaching of what's now called the Millennium originated, teaching that the Messiah would have political power and military control over the world. This teaching was prevalent at the time that Christ was born and His own disciples were influenced by it for a time. We can see this in the request of the mother of James and John who came to Jesus, "Worshipping him and desiring a certain thing of him" (Matt. 20:20). When Jesus asked what she wanted, she said, "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom." She expected Christ to set up a political kingdom and He answered her by saying this was something that was not His to give.
We can also see the same hope in Acts 1:6, where the disciples came to Jesus saying, "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" The answer given by Jesus on this occasion was the promise of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit would be given, and following which they were to be witnesses to Him in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth. This's the last place in the Bible were the kingdom of Israel is mentioned. A restoration of the kingdom of Israel wouldn't result in the Kingdom of God. Jesus came to inaugurate the Kingdom of God, and His mission and His teaching brought this about. Jesus came into this world to suffer and to die, and to give His life a ransom for many. When He announced His Kingdom as being at hand, He said, "Repent ye and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). The gospel is God's good news to man (See also Matt. 4:1`7).
The second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is of utmost significance to every believer. The prominence given this doctrine in the New Testament is adequate testimony of its importance. When we assert our firm belief in the Second Coming we don't differ from the vast majority of Christians who almost universally share this same hope. But when we endeavor to explain the manner of His coming or to predict any of the events that immediately precede or accompany His coming, we're confronted with an amazing labyrinth of confusing and often conflicting concepts.
While this unfortunate disagreement over details is regrettable, it shouldn't discourage anyone from seeking the truth. After all, there's differences of opinion in almost every branch of human enquiry. For instance, there are many different theories about medicine advocated by eminent doctors, but that doen't deter one from seeking help or trying to obtain the best means to combat the ravages of disease. Pupils are often given different instructions on various instruments as advocated by their teachers. This fact doen't impair our appreciation for the harmony and melody of music. Bible doctrines should be regarded in a similar way. Its basic purpose is to reveal God to man and to help man to serve Him more acceptable.
Briefly speaking, there are three general views of the Second Coming. These may be classified Amillennial, Premillennial and Postmillennial views. The Postmillennial concept is that the world will gradually get better and ultimately there'll be a thousand years of peace in which Christ will reign on the earth before the end of the world. At one time this teaching had many adherents, but events including two world wars have contradicted its glowing promises and today very few people subscribe to this belief. Premillennialists teach that Christ will reign on the earth a thousand years before the final judgment. At the present time many evangelical groups hold this view in one form or another. Included in this group are the ones known as the Dispensationalists. It should be pointed out that neither Scofield nor Darby or even Irving originated this teaching. Credit for this must go to two Jesuit priests by the names of Ribera and Alcaser. The conflict arising out of the Reformation was raging, and the teaching of Luther and practically all Protestants at the time was that the Pope was the antichrist. In order to combat this trend the Pope instructed these two Jesuits priests to write something that would counter the Protestant teaching. The Jesuits came out with two different views. The one is called the Preterist View, which mans the historical view of the book of Revelation. The other Jesuit priest came out with the Fururist View, which is the view that the Pope's not the antichrist, but that the antichrist is some creature who will come into the historical arena before the Second Coming of Christ.
This view also includes the idea that there'll be an earthly millennium. It's incorporated in a four-volume historical set of books written by Froom, a Catholic historian. The teaching was practically dormant for some two hundred years, until it was discovered by a man by the name of Irving about the year 1830. It was adopted by Maitland and eventually by Nelson Darby, who became a prolific writer and exponent of the teaching. One of his early converts was a man by the name of C. I. Scofield, who eventually combined the teachings into notes at the bottom of the pages of the Bible that bears his name, the Scofield Reference Bible. Since that time it's become quite widespread and is adopted by many Bible schools at the present time.
It's rather unfortunate that the other term is called Amillennial, which means No Millennium. Strictly speaking, this's not correct. It'd be more correct to call it the Scriptural Millennium, because it does advocate the reign of Christ, but it's a spiritual reign in the hearts of believers. Adherents of this view don't believe in a literal political reign of Christ on earth, but they do believe that the regenerated Christians constitute the Kingdom of God. It's the realm in which the will of God is done, and it's not dependent upon any political power on earth. It's their view that when Christ comes again He'll usher in the Judgment and the end of the world.
It's obvious that the final court of appeal with respect to the interpretation of prophecy is the fulfillment of the event itself. Our belief concerning the Second Coming won't change that event as it's decreed in the council of God. But our belief is vitally important as it relates to our conduct while we await that event. We should therefore approach this Bible study reverently as we search for truth. We shouldn't close our minds to truth, even though it may run counter to some of our previous concepts. Bible truth never changes, but our knowledge and comprehension of that truth is subject to the normal groweth of a child of God.
