vol.. I. — At
it. It has characteristics, but no internal de- velopment. It is a period of light and peace and the knowledge of God, which covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. Subsequent revelation has broken up the coming of the Messiah into a coming and a coming again, and history has intercalated between tlie two an age full of developments and vast changes. But the prophets embrace all in one period over which there hangs a divine light. Ihe characterisLics they assign to the Messianic age or the period introduced by the Day of the Lord are m the main those characteristics which we assign to the age which the second coming shall introduce. These characteristics are the issue of the first coming, the natural expansion of its principles ; and to the prophets the principles and theii realization all seem condensed into one point.
4. The prophets are not interested in giving mere predictions of external events or conditions of the world, but in setting before the people the moral development and issues of the kingdom ; and just as the Day of the Lord seems to them to issue out of the conditions of the world of their own day, so they sometimes bring down the moral issues of the kingdom upon an external condition of the world such as it was in their own time. There is perfect realizing of moral principles, but the condition of the world in its kingdoms and the like remains unchanged. But ordinarily this is not the case.
(a) A constant feature in the eschatological picture is Israel's restoration to its own land. The Lord will say to the North, Give up ; and to the South, Keep not back : bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth ; even every one that is called by my name (Is 43'). And in tliis land all earthly blessings attend the peojilf (Am Q""") ; they attain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall nee away (Is 35'° 65"") The people are also truly the people of God— 'Thy people shall be all righteous' ; ' In the Lord shall all tlie seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory ' (Is 45"). The people's restoration to ever- lasting felicity and their righteousness are but dilleront sides of the same thing. Cast out because of their sins, they are restored because of their righteousness, although the righteousness be one bestowed on them by God (Is 43'-'°") ; and tlieir restoration is the outer side of their justification, the token to their own heart and to the eyes of the nations that they are in truth now the people of God (Is 01" 65""). The question how in our day we are to interpret such prophecies is a double one. It is a question, first, of wliat the prophets meant. And to this question there can be but one answer — their meaning is the literal sense of their words. They spoke of tlie people Israel and of the land of Canaan, and predicted the restoration of the people to their land, and their everlasting abode there with their God in the midst of them. Tliis was their view in tlieir day of the final con- dition of the people. Of course, to the prophets the es.scntial tning was the spiritual perfection and bles.sedness of the people 'given by the presence among them of their God in His fulness, but thej' were unable to conceive this except as rellected in an external condition of the people. The other question is hnw we iii.iy exjiect these OT prophecies to bo fulfilled now that the NT disi)ensatioii is come. There is no question as to the meaning ol the OT prophecies; the nnestion is how far this meaning is now valid. Tlic question is not one to bo dogmatic on, but wo should naturally say that it is to be decided by the principles of the NT ilis]iensation. The only NT writer who seems formally to argue the question is St. Paul (Ko 0-11). Now, he argues only on the aoix'tual side
738
ESCHATOLOGY
ESCHATOLOGY
of the Abrahamif covenant, or ratlier he regards tlie covenant as an exclusively spiritual or redemp- tive instrument (see art. COVENANT, last par.). Those, therefore, who, in advocating the idea of the Restoration of Israel to their own land, think themselves entitled to reason on the material side of the covenant (the promise of the land), cannot plead the apostle's authority nor his example. It may be made a question, indeed, whether his reasoning does not exclude theirs, for his view appears to be that the covenant from the moment it took ell'ect was a purely spiritual and redemptive deed. To his mind the covenant guarantees the final salvation of Israel. The church of God is historical and continuous. It was planted in Abraham, and it is perennial. Israel was the church, and continues to be ; and if the Gentiles be in it, they have been grafted in ; and if some of the natural branches be meantime broken off, God is able to graft them in again ; and this He will do, 'and 80 all Israel shall be saved.' This is St. Paul's manner of stating the idea of Deutero-Isaiah, that the true knowledge of the true God has been given once for all to Israel, and given to be the heritage of mankind. If the OT prophecies are to be brought into the argument, the order in which they place tilings must be observed. That order is, first, righteousness and faith, and then restora- tion to Canaan. A return of Jews to Canaan whUe stUl in unbelief, however interesting a thin" in itself, does not come into contact with OT prophecy.