(h) We believe a comprehension of the Divine purpose for the nation of Israel to be essential for the proper

understanding of prophecy. If we err here, it is unlikely that we shall ever grasp what the Divine plan for the future

is, nor shall we ever get the proper position of the Church, the Body of Christ, in this great plan. We must get

clearly in our minds the teaching of Romans chapters 9 to 11, relating to Israel according to the flesh, and chapter 11

must not be interpreted or divorced from chapters 9 and 10, which are an integral part of this section. The `all

Israel' of 11:26, who are in the future to be saved, have already been explained by the `all Israel' of 9:6,7, and in

neither case can these refer to the Church, but are Paul's `kinsmen according to the flesh' (9:3-5).

The weighty statement of Romans 11:29 must ever be kept in mind, `For the gifts and calling of God are without

repentance (or change of mind)'. This statement alone should be sufficient to prevent us from making the mistake

of many spiritualisers, namely that Israel has been finally cast off by God, and the Church has inherited their

blessings. If this is true, then God has changed His mind and altered the thing that has gone out of His lips, the very

thing that He has stated He will never do (Psa. 89:34-37; Jer. 31:35-37). If God has broken His Word regarding the

nation of Israel, away goes all Christian assurance, for how can we be sure that He will not do so in connection with

the Church? Moreover, the future restoration of Israel rests upon the New Covenant of grace (Jer. 31:31-37), and

this has been sealed by the precious blood of Christ (Matt. 26:28).

This restoration has no regard for personal merit or demerit. Israel are `enemies' of God so far as the gospel

is concerned, but they are `beloved' by God, in spite of this, `for the fathers' sake' (Rom. 11:28). Their present

opposition, blindness and failure cannot invalidate God's unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or

alter His eternal love to their descendants. They are yet to `look on Him Whom they have pierced' (Zech. 12:10)

when He returns to the mount of Olives, and at this Second Advent Christ will turn away `ungodliness from Jacob'

(Rom. 11:26). In no sense can `Jacob' be the Body of Christ, and there is certainly no ungodliness of this Church to

be turned away or dealt with at the Lord's Second Coming, for they already rejoice in the forgiveness of

all trespasses (Col. 2:13; Eph. 1:7; 4:32). Once the true Scriptural position of Israel, past and future, is understood,

the rest of the Bible falls into place. But this can never be realised, unless the guiding principles we have enunciated

are carried into effect. Nothing is more destructive of true understanding of the purpose of the ages in Christ Jesus

(Eph. 3:11) than the acceptance of allegorising or spiritualising as a method of interpretation as is done by the

amillennialist. Not only this, but as H. L. Payne has stated:

`It does not seem too much to say that the great strength of modern liberalism had its spring and finds its support

in the post- and amillennial circles. This is due in large measure to the fact that the literal interpretation of the

Scripture has been set aside, and thus the door has been thrown open to all other error'.

Further, if the spiritualising principle be admitted into all realms of Christian doctrine, every orthodox doctrine

would be eliminated. Amillennialism then is the friend of destructive modernism and Romanism, for spiritualising

has always characterised Roman Catholic doctrine. If we want to let the Word of God speak for itself with all its

authority, then such a system must be avoided at all costs, for not in this way can the opinions of men be eliminated

in handling the Word.

(i) The Lord Jesus Christ as the central theme must be constantly kept in mind in all prophetic interpretation. `The

testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy' (Rev. 19:10). To miss our way here is to miss our way everywhere.

The whole of God's purposes for a new heaven and earth wherein dwelleth righteousness is centred in the Saviour.

Not one of them can be understood or come to fruition apart from Him. To be taken up with prophetic details and to

miss Christ is tragic, being on a par with the Pharisees of old, who searched the Scriptures and missed the Messiah

of Scripture, in spite of the fact that the Old Testament testified of Him on His Own authority (John 5:39,40).

We believe that adherence to historico-grammatical principles will clear away quite a number of prophetical

difficulties, many of which are man-made and not in the text at all. Prophecy is hard enough to expound without

adding weights of man's devising, and wise are we if we avoid these pitfalls and endeavour to approach prophecy

*,

apart from schools of interpretation, whether preterist historicist or futurist.

*P

reterist Æone who holds that the prophecies of the Apocalypse have already been fulfilled.