The Bible was written by ordinary men endowed with spiritual gifts and inspired by the Holy Spirit. It's our firm belief that God intended His Word to be understood by men of ordinary intelligence. It's profitable to enquire into the Word of God to ascertain what He has in store for His children. God is a God of Truth, and of Light, and He invites us to reason with Him (Isaiah 1:18). This study therefore is to enquire reverently into the Scriptures to discover the nature of the reign of Christ and the signs of His return.
Chapter 2
Confirming the Promises
Scripture Magnifies the Lord Jesus...
The Bible's most emphatic in declaring the pre-eminence of Christ in all things, with particular emphasis on His supreme authority in the Church (Colossians 1:16-18). Christ said "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (John 5:22). To reject the words of Christ is to invite peril, for "His Words will judge us at the last day" (John 12:48). From the foregoing statement it's evident that only Christ has the authority to introduce a doctrine that's binding on His believers. Paul said "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8). In a sense these are terrifying words when we consider the many cults and sects in the world today...each competing with the other and asserting its claim to represent the true way. However, there's also consolation in the gospel preached by Paul, and we need consult no sources other than the words of Christ Himself in our search for truth so far as any doctrine is concerned. Since His words are clear and simple we can have assurance that our quest for truth won't be in vain. "If any man will do His (the Father's) will, he shall know of the doctrine" (John 7:17a).
Perhaps no Christian doctrine has produced more diversity of opinion than the Second Coming of our Lord. Most writers substantiate their views by an appeal to godly men in the past who shared their concepts. The fact that devout and scholarly men subsribed to a view is, in itself, not sufficient evidence of its truth, as is demonstrated by the disagreement that exists even among the learned. The teaching of Chirst alone must be the final arbitar by which all conflicting opinions are resolved. He's "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6).
A Further Word About Dispensationalism...
Since Dispensationalism places a great emphasis on the doctrine of premillennialism at the present time, it's worthwhile to define what the doctrine really is. According to this view, we're now in the sixth dispensation, and the millennium or senth dispensation is imminent. It should be pointed out in the interest of accuracy that not all premillennialists are dispensationalists. Dispensationalists subscribe to the concept of the rapture of the church, the future fulfillment of Daniel's seventieth week, which they say has been postponed, and to the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. They may differ in many other details but there's general agreement on the main points just stated. Premillennialism, however, has surfaced in various ways from the very beginning of the Christian era; whereas dispensationalism didn't appear until approximately 1830 A.D. and is described by one of its advocates as follows: "The only complete and exhaustive account of an early fundamental and the very first premillennial movement through which much overlooked and neglected Scripture was recovered arose one hundred and thirty years ago and is widely preached today..." Alexander Fraser, in his booklet, "Is There But One Return of Christ", writes as follows: "About 1840, however, a new school arose within the fold of premillennialism that sought to overthrow what, since the apostolic age, has been considered by all premillennialists as established results, and to institute in their place a series of doctrines that had never been heard before. The shool I refer to is that of the 'Brethren' (or Dispensationalists) founded by J.N. Darby...Scofield's Reference Bible represents a lifelong study of the Scriptures...and Scofield was for a generation an assiduous and admiring student of Darby's writings" (pp.97, 98).
The Source of the Doctrine...
There's general agreement that the doctrine known as Dispensationalism had its origin in the year 1840. Some writers claim it appeared as early as 1830. As a basis for this movement the claim is made that in that year "much overlooked and neglected Scripture was recovered." In order to understand just what Scriptures were overlooked since the beginning of the gospel era until 1840, it's necessarey for us to refer to the writings of those who set forth this extreme position of the premillennial doctrine. The Scofield Reference Bible (to which we'll refer hereafter as S.R.B.) is without doubt the main authority for the doctrine. It's the standard King James Version of the Bible with footnotes inserted at the bottom of the pages by C.I. Scofield. However, it's our conviction that no man has the right to put his uninspired interpretation of the Bible on the same pages on which the Word of God is written. Most cults have resorted to this practice, and among their followers, the notes come to be regarded with the same authority as the Bible itself.
The Bible admonition in this connection should be heeded. "Not in the words which man's widom teachesth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual!" (1 Cor. 2:13). The superior nobility of the Bereans whom Paul commanded resulted from the fact that they "searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). Although Scofield may be regarded as the chief protagonist of the Dispensational doctrine, other writers of the subject are legion.
