THE expression, "the poor blind Jew." is quite often heard from the lip of Christian believers. No' very long ago we heard a preacher give a sermon on the Kingdom of God. In the course of his address he pictured very vividly the "foolish" expectations of the Jewish people at the time when Jesus of Nazareth appeared among His own and how they expected Him to establish an earthly, kingdom Jewish and world-wide "Of course," the preacher continued "they were blinded and knew not the whole picture they did not understand that the kingdom of the Messiah is a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom in us and not in the world, and all the Old Testament descriptions of the Jewish prophets have found and find their fulfillment in the spiritual kingdom of God or the church. The Jew, in his blindness, hoped for a literal fulfillment, which never came, and never will come,'' etc. Poor blinded preacher! Gentile blindness. You should pity yourself instead of pitying the blinded Jews. It is true the Jew expected the Messiah to establish the kingdom of heaven in the earth; and had he not a perfect right for such an expectation? What Scriptural proof has the above preacher, and with him hundreds of others, for the statement that "all the Old Testament predictions  of the Jewish prophets have found and find their fulfillment in the spiritual Kingdom of God or the church?" Certainly, there is no Scriptural warrant for the spiritualizing of Old Testament prophecy, applying all the promises of God given to Israel, which is always the seed of Abraham, to the church, to be realized in her in this present age. This is an awful delusion, and much, if not all, of the confusion, unbelief, higher criticism and worldliness which exist to-day in Christendom have originated from robbing the Jew of his inheritance, and not rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

Old Testament prophecy has been much better under-stood by the old synagogue than by most Christian commentators. Many a Christian Doctor of Divinity has with a few sentences dismissed the '' carnal'' expectations of the Jews and the literal interpretations of the Rabbis, and erected his own phantom, but, nevertheless, the Jew with his '' carnal'' expectations and literal interpretations holds the truth. Yonder old orthodox Jew faithfully keeping the law and daily expecting his Messiah, the Redeemer of Israel, waiting for Him and His kingdom, believing in all the prophets said concerning the restoration of all things and Israel's glory, is a far more inspiring sight to us than many a nominal Christian, who has no knowledge of the Word, and none at all of God's purposes, and who moves in a little, narrow circle. Is it not remarkable that all persecutions of the Jews, for nearly 1,900 years, all tortures and massacres, all false missionary methods, have not shaken the firm belief and hope in the sure word of prophecy of the God of Abraham? This faith and hope which no Inquisition could quench, is not stubbornness; it is divine. Only a small part of the Jewish nation has at least outwardly cast aside the hope of a future glory, and speaks of assimilation, which is so seldom seen. There are many orthodox Jews who wait as eagerly for the Messiah as the true Christian waits for God's Son from heaven. The Jew has in his many and ancient writings a wonderful treasure, which a Christian never dreams of. The Targumim, Medrashim and the Talmudic literature is filled with valuable suggestions, read and understood by not many Gentiles. The Jew has in these writings a wonderful eschatology or teachings on the last things, the end of this present age, and the world to come, which will no doubt astonish many of our Christian friends. We hope to give a few of these remarkable statements made by the Rabbis, and give numerous quotations from their writings. All will be of the deepest interest to all true students of the Word.

The great centre of Jewish eschatology is the Messiah. There can be no salvation, universal blessing and peace until He comes. His coming is, therefore, the object of faith and hope of Israel. The New Testament puts before the true believer that blessed hope of His coming again, as the only true hope for His church, Israel, and the world, in much the same way as the Rabbis in their writings do. The Rabbis have much to say on the person and work of the Messiah, the conditions and signs of His coming, the events connected with it. It is no easy task to collect the leading thoughts for Christian readers from the large amount of quotations which could be made. We call first the attention to the Jewish belief of a Messiah who is pre-existent.

The Pre-existence of the Messiah is often mentioned by the teachers of Israel. Shemoth rabba says whatever God created, He has created for His own glory. But seven things are mentioned which were called into existence by God before the creation of the world. Bereshith rabba says the law (Thorah) and the throne of glory were created before the time; also the Patriarchs, Israel, the Temple and the name of the Messiah were pre-existent with God. The first aim of God in creation is Israel and the Temple, the last the Kingdom of the Messiah in the earth. According to Tanchuma, the seven things created by God in eternity are: "The Thorah, the throne of glory, the Temple, the Patriarchs, Israel, the Messiah and repentance." