God’s Torchbearers

From Adam to the Millennium

By David L. Cooper

Originally God created man in His own image. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). It is in God that men live, move, and have their being, “For we (all men) are also his offspring” (Acts 17:28). Naturally He loves His offspring and is interested in their welfare.

God’s Torchbearers from Adam to Moses

When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they were told to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth with inhabitants. Everything was conducive to their well-being, happiness, and contentment. But the adversary, Satan, beguiled Eve and led her into rebellion against God, which brought about the fall of the race (Gen., chapter 3). “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one” (I John 5:19). Knowing that man would yield to temptation, God, before the foundation of the world, planned a scheme of redemption whereby He offers salvation full and free to all who are willing to accept it. The heart of this plan is the making of atonement by sacrifice—the offering up of Himself by the Son of God—to save all who will accept the salvation provided for them. The slaughter of animals by the Lord in Eden, the skins of which were used as clothing for man after he sinned, was probably the first sacrifices made to typify the supreme sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God.

God’s purpose to save men involved His making a revelation of His will to them. At various times He spoke through certain men in the Patriarchal Age. For instance, Enoch, the seventh from Adam, was a prophet of God (Jude 14). Evidently there were other prophets in those early days through whom God revealed His will, as he is reflected in the statement, “5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Gen. 26:5). Abraham lived approximately 400 years before Moses. In his day commandments, statutes and laws had been given by the Lord, which Abraham at that early period obeyed. Job, a probable contemporary of Abraham, declared, “I have not denied the words of the Holy One (Job 6:10). Again he said, “I have treasured up the words of his (God’s) mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). From these and other statements in the Word of God we may be certain that there was an original primitive revelation given by the Lord to the patriarchs, which served its purpose and then, possibly in a providential manner, passed into oblivion. It may be that those permanent portions of it were incorporated into disclosures given later. For instance, the following verses appear in Psalm 40:6-8,* which are taken from “the roll of the book”.

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*6 Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in; mine ears has thou opened; burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required.
7 Then said I, Lo, I am come: In the roll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:6-8)

This quotation, given by David, does not appear in any of the Old Testament books, but it was in “the roll of the book.” Evidently “the roll of the book” was a primitive revelation of the Lord, which served its purpose, and which the Almighty allowed to disappear—all except this quotation.

Israel the Torchbearer of Truth from Moses to Christ

God called Abraham out of a heathen environment—Babylonian civilization—into the little kingdom of God over which Melchizedek, as king and priest of God Most High, reigned (Gen. 14; Heb. 7). In His call to the patriarch the Lord declared that it was His intention to bless all nations in and through him and his seed (Gen. 12:1-3). Concerning Abraham’s seed, God told him to look toward the heavens and promised him that his seed should be as numerous as the stars (Gen. 15:5).* Undoubtedly He was speaking of Abraham’s literal descendants through Isaac and Jacob. While the term, seed, refers to his actual posterity, it also has a special significance, as we see in Galatians 3:16: “He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” The Lord Jesus Christ is the Seed par excellence. While He is the Seed in the highest sense of the term, at the same time He is literally speaking one of the seeds of Abraham. This position is confirmed by the Apostle in Romans 1:1-4: “Paul . . . an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2which he promised . . . 3 concerning hi Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared to be the Son of God with power.” It is therefore absolutely correct to say that the seed of Abraham is his literal descendants.

In order to appreciate and properly to evaluate the Abrahamic covenant, one must understand this fundamental fact: “The eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (II Chronicles 16:9). God looks for men whom He can trust and through whom He can carry out His plans of blessing all nations—bringing the greatest blessing to the largest number in the shortest length of time. Back in the days of Hammurabi, King of Babylon; Job, the faithful child of God; and Melchizedek, the king of Salem, the eyes of the Lord ran to and fro throughout the whole earth, which was given over to idolatry and sinful practices, in order to find a man whom He could trust, and to whom He could entrust His plan of blessing all nations. In the Ur of Chaldea He found such a man, Abram, whose name later was changed to Abraham. God appeared to him and entered into a covenant relationship with him and his seed forever. The true explanation of the Abrahamic covenant is explained most beautifully in the following passage:

“6 For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. 7 Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples: 8 but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
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*In the Millennium this promise will be completely fulfilled as here contemplated.

9 Know therefore that Jehovah who keepeth covenant and loving kindness with them that love
him and keep his commandments to be a thousand generations, 10 and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. 11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them” (Deut. 7:6-11).

In this quotation note the fact that the following statement is given as the basis of the Abrahamic covenant: “Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people . . . but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob).” Moses affirmed that God loved the Jewish people; hence, He entered into covenant relationship with them. The second reason assigned is that God had entered into the covenant relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their forebears. The fundamental thought underlying this entire passage is that this covenant was founded upon a pure grace basis. God loved these patriarchs and extended His grace toward them in making this covenant. Since the people of Israel constitute the posterity of these three men, He extends His love and grace toward their posterity.

God knows that “blood will tell.” He knew that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would pas on to their posterity those spiritual qualities which are so very essential to a faithful discharge of covenant obligations. The Mendelian ratio obtains in human beings just as it does in the animal and vegetable kingdoms. At the same time He knew that fleshly traits would crop out in their descendants, and that He would have to punish them because of their delinquencies, failures, sins, and transgressions. He therefore warned them that He would punish them for their iniquities, but that at the same time He would not withdraw His loving-kindness from them. He therefore urged Israel to be diligent in observing His statutes, ordinances, and commands. An examination of the history of the Chosen People shows that many of God’s choicest noblemen have sprung from the loins of Israel and have yielded their lives to the service of God. But the great bulk of them have failed to mount up to the lofty plane of the holy position and responsibility to which they were lifted by the covenant relationship. Eventually, however, all the sinners in Israel will be purged out, as we shall learn later, and the remnant of the nation will mount up and will become the channel of world blessing.

Every blessing of a spiritual nature which we enjoy today has come from God through Abraham’s literal descendants to us. Moses and the prophets, Christ and the Apostles, were all Hebrews. So was the Early Church. All of these were the channel through which God’s abundant riches have flowed to us.

Jacob and his family went down into Egypt and there developed into a nation. When the time of the promise arrived, the Lord sent Moses to deliver His Chosen People in order that they might be brought into the Promised Land, “the bridge of the nations,” where they could stand and hold aloft the torch of divine revelation so that the heathen might come to the light. A striking passage, which shows God’s special dealing with Israel at the time of the Exodus, is found in Deuteronomy 4:32-40: “For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?

33 Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that Jehovah he is God; there is none else besides him. 36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he made thee to see his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out with his presence, with his great power, out of Egypt; 38 to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as at this day. 39 Know therefore this day, and lay it to thy heart that Jehovah he is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is non else. 40 And thou shalt keep his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days in the land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, for ever.” To His Chosen People He gave the land of promise, which is the geographical center, “the middle” (Ezek. 38:13), of the earth. Israel’s unique, strategic position among the nations is also set forth in the following passage of Scripture:

“8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.
9 For Jehovah’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance” (Deut. 32:8-9).
When Israel came to Sinai, God entered into covenant relationship with His people and revealed His law to them.

“19 He showeth his word unto Jacob, His statues and his ordinances unto Israel.
20 He hath not dealt so with any nation; and as for his ordinances, they have not known them. Praise ye Jehovah” (Ps. 147:19-20).

“7 He made known his ways unto Moses, His doings unto the children of Israel” (Ps. 103:7).

From these passages we see that God showed His Word, statues, and ordinances unto Israel, and that He has not dealt with any other nation racially as He did with Israel. Amos struck the same note in the following passage: “2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit upon you are your iniquities (Amos 3:2).

Throughout the Mosaic Age—from Moses to Christ—all Gentiles who wished to worship the true and living God had to become Jewish proselytes. They then were allowed to worship in the court of the Gentiles—but never in the court of Israel. But Israel was the one who was holding aloft the torch of the revelation of God’s truth during this period.

Finally, our Lord came, suffered, and died for mankind, thus opening up the new and living way of approach to God. When He was nailed to the cross, He “blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross (Col. 2:14). Thus ended the Mosaic Dispensation.

The Church the Torchbearer or Truth from the Cross to the Rapture

“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). According to this verse God loves the whole world, and He gave His only begotten Son so that everyone who believes might have eternal life. All people, regardless of color, race, or conditions, are the offspring of the Almighty, as the Apostle Paul declared: “24 The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to al life, and breath, and all things; 26 and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us: 28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man. 30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: 31 inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:24-31).

Since all peoples are the offspring of God and are destined to spend eternity somewhere, God wants the gospel given to them in order that they may be saved. The ignorance of past generations God overlooked, but now He commands all men everywhere that they should repent and turn to Him, who suffered and died for them in order that they might live. The Apostle Peter struck the same note in his speech at the house of Cornelius: “O a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34-35). The soul of each individual, regardless of circumstances and conditions, is precious in the sight of the Lord. God wills that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance and to the knowledge of the truth.