W.E. Blackstone wrote a book called, Jesus Is Coming, that has almost become an authority on the subject: "Jewish writers throughout the Talmud hold that this millennium will be chiefly characterized by the deliverance of the Jews from all their enemies, recovery of Palestine and the literal reign of the Messiah in unequalled splendor therein. Premillennial Christians hold much in common with the Jews, but also that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah...the Jews had fully developed the doctrine of the millennium as the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures long before the book of Revelation or any part of the New Testament was written. It was the view most frequently expressed in the Talmud that the Messianic kingdom would last for one thousand years. It's easy to discern upon what they founded the doctrine. It's the Sabbath of God's weeks..."on this rock of sacred sevens we can consistently, with the Jews, base our conclusion...that we've the great week of millennium. Six thousand year days of labor and then the millennium, or blessed seven thousandth year of rest" (pp. 37-39).
If we assume the correctness of the rabbis' interpretation of the Old Testament, there'd be no need to examine this question any further because the Talmud did look for an earthly kingdom. We can't agree that there's any consistency in a group of Christians building their hopes on a "rock of sacred sevens" particularly in view of the fact that Jesus delcared that His Words are the only Rock on which we can build (Matt. 7:24). It's not what the Jews taught, but what Christ taught, that must guide us in our search for truth.
Confirmation of the Prophetic Promises in Christ...
Webster's definition of the Talmud is "the book which contains the whole body of the Jewish civil and cononical laws and TRADITIONS, with the commentaries and SPECULATIONS of the rabbis." There are grave reasons to doubt whether the speculation, tradition and commentaries of the rabbis constitute a reliable interpretation of the Old Testament. According to Jesus its teaching "made the Word of God of none effect" (Mark 7:13). It's the only body of teaching that our Lord did specifically condemn. It would surely be unwise to use it as a source book from which to obtain "much overlooked and neglected Scripture." Moreover, Paul drew attention to the erroneous teaching of the rabbis in Acts 13:27 as follows: "For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they've fulfilled them in condemning Him." Both Christ and Paul condemned the rabbis' interpretation of the Old Testament found in Jewish traditiona of the Talmud.
When we consider the fact that the Bible was assembled in its present form no later than the fourth century, and was printed and widely distributed early in the sixteenth century, it seems strange that all the godly men for over fourteen hundred years should have overlooked and neglected anything so significant as the true teachings of the Kingdom of God. We agree that the explanation given by Blackstone is in harmony with the Jewish traditions and speculations. But as such it's not a recovery of ancient Christian doctrine, but rather of Jewish rabbinism. It's not a return to much overlooked Scripture but a departure into Talmudic interpretation which Christ and Paul condemned. Paul said that "Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers" (Rom. 15:8). The word confirm comes from the Greek word bebaioo meaning "to make firm or sure." According to Crabb's English Synonyms "what confirms, removes all doubt; when the truth of a thing is confirmed, nothing more is necessary." Thayer's Greek Lexicon adds "To make good the promises by the event, that is to fulfill them." Paul said Christ confirmed the promises.
God's Covenant With Abraham...
The beginning of the Hebrew nation starts with the Promise God made to Abraham as found in Genesis 12:1-3, "Now the Lord had said unto Abram. Get thee out of thy country, and from they kindred, and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee; and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; and I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." This promise is renewed in Genesis 15:5, with the additional promise that Abram should have a son. "And he (God) brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them; and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed God and He counted it to him for righteousness."
This's probably the most important event in Abram's (Abraham's) life. The words "Abram believed God" are the foundation of all righteousness by faith. God counted Abraham righteous, that is, justified him, because he believed. From that time, Abraham attributed his righteousness to Another (See Rom. 4:3, 9 and 22). It was the birth of righteousness by faith, and in this manner Abraham became the "father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11). There can be no doubt that Christ made reference to this event when He said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and saw it and was glad" (John 8:56). This statement also throws more light on Paul's teaching in Galatians 3:16, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ."
Now since the promises were made to Abraham through Christ, it's easy to trace their fulfillment in each particular promise. The promise already quoted from Genesis 12:1-3 is repeated by Peter in Acts 3:25,26, "Ye are the children of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall ALL the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God having raised up His Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."
The word "seed," you've noted, refers to Christ, and Peter declares here that the blessing is salvation from sin. Salvation is a universal blessing and is offered to all the families of the earth. God's promise that Abraham should be the "father of many nations" (Gen. 17:4, 5) is thus fulfilled in Christ. Since Abraham is the father of all them that believe, he has children in every country on earth today and so he becomes "heir of the world" (Rom. 4:13). Galatians 3:7, 9 says, "Know ye therefore that they which are of the faith, the same are the children of Abraham. So then, they which be of the faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." It should be noted in passing that the blessing was not given until Abram believed God and his name was changed to Abraham. We're blessed in faithful Abraham.
