Immortality or Resurrection, William West [best romance books of all time txt] 📗

nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’ You would not. ‘Would not’ explains the cause of the rejection of the gospel. It is not because God in Christ is not ready: he would gather them. It is not because men cannot come, but because they will not come. Christ wished the salvation of Jerusalem; his will was for them to be saved: he sought to influence their wills to make a choice of salvation, but they would not. So God still ‘is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance’ (2 Peter 3:9), but there are many ‘who will not come to Christ that they might have life’ (John 5:40). While God wills the salvation of men, he does not destroy free agency by coercing the human will, but says: ‘Whosoever will, let him come.’ 38. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. This was the consequence of refusing to come to Christ. The temple is the house meant. God will abandon it and leave it desolate. He will no longer accept its worship. 39. You shall not see me henceforth. This seems to imply that the temple shall be deserted when he leaves it. With his departure the presence of God departs. He was the Lord of the temple. ‘Till you shall say.’ These were his last words in the temple precincts, but they do not shut out all hope. Even yet when the Jews shall join in the hosannas of those who, on the Sunday before, had sung his praises, and cry, ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord,’ they may be permitted to behold their Messiah...When Christ abandoned the temple in Jerusalem, it was only fit for the destroyer.”
"That which Israel seeks for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened" [Romans 11:7]. Whatever Israel did not obtain, THE ELECT HAD OBTAINED IT, PAST TENSE AT THE TIME PAUL WROTE THIS. It is not something that will be obtained by Israel or anyone after at A. D. 70 or at the second coming of Christ. How is anyone saved today, Jew or Gentile? Only by the Gospel. I was saved when I heard the Gospel and obeyed it; all that are saved are saved in the same way. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is THE POWER of God for salvation to EVERYONE who believes, TO THE JEW FIRST and also to the Greek" [Romans 1:16]. Neither a Jew nor a Greek can be saved without believing in Christ and obeying the gospel. Today a nation cannot be saved as a nation (Israel or any other nation). Individuals must believe and obey the Gospel; there is no other way. "But if SOME OF THE BRANCHES were broken off, ["some of the branches," plural, are individuals Jews, not "some of the nations"] and you, being a wild olive, was grafted in among them [among some of the branches, the Jews that believed and were not broken off, Paul was one of the Jews that believed]...Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith...for if God spared not the natural branches [individuals Jews], neither will he spare you [individuals Gentiles, not nations]. Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell (individuals, not nations), severity; but toward you, God's goodness; otherwise, you also shall be cut off. And they [individuals Jews] also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in" [Romans 11:17-24]. Many of the believers in the early church were Jews. Paul was a Jew, and he said, "Even so than at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace" [at the time Paul was writing this some Jews believed] [Romans 11:4]. Salvation is always available to anyone of any nation if they will accept Christ. The law was only a shadow of that which was to come. Israel cannot be restored as a nation without restoring the shadow, including restoring animal sacrifice, etc.
There is individuality "about the Christian religion that cannot be dispensed with. Those who accept Christ must do it as individuals, not as a nation. Each one must come to Christ on his own individual faith. He can come in no other way. In this way he can come now; and this is the only way a Gentile, or anyone else can come. The Jews were broken off for unbelief, and they must come in faith. This opportunity they have now, and have always had--they need not expect, or wait for any thing more." Dr T. W. Brents, Gospel Sermons, Page 329, 1918, Gospel Advocate Publishing Co.
"Woe unto you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. So you are witnesses and consent unto the works of your fathers: for they kill them, and you build their tombs. Therefore, also said the wisdom of God, I will send unto them prophets and apostles; and some of them they shall kill and persecute; that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, MAY BE REQUIRED OF THIS GENERATION; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary: yea, I say unto you, IT SHALL BE REQUIRED OF THIS GENERATION" [Luke 11:47-51].
[1] THE LORD'S LAMENT OVER JERUSALEM WHEN HE WAS ON THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM Luke 19:41-44: When Jesus drew nigh Jerusalem He wept over the city and tells His disciples of the destruction of it in language that is similar to what He said in Luke 21:5-33. "And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which belong unto peace! But, now they are hid from your eyes. FOR THE DAYS SHALL COME UPON YOU, WHEN YOUR ENEMIES WILL THROW UP A BANK ABOUT YOU, AND SURROUND YOU, AND HEM YOU IN ON EVERY SIDE, AND WILL LEVEL YOU TO THE GROUND AND YOUR CHILDREN WITHIN YOU; AND THEY SHALL NOT LEAVE IN YOU ONE STONE UPON ANOTHER; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation’" [Luke 19:41-44 New American Standard Version]. The Romans did surround Jerusalem, put up a bank against the wall to go over it, and did not leave one stone upon another.