With this thought in mind the Lord Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared to His disciples in Galilee and gave them the world-wide commission saying: “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. 19 God ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:18-20). From this passage we see that all should have an opportunity of hearing the gospel. The hearing of the message of salvation is the birthright of every individual and should be denied to none.

The Infant Church Gave the Gospel to the Entire World in Its Generation

The risen Christ commanded His Apostles to remain in Jerusalem until they should be endued with power from on high, which thing they did. According to His instructions they preached the gospel first in Jerusalem; then in Judaea, next in Samaria, and finally to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). In carrying out this program, the Early Church (by the time the Epistle to the Romans was written—A.D. 58) had taken the message of the cross to the ends of the earth. “18 But I say, Did they heart? Yea, verily, Their sound went out into all the earth, And their words unto the ends of the world” (Rom. 10:18). From the connection in which Paul quoted Psalm 19:4, it is clear that he was talking about the gospel and its being preached in the entire world, giving his message in terms of the psalmist’s language. In the Colossian letter, written in A.D. 63, the Apostle expressed the same thought, speaking in Colossians 1:6 of the gospel’s “bearing fruit and increasing” in all the world. Then, in 1:23, he declared that it “was preached in all creation under heaven.” Note the fact that it had been preached in all creation under heaven. There can be no misunderstanding concerning this divinely inspired statement relative to the fact that the gospel has been preached in every country, land, and nation that is under the heavens. If anyone believes that the Scriptures are definitely inspired of God, he must accept the proposition that the gospel in the first generation of the infant church was preached to all nations. We may not understand how it was done, but by faith we accept the fact, namely, that it had been preached at that time to all creatures under heaven.

In this connection, let us remember that the church was mainly Jewish. Of course, there were some Gentiles in it but it had largely a Jewish complexion until the events of A.D. 70, the year of the downfall of the Jewish nation. After that breath-taking catastrophe occurred, the Jews ceased to come, in any appreciable numbers, into the church. Soon it changed its complexion to that of a Gentile body. But let us note particularly that, when it was largely Jewish, the gospel was proclaimed throughout the entire world.

The Missionary Enterprise Since A.D. 70

After the Jews as people turned from the gospel, following the downfall of the nation, the church to a great extent lost its missionary vision and zeal. Many events, here and there in the world, occurred which caused the ebb and flow of missionary activity. By the so-called conversion of Constantine and the active part that he took in church affairs, a satanic hypodermic injection, which for a time seemed to give life, power, and prestige to the church and to make of it a mighty invincible force that would conquer all kingdoms, was administered to Christianity at a dangerously critical time—when it was battling for its very existence. This paralyzing drug of legalism, corruption, worldliness, sensuality, and government control of religion spread, with its deadening effect, throughout the entire body of the church. Christianity, as a result of this deadly virus, began to expire, especially in lands most remote from the place of its birth. The circle of the church’s influence constantly contracted until it was drawn around the Mediterranean basis, where Christianity finally crystallized into a paganized, ritualistic orthodoxy. Of course, there were some rare exceptions to this general rule. During the early centuries of the present era there was, by the great body of Christians, a gradual and subtle drift off the original apostolic doctrinal foundation. At the same time, heresies arose and numbers withdrew from the great mass of the organized church. On the other hand, small groups here and there arose with a battle cry which was in substance a call, “Back to the Scriptures!” Such heroes of the faith, though they were used of God, had little influence upon the great body of the church. Nevertheless, they passed the torch of true Christianity on to each succeeding generation. In the Middle Ages the true gospel was largely eclipsed by a legalized, formal, dead orthodoxy.

Following the Renaissance was the Reformation, which resulted in an exodus of hungry hearts out of the Catholic Church, and which developed into modern Protestant denominationalism. The truth was preached, and a missionary vision was presented to the people of God, who began a new chapter in church history, the modern missionary enterprise. There is no romance known to mankind that is more thrilling than the missionary movement, which has been used of God in a mighty way by the telling of the story of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ to millions in heathen darkness.

In our own day Modernism has been injected into the great Protestant bodies, and a different gospel has been substituted for the true one which offers salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood. The missionary effort of our time has been largely killed by rationalism, doubt, and skepticism and by a social gospel. An over-all picture of the missionary effort of today is very discouraging—although there are elements, here and there, that are indeed refreshing to the true believer in the Lord Jesus.