The Contrast Between Abraham's Flesh and Abraham's Faith
Abundant proof is furnished in God's Word that it's Abraham's faith that's important, rather than his flesh. This's a very important distinction, since it determines those who inherit the promises of God. It's not Abraham's descendants in the flesh, but his children by faith who are heirs of the promises. Notice for instance, the preaching of John the Baptist in Matt. 3:9 "And think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father; for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." The people whom John was addressing were Abraham's descendants, but they didn't have Abraham's faith. John compared their flesh to be of no more value in God's sight than the stones about them. A glimpse of what happens should one persist in trusting the flesh is given in Luke 16:22-30. It relates that the rich man cried out in his torment and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me...but Abraham said Son, remember..." Being a child of Abraham in the flesh didn't prevent the rich man from going into torment. He failed to have Abraham's faith.
Now if we refer to Gal. 4:27-31 we'll see the significance of Paul's inspired interpretation. Paul quotes Isaiah 54:1 in Gal. 4:27 as follows: "For it is written, Rejoice thou barren that bearest not, break forth and cry thou that travilest not; (that is Sarah, New Covenant) for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband" (that is the Old Covenant and Hagar). The next verse is significantly explanatory. "Now ye, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise" (Gal. 4:28). Paul had previously identified Ishmael as representing the Old Covenant, or natural Israel. Isaac was identified as the child of promise representing Jerusalem which is above. Now Paul assures us that the divinely-inspired interpretation of the promises God made to Abraham belong to the church under the New and Everlasting Covenant.
Concerning Israel according to the flesh God says, "All day long I have stretched forth my hand unto a disobedient and gainsaying people" (Rom. 10:21). The word disobedient means obstinate, opposed to authority and defiant. To gainsay is to contradict, refuse or renounce. It's described as insolent or insulting. Admittedly these words are severe, but compare them with what Christ said in Matt. 23:28-33. "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity...wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers (Or 'Finish the transgression', Daniel 9:24). Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?...Behold your house is left unto you desolate (Desolate means forsaken by God).
It's in the light of this castigation by Christ and by Paul that we pursue the verdict that befell the Jewish nation. In Gal. 4:30 we read, "Nevertheless what saith the Scriptures? Cast out the bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman, (that is Ishmael representing Israel after the flesh) shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman" (That is, Sarah and the church). Observe too, that the casting out of the bondwoman and her son was final. They never did return to Abraham's household again. This calamitous final judgment is unmistakable. Israel as a nation, both politically and ecclesiastically, is cast away. The old covenant and the law were ended and the new covenant replaced it. Paul's last words on the subject were, "So then brethren, we're not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free" (Gal. 4:31). In this self-evident manner Paul seals forever the fate of Israel as a nation and reveals the inheritance of the church. Both are unmistakable. God's mercy, grace, and salvation from sin are still extended to both Jews and Gentiles as individuals through the cross.
The Two Covenants...
The most unalterable example of God's termination of covenant relations with Israel is recorded in Hebrews 9:16, 17, "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it's of no strength at all while the testator liveth." A testament is a will. When a man makes out his will, he begins by saying, "I hereby revoke all previous wills...wish to dispose of my estate as follows..." A new will automatically cancels all previous wills. The old will becomes null and void. The new will becomes the legal document by which the appointed executor distributes the benefits accruing to the heirs. No one can claim any advantage based on an obsolete will. The new will comes into effect upon the death of the testator.
When Christ died on Calvary, His death ratified the new and everlasting covenant and made it efficacious. From the time of Calvary, all of God's dealing with man have been according to the provisions of the New and Everlasting Covenant. As Heb.8:13 says, "In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." The writer to the Hebrews refers to the covenant as "old" meaning obsolete, that is, ready "to vanish away." Thus the Bible describes how the Old Testament, which was binding upon Israel under the law, was superseded by the New Testament. The old covenant had many things of interest and value in it, but the New Testament is now in force, and the Hebrew letter refers to it as a "better covenant established upon better promises."
The testator in this case is Christ. When He died His will, that is the New and Everlasting Covenant, came into effect. Here we must point out the error of the Dispensational teaching. Dispensationalists maintain that Christ fulfilled part of His promises, but they say the main body of promises will be fulfilled when Jesus comes again. Paul said, "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Cor. 1:20). When the testator dies, the heirs and joint heirs are entitled to the benefits of the will. They don't go to the court to hear the executor tell them that Christ only managed to give them a partial fulfillment of His will and the major portion will be allocated at His second doming. Obviously when the testator dies, all his estate belongs to his heirs according to his provisions. It's legally impossible for a will to be "partially" fulfilled, or part to be held in abeyance. Once the testator dies, the entire will enevitably comes into force.
