PUBLIC OPINION.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 6967, 25 January 1918, Page 4

PUBLIC OPINION.

JERUSALEM.

(To trt» Editor.)

Sir,—ln your issue cf the 4th current we had in noticing thejoperitions of General Allenby's army about Jerusalem, been lead to make certain reflections en the history and future destiny of this which is to be, morally, the greatest city the world will ever see. We had reached that point n her history when she fulfilled literally the Lord's description when He said "It cannot be tbat a propbet perish out of Jerusalem" (Luke.-XIII. 33). She bad reached such a point of declension ttait she embodied perfectly the spirit of persecution which Blaya at Bight God's prophet i and eer vante. The first Christian martyr Stephen witnessed to this (Acts VII. 52) just as he himself was about to perish the lateßt victim, then, of her violent rulers and lawlesß populace. In slaying Stephen they sent the message up to Stephen's Lpri of Luke XIX. 14 "We will not have this man to reign over us."

Then was the Earthly City given up ta impending chastisement, and two heavenly visions the one to the martyred Stephen—gee Acts VII. 56~and the other to Saul of Tartua (Acts IX. 3) disclose n new and heavenly centre of the universal administration of grace from the Son of Man at the "right hand of God" —Acts VII. 56, IX. 6.

Because our subject is Jerusalem I would ask my reader to dwell just a little at thu point on the career of Jerusalem's most noted fanatic and persecuting emissary. For now occurs the moßt signal example of the irresistible eubduing power in grace of the Man, seen by Stephen, in glory as He takes Stephen's moat notable persecutor (Acts VII.-58, VIII.—I. 3, IX.—l) the one who aadly but correctly describe* himself as being at this time "a blasphemer and a persecutor aiid insolsnt" (1. Tim. I. 13). Ye 9 takes him redhanded so to speak "breathing threatening and slaughter" "making havoc of the church" and instantly transforms him into the Paul who became the mighty Apostle to the Gentiles 'not a whit behind the chiefest Apoßtles.' Smittsn he was (Acts IX. 4) by the Man in the glory but with what tender grace ard mercy Paul alone could cay (I. Tim I.^ 16).

How He melted Paul's heait by giving him to KNOW "He loves me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 11, 20) so j that he could say "I count all things but losa for the excellency of the" KNOWLEDGE of Christ Jesus my % Lord." And He did all theae thingaj to Saul, dear reader, and after tis mi] imitable fashion, in order that hell might demonstrate to you and me "all long suffering for a pattern." What a chance tor us graceless rebels as we are by nature, to come under the cule and protection of Paul's Saviour, j Let none neglect "so great salvation" (Heb. 11. 3)

Paul now obedient unto the 'heavenly vision' becomes the Servant of the Lord, "a preacher, and an Apostle, a teacher of the nations in faith and verity." (I. Tim. 11. 7). And nuw let us h«ar what this inspired Apostle bes now to say of Jerusalem the City —which had furnished bin with credentials to harry the Saints at Damascus, lie denounces Jerusalem in no uncertain fashion. He says of it that it bo longer answers to the character of Mt. Zion (grace .enthroned) but, cays he, Mt. Sinai in Arabia "answereth to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with the Children" (Gel. IV. 25). But of her heavenly city of the same name as the earthly one set aside, he says "JERUSALEM, which ia ABOVE is free which is OUR mother." (Gal. P. 26, R.V.).

In another place Paul calls this'new city Mt Zion, the city of the living God, the HEAENLY JERUSALEM ■nd note dsar reeder he says of you if you are a real Christian that "ye are come unlo it" (Heb. XII. 22). FJave you come unto it? Are we such th-vt it can bo Haid of ua "ye are no more strangere* and foreigners, but FEL-LOW-CITIZENS with the Saints, and of the house of God. 1' (Ephes. 11, 19) "For" Baya our Apostle "Our citizenebip is in heaven." (Phillip 111, 20, R.V.) This being bo, we can |underBtand the Apostle Peter when looking at the Saiuta of the Church period down here speaking to them as strangers and pilgrims in the terrestrial scene or sphere.

