BIBLICAL AUTHORITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23866, 21 July 1939, Page 15

BIBLICAL AUTHORITY

TO THE EDITOR

Sir,—ln the course of his letter in last Friday’s paper Mr F. R. Hall makes it plain that he considers that the right way to approach the Bible is ■* from the viewpoint of British Israel.” So every time he reads the Holy Scriptures he sees what he now calls British Israel truth This is because he views everything through a pair of magic glasses! He shows by his letter in Saturday’s Daily Times that he does not believe that ” th» prophecies concerning Israel fit the Jews” Indeed! Therefore he loves to give all the promises and blessings in the Bible to the people he calls Israel and all the curses in the Bible to the people he calls Jews! He tries with all his might and main to separate Israel from the Jews. This is the only way by which he is able to bolster up his theories! He evidently does not know that all through the New Testament the names ” Jew ” and “ Israel ” are used synonymously Many passages might be cited to prove this I give only two, taken from Peter’s remarkable sermon on the day of Pentecost; “Ve men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth. a Man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and -gns which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him being deliver id by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Whom God hath raised up naving loosed the pains of death- because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.” “ Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that Grd hath made that same Jesus, Whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts ii, 22, 23, 24, 36. And yet the so-called British Israelites say that the name Israel in the above verses should be changed to Jews! That is how they manage to explain away the Bible They will not believe that there were representatives of all the tribe' of Israel in Palestine when Christ was on earth just over 1900 years ago There were also many members of all the tribes of Israel in other countries at that time, and years afterwards in tact, right through the 'enturies to the present time The Epistle of James was written in A.D 60 Here is the first verse: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad greeting.” James did not say anything about the 10 tribes. Paul refers to “ our 12 tribes " in Acts xxvi: 7. He links himself with them all He knew he was both an Israelite and a Jew Mr Steel has a very curious way of contradicting himself He has often told us in previous letters that Israel never ceased to be a kingdom, but his letter in mst Friday’s paper implies that the kingdom of Israel was restored in A.D. 1! He thinks he is wiser than the Aoostles of Christ were in' A.D. 33 "When they asked of Him. saying. Lord wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel? And He said unto them. It is not tor you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath out in His own power.”—Acts i: 6 7 What, authority has Mr Stee for saying that the kingdom of Israel had been restored 33 years earlier: The truth is that Mr Steel and his friends try to make a regular hash of the Bible by endeavouring to mix together the Church the British nation and the nation of Israel They think this strange mixture constitutes the outward visible kingdom of God on earth What a travesty of the truth! How hopeless must be the muddle of their minds! They cannot find this muddle anywhere in the Bible. In Acts xv: 13 to 18 we have, a brief summary of the present age, in which we live, and the ncxl age, which will follow it. James is reminding the Christians in Jerusalem how ‘ Simeon

(Peter) hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name.” See verse 14. By reading Acts x we see that Peter had the honour of being the first to preacn the Gospel to the Gentiles. And this is the Gospel age when the Gospel of the grace of God is to be proclaimed to the whole world. The grace of God is as free as the air we breathe. All who receive the Gospel message belong to the “ called out ” ones, and so they belong to the true Church of God. After this Christ will return in Person and set up His outward visible kingdom. Thai is the time when the kingdom of Israel will be restored, for Christ will be their King.—l am. etc.. Dunedin, July 19. Maran-atha. [This correspondence is now dosed. -Ed.. 0.D.T.l