William Barclay renders valuable aid to this all-important theme. In his New Testament Words, page 64 he has a chapter on "Man and God." Under the heading Diatheke he explains the significance of covenant and will. "The Greeks used two words to convey the idea of a covenant. Suntheke was used for a covenant between equals, such as marriage, the covenant between David and Jonathan, the Gibeonites and Joshua, and so on." If there were, as Dispensationalists claim, a covenant between the Jews and the Antichrist, it would be a suntheke, for according to their teaching it's to be broken in the midst of the week---that is, the future seventieth week. However, the Bible word used to describe the covenant in Daniel 9 isn't suntheke, but diatheke. Diatheke isn't a league or an aggreement that can be broken. Diatheke is a will, in this case it's God's will to man. Christ is the Testator and God dictates the terms according to His Soverign will.
"The term diatheke is used some 281 times in the Old Testament. The Hebrew equivalent is Bereeth and it's always used to indicate a will. The word suntheke is never used in the New Testament. Only diatheke is used. The reason is that suntheke is used between equals, but diatheke is used for a will between God and man. A will is a document entirely made by one, and accepted by another who can't alter its terms, and who couldn't have made them. Diatheke includes our entire theology for it conveys the idea of both our debt and our duty to God. The Word diatheke has in it the inescapable truth that all is of God."
Inasmuch as the death of Christ, the testator, made His will (that is His diatheke) applicable and effectual through the ratification of the New and Everlasting Covenant, it has eternal consequences. He thus caused the "sacrifice and oblation to cease." The old covenant became obselete. We come to God by a "new and living way." Once we establish our identity as "heirs and joint-heirs" with Christ, we become eligible for the benefits of the covenant in which "all the promises to the fathers are included". We're no longer strangers, aliens, without hope and without God, but citizens and heirs of the bounties of God, bequeathed to us through the cross. Dispensationalist err by substituting the word suntheke, which is the only word that could apply to a league between the Antichrist and the Jews to be broken, for the Bible word that's used, namely diatheke, which is applicable to the new and everlasting covenant, that is, God's unalterable will for man.
The Bible makes it clear that there's no other covenant contemplated between God and man. The New and Everlasting Covenant is final and is permanent. It's universal, including all believers---"God so loved the world..." "He shall reign over the house of Judah forever (timeless) and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (without limit) (Luke 1:33). When Christ, the testator, died on Calvary's cross, His testament---the New and Everlasting Covenant---became the valid possession of all His heirs. Israel as a nation fulfilled her purpose and is superseded by the church, which Christ is pleased to call His bride. We must remember that while Israel as a nation was cast aside in favor of the churcch, still Israelites as individuals found favor and forgiveness with God. "God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all" (Rom. 11:32). There's no differnece as far as races go. The ground is level before the cross.
The Chosen People...
The confusing of the natural Israel with the spiritual Israel has led to much controversy. Sometimes people refer to the Jews even yet as "God's chosen people." This is true only in the sense defined by Paul in Rom. 2:28, 29. "For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew which is one inwardly; and the circumcision in that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Like the true child of Abraham, the true Jew is the product of faith and not of the flesh. To claim to be a Jew on any other grounds is declared to be blasphemy in Rev. 2:9, "I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Depending on the flesh and saying one is a Jew doesn't make one a Jew any more than saying that one is a Christian makes one a Christian. Faith is required in order to truly be of the chosen people. In John 3:6 Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh, is flesh," and in chapter 6:63 He said, "The flesh profiteth nothing." That applies to all natural flesh, even the literal descendants of Abraham. This's what Paul had reference to in Rom. 9:6-8, "For they are not all Israel which are of Israel; neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."
The chosen people of the New Testament are clearly defined as the host of believers. Jesus declared that"Many be called but few chosen" (Matt. 20:16). He further restricts the choosing of His followers. John 15:16, 19 says "Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit...if ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Paul shows that from the beginning of time God had this plan of counting His chosen ones, as we read in Eph. 1:4, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world..." This is the group whom Peter fondly referred to in 1 Pet. 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people..." Out of the eighteen times in the New Testament that the word chosen is used, all of the references are either directly or indirectly applied to believers.