Are you and I then native to the world above and exotics here below? If this be true and some of the Stints cannot but groan waiting for the redemption of the body (Ps. VIII. 23) what a bright hope in before us in the unfolding of that mystery which the Apostle Paul Bpeaks of to the Christians at Corintb and Tbeß?alonica— that instantaneous CHANGE of the bodies of ALL that are Christ's (I, Cor. XV., 61, 52 and Phil. 111. 21) and their simultaneous translation with the living Saints froui the Earth piss** to meet the Lord in the oir (I. Thees., IV. 17). The citizens of 'Jerusalem above' having been thus translated to their proper heavenly sphere are not seen again in the city (administrative) aspect until displayed as * that great city, the holy Jerusalem descending out of beaven from God.' (Rev. XXL 9, 10. Now of the three classes of which the Apostle speaks in 1. Cor. X., 32 and which embrace mankind to-day, viz.: (i) The Jew. (ii) The Gentile. (iii) The Church of God (Jaw and Gentile).

We have dispoied of Class (iii) tr*« Church of God, in tracing its points of contact with the Earthly Jerusalem. We have done co in the barest outline but sufficiently for our purpose. In respect of classes (i) and (ii) the Jew and Gentile in relation to Jerusalem and to each other in the closing days of this pre-millenial age, we have been given fuller predictions in the prophet Daniel than elsewhere, be being quoted by our Lord also in this connection (Matt. XXIV. 15, Mark XIII. ]4). I>e prophet Daniel received, in the Scripture quoted in part below, definite instructions regarding hia people and his city:— "Seventy weeks are determined (i.e. cut out) UPON THY PEOPLE and upon thy HOLY CITY, to finish transgression, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy." Dan. IX. 24.

These week 3 are what has been called to 70 heptada of 7 years each just as the Jubilee was reckoned after 7 weeks ot heptads cf years (7x7 equals 4Uyrs) the Jub lee being in the 50th year. That is 7 x 70 or 490 years htue been set ipart in which God operates specially to consummate fin■lt; in tbe affairs of Jews and Gentiles in regard to his fins! purposee for Jerusalem in pcrtieular and the hfibitsble earth in geroral. Sisty nine, cf tie 70 wegka of yeeia reii a GOM-

TINUOUS course, tnd brought about fulfilmert of all predicted for those 483 years, there remains to consider (icly the last week of 7 <peara. It is considered by those whose judgment commands our respect th&t the firat 3| years o? ttiis week was if not continuous with the 69 preceding weeks, the 3J years of the public ministry of our Lord Jesus and terminated with the ciucifixion. This much is certainthat the lest week is not finished in its course and that citbei the last half {hi year?) or the whole (7 yeare) is to run its courae very soon if not immediately. The long interval of uncertain duration between the 69th and 70th weeks is not touched on in Daniel' prophecy becauaa the church period is not a subject at all of Old Testament revelation aa is specially Btated by the Apostla Paul in Eph. lit 5 and Col. I 26. The book of Daniel is particularly instructive today because dealing especially with world power and authority in Gentile hands as set up by G:d'a ordinance (Ro. XIII. 1— 7) and this during the long period of Israel's chastisement for sin. This period (Daniel I. 1, 2) commences with the delivering of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon and that psrt of Daniel written in C'naldee from Cb 11. to end of Cb. VII. takes up the course character and crisis of Cientile puwei.' The rest of the Book written in Hebrew deals with what U more limited in application to the Jews and Jerusalem.

Amid the kaleioscopic changes in dynasties, government^ statesmen, peoples and land* tsking place in today's great war we will seek to mark all unmistskeable develjpments which make for the situation ('Jenlile av,d Jewiaij) about Jerusalem and that land as forecasted ia Daniel. This, please God, we purpose in another issue. VIATOR. Tauranga, January 24th, 1918.