Messiah: His Final Call to Israel
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1 Messianic Series Volume Seven Isa. 1:18 לכו־נא ונוכחה יאמר יהוה “Come now and let us reason together, saith Jehovah” MESSIAH: HIS FINAL CALL TO ISRAEL BY DAVID L. COOPER., TH.M., PH.D., LITT.D. Founder and President, Biblical Research Society To The memory of FLORENCE LITA COOPER Faithful and beloved wife of the author And true friend of God’s Chosen People Israel is this volume dedicated. Copyrighted 1962 BY DAVID L. COOPER Library of Congress, Catalogue Card Number 62-12764 biblicalresearch.info 2 Preface The present volume, Messiah: His Final Call To Israel, is the seventh and last book of my Messianic Series, which consists of the following volumes: The God of Israel, which sets forth the scriptural teaching of God's existence, His character, and His nature—especially the triune nature of the Godhead; Messiah: His Nature and Person, which presents the scriptural teaching that one of the persons of the Godhead would assume human form and come to earth to execute the plan of redemption; Messiah: His Redemptive Career, which foretells the two comings of the one Messiah and the interval separating these two events, during which the rejected Messiah, having been executed, is seated at the right hand of God the Father in glory; Messiah: His First Coming Scheduled, which sets forth the system of Biblical chronology and which points to the time of His first coming; Messiah: His Historical Appearance, which presents the scriptural evidence that all the predictions in the Old Testament regarding Messiah's first coming have been fulfilled to the letter by Jesus of Nazareth, and that all the predictions in the Old Testament regarding Messiah's Second Coming, as well as all the predictions in the New Testament regarding His Second Coming, await a literal fulfillment; Messiah: His Glorious Appearance Imminent, which discusses prophecies relating to the Second Coming of Messiah, and accompanying events: the Rapture of the Church, the Great Tribulation, and the Glorious Millennial Reign of Messiah; and Messiah: His Final Call To Israel, the present volume, which presents the scriptural teaching that Israel, upon learning the facts concerning the rejected Messiah, will repudiate the national sin and plead for Him to return— who will come to earth, lift the curse from all creation, and reign in righteousness, Israel becoming the channel of world blessing. The last two volumes of the Series deal with prophecy, which falls into two divisions—fulfilled and unfulfilled. We are told that between one fourth and one third of the Scriptures deal with prophetic subjects. During World War II, some sincere brethren who knew little about prophecy began to study on prophetic subjects, without a proper understanding of the same. Thus some of them undertook to make out schedules of future events and to make out timetables for the Lord to follow—some even went so far as to set dates for the coming of the Lord. How can anyone set a date for the coming of the Lord since He Himself declares that no one knows the day nor the hour of His return? What is needed today is a sane, sound study of prophecy. The principle of which will insure a correct understanding of the Word is what is known as the Golden Rule of Interpretation: "When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning, unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise." Moreover, one must be guided by the principle thus stated: "A text apart from its context is a pretext." Every phrase must be analyzed and interpreted in the light of the facts of the context, the presumption being that every sentence element is to be taken literally unless there is clear evidence that it is to be understood figuratively. At the present time the world situation is rapidly deteriorating. Most of the statesmen of the free world are very apprehensive of the present and the future. The political tension throughout the world is increasing by the hour. The situation, which is worse than what under normal conditions would be considered a trivial matter, could plunge all nations into a holocaust of bloodshed and destruction. A world conflagration at the present time might take place and cause great damage, but those who know the prophetic Word are certain that there is not to be a nuclear war that will end our civilization. Many people are telling us that at any moment our civilization may be blotted out, or practically so. But God is not going to allow such a biblicalresearch.info 3 catastrophe now, for the Scriptures foretell a short period when the world will be lulled into a false feeling of safety and security. "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child" (I Thess. 5:1-3). When men everywhere will be blinded by Satan's lies, then the Day of Wrath will burst upon the unsuspecting world in all its fury. Everyone should be well informed regarding the times in which we are living. Those who know God in Christ and the prophetic Word should be about their Father's business: "We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4). These are days of seriousness. Let us always bear in mind that God watches over His Word to perform it (Jer. 1:11,12). In preparation of this volume, I have consulted standard works, encyclopedias, and scholarly commentaries in order to avoid all possible error, and yet what men do is more or less marred with imperfections. To my departed wife I owe very much, because she was a source of spiritual understanding in practical matters, as well as in scriptural knowledge. To Miss Aurora Fluker and Miss Esther Smith, secretaries, I owe much, because they both relieved me of many duties in different ways in the preparation of this book. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob use the message of this volume to the blessing of many of the Lord's brethren according to the flesh. "But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 and that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (II Tim. 3:14-17). biblicalresearch.info 4 Table of Contents PREFACE..................................................................................................................................................................................2 CHAPTER ONE THE ROMANCE OF JEWISH HISTORY ……………………………………………………………………………………..6 I. Mountain Peaks of Jewish History. II. A Second Glimpse at Sinai. III. The Coming of the Messiah. CHAPTER TWO ISRAEL’S CONFESSION OF THE NATIONAL SIN ………………………………………………………………………….27 I. According to Moses. II. According to Hosea. III. According to Isaiah. IV. According to the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. V. According to Psalm 106. CHAPTER THREE GOD’S COMMAND TO HIS CHURCH ……………………………………………………………………………………..42 I. According to Isaiah. II. According to Matthew 28:18-20. III. According to Romans 1:16,17. IV. According to the Command: Hear Ye Him” (Matt. 17:5). CHAPTER FOUR ISRAEL’S REPUDIATION OF THE NATIONAL SIN ……………………………………………………..............................54 I. Penitent Israel’s Return to God According to Jeremiah. II. Penitent Israel Looking Unto Him Whom They P ierced According to Zechariah. III. God’s Eight-point Program for Israel. IV. Israel Tried and Acquitted. CHAPTER FIVE ISRAEL THE CHANNEL OF WORLD BLESSING …………………………………………………………………………90 I. Divine Promise to the Patriarchs. II. Israel’s Place in the Plan of God. III. The Unfolding of the Divine Plan. biblicalresearch.info 5 CHAPTER SIX THE ETERNAL ORDER AND ISRAEL ……………..……………………………………………………………………104 I. The Great White Throne Judgment. II. The Passing of the Present Order. III. The Creation of the Eternal Order. IV. The City Foursquare, The Eternal Home of the Redeemed. V. Solemn Warning and Practical Exhortations. CHAPTER SEVEN MESSIAH AWAITING ISRAEL’S CRY FOR HELP ……………………………………………………………………….110 biblicalresearch.info 6 CHAPTER I THE ROMANCE OF JEWISH HISTORY The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handiwork (Ps. 19:1). But "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Ps. 14:1). All who by faith see the Eternal God standing behind the physical, material universe, as David in Psalm 19 did, recognize the truth expressed in the following quotation: 10 Wherefore David blessed Jehovah before all the assembly; and David said, Blessed be thou, O Jehovah, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. 11 Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou rulest over all; and in thy hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all (I Chron.