Thus we conclude that the true jew or the true Israelite is not reckoned according to fleshly descent from Abraham, but according to spiritual descent, by having Abraham's faith. The significance of this fact is that the promises of God belong to the children of God and not to Israel after the flesh. Concerning Israel after the flesh, Paul said, "They please not God and are contrary to all men...for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost" (1 Thessalonians 2:15, 16). We need but study the history of these unfortunate people during the past nineteen hundred years to see abundant testimony to the truth of the above statement. The Israel of faith, the Christians, inherit all the promises of God according to 2 Corinthians 1:20, "For all the promises of God in him (Christ) are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us."
Chapter 3
The Contrast Between Abraham's Flesh and Abraham's Faith
Abundant proof is furnished in God's Word that it's Abraham's faith that's important, rather than his flesh. This's a very important distinction, since it determines those who inherit the promises of God. It's not Abraham's descendants in the flesh, but his children by faith who are heirs of the promises. Notice for instance, the preaching of John the Baptist in Matt. 3:9 "And think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father; for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." The people whom John was addressing were Abraham's descendants, but they didn't have Abraham's faith. John compared their flesh to be of no more value in God's sight than the stones about them. A glimpse of what happens should one persist in trusting the flesh is given in Luke 16:22-30. It relates that the rich man cried out in his torment and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me...but Abraham said Son, remember..." Being a child of Abraham in the flesh didn't prevent the rich man from going into torment. He failed to have Abraham's faith.
Now if we refer to Gal. 4:27-31 we'll see the significance of Paul's inspired interpretation. Paul quotes Isaiah 54:1 in Gal. 4:27 as follows: "For it is written, Rejoice thou barren that bearest not, break forth and cry thou that travilest not; (that is Sarah, New Covenant) for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband" (that is the Old Covenant and Hagar). The next verse is significantly explanatory. "Now ye, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise" (Gal. 4:28). Paul had previously identified Ishmael as representing the Old Covenant, or natural Israel. Isaac was identified as the child of promise representing Jerusalem which is above. Now Paul assures us that the divinely-inspired interpretation of the promises God made to Abraham belong to the church under the New and Everlasting Covenant.
Concerning Israel according to the flesh God says, "All day long I have stretched forth my hand unto a disobedient and gainsaying people" (Rom. 10:21). The word disobedient means obstinate, opposed to authority and defiant. To gainsay is to contradict, refuse or renounce. It's described as insolent or insulting. Admittedly these words are severe, but compare them with what Christ said in Matt. 23:28-33. "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity...wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers (Or 'Finish the transgression', Daniel 9:24). Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?...Behold your house is left unto you desolate (Desolate means forsaken by God).
It's in the light of this castigation by Christ and by Paul that we pursue the verdict that befell the Jewish nation. In Gal. 4:30 we read, "Nevertheless what saith the Scriptures? Cast out the bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman, (that is Ishmael representing Israel after the flesh) shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman" (That is, Sarah and the church). Observe too, that the casting out of the bondwoman and her son was final. They never did return to Abraham's household again. This calamitous final judgment is unmistakable. Israel as a nation, both politically and ecclesiastically, is cast away. The old covenant and the law were ended and the new covenant replaced it. Paul's last words on the subject were, "So then brethren, we're not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free" (Gal. 4:31). In this self-evident manner Paul seals forever the fate of Israel as a nation and reveals the inheritance of the church. Both are unmistakable. God's mercy, grace, and salvation from sin are still extended to both Jews and Gentiles as individuals through the cross.
The Two Covenants...
The most unalterable example of God's termination of covenant relations with Israel is recorded in Hebrews 9:16, 17, "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it's of no strength at all while the testator liveth." A testament is a will. When a man makes out his will, he begins by saying, "I hereby revoke all previous wills...wish to dispose of my estate as follows..." A new will automatically cancels all previous wills. The old will becomes null and void. The new will becomes the legal document by which the appointed executor distributes the benefits accruing to the heirs. No one can claim any advantage based on an obsolete will. The new will comes into effect upon the death of the testator.
When Christ died on Calvary, His death ratified the new and everlasting covenant and made it efficacious. From the time of Calvary, all of God's dealing with man have been according to the provisions of the New and Everlasting Covenant. As Heb.8:13 says, "In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." The writer to the Hebrews refers to the covenant as "old" meaning obsolete, that is, ready "to vanish away." Thus the Bible describes how the Old Testament, which was binding upon Israel under the law, was superseded by the New Testament. The old covenant had many things of interest and value in it, but the New Testament is now in force, and the Hebrew letter refers to it as a "better covenant established upon better promises."
