through Grace corresponds to the remnant of the beginning of this age.

Their Gospel will be the Gospel of the Kingdom, "the Kingdom of the Heavens is at hand." It will emanate from Jerusalem and will be declared among all nations (Matt. xxiv:14). Of this remnant, suffering and persecuted, we read in the Olivet discourse of our Lord. The Old Testament Scriptures are full with prophecies concerning the faithful remnant of the endtime. The Book of Psalms can be best understood in the light of a believing remnant of Jews, suffering in the midst of the ungodly nation and delivered by the coming of the King out of the opened heavens. The 144,000 sealed in Revelation vii are all Israelites and the company out of all nations and tongues, who come out of the great tribulation, and are seen as overcomers in the second half of this chapter, are the fruits of the witness and labors of this Jewish remnant. That they do not belong to the church is evident from the scope of the Book of Revelation. The church is seen in glory

lishment of such would then be very desirable and would be a most definite mark of the endtime. On the other hand, it would produce two testimonies, a fact that cannot be harmonized with any of God's dispensational teachings.

in the crowned twenty-four elders in chapters iv and v. Only after the church is in the presence of the Lord can the remnant be called and sealed and begin its peculiar testimony. Now this fact that God has had a remnant and will yet call such a remnant proves that He hath not cast away His people.

Israel's Apostasy and Blindness Not Permanent.

CHAPTER IV.

The next answer to the question of Romans xi and argument of Israel's position in God's purposes is taken from the Old Testament Scriptures.

"What is it then? What Israel seeks for, that he has not obtained; but the election has obtained, and the rest have been blinded, according as it is written, God has given to them a spirit of slumber, eyes not to see, and ears not to hear, unto this day. And David says, Let their table be for a snare, and for a gin, and for a falltrap, and for a recompense to them; let their eyes be darkened not to see, and bow down their back alway" (verses 7-10).

It is here where commentaries have their say about the blindness of Israel and how God has completely given up the Jews. What a strange way some persons have in interpreting the Word of God. Some labor to prove that in the beginning of this chapter Paul means the "spiritual Israel" the church

and not the literal Israel, but when the same expositors reach the verses which are before us now, they are quite correct and orthodox in saying it is the literal Israel. Such method of Bible exposition has done great harm in confusing Christian believers, besides being dishonoring to God's Word. When the apostle speaks here of the election he means the believing part of the nation at all times, the remnant past, the remnant future, and all those who believe now in the Lord Jesus Christ. When he speaks of the rest being blinded he means the remainder of the nation, which is unbelieving. As they refused Him who spake, judicial blindness was put upon them. Now this judicial blindness must not be looked upon in a way as some have done, and then by inference to build upon it such abominable doctrines as universal salvation. They reason God blinded them and they are not responsible for what they cannot see. God will have mercy upon them all, and all Jews will be saved at last, all who died with this judicial blindness upon them. We shall take up this phase of error later in our exposition.

The judicial blindness is certainly not to be understood that every Jew is born with this blindness upon him. Far be this

thought! Every generation of Jews, in refusing the light which shines for all, in sharing the sin of their fathers in rejecting their Messiah, in continuing in their evil ways of unbelief, is put under the sentence of this judicial blindness. The Jew may see if he so chooses and he may refuse the light. God declared in His Word beforehand what would happen to them in this respect.

Before us are three quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures. The Hebrews divide the Old Testament into three parts: The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Holy Spirit here quotes from each of these divisions. The passages quoted prove that such a judicial blindness was to come upon them according to God's sovereign dealings. Now the most significant fact is that in none of these passages to which the Holy Spirit calls our attention the teaching is advanced that this blindness is to be permanent and final. There is no prophecy in the Scriptures which declares that the present blinded condition of Israel is their permanent and final condition.

The three quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures teach us much on these lines. The first is taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, "Yet the Lord hath given you an