[2] IN AN ADDRESS TO THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEE AT JERUSALEM: In Matthew 23 Jesus gives seven woes to the scribes and Pharisees [Matthew 23:13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27 29] and ends the address with "Verily I say unto you, ALL THESE THINGS SHALL COME UPON THIS GENERATION. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem that kills the prophets, and stones them that are sent unto her! How often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not! BEHOLD, YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT UNTO YOU DESOLATE" [Matthew 23:36-38]. In Matthew 24:34 He again says, "THIS GENERATION SHALL NOT PASS AWAY, TILL ALL THESE THINGS BE ACCOMPLISHED." All the woes in Matthew 23 and all the signs of Matthew 24 were to come upon that generation, before that generation passed away.
"ALL THESE THINGS SHALL COME UPON THIS GENERATION" Christ used "generation" twenty-five times IN REFERENCE TO THE JEWS OF HIS DAY, nine of the twenty-five are in Matthew [Matthew 11:16; 12:39; 12:41; 12:42; 12:45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:36; 24:24]. "But first he (Christ) must suffer many things and be rejected of THIS GENERATION" [Luke 17:25; also Mark 8:12; 8:12; 8:38; 9:19; 13:30; Luke 7:31; 9:41; 11:29; 11:30; 11:31; 11:32; 11:50; 11:51; 16:8; 17:25; 21:32]. "Genea," the Greek word from which "generation" is translated never means "race" as the Millennialists contend that it does in Matthew 24:34.
• " THIS GENERATION shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" King James.
• "I tell you this: THE PRESENT GENERATION will live to see it all." New English Bible.
• "Remember this! All these things will happen before THE PEOPLE NOW LIVING have all died" Today's English Version.
• "THE PRESENT GENERATION will not pass away, till all this happens" Moffatt's Translation.
• "I tell you in solemn truth that THE PRESENT GENERATION will certainly not pass away until all this has taken place" Weymouth's Translation.
• "THIS GENERATION will not disappear till all this has taken place" Phillips Translation.
• "All these things will take place before THIS PRESENT GENERATION passes on" Modern Language Bible.
• "THE PRESENT GENERATION will not pass away until all this takes place" New American Bible.
• "THE PRESENT GENERATION will not pass away, till all this happens" James Moffat.
"THIS GENERATION" The generation of Jews in the time of Christ.
• John the Baptist: "O GENERATION OF VIPERS, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" [Luke 3:7].
• Christ: "O GENERATION OF VIPERS, how can you, being evil, speak what is good?" [Matthew 12:34].
• "But to what shall I liken THIS GENERATION? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we song a dirge, and you did not mourn" [Matthew 11:16-19; Luke 7:31-33].
• Likened to Tyre and Sodom, which would have repented if they had seen the works did in Israel, but Israel would not repent [Matthew 11:20-24].
• "The men of Nineveh shall stand up with THIS GENERATION at the judgment, AND SHALL CONDEMN IT because they repented at the preaching Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here" [Matthew 12:41].
• "The Queen of the South shall rise up with THIS GENERATION at the judgment AND SHALL CONDEMN IT, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here" [Luke 12:42].
• Likened to a man from which an unclean spirit went out but returned with seven other spirits that were more wicked. "This is the way it will also be with THIS EVIL GENERATION" [Luke 1243-45].
• "Why does THIS GENERATION seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign shall be to THIS GENERATION" [Mark 8:12]
• "An EVIL AND ADULTEROUS GENERATION seeks after a sign; and no sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah" [Matthew 12:39; 16:4].
• "O UNBELIEVING AND PERVERTED GENERATION, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?" [Matthew 17:17; Mark 9:19; Luke 9:41].
• "Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send unto them prophets and apostles; and some of them they shall kill and persecute; the blood of all the prophets, which were shed from the foundation of the world, MAY BE REQUIRED OF THIS GENERATION; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary: yea, I say unto you, IT SHALL BE REQUIRED OF THIS GENERATION" [Luke 11:49-51].
• "You serpents, you GENERATION OF VIPERS, how can you escape the judgment of Gehenna?" [Matthew 23:33].
• "All these things shall come upon THIS GENERATION" [Matthew 23:36].
• "Truly I say unto you, THIS GENERATION shall not pass away till all these things be accomplished" [Matthew 24:34].
• "Truly I say to you, THIS GENERATION shall not pass away until all these things take place" [Mark 13:30]. That generation passed away long ago.
• "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by THIS GENERATION" [Luke 17:25].
• "Be saved from THIS PERVERSE GENERATION" [Acts 3:40]. This was said before A. D. 70
• "That you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of