The testator in this case is Christ. When He died His will, that is the New and Everlasting Covenant, came into effect. Here we must point out the error of the Dispensational teaching. Dispensationalists maintain that Christ fulfilled part of His promises, but they say the main body of promises will be fulfilled when Jesus comes again. Paul said, "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Cor. 1:20). When the testator dies, the heirs and joint heirs are entitled to the benefits of the will. They don't go to the court to hear the executor tell them that Christ only managed to give them a partial fulfillment of His will and the major portion will be allocated at His second doming. Obviously when the testator dies, all his estate belongs to his heirs according to his provisions. It's legally impossible for a will to be "partially" fulfilled, or part to be held in abeyance. Once the testator dies, the entire will enevitably comes into force.
William Barclay renders valuable aid to this all-important theme. In his New Testament Words, page 64 he has a chapter on "Man and God." Under the heading Diatheke he explains the significance of covenant and will. "The Greeks used two words to convey the idea of a covenant. Suntheke was used for a covenant between equals, such as marriage, the covenant between David and Jonathan, the Gibeonites and Joshua, and so on." If there were, as Dispensationalists claim, a covenant between the Jews and the Antichrist, it would be a suntheke, for according to their teaching it's to be broken in the midst of the week---that is, the future seventieth week. However, the Bible word used to describe the covenant in Daniel 9 isn't suntheke, but diatheke. Diatheke isn't a league or an aggreement that can be broken. Diatheke is a will, in this case it's God's will to man. Christ is the Testator and God dictates the terms according to His Soverign will.
"The term diatheke is used some 281 times in the Old Testament. The Hebrew equivalent is Bereeth and it's always used to indicate a will. The word suntheke is never used in the New Testament. Only diatheke is used. The reason is that suntheke is used between equals, but diatheke is used for a will between God and man. A will is a document entirely made by one, and accepted by another who can't alter its terms, and who couldn't have made them. Diatheke includes our entire theology for it conveys the idea of both our debt and our duty to God. The Word diatheke has in it the inescapable truth that all is of God."
Inasmuch as the death of Christ, the testator, made His will (that is His diatheke) applicable and effectual through the ratification of the New and Everlasting Covenant, it has eternal consequences. He thus caused the "sacrifice and oblation to cease." The old covenant became obselete. We come to God by a "new and living way." Once we establish our identity as "heirs and joint-heirs" with Christ, we become eligible for the benefits of the covenant in which "all the promises to the fathers are included". We're no longer strangers, aliens, without hope and without God, but citizens and heirs of the bounties of God, bequeathed to us through the cross. Dispensationalist err by substituting the word suntheke, which is the only word that could apply to a league between the Antichrist and the Jews to be broken, for the Bible word that's used, namely diatheke, which is applicable to the new and everlasting covenant, that is, God's unalterable will for man.
The Bible makes it clear that there's no other covenant contemplated between God and man. The New and Everlasting Covenant is final and is permanent. It's universal, including all believers---"God so loved the world..." "He shall reign over the house of Judah forever (timeless) and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (without limit) (Luke 1:33). When Christ, the testator, died on Calvary's cross, His testament---the New and Everlasting Covenant---became the valid possession of all His heirs. Israel as a nation fulfilled her purpose and is superseded by the church, which Christ is pleased to call His bride. We must remember that while Israel as a nation was cast aside in favor of the churcch, still Israelites as individuals found favor and forgiveness with God. "God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all" (Rom. 11:32). There's no differnece as far as races go. The ground is level before the cross.
The Chosen People...
The confusing of the natural Israel with the spiritual Israel has led to much controversy. Sometimes people refer to the Jews even yet as "God's chosen people." This is true only in the sense defined by Paul in Rom. 2:28, 29. "For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew which is one inwardly; and the circumcision in that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Like the true child of Abraham, the true Jew is the product of faith and not of the flesh. To claim to be a Jew on any other grounds is declared to be blasphemy in Rev. 2:9, "I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Depending on the flesh and saying one is a Jew doesn't make one a Jew any more than saying that one is a Christian makes one a Christian. Faith is required in order to truly be of the chosen people. In John 3:6 Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh, is flesh," and in chapter 6:63 He said, "The flesh profiteth nothing." That applies to all natural flesh, even the literal descendants of Abraham. This's what Paul had reference to in Rom. 9:6-8, "For they are not all Israel which are of Israel; neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."
The chosen people of the New Testament are clearly defined as the host of believers. Jesus declared that"Many be called but few chosen" (Matt. 20:16). He further restricts the choosing of His followers. John 15:16, 19 says "Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit...if ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Paul shows that from the beginning of time God had this plan of counting His chosen ones, as we read in Eph. 1:4, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world..." This is the group whom Peter fondly referred to in 1 Pet. 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people..." Out of the eighteen times in the New Testament that the word chosen is used, all of the references are either directly or indirectly applied to believers.
