THE HOPE OF ISRAEL - The Preterist Archive

58 The Hope of Israel: What Is It?
For an attentive reading of the prophecies concerning
"Israel," "Zion," and "Jerusalem," leads to the conclusions
that such as are yet to be fulfilled relate to the
heavenly people, country, and city, to which respectively
those names properly belong; and that all prophecies
of recovery intended for "Israel after the flesh" (I Cor.
10:18) were completely fulfilled in and after the return
from the Babylonian captivity.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A RIGHT UNDERSTANDING OF
THESE PROPHECIES
Some may think it a matter of small consequence
whether the prophecies of future blessing and dominion
for "Israel" apply to the earthly or to the heavenly
people. But not so ;
for the matter affects the whole
subject of salvation and the hope of the gospel. It
needs to be settled, and settled according to the Scriptures,
in order that the gospel itself may be understood
and its work properly accomplished. For so long as
another hope, that is to say "another gospel" (upon
which, be it noted, the only anathema of the New
Testament is laid, Gal. 1:8, 9) is presented for a section
of the human race (the scattered descendants of
and that a hope of earthly character, just so
Jacob)
long, and to that extent, will the work of the gospel
be hindered, and the gospel itself be obscured. It was
so at the beginning, when the fixed notion of a restoration
of the earthly greatness of Israel made the Jewish
people the implacable enemies of the gospel, and of the
Christ of the gospel, Who is also the Christ of
prophecy.
Therefore I am impelled to insist in the strongest
way, and to call upon all the friends of the gospel to do