p. 201 | THE AGE TO COME

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · March 25, 1880

FromThe Review and Herald, Vol. 55, No. 13

THE AGE TO COME.

IMAGINARY PROMISES.

In our examination of this subject, thus far, we have seen, first, that Christ performs no work of subjugation upon his enemies after his second coming, as claimed by believers in the “Age-to-Come” doctrine, but that the Father performs this work before Christ comes; secondly, that there is no probation after Christ comes; thirdly, that the earth is in a desolate and uninhabitable condition during the entire thousand years. On all these points, we consider “Age-to-Come” believers fundamentally in error.

Another question upon which we think they commit as fundamental a mistake, is the question of specific promises to be performed to literal Israel beyond this dispensation. The first inquiry to be answered is, Who constitutes the Israel of this dispensation and of the future? On this point the testimony of the New Testament is full and explicit. The promise was to Abraham and his seed; and Paul explains that the seed is Christ. The ultimate accomplishment, therefore, of all the promises is to be secured through Christ. Hence Paul says, in Gal. 3:27–29: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Here Paul declares emphatically that all national distinction is now lost as respects the promises of God. No one is a partaker of the promises, or will receive the blessings involved in the promises, because of any particular nationality,—because he is either a Jew or a Greek. This testimony shows plainly that the Jews have now no advantage on account of being literal descendants of Abraham—there is neither Jew nor Greek.

In harmony with this testimony to the Galatians, Paul also writes to the Romans (Rom. 2:28, 29), “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

In Rom. 9:6–8, Paul further says, “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children; but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of promise are counted for the seed.”

In the 11th of Romans, Paul gives us his celebrated illustration of the olive tree, beginning with the promises to Abraham, branching out into the twelve tribes of Israel, and showing how the promises are to be extended through that channel to all the nations of the earth who were to be blessed in Abraham and his seed. The natural branches, or the literal seed, by rejecting Christ, were broken off. The Gentiles, or the wild olive branches, are grafted into the original stock. The stock is thus perpetuated. The tree represents all the Israel of God. We now ask who they are, if Paul’s illustration is correct. The twelve branches are those who have been grafted in; namely, those who have been gathered from the Gentiles. These are the children of promise, and are accounted for the seed; because, if we are Christ’s, then are we “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

In Gal. 4:28 Paul speaks further upon this subject, and justifies the expression that is sometimes used, “the spiritual Israel,” or, “the spiritual seed.” He says, verses 28-31: “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. . . . So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond-woman, but of the free.” Here Paul speaks of his Christian brethren as those which are born after the Spirit, as Isaac was; hence they may be called the spiritual seed, for they are grafted into the original stock, and now constitute the true olive tree. Hence we find James addressing an epistle to his brethren scattered abroad (Christians), and calling them the twelve tribes; and this epistle is written with special reference to the last days. We also find on the gates of the city, the New Jerusalem, according to Rev. 21, through which enter all the redeemed from this dispensation, as well as from every other, the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel; showing us that a literal descent from Abraham is not necessary to constitute a person an Israelite in the Christian sense.

Paul shows, in the quotation already made from Romans 11, that the natural branches which were broken off now stand upon the same plane as the unbelieving Gentiles. The Gentiles can be brought in through faith in Christ. These natural branches can be brought in only in the same way,—through faith in Christ. All now depends upon faith in Christ, and they only are Israel who exercise that faith.

Paul sets this forth in Ephesians in the clearest possible manner. Eph. 2:11–20. Here he shows the true situation of the Gentiles. “Wherefore remember,” says he, “that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” And in verse 19 he says, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

By unbelief the literal seed have put themselves in the same condition as the Gentiles in reference to the promises of God, and have made themselves aliens from the commonwealth of the true Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise. They can return to this commonwealth, and be made fellow-citizens again, only by faith in Christ.

Does any one now point us to prophecies concerning Israel, or promises to them, which have not been fulfilled in the past dispensation, and which must apply to this or to the future? We answer, that they are to be fulfilled to believers in Christ, for now there is no other Israel, according to the testimony we have quoted. Are we pointed to prophecies which point out some great blessing to come upon Jerusalem, which has not been fulfilled in the past but applies to the future? We answer, Such promises do not belong to old Jerusalem; for that is cast out, and another has taken its place, which is the Jerusalem above, which Paul says, in Gal. 4:26, is the mother of us all. Whatever promises, therefore, we find concerning either Jerusalem or Israel, applying this side of the introduction of the new covenant which Christ ratified with his people, they apply to Jerusalem above, and to those who are now the true Israel, or believers in Christ, and to no others. We are absolutely held to this conclusion by the language of Paul; for he says that now he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, and people are not Israel merely because they belong to the literal seed; for now the work of God rests upon a different basis, namely, faith in Christ, and they only are accounted as partakers therein who are of the spiritual, without respect to the literal, seed.

But it will be asked if Paul does not intimate in Rom. 11:25 that there is some other work to be done with the literal Israel after the fulness of the Gentiles is come in; for he says, “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved.” In answer, we inquire to what this fulness pertains. It cannot pertain to the Gentiles, for God has nothing to do with the Gentiles, as such. They are without God, without hope, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. Their first work is to join themselves to his Israel by joining themselves to Christ. The fulness, therefore, is the fulness of Israel, made up from the Gentiles, because the literal seed apostatized from God through unbelief. Ages ago the number of the redeemed would have been made up had all believed to whom the gospel was presented; but though they gave themselves up to blindness of mind and hardness of heart, God is not to be turned from his purpose in the great plan of salvation. Hence he extends the time, and sends forth the invitations of the gospel to the Gentiles, and makes up from them the fulness lacking from the natural seed. They, these rescued Gentiles, are now reckoned as Israel, and so all Israel shall indeed be saved.