Thus we conclude that the true jew or the true Israelite is not reckoned according to fleshly descent from Abraham, but according to spiritual descent, by having Abraham's faith. The significance of this fact is that the promises of God belong to the children of God and not to Israel after the flesh. Concerning Israel after the flesh, Paul said, "They please not God and are contrary to all men...for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost" (1 Thessalonians 2:15, 16). We need but study the history of these unfortunate people during the past nineteen hundred years to see abundant testimony to the truth of the above statement. The Israel of faith, the Christians, inherit all the promises of God according to 2 Corinthians 1:20, "For all the promises of God in him (Christ) are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us."
Chapter 4
The Relation of the law to the Messiah
Moses the Man...
Next to Abraham, Moses is probably the most outstanding character in Hebrew history. His name is revered wherever the Bible is known. "As a historian, an orator, a leader, a statesman, a legislator, a patriot, and as a man, Moses stands pre-eminent. But no mere genius could've made him the originator of sound jurisprudence and the great teacher of monotheism and sound morality---except he had also been a prophet of the Most High, supernaturally guided and aided in his work" (Young's Analytical Concordance, p. 670).
Our chief concern in this study is to note the part which the law of Moses played in introducing righteousness. Remember that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, (Rev. 19:10) so we're not surprised to find a close relationship between the law and the gospel and between Moses and Christ. The inspired writer to the Hebrews wrote thus of Moses: "He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter...esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt...for he endured as seeing him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:24-27). This shows how closely Moses was associated with Christ by faith.
Covenant Nature of the Law...
The name of Moses is inseparably connected with the Law. "The first five books of the Bible are known as the Pentateuch; "Pena" meaning five, and "teuch" meaning tools or book" (Webster). They're also referred to as the Book of Moses or the Law of Moses, or just the Law. Sometimes they're called statutes and judgments, and they were venerated as divine injunctions by the Hebrew people. The terms of the Old Covenant or Testament which God made with Israel under Moses rightly engage our attention at his point. In Exodus 2:24 we read, "And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." Notice here the continuity of God's covenant with Abraham, which was essentially a covenant of justification by faith, and was designed to bless every family on earth. Let's see how the law advanced the cause of justification by faith.
In Exodus 9:5, 6 we find one of the most important statements concerning this law. "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine; and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." The if and then of the above covenant suggest conditions which Israel had to fulfill before they could claim any blessing from the contract. Again we turn to Deut. 11:26-28 and read, "Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; and a curse if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day to go after other gods which ye have not known."
The Covenant Broken...
The story of Israel's transgression is told in Exodus 32. Moses had been forty days on the mountain communing with God, and during his absence the people had made a golden calf and worshipped it. In doing so they not only broke the covenant of the Ten Commandments but they forfeited all it's blessings and became exposed to the curses. Only persistent importunity in prayer by Moses prevented God from destroying the nation, and beginning over again with Moses at the head of it (Exodus 32:10). God did punish Israel and never did renew to them the particular promise that they should be a "kingdom of priests, and a holy nation." It wasn't lost however, for God's purpose can't fail.
Thus we find a new "Israel composed of a priesthood of believers, a holy nation redeemed by the blood of Christ fulfilling the conditions in 1 Pet. 2:9, "But ye (believers) are a chosen generation (that is the chosen people) a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a purchased people, that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." The reason Israel failed is revealed by Paul in Rom. 9:32, "They sought it (i.e. righteousness) not by faith." They forfeited their claim to the main promises given them, and these were transferred to the faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the law provided a curse for disobedience as well as a blessing for obedience. This is reiterated time and again throughout Deuteronomy. A correct understanding of God's promises is not possible unless we recognize the conditions on which they're given. We must remember that a covenant is an agreement, the terms of which must be carried out by both contracting parties in order for it to remain in force. It's evident that the one who fails to fulfill his part of the contract automatically loses the right to claim any benefit from it. Considering the fact that the terms of the law covenant are so clearly stated, and so flagrantly broken by the Jews, it seems strange that anyone could overlook the significance of this. The bitter complaint of Moses and the prophets was that the people had forsaken, transgressed and had broken the law of God. The curse, therefore, became a certainty. At first glance it may appear that a law which demanded such an high moral and spiritual standard, with the threat of such dire consequences for any infraction of the sacred covenant, was an unjust requirement by God. It's quite apparent that the average worshipper found its attainment impossible. This was what God intended, for it permitted the operation of His grace which was their only hope. God's benign purpose will be unfolded more fully as this important phase of the subject is considered in the following pages.
