I am one of those who believe in Israel’s restoration and conversion, who receive it as a future certainty, that all Israel shall be gathered and that all Israel shall be saved. As I believe in Israel’s present degradation, so do I believe in Israel’s coming glory and preeminence. I believe that God’s purpose regarding our world can only be understood by understanding God’s purpose as to Israel.
I believe that all human calculations as to the earth’s future, whether political or scientific, or philosophical, or religious, must be failures if not taking for their data or basis God’s great purpose regarding the latter day standing of Israel.
I believe that all human calculations as to the earth’s future, whether political or scientific, or philosophical, or religious, must be failures if not taking for their data or basis God’s great purpose regarding the latter day standing of Israel.
I believe that it is not possible to enter God’s mind regarding the destiny of man without taking as our key or our guide His mind regarding that ancient nation, that nation whose history so far from being ended or nearly ended is only about to begin.
He only to whom the future belongs can reveal it. He only can announce the principles on which that future is to be developed. And if He set Israel as the great nation of the future and Jerusalem as the great metropolis of earth, who are we that without philosophy of science we should set aside the divine arrangements and substitute for them a theory of man? Human guesses concerning the future are the most uncertain of all uncertainties and human hopes built upon these guesses are sure to turn out the most disappointing if not the most disastrous of all failures.
I believe that the sons of Abraham are to re-inherit Palestine and that the forfeited fertility will yet return to that land, that the wilderness and the solitary places shall be glad for them, and the desert will rejoice and blossom as the rose.
I believe that meanwhile Israel shall not only be wanderers, but that everywhere only a remnant, a small remnant shall be saved. And that it is for the gathering in of this remnant that our missionaries go forth.
I believe that these times of ours are the times of the Gentiles and that Jerusalem and Israel shall be trodden down of the Gentiles till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
I believe that the completion of what the Apostle calls the fullness of the Gentiles will be the signal for the judgments which are to usher in the crisis of earth’s history and the salvation of Israel and the long-expected Kingdom.
These quotes are taken from 'Prophetic Landmarks', written by Horatius Bonar in 1847.I believe in Israel’s restoration to their land and their conversion to their Messiah. I accept as a future certainty that the Jewish people will be gathered to their ancient homeland and that ultimately “all Israel shall be saved” (Rom 11:26). As I believe in Israel’s present disgrace, so I believe in the nation’s coming glory and pre-eminence. I believe that God’s purpose regarding our world can only be understood when we understand God’s purpose for Israel. I believe that all human calculations as to the earth’s future – political or scientific, philosophical or religious – must fail if they do not take into account God’s great purpose regarding the standing of Israel at the Last Day. I believe it is impossible to enter into God’s mind regarding the destiny of mankind, without taking as our key or our guide His mind regarding that ancient nation whose history, so far from being ended, or nearly ended, is only about to begin.
Only the One to whom the future belongs can reveal the future. Only He can announce the principles on which that future will unfold. And if He has set Israel as the great nation of the future, who are we to set aside God’s arrangements?
Human guesses of the future are the most uncertain of all uncertainties. Human hopes built on these guesses are sure to turn out to be the most disappointing, if not the most disastrous, of all failures. I believe that the sons of Abraham are destined to reinherit Palestine and that the forfeited fertility will yet return to that land: “The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose” (Is 35:1).17
I believe that, meanwhile, Israel shall not only be wanderers but also that everywhere only a remnant, a small remnant, shall be saved and that it is for the gathering in of this remnant that our missionaries go forth. I believe that these are “the times of the Gentiles” and that Jerusalem and Israel “will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Lk 21:24). I believe that with the filling up of these times of Gentile pre-eminence and the completion of what the apostle calls “the fullness of the Gentiles” (Rom 11:25) will be the signal for the judgments which are to usher in the crisis of earth’s history, the deliverance of Israel and the long-expected kingdom. How Israel, so long in abeyance, shall resume pre-eminence, I do not know; but that the Jewish people shall do so seems written plainly enough in the prophetic Word. It is written, “what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Rom 11:15) and “Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit” (Is 27:6).
This is the day of the election; the age of the glory will follow, “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come, and will not tarry” (Heb 10:37).
Taken from 'The Jew' which first appeared in the July 1870 edition of The Quarterly Journal of Prophecy, which Bonar founded in 1849.
Horatius Bonar lived and ministered 1808-1889.
1 comment:
Hi Pastor, thanks for sharing these posts on Israel I believe the historic premil position is what the bible teaches. It is sad that many professing believers are being deceived into taking the same position as the anti-christ pope of Rome who declared in a papal bull (John Paul 2) That Israel has no right to have Jerusalem as its capital, or others who say that
Israel is an apartheid state i. They will surely answer to God -Joel 3:2.I really cannot understand the gymnastics that some will try to jump through exegetically to explain that all old testament prophecy's have been fulfilled concerning the Jew and that Israel means the church,thanks again.
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