In the last half-century new organizations, especially faith missions, have been brought into existence by the Lord and have done a mighty work for God. These are still carrying on the glorious work of sounding for the Word, for which we are very thankful. Such efforts merit the confidence, prayers, and offerings of God’s people. Everything should be done to proclaim the Word to the regions beyond and to let all have a chance of accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

Israel the Kingpin of the Nations

According to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, all nations are to be given the story of salvation through Christ to the very end of the age, which terminates with Christ’s glorious return at the close of the Tribulation. The Jewish nation is one of the peoples of the earth and should be given the gospel now. All believers at this time should support the missionary effort, sow the seed in the entire world, and give all a chance to hear the truth at least once. Especially should redoubled efforts be made to give it to all Israel at this time. Why, one may ask, should such special attention be given to the Jewish people? The answer to this question is to be found in the Scriptures.

Let it be remembered that God loves all individuals. People of one race are no dearer to the heart of God than those of any other race or color. God’s supreme interest in getting the gospel to all men in the shortest length of time caused Him to plan and devise means whereby this task can be done most efficiently. He has revealed to us that HE will bless all nations in and through Abraham’s literal descendants. According to His plan Israel is to be the channel of world blessing. When the Hebrews turn to Christ, all peoples will be evangelized and countless myriads will be won to a saving knowledge of the Redeemer. To show the paramount importance of Israel’s place in the plan of God, may I use this illustration drawn from the game of tenpins? The pins are placed in a triangular shape. The one nearest the player is known as the kingpin. IT is placed in relation to the rest so that, if it is hit squarely, in falling it will knock all the others down; by so doing, the player wins with one stroke. The chief objective of those playing is to knock the kingpin down. Thus their interest is focused on it. From one point of view the players are not any more interested in the kingpin than they are in the rest of the pins. On the other hand, they are vitally interested in it because of its position in relation to the rest. Should the original kingpin be removed and put in another position, and another pin put in its place, the players’ interest immediately shifts to the pin placed in the key position. Thus it is with the nation of Israel. God has put it as the “kingpin” of the nations. It is for us to get the truth to these people so that they will fall down prostrate before their Saviour and Messiah and accept Him. When Israel thus goes down, figuratively speaking, all the rest of the nations will follow—will be led by converted Israel to accept Christ.

How do we know that Israel is the kingpin of the nations? God said that He will bless all nations through Abraham and his seed (Gen. 12:1-3; Gen. 22:15-18; Acts 3:25). In the “Jewish section” of Romans (chapters 9-11) Paul shows that God overruled the Jews’ rejection of Christ in sending forth the message of reconciliation to the world. If the Almighty could and did turn Israel’s tragic blunder and sin into a blessing for all nations, argues the Apostle, how much greater will the blessing be to the world which God brings to it when Israel comes back to Him—“what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” In this statement the inspired writer compares the present world situation to the condition of death, and that which will obtain when Israel returns to God is likened to a person who has died, but who has been raised back to life. In order that we may see clearly this sparkling gem of truth, that radiates hope and expectation to a world groaning under the curse of sin, I wish to give it in its setting. “11 I say then, Did they stumble that they might fall? God forbid: but by their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles; ;how much more their fullness? 13 But I speak to you that are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I glorify my ministry; 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy them that are my flesh, and may save some of them. 15 For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” (Rom. 11:11-15). The lifting of the curse and the blessing of all men are contingent upon Israel’s conversion. He is therefore, I repeat, the kingpin of the nations. This position, as we shall see below, is confirmed by the fact that the 144,000 Hebrew servants of God (Rev. 7) will bring about the world-wide revival during the Tribulation and, at the end of it, the conversion of all Israel (Rom. 11:25-27): “For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in; 26 and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob; And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins.” Then regenerated Israel will lead all men to accept Christ at the beginning of the Millennial Age (Psalm 67).

Israel is dwelling among the nations and speaking the languages of the peoples among whom they live. Thus the difficulties of language and of transportation across vast areas enter into the problem of getting the truth to the nation in its present scattered condition. The majority of Jews live in large centers of population, reside in hotels, or apartment houses, and are thus usually inaccessible to the messenger of the cross. As a veteran Jewish worker once said: “So far as their being accessible to the missionary, they might as well be barricaded behind medieval castle walls.” It is a problem to reach them under these conditions. Moreover, a Jewish person does not wish to be known to his people as being interested in the message of the gospel. Hence, it is difficult to approach the average Jew with the gospel.

