THE HOPE OF ISRAEL - The Preterist Archive

144 The Hope of Israel: What Is It?
they jump to the conclusion that the implied change
is that which their doctrine calls for. But obviously,
even if a change of some sort is implied by the word
"until," it by no means follows that the change will be
in the national status of the scattered people; or that
it will take place in a yet future era. Strictly speaking,
the word "until" gives not the slightest indication as
to ivhat will take place when the period which the
passage limits shall have run its course. What that
word declares, and all it declares, is that throughout
"the times of the Gentiles" Jerusalem will be trodden
down of the Gentiles, and that the spiritual blindness,
which has been laid as a punishment upon the greater
part of the natural Israel, will persist until the fulness
of the Gentiles be come into the fold of Christ.
But before inquiring what room is left by these
Scriptures for a possible season of special mercy to
those of Jewish descent, let us take note of the purpose
for which they were apparently written.
What has chiefly impressed the writer when meditating
upon the above Scriptures is that they constitute
(and were specially designed to that end) a twofold
testimony to the authenticity of the
Scriptures,
a testimony which has this remarkable character,
namely, that it was to be before the eyes of every generation
of men throughout the entire Christian era.
Here are two distinct predictions, one concerning the
City of Jerusalem, the other concerning the Jewish
people ; predictions of such sort that, had they been the
utterances of men, would long since have failed. They
are, moreover, predictions that have required for their
age-long fulfilment two continuing miracles; first, that
Jerusalem should be preserved from destruction and