Luke 21:8

Christian, Be Not Deceived!

CHAPTER XIII.

SATAN DECEIVES TO-DAY AS HE DECEIVED THE JEWS.

History repeats itself. As Satan blinded the eyes of the Jews to the true understanding of the prophecies (see P.K. 686, 687) "in order to prepare the way for the rejection of Christ at His [first] coming," so, today, the evil one causes people to reject the Third Angel's Message by misinterpreting the same prophecies in the same way as the Jews.

In "The Desire of Ages," p. 509, we read:

"But to-day in the religious world there are multitudes who, as they believe, are working for the establishment of the kingdom of Christ as an earthly and temporal dominion. They desire to make our Lord the ruler of the kingdom of this world.... They expect Him to rule through legal enactments, enforced by human authority. . . . The establishment of such a kingdom is what the Jews desired in the days of Christ. They would have received Jesus, had He been willing to establish a temporal dominion, to enforce what they regarded as the laws of God, and to make them expositors of His will, and the agents of His authority. But He said, 'My kingdom is not of this world.' He would not accept the earthly throne."

The Jews looked for "an earthly and temporal dominion." The people of to-day, also, look for "an earthly and temporal dominion." The Jews claimed the literal fulfilment of the prophecies concerning Israel, refusing to see that they forfeited their right to them because of their failure to meet the conditions. Because of their false interpretations of the prophecies concerning the kingdom promised to Israel, the Jews rejected Christ and His spiritual kingdom. Similarly, to-day, many professing Christians fall into the same error of interpreting the prophecies concerning Israel in a literal Palestinian sense, failing to see that the Jews, by their rejection and crucifixion of Christ, forfeited all right to them. As the literal, Palestinian—centred system of interpretation was the means of the Jews' rejection of Christ and His spiritual kingdom, so, today, the literal, Palestinian—centred system of interpretation causes people to reject Christ's last-day Message concerning the spiritual kingdom of Israel.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FUTURISM AND THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE.

Whereas the Papacy—fostered system of interpretation known as Futurism applies literally, in a Palestinian sense, the things pertaining to Israel, the Third Angel's Message follows the system of interpretation outlined in the New Testament and Spirit of Prophecy and applies the things of Israel in a spiritual, world-wide sense.

The New Testament teaching is clear and decisive that, since the rejection of the Jewish nation, city and temple, the church–spiritual Israel–is now God's "Jerusalem" or "temple." See Rev. 11:1, 2; Ephes. 2:21, 22, etc. "The man of sin" who was to sit "in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:3, 4) is the Papacy within the spiritual temple—the professedly Christian church. Futurists—whether Papal or supposedly-Protestant—apply this prophecy in connection with a literal temple yet to be built in literal Jerusalem by an enemy of the literal Jews. The Roman Catholic teaching is stated in the following extract from the "Controversial Catechism," p. 115, by Stephen Keenan:

"Is it clear from Scripture that Rome will be the seat of Antichrist? Ans.: No; it is much more evident that Jerusalem will be his seat. In the Gospel of St. Matthew (24:1-15) Christ speaks first of the temple of Jerusalem, and immediately after connects this with the abomination of desolation to be seen standing in the holy place; evidently pointing out that temple as the holy place, where the beast should be enthroned; and this is clearly confirmed by the Apocalypse (11:8), where, speaking of the wars to be carried on by the Antichrist, and of those that were to be "slain by him, St. John says: 'And their dead bodies shall lie in the streets of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.' Now, the Lord was crucified in Jerusalem, not in Rome, therefore Jerusalem, not Rome, will be the seat of Antichrist. See also on this subject: Apoc. 11, 12, 13, 17."

Thus, by interpreting literally the things which at one time pertained to national Israel, Roman Catholics and many Protestants are blinded to the truths of the Third Angel's Message, which has for its basis the teaching that the things which were literal and Palestinian in the days of national Israel now have their spiritual, world-wide application in connection with spiritual Israel—the church.