How, then, can the message of the Word of God be given to these people living in the complex environment of the present time? They may be reached effectively only by the proper type of literature, which is sent through the mails. The radio and television, of course, are also rapid means of disseminating truth to Israel under present condition. The Biblical Research Society is endeavoring, by God’s grace, to avail itself of all means that are efficient in making Christ known to His brethren according to the flesh. Time has proven that the literary method of reaching Israel with the truth is most effective. We have in our files hundreds of letters from Hebrews, which are most encouraging. Some indicate that the writers have learned of the Saviour through the literature and have accepted Him. Such are now added to the body of Christ and will, if Christ comes for His saints during this normal lifetime, be caught up in the rapture. Scores of these letters evince the keenest interest in the message of salvation and eagerly ask for more literature. To go through our files gives one a spiritual thrill. The evidence shows that the present great seed-sowing will result in an abundant harvest later—in the Tribulation.

Passing on the Torch

The Apostle Paul reminded Timothy, his child in the gospel (I Tim. 1:2), of his great spiritual heritage which had been passed on to him by his saintly grandmother and godly mother. Moreover, there was added to his heritage the spiritual inheritance of the new birth when he accepted Christ. Furthermore, there was a special gift conferred upon him by the laying on of Paul’s hands as he reminded Timothy in the following words: “For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands” (II Tim. 1:6). Though this endowment came as a special gift for service, Timothy had to keep the spiritual fire burning upon the altar of his heart by constantly fanning it into a glowing flame. If he had to keep the fire burning by stirring it up constantly, how much more important it is for a person today to fin into a living flame the other spiritual endowments which he receives from a godly heritage!

In order to hold aloft the torch of truth, Timothy was urged to allow the Lord to strengthen him in the grace of Christ Jesus. Knowing that he could not hold it always, the Apostle exhorted him to pass it on to others: “And the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (II Tim. 2:2). The same Apostle exhorted the elders of the church at Ephesus, when he met them at Miletus, “to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). They were to be diligent in this matter in view of the fact that, after Paul’s departure, vicious devouring wolves would come into the flock of God, not sparing any. From these quotations and many others that could be given, it is apparent that those who have the truth should pass it on to others who will blaze the way for Christ after they themselves have gone to be with the Lord, either by death or the rapture.

This principle of passing on the torch comes with unusual force and urgency to the generation of Christians who are to be caught up at the time of the rapture. Instantly their voices will be silenced by their being caught away from the earth. They should, therefore, diligently pass on the Word while they are still here in the flesh and can proclaim the truth.

The preaching of the Word is necessary, for men are always saved by faith. The faith that saves is based upon the message of Christ. “So belief cometh of hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). To the Corinthian church Paul declared that “it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe” (I Cor. 1:21). Again, to the same church he affirmed “that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (II Cor. 5:19). God always uses the preaching of the Word to save those who believe. From these quotations we can see that men are saved by faith, and that faith must come from the preaching of the Word. We must, therefore, give forth the message in a permanent form to the succeeding generation in order to call out those who will carry on the work of God after the rapture—who will hold aloft the torch of God’s revelation to a benighted world.

The evangelists who conduct the worldwide revival in the Tribulation will have to be given the Word of God now—by those who have the truth and an approximately correct interpretation of the Scriptures.* This fact is a corollary of the preposition that men are now saved by faith and by the “word of reconciliation.” Israel as a people does not have the message of redemption. They have the Old Testament, it is true, but they hold peculiar views and distorted ideas concerning the Scriptures. So long as they read Moses and the prophets alone, just that long will the veil remain over their eyes, which prevents their seeing the truth with reference to the Lord Jesus Christ (II Cor. 3). It becomes necessary, therefore, for us who have the Word to give it to them in a manner that will enable them to understand the truth. WE must do it in a spirit that breathes with love and compassionate consideration.

Let us, in this connection, bear in mind that the oral voice of the church becomes silent at the time of the rapture. There will be left no one on the earth to give the truth to these future evangelists, who are to conduct this mighty spiritual awakening. How can we now, who are in the church, give the message to Israel so that after our voices are silent, we can still give the truth to God’s Ancient People?* * There is one way, and only one, which is by means of specially prepared literature that is written in a spirit sympathetic with Jewish feelings, and that gives the

Correct interpretation of the Word. If this literature is put in such a manner as to appeal to the heart and soul of Jewry and at the same time to be in perfect alignment with the teaching of Moses and the prophets, Christ and the Apostles, then God can and will use it in giving the message to the future evangelists of the end time, after the church is gone.

It is the firm conviction of the Biblical Research Society that we who know Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, and who see His plan for Israel, should do all within our power to give the message to Israel in the permanent form of specially prepared literature, so that when we are

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