Correspondence: Matt. 3:15; Present Return of the Jews

From: Correspondence

From: Young Christian: Volume 26, 1936

• 4 min. read • grade level: 8

Ques. Why did the Lord say, "Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Matt. 3:15¹⁵And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (Matthew 3:15).

Ans. Christ did fulfill the law, and made it honorable. He kept it perfectly, and was the only one who ever did. It was this that in part showed His perfect fitness to ba a ransom for us. He kept the law as being born under it, and not for us as substitute. We are justified through His blood, not by His life before the cross.

Ques. Is the present return of the Jews to the land of Palestine the fulfillment of Isa. 54?

Ans. Isaiah M looks on to Israel's full restoration as a nation to the Lord, and His delight in her (see vs. 3-10), and His future care over her. It is all a beautiful picture of the love of Jehovah, and His forgiving grace, and that in righteousness to the nation of Israel.

When the Lord Jesus was rejected by the Jews and crucified, God raised Him from the dead and crowned Him with glory and honor, and sent His Holy Spirit down into this world to gather out of it those who are to compose the bride of Christ. And ever since the Holy Spirit came down here, all who believe the gospel of God's salvation are sealed by the Holy Ghost, and so are members of the body of Christ.

God's last act toward the Jews was to send His armies to destroy the temple and city of Jerusalem, and to scatter the Jews among all nations. (Matt. 22:7⁷But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. (Matthew 22:7); Luke 21:24²⁴And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21:24)). The Jews are not the Lord's people now. Salvation is not national now, but individuals of both Jew and Gentile are now being gathered out.

During the period when the Church is being gathered there are no prophecies concerning Israel and Palestine to be fulfilled. What the Lord gave His disciples to expect personally, is that He is coming to receive them to Himself, and this they were to wait for. Not one line or word of prophecy did He put in to take place first.

He is coming for His people, and 1 Thess. 4:15-17¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑17) describes how it is to take place. And at their conversion it is said, they "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven" (Chapter 1). They were not to be shaken from this hope by any reports as if the apostles had taught otherwise. And he beseeches them to keep in mind the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him (2 Thess. 2:1¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2 Thessalonians 2:1)).

The wars and rumors of wars, the pestilences, the famines and the earthquakes that are happening during this time of the Church's sojourn on earth, are not the fulfillment of prophecy.

“He is faithful that hath promised." "He that shall come will come and will not tarry." (Heb. 10:23, 37²³Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (Hebrews 10:23)
³⁷For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (Hebrews 10:37).)

The only signs that we have to indicate the nearness of the coming of Christ is the state of the professing Church on earth (2 Tim., 2 Peter, Jude, Rev. 2nd and 3rd chaps.). And there we find much to tell us He will soon call us home, just as we find it in 1 Thess. 4:15-18¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18). All who are the Lord's, both dead and living, will be taken to heaven at that time.

After that the Jews will be gathered back to Palestine (Isa. 18), but as unbelievers in Jesus. Some will be converted, but many will remain in unbelief. The Lamb in Rev. 5 will take the book and begin to break the seven seals. Then will be the days of "the beginning of sorrows," and it will deepen down to "the great tribulation," as in Matt. 24. Then the Scripture-wars and rumors of wars, the pestilences, the famines and the earthquakes will begin to take place, and the desperate battle talked of as "Armageddon" will take place; till the Lord will come in flaming fire to judge the living wicked, and to deliver the Jews, and to begin to set up His Kingdom, which will cover a thousand years. The wicked dead will stand before Him at the end of that time, to receive their doom.

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