Advocating the erroneous Futuristic system of interpretation, the comments in Schofield's Bible declare:

"Israel as a nation . is yet to have its greatest exaltation as the earthly people of God. . . . According to the prophets, Israel, regathered from all nations, restored to her own land, and converted, is yet to have her greatest earthly exaltation and glory." Notes on Rom. 11. "Jerusalem is yet to be the religious centre of the earth." "In the days when Jerusalem has been made the centre of earth's worship, the few will then be the missionary, and to the very nations now called Christians. Notes on Zech. 8."

Futurists ignore the plain declarations of Scripture that "wrath is come upon them [the literal nation of Israel] to the uttermost" (1 Thess. 2: 16); that as a nation they have been so broken that they "cannot be made whole again" (Jer. 19: 11) ; and that Christ had explicitly declared to them: "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation [the church, 1 Pet. 2: 9] bringing forth the fruits thereof." Matt. 21: 43. Had the Jews been faithful, they would have literally fulfilled the prophecies which Futurists say the Jewish nation will yet fulfil. Writing of "what might have been the condition of Jerusalem" had the Jews "heeded the light which heaven had sent" them, God's servant states:

"Had Israel as a nation preserved her allegiance to heaven, Jerusalem would have stood forever the elect of God." G.C., p. 19.

"If the leaders in Israel had received Christ, He would have honoured them as His messengers to carry the Gospel to the world. To them was given the opportunity of becoming the heralds of the kingdom of the grace of God . Jesus ... turned to another class to proclaim His message." D.A., p. 231. See also pp. 576, 577.

The Jews, clinging tenaciously to the belief that the prophecies concerning Israel must be literally fulfilled through the Jewish nation, were so blinded that they did not recognise the fulfilment of those prophecies in the experiences of the Messiah and spiritual Israel. The Apostles declared: "But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath fulfilled." Acts 3:18. "Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days." Acts 3:24. See also Acts 13:27, 29, 33, etc. Similarly, to-day, modern theologians are so blinded by the belief of a literal Palestinian fulfilment of the prophecies pertaining to Israel, that they do not recognise the spiritual fulfilment now taking place. The temple described in Ezek. 40-48 has its fulfilment in the Christian church—the spiritual temple which the Messiah is now building, and in which He now reigns in power. Zech. 6:12, 15; A.A. 595-600. The river of living spiritual water is now emerging from the church to bless a needy world. Ezek. 47:1-12; Joel 3:18; Zech. 14:8; A.A., p. 13; John 7: 3739. The spiritual latter rain is now falling. A.A. 54, 55. The spiritual gathering of Israel and Judah is now taking place. Isa. 11:11, 12. The walls of spiritual Jerusalem are now being built. Isa. 60:1-11. In the Person of His Holy Spirit, Jesus is now reigning in spiritual Jerusalem. Micah 4:7; Joel 3:17, 21; Isa. 24:23; Ezek. 48:35, etc. Satan is now endeavouring to assemble his hosts against spiritual Israel. Ezek. 38, 39; Joel 3; Zech. 14.

Had the Jews been faithful, such prophecies as Ezek. 38, 39; Zech. 14; Joel 3, depicting the gathering of many nations against Israel, followed by their destruction and Israel's triumph, would have been fulfilled in their literal, Palestinian sense. Now, however, they meet their spiritual fulfilment in connection with spiritual Israel. Writing of the last days, God's servant says: "If he could blot them from the earth, his triumph would be complete. As he influenced the heathen nations [referred to in Ezek. 38, 39; Joel 3; Zech. 14] to destroy Israel, so in the near future he will stir up the wicked powers of earth to destroy the people of God." P.K. 587, 588. As we have shown elsewhere, the Spirit of Prophecy applies the gathering of the nations against Israel and Jerusalem, depicted in Zech. 14, in connection with the attempt of the people of spiritual Babylon to destroy spiritual Israel. Ezek. 38, 39; Joel 3, etc., are parallel prophecies giving additional features of the same spiritual struggle, and must be interpreted in the same way as Zech. 14. By interpreting these prophecies in a literal, Jewish, Palestinian sense, Futurists fail to recognize the Third Angel's Message. The Revelator points to our day (Rev. 12:12, 17) as the time of special Satanic hatred against the remnant of Israel. Those prophecies depicting the final gathering of the forces of evil against Jerusalem and Israel, and Israel's triumph over her enemies through the wonderful intervention of God, are precious messages of encouragement for the remnant church.