words, as they stand, cannot be construed as evidence that Israel's hope is in

view.  If however we turn to the Old Testament origin of the reference: `For

nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom' (Matt. 24:7), we

shall see that it comes from Isaiah's prophetic `Burden of Egypt' (Isa.

19:1,2), the passage ending with the words `Blessed be Egypt My people, and

Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance' (Isa. 19:25).  This

reference, therefore, when seen in the light of its Old Testament setting,

gives further evidence for the fact that Israel is in view in Matthew 24.

Thirdly, this coming of the Lord takes place after the prophetic

statements of Daniel 9:27 and 12:11 have been fulfilled:

`When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by

Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place ... then shall be great tribulation

... immediately after the tribulation of those days ... shall appear the sign

of the Son of man in heaven ... and they shall see the Son of man coming in the

clouds of heaven' (Matt. 24:15 -30).

As the detailed exposition of this chapter is not our purpose, and as

these three items provide proof beyond dispute that the second coming of Christ

as here made known cannot be the hope of the church, we feel that no unbiased

reader will desire further delay in prosecuting our inquiry.

The hope of the second sphere

We must now turn our attention to the evidence of Scripture as to the

character of the Hope during the period covered by the Acts of the Apostles.

Some commentators on this book appear to forget that it is the record of the

`Acts' of the Apostles, and had no existence until those `Acts' were

accomplished.  If the founding of the church at Corinth chronicled in Acts 18

be an act of the apostle Paul, both Crispus (verse 8) and Sosthenes (verse 17)

being mentioned by name, then the epistle written by the same apostle to the

same church, again mentioning Crispus and Sosthenes by name, must be included

as the Divine complement of the record of Acts 18.  The aspect of the Hope in

view in the Acts and in the epistles written during that period to the churches

founded by the apostles must of necessity be the same.  Any attempt to make the

ministry of Paul during the Acts differ from the epistles of the same period is

false, and must be rejected.  There can be no doubt that the hope entertained

by the churches during the period covered by the Acts of the Apostles was a

phase of the Hope of Israel.  This will, we trust, be made clear to the reader

by the quotations and comments given hereafter.

(1).  `When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying,

Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?' (Acts

This question arose after the forty days' instruction given by the risen

Christ to His disciples, during which time He not only opened the Scriptures,

but `their understanding' also (Luke 24:45).

(2).  `Repent ... and He shall send Jesus Christ, Which before was

preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of

restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His

holy prophets since the world began ... Ye are the children of the

prophets ... Unto you first ...' (Acts 3:19 -26).