Continued-Who Is Holding Up God's Program? The - Jew? Gentile? Church Of God? The Seven Point Answer

According to this position, Jesus made no claim to Deity, nor did He perform any of the great miracles which are attributed to Him by the evangelists. The miraculous elements of the gospel are but later accretions to the stories which arose after the death of Jesus. The truth about this noble young patriot, so runs the theory, must be extricated from the fictitious history and miraculous stories that gathered around His name and that eventually were incorporated in the gospel narratives. In other words, this position is that which is held by the liberals in the Christian ranks. It presents Him as a great and noble man who simply taught the very highest ethics and morals to His people. His untimely death by execution cut His great work short. Such is this third theory concerning the Lord Jesus Christ held by a limited group in Jewry--the liberal wing.

The doctrine that Jesus of Nazareth was God in human form, having entered the world by virgin birth, according to the Old Testament predictions, is a teaching foreign to Jewish thought. It is as far from their conception of religion as the poles are apart or the east is from the west. In view of these facts, it becomes absolutely imperative that facts--historical facts--concerning the ancient martyrdom of Jesus Christ and His saving grace be made know to the Jewish nation in order that she, feeling the guilt of that ancient martyrdom, might turn to Him for salvation. It becomes necessary that all the facts--the salient points--be given to the nation in order that she might turn to Him with all of her heart and accept the full and the free salvation which He has purchased for every creature.

It has become abundantly evident to everyone, I feel sure, who has read this booklet thus far, that the matter of giving the gospel to world-Jewry is one of the most imperative challenges to the Church at the present time. God's order of events is being held up by Israel's failure to make her next moves--namely, to repent of the ancient martyrdom and to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ as her Lord, Saviour, and Messiah. Hence the answer to the question, "What is holding up God's procession?" may be stated in the simple formula: By the people of God, the regenerated ones, who believe the Bible to be the Word of God, the truth of the gospel must be given to the nation of Israel, for until this task is accomplished God will never make the next moves of sending the revival and causing the Messiah to return.

By the Scriptures we are thoroughly convinced that the gospel at the present time is to be given to the Jew first, that we are near the close of the age, and that there must come forth from Israel the evangelists who will preach Christ to the world during the Tribulation (Rev. 7). One may ask, "How can we in the most efficient, the most economical, and the swiftest manner give the gospel to the 17,000,000 (Ed. 1936) Jews scattered throughout the world?" in order to call forth these flaming evangels of the Cross? The Biblical Research Society's answer to this most important question is "the literary method." It neither discredits nor discounts, in the least, the personal touch. On account of the vastness of the task to be accomplished and the many complications arising out of a world-wide situation, the literary method promises the only hope of getting the gospel to the ENTIRE nation in the remaining short time.

In this connection an important question arises in the mind of the thoughtful student: "What are the difficulties that must be met in giving the gospel in a most efficient manner to these 17,000,000 Jews?" When one takes into consideration the mental and theological background of Israel and her present attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ, it becomes immediately evident that there must be a clear-cut, logical analysis of her misunderstandings concerning Him and of the Scriptural teaching relative to His redemptive plan for the world. A thorough study of the entire situation reveals the fact that there must be a seven-point program to meet the spiritual need of the Jew in presenting to him the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

According to the Jewish orthodox conception of the inspiration of the Old Testament, the Torah (the law of Moses) was infallibly inspired by the Spirit of God and has no mistakes. The second division of the Old Testament, -- namely, the Prophets, according to the theory, has mistakes in it, since the writers were not fully inspired as was Moses. With this thought dominating his thinking, the Jew naturally does not attach the same significance to statements by the Prophets that he does to those given by Moses. According to his conception the third division of the Hebrew Scriptures consisting of the books beginning with Psalms and ending with II Chronicles has even less authority than the Prophets.

Since such is the view entertained by the orthodox Jew, every doctrine must first be presented as given by Moses and then enlarged upon from material drawn from the Prophets. Therefore one must find the germinal thought for every doctrine which he wishes to present to the Jews in the five books of Moses.

Misunderstanding his Scriptures, the Jew affirms that Moses and the Prophets declared there is but one God. The fact is that when one understands Hebrew grammar and the signification of the words found in Israel's Great Confession (Deut. 6:4), he will see that the Hebrew Scriptures teach both the plurality and the unity of the one God--namely, the Trinity. The doctrine of the three Persons of the Godhead must be thoroughly set forth to the Jew from the standpoint of the Hebrew Scriptures. Since he rejects the teaching of the New Testament, it is a mistake to attempt proving the Trinity from the New Testament point-of view. One must confine his discussion to that of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Since the doctrine of the Trinity is the fundamental dogma of the Bible, it becomes necessary to explain it to the Jew before attempting to teach him any of the other great truths of the Scriptures.

