CONTINUED-IS THE JEW STILL FIRST ON GOD'S PROPHETIC PROGRAM


In regard to the veil now upon the face of Israel, I wish to call attention to the Lord's statement that, so long as the nation reads Moses, the veil remains but whenever she turns to the Lord, the veil will be lifted. If Israel's attention can be taken from reading Moses and the prophets exclusively and she can be led to read concerning the Lord, according to this promise, the veil will be taken away. In view of this principle, then, we can see how this blindness may be removed--namely, by our diverting her attention from Moses to Him of whom Moses spoke. Therefore this passage shows the necessity of our interpreting to Israel the message which the Lord gave through Moses and of showing her Him of whom Moses spake. Of course, God will use the missionaries to the Jews in lifting the veil from their blinded eyes. This position is in harmony with the Lord's statement to the Apostle Paul concerning His appearing to him to make him a minister and a witness of the things wherein he had seen Him and of those things wherein He would still appear to him: "delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes… Paul affirmed that the Lord had appointed him as a witness in order to open blind eyes. God is calling us who are working in the field of Israel to open her eyes by giving her the truth. "The entrance of thy word giveth light." Hence the objection falls.

E. Israel To Be Converted As Saul Was


In I Timothy 1:15 Paul spoke of himself as being the chief of sinners. It would have been hypocritical for him to consider himself as the lowest sinner in the world, because what he did before his conversion was done with a clear conscience (Acts 23:1). Of his Christian life he could say, "It is no longer I that live but Christ liveth in me." Therefore in no sense could Paul say that he was the chief of sinners. A glance at the original Greek shows that the primary meaning of the word translated chief is first. The context of this verse indicates that he was thinking of his miraculous conversion and of the extraordinary manner in which Jesus appeared to him. Therefore the probability is that, in speaking of himself as the first of the sinners of Israel, he was thinking of the conversion of the nation in terms of his own. From this angle we can see that Paul's accepting the Lord as Saviour and Messiah was typical of that of the Hebrew race when it turns to the Lord. In I Corinthians 15 the Apostle spoke of the various appearances of the Lord to His disciples after His resurrection. He concluded his enumeration of these theophanies by saying that "last of all, as to the child untimely born, he appeared to me also." Thus in speaking of his conversion he compared it to the premature birth of a child. i.e., the Lord's appearing in this manner to him at that time was a premature event. This fact lends color to the position that Paul's miraculous conversion was typical of Israel's accepting the Lord at the end of the age when her Redeemer appears from glory.

Some brethren, seeing that Paul's turning to the Lord typifies that of Israel, conclude that the nation will be converted by miraculous intervention alone at the second coming of Christ--apart from the preaching of the gospel. This deduction is rather hasty. What are the facts? We must remember that Paul was present at the execution of Stephen and was one of the leading spirits in the crime. There can be no doubt concerning his hearing Stephen's indictment of the Jewish nation and of the clear presentation of the claims of Jesus by this first martyr. Furthermore, he went into the homes of the Hebrew Christians in Jerusalem and elsewhere and brought them before the civil authorities for punishment because of their being Christians. It is inconceivable to presume that those heroic spirits, who preferred persecution to denying their Lord, would keep their mouths closed and not give forth a clear ringing testimony to the Messiahship of Jesus and His saving power. In view of the facts embedded in the historical record, we are forced to the conclusion that Paul had all the essential facts concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and was intimately acquainted with His followers and their teachings. We are safe in concluding that at the stoning of Stephen, Saul was greatly impressed with the dying words of that hero martyr: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.…Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." There can be no doubt that Saul, as he journeyed on his way toward Damascus to bind those calling upon the name of the Lord, was greatly absorbed with the teachings and claims of Jesus. Psychologically, he was prepared to make the surrender when the Lord Jesus appeared to him at noon on that memorable day. Upon no other hypothesis can we account for his complete surrender and wholehearted acceptation of Jesus as Lord. The essential facts of the gospel and truth concerning the Lord had already been given to him; all that was lacking was the surrender of the will and the acceptance of Jesus as Lord. To tip the scales and to cause him to render the decision, the Lord appeared to him from Glory and spoke to him. Since the facts indicate that his conversion was typical of Israel's accepting her Messiah at last, we may conclude that the essential facts of the gospel will be given to the nation prior to the coming of the Lord Jesus in glory. The remnant of the nation remaining unto that time will be prepared psychologically for that stupendous event. From these facts we conclude that Israel must be given the gospel prior to the coming of the Lord in order to prepare her for that wonderful change. Hence the force of the objection vanishes.

F. Israel's Looking Upon The Lord AT His Second Coming Is The Divine Method Of The Conversion


A hasty glance at Zechariah 12:10 and its connection has led some students to conclude that our Lord's glorious manifestation at the end of the Tribulation is the thing which will bring about Israel's conversion. "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born." Does the passage teach this position?

Since Scripture does not contradict itself but harmonizes, it becomes necessary for us to examine other facts which have bearing upon this question. In Hosea 5:15 the Lord declared: "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly." A careful examination of this passage shows that the prophet was speaking of Israel's confession at the close of the Great Tribulation. The Lord declares that He will not come, in fact not even leave heaven, until Israel acknowledges her offense against Him and seeks His face earnestly. The repudiation of the national sin is antecedent to Israel's conversion and the Lord's return to her. This confession presupposes on the part of Jewry, a knowledge of this national sin which is nothing other than her rejection of the Messiah. We who understand it must give her the facts.

This position is confirmed by the language of our Lord in Matthew 23:39, "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. A study of Matthew, chapters 21 to 23 inclusive, shows that our Lord in chapter 23 was talking to those sitting on Moses' seat--the elders of Israel--namely, the Great Sanhedrin. He concluded His denunciation of their lives and conduct by stating that He often would have gathered Israel together as a hen does her chickens under her wings but they (the leaders) would not. Therefore declared He that their house (house of judgment) would be left unto them desolate and that they would see Him no more until they (the leaders) said just what the common people had proclaimed the day before--namely, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." From this passage it is evident that the leaders of Israel must repudiate the national sin and apply to Jesus this quotation from the 118th Psalm, which is virtual acknowledgment of His divinity and Messiahship.

"Blessed be he that cometh in the name of Jehovah:
we have blessed you out of the house of Jehovah" (vs. 26).

This confession, according to Jesus, is prerequisite to His coming again as her Messiah. In order that the people of Israel, especially her leaders, might repudiate this national sin and proclaim to the world that He is divine and Her Messiah, these truths must be given by the church to all Jewry. At the present time the Hebrew people have no conception concerning our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, nor of His mission in the world; therefore it is obligatory on us who have these truths to give them to Israel in order that she might act upon them.

These six objections which have been briefly noted are not therefore, reasons for our withholding the gospel from Israel; on the contrary, they are strong arguments that we at the present time should give the message to these people who have never had an adequate chance of hearing the truth.


II. QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE LITERARY METHOD


Some good brethren who believe that Israel should be evangelized are not clear on the matter of the way by which this Herculean task can be accomplished in the shortest length of time, in the most efficient manner, and in the most economical way. The method which will meet all the demands of the statement just made is the literary one. Of course, this program alone cannot accomplish the desired results. In fact, no one way in any phase of God's work is to be adopted to the exclusion of all others. There is a time and place for all legitimate means and methods. On account of the fact that the literary method has not been used very extensively in Jewish evangelization, some excellent brethren have not seen its merits; but are seeking for information concerning it. For this class of earnest brethren I wish to notice various aspects of this method. I will also anticipate some possible misapprehensions that might arise in the mind of the reader.

A. Is "Hand-Picked Fruit The Only Scriptural Method"?


Many earnest people having been led to the Lord by the personal touch of godly Christian workers feel that the proper and Scriptural method of bringing men to Christ is the one by which they were won to the Lord. There is no question concerning the Scripturalness of this method. As a rule, the message, that is delivered by word of mouth and energized by a strong personality is very powerful. In many instances the truth must be interpreted to the sinner in the form of godly life; nevertheless, this method is not always possible and not always the best. Circumstances, we know, alter cases.

I may freely admit the great advantage of the personal touch in the hand-picked fruit and at the same time adopt the literary method in an attempt to give the gospel to the greatest number in the shortest length of time. The phase of the subject which we are now considering is based upon an unwarranted assumption. Should the personal touch of the missionary be relied upon exclusively to reach Jewry, the great bulk of the nation would never have an opportunity of hearing the truth, for, comparatively speaking, there are very few Jewish missionaries. To reach the nation in the personal manner and in the short length of time which now remains would demand an enormous army of trained workers. Comparatively speaking, there are very few Jewish missionaries who are prepared in heart and head for the task; hence some other method must be adopted that will reach the nation and that will supplement the work that is carried on by the individual missionary.

While I am discussing the matter of the personal touch and hand-picked fruit, may I speak out of experience and state that in my opinion very few people are qualified and trained to meet the Jew. The nation of Israel, as is well-known to all acquainted with the subject, is a very highly intellectual class of people. This fact demands a high standard of education and training on the part of the missionary to the Jews if he desires to reach all classes. He must be able to meet not only the man of the street but the Jewish merchant, doctor, lawyer, banker, and rabbi. Some very earnest brethren, in my judgment, frequently under rate the importance of sufficient training on the part of the missionary. (Let me say here that an education and training apart from the new birth and complete consecration to Christ instead of being a blessing are a curse.) A fine illustration of the work that can be done by an accomplished and trained missionary is that of the Apostle Paul. This intellectual giant towered head and shoulders above the rest of the apostles. He was a well-trained missionary and most highly educated and, of course, was versatile in all matters of interest and could approach men of every state and calling of life. From the New Testament it seems his labors accomplished more for the cause of Christ than the combined efforts of the other apostles. Since there is not and never will be a mighty, trained army of Pauls in the Jewish mission field--at least during the present dispensation--we shall have to be satisfied with what we have and do the best we can.

While the New Testament recognizes the value of the personal touch, God in giving us His oracles depended upon the more remote medium of the written Word as we see in the sixty-six books of the Scriptures. Hence we have a precedent in the form of the Bible to justify the use of the literary method as a supplement to that of the individual, personal touch of the missionary.