After the teaching concerning the Trinity has fully been set forth from the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, the next step to follow in the logical unfolding of the truth to the Jewish mind is to show that, according to God's eternal plan, one of these Divine Personalities was scheduled to come in human form in order to devise a way of redemption for the human family. The Jew believes in a Messiah, or a Messianic age. The orthodox group which constitutes the great majority of the nation, believes in a personal Messiah who will yet come for the redemption of Israel. They have no adequate conception of this coming Deliverer. They formulate their idea of Him from the data which is found in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles concerning such men as Saul, David, and Solomon, each of whom was called the Lord's messiah, or anointed, as our English version renders the Hebrew. From this data the Jew concludes that the Hebrew Messiah is to be another person like Saul, David, or Solomon. Each of these men was born by natural generation, their fathers and mothers being individuals named in the sacred record. Since the Jew does not study the Word microscopically, as Christians do, he concludes that King Messiah is to be simply a man, another David.

It becomes necessary, therefore, that the promise concerning the Messiah be traced very minutely from its inception in Genesis 3:15 throughout the Torah (the five books of Moses) and through the Prophets. In the Old Testament it is found that King Messiah is God in human form who enters the world by virgin birth for the purpose of redeeming the human family.

Inasmuch as the Jew accepts the Old Testament but rejects the New Testament, one must give him the full teaching relative to King Messiah as presented in that portion of the Word. Therefore those passages which prove that King Messiah is God in human form who enters the world by virgin birth and which describe His twofold nature must be expounded in a clear and logical manner in terms that the average Jew can understand. The presentation of this teaching is the second step in unfolding to Israel the glories of King Messiah.

Inasmuch as the Jew is simply looking for a messiah who will be a military leader, another David, he is expecting one who leads his people back to Palestine, i.e., a portion of the nation and who marshals her forces against the invasion of Gog of the land of Magog (Russia), which event will occur in the latter days. This theory is enlarged upon by certain ones who hold that there are to be two messiahs: one, the messiah of suffering who leads the Jews back to Jerusalem, who marshals the national armies and who falls in battle: the other, the Messiah of Glory, the second David, who upon the death of the first Messiah is brought providentially to the attention of the Jewish nation. He will be a great military strategist and will be appointed to take the place of the fallen leader. In supreme command of the nation He, by His ingenuity and military genius, will expel the Russian forces and liberate the land of Palestine once more. Immediately upon the cessation of hostilities He will mount the throne of David and make Israel the head of the nations as foretold in Deuteronomy 28:13.

Concerning a superhuman Messiah, the God-Man, the Jew has no conception. It becomes necessary, therefore to show the entire redemptive career of Messiah as set forth in the Old Testament in order to present the truth relative to the Lord Jesus Christ to him. The classic passage showing this outline of Messiah's life and activity is Psalm 110. Speaking dramatically, I would say that, when the curtain rises in this poem, we recognize the scene as one laid in Jerusalem. Messiah is there surrounded by the leaders of the nation who are hostile to Him. When they thus reject Him, God in heaven invites Him to leave Jerusalem, to ascend to His right hand, to sit there until He makes his enemies the footstool of His, Messiah's, feet, and finally to return when Israel accepts Him enthusiastically, renouncing her national sin of having rejected Him. At that time He will return and establish the throne of David and restore Israel to her promised glory.

This psalm together with several other passages in the Old Testament presents the two comings of the one Messiah which are separated by the interval during which He is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. The great objection which the Jews have waged against the Christian doctrine of the Messiahship of Jesus is that the Messiah, promised in the Old Testament, comes and delivers the nation of Israel from her enemies, whereas Jesus never did anything of that nature. With such a theory in mind, it is impossible to show the Hebrews that Jesus was and is their true Messiah.

One must select passages as Psalm 110, which give the two comings of the one Messiah and the interval separating those events during which He is seated at the right hand of God. When this redemptive scheme of King Messiah is not presented as a whole from one passage but is shown from quotations that deal separately with the two comings, the Jew declares that the Christians are garbling his Scriptures in order to bolster up a case for Jesus of Nazareth. Such is the line of argument followed by Rabbi Isaac of Trokin in his Chizzuk Emunah, the strongest attack against Christianity from the Jewish ranks ever written. This book contains in the English translation 295 pages. We must not give anyone an occasion of accusing us of garbling the Scriptures to uphold the claims of Jesus. Hence the third logical step in unfolding the truth to Israel is to present the redemptive career of Messiah from the Old Testament viewpoint.

The fourth logical step in giving the gospel to the Jew is to show him according to the Old Testament Scriptures the very time when Messiah was scheduled first to appear in carrying out this great redemptive scheme. In order to do this thing those passages in the Old Testament that point to the time and the conditions which exist at His first appearance must be expounded in the light of their contexts.

It is evident from a casual reading of the first two chapters of Luke that, when Jesus was born, there was in certain circles at Jerusalem a general expectation of the year of Redemption and King Messiah's appearance. The prophetess Anna and faithful Simeon were of this company. The announcement of John the Baptist that the time was fulfilled and that the kingdom of heaven was at hand needed no explanation--at least none was given so far as the New Testament record is concerned. These facts show conclusively that the people were in expectation of Messiah's first coming. Corroborative evidence of this position appears here and there throughout the gospel narratives. There is but one answer: the people were relying upon the definite chronological statements made in the Old Testament concerning Messiah's first appearance (Dan. 9).

In the second quarter of the first century there was a general expectation of Messiah's immediate appearance. This is seen in the Talmudical writings. Rabbi Abba Silver of Cleveland, Ohio, proves this point conclusively in his book, Messianic Speculations in Israel. This confidence proves that the Jews had searched carefully the chronological predictions of the Old Testament. According to Rabbi Silver, they have throughout the centuries since the coming of Christ endeavored to calculate the year of Redemption and the time for Messiah's appearance. Therefore if one wishes to present to the the Jew in an intelligible manner, he must give the chronological data that is found in the Old Testament. Hence in my fourth book, Messiah: His First Coming Scheduled, I shall not only examine those predictions which tell of the time and the conditions which exist when Messiah makes His first appearance, but I am compelled to present the whole chronological scheme found in the Old Testament from Adam to Christ and show conclusively the very year when Messiah was to be executed.

This necessity becomes immediately apparent to one when he realizes the position which is taken by outstanding Jews. For instance, and outstanding Reformed Rabbi wrote an article that presented the question in this simple manner: Regardless of how we Jews interpret the Messianic predictions, whether personally or as referring to a Messianic era, we must recognize that the Jewish position is diametrically opposed to that taken by the Christians. The Jew affirms that the Messianic prediction awaits fulfillment; the Christian on the contrary, believes that they have been fulfilled in the coming of Jesus of Nazareth. Thus argues the Rabbi, Christians and Jews can never agree on the fundamental principle underlying their faiths.

In view of this deadlock, it is absolutely imperative that in our effort to get together on this one fundamental of the two faiths there be a full, thorough, and scholarly presentation of the chronological question and the time when Messiah was scheduled to come first. Hence the fourth item in this seven point program is a chronological one.

The fifth point in this program pertains to Messiah's historical appearance. After having presented all the Biblical data and extra-canonical chronological material showing just when Messiah was scheduled to appear the first time, it becomes necessary to give the actual testimony proving conclusively that the Messiah did make His appearance at the proper time. There are three lines of evidence supporting this proposition: first, the Biblical, found in the New Testament; secondly, the Jewish, found in rabbinical writings; thirdly, the secular, found in Greek and Roman authors.

In order that all of this testimony might have its force with the intellectual class of Israel, it must be tested by the canons of historical criticism. When the genuiness and the authenticity of the New Testament documents have been establish beyond all reasonable doubt, being presented in language intelligible to the Jew and from the Old Testament angle, it becomes necessary to subject the New Testament testimony to "the laws of evidence" which are in vogue in the courts of the land at the present time. By proving the genuiness and the authenticity of the New Testament records and the unimpeachable character of the testimony given therin, we thus prove unmistakably the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth. This thing, I hope to do in the fifth book of the Messianic Series to be entitled, Messiah: His Historical Appearance.

The heart of this volume will be the four accounts of the gospel put in the form of a harmony. This manner of presentation yields itself readily to Jewish understanding. From Moses' time to the present the nation has been schooled in the idea that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. Hence to present the full text of the four gospel records in parallel columns in the form of a harmony will instantly appeal to the intelligent of the Jew. This testimony will be strengthened by the evidence found in other portions of the New Testament. God's Word shall not return unto Him void, but shall accomplish that whereunto He has sent it.

At the special request of some prominent, earnest, orthodox Jews several years ago I wrote a manuscript of about 350 pages on the evidence which proves the genuineness of the New Testament records. Manifestly God providentially held up the publication of this volume. In order that I might perfect and complete this testimony I am compelled to do special research work in the British Museum, and the libraries of the University of Jerusalem, and other libraries in the Near East. Others who have the evangelization of Israel at heart share this conviction and are urging me to spend the winter of 1936-37 in the land of the Redeemer in the quest of this evidence. (Pray that the Lord's will be done in this matter.)

Numbers of excellent books, written from the New Testament point-of-view and expressed in Christian terminology, have appeared from time to time. So far as I know, the attempt has never been made to present, in a thorough and a scholarly manner and at the same time in language and thought-forms adapted to Jewish understanding, the testimony concerning Jesus. In preaching the gospel one must become "all things to all men" that he by all means may save some (I Cor. 9:22).

In the volume, Messiah: His Historical Appearance, I hope to present the proof concerning Jesus in such a way that every honest-hearted Jew may see the truth concerning Christ. This book will be the Biblical Research Society's contribution to Jewish work in trying to fulfill the demands of the fifth item of this program.

The sixth item in this seven-point program is the presentation of the evidence that the time is at hand for Messiah to make His second appearance upon the earth in order to take the world-situation in hand. In other words, the sixth point is to prove that we are at the end of the age and that the time is ripe for the second coming. This evangelistic and prophetic ministry to the Jewish nation is presupposed in many Old Testament predictions. For instance, the presentation of the facts which prove that Messiah's second coming is at hand is especially assumed in Psalm 75.

"We give thanks to thee, O God;
We give thanks, for thy name is near;
Men tell of thy wondrous works; (vs. 1).

From this verse we see the entire nation focusing her attention upon God and praising Him because the season for Messiah to appear the second time is at hand. That the expression, "We give thanks, for they name is near," refers to the second coming of Christ is abundantly evident form Isaiah 30:27,28:

"Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire: and his breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction and a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples."

This psalm presupposed, therefore, that the absolute proof concerning the closing of the age and Messiah's second appearance will be given in such a conclusive manner that the entire nation will be convinced of the truthfulness of the message. According to this psalm, Israel fully persuaded of her need of salvation and of the imminency of the second coming is seen enthusiastically looking forward to this great event and praising God therefor.

The last line of Psalm 75:1 shows that men are the ones who convince the Jews relative to the near coming of the Messiah: "Men tell of thy wondrous works." This verse together with many others, therefore, presupposes that we who are giving the gospel to Israel convince her that the time is at hand for Messiah to return. The Biblical Research Society is endeavoring to perform its share of this great ministry by publishing the sixth volume of the Messianic Series, the title of which will probably be Messiah: His Second Coming at Hand.

The seventh and last item of this seven-point program is the matter of showing Israel what she must do in view of this impending crisis in the history of the world. According to Old Testament prediction the entire nation must repent of the sin of rejecting King Messiah and must repudiate it. As an example of a prediction to this effect, the reader is invited to examine Leviticus 26:39-41 in its context. The Revised Version rendering follows more accurately the original text than the Common Version. Thus the American Version--omits the conditional element that was placed in the King James translation. In the original text no condition is expressed. It simply makes the declaration that Israel shall confess the sin of which it is guilty, which was committed by the fathers while they were still in the land, and on account of which they were expelled form it. When the nation thus repudiates that ancient martyrdom, God will remember His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and will restore her to her own land. Again, this national repudiation of the age long offense is set forth in Hosea 5:15. Both Ephraim and Judah must confess their sin against God and seek Him earnestly. Hosea tells us that they will make this acknowledgment in earnestness. A full statement of this confession is found in the form of the prophecy contained in Isaiah 53:1-9. Thus the remnant living at that time and looking back over the weary wastes of these nineteen centuries will acknowledge this sin committed by the fathers and will accept Jesus of Nazareth--their long-rejected Messiah--as their Saviour, Redeemer, and God. When they have thus made this confession He will come, will redeem them, and will make Israel the head of the nations.

As weapons of every type and size are used in a great battle, so in this conflict against Satan, who has held the nation of Israel in blindness throughout the Christian centuries, literature of every type must be used. Small tracts of various kinds, dealing with different subjects pertaining to the gospel, must be prepared and distributed throughout the great uneducated class of Israel. Booklets and small books which discuss subjects more fully than tracts can do must be distributed throughout the great middle class. Volumes, the result of thorough and painstaking scholarship, which deal exhaustively with the great fundamentals of the faith and which present the material in a way readily understandable to the Jewish mind must be published for the rabbis, and the leaders in Israel, since they demand full and accurate proofs before accepting any doctrine or tenet.

The necessity for the publication of such thorough and voluminous books is readily understood when one realizes that some of the leaders of Israel are publishing for their people scholarly volumes that discuss Jesus and Christianity in a critical way. For instance, Dr. Joseph Klausner of the Hebrew University at Jerusalem several years ago published his Jesus of Nazareth first in Hebrew. It was later translated into the English. It contains 438 large pages. In this volume Dr. Klausner affirmed the historicity of Jesus but stripped Him of all claims to being the Divine Son of God. This volume was especially written for Jews in order to mold the opinion of the rising generation concerning Jesus. The late Rabbi Enelow wrote a volume on A Jewish View of Jesus. The author simply viewed Jesus as a great Teacher. Other leaders in Israel have written concerning Jesus for Jewish readers and have presented Him simply as a pious patriotic Galilean peasant who was an idealist but not the Jewish Messiah, the Son of God.

The Jew worships at the shrine of scholarship. There is a constant flow of literature pouring forth from the presses throughout the civilized world which gives the modernistic interpretation of Jesus and the New Testament. This class of writings simply represents Jesus as a man and robs Him of His Messiahship and of His unique relation to God the Father. As an example of this type of literature I may call attention to the volume entitled, Jesus by Professor Ch. Guignebert who is the professor of Christianity in the Sorbonne. The portrait of Jesus which this learned professor paints is the same as by Dr. Klausner. Of course the details are different but each artist simply paints Jesus as a man and denies to Him all attributes of Deity.

All of this false teaching must be combated by thorough and scholarly treatises which set forth in no uncertain sound the truth concerning Jesus our Lord.

The ideal toward which this Society is ending its efforts is the production of these seven volumes, constituting the Messianic Series, in the principal languages spoken by the Jews for world-wide distribution.

God's Word shall not return unto Him void but it shall accomplish that whereunto He has sent it. This testimony, as has been stated in other books, must be given to Israel for a twofold purpose: first, to become a savor of life unto life to those who desire the truth; secondly, to become a savor of death unto death to those who will not receive a love of the truth (II Cor. 2:14). According to our Lord's parable, some of the seed falls on the wayside soil, some upon the rocky ground, and still other among the thorns, and finally some falls into the good ground. That which falls on the first three places is fruitless so far as eternal results are concerned. Our Lord commanded, nevertheless, that the seed be sown there. We must sow and look to God for results.

The seven-point program of the Biblical Research Society is, as we believe, a God-given vision. This is a colossal task and cannot be accomplished except by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit of God in answer to fervent, believing prayer on the part of the children of God throughout the world.

The duty of evangelizing Israel now devolves upon the entire church of God. The Biblical Research Society is simply taking its place along with other faithful missionary organizations that are striving to give the gospel to Israel. Each agency is indispensable to the accomplishment of the great task of Jewish evangelization. Let every one--every "born again" person--rally to the front ranks of this mighty movement to give the gospel to Israel in this generation and through her to the entire world.

In view of all the facts which have been brought forth in this discussion, may I ask you, dear reader, "Who, according to your opinion, is holding up God's program? The Jew, the Gentile, or the church of God?" We see that God made the first move by sending the Messiah to Israel; she made the second by rejecting Him. God now says that He will not make another move in the unfolding of His redemptive scheme until Israel makes the two moves of repenting of her rejection of King Messiah and of turning to Him, accepting Him as her Saviour and Messiah. From this angle we see that Israel's refusal to accept King Messiah is holding up God's program.

As seen in the paragraph above, Israel is holding up God's program. Are the Gentiles contributing to this delay? Yes, they are doing so indirectly. By their failure to accept Christ and to throw their influence on the side of righteousness they may be said to be delaying the plans of God. On the other hand, they, by making a nose dive into the lowest strata of immoral and corrupt living, are hastening the time when God will be compelled to pour out His wrath upon the world and purge it of sin and wickedness.

Why does not Israel repudiate the national sin and accept Jesus as her Messiah? The answer is simply this: her eyes are blinded concerning the facts relative to Jesus. She has distorted views concerning Him which make it psychologically impossible for her to accept Him. In order that she might repudiate her national sin and accept Him, the full and complete testimony concerning Jesus must be given by those who know and who love Him. In the final analysis, therefore, the answer to our question is that the church of God is the one who really is holding up God's procession by failing to give the full and complete testimony to Israel.

That the Lord's richest blessings might rest upon each one is my prayer. Dear reader, may I suggest that you pray thus: "O God, my heavenly Father, what share do you wish me to have in this divine program?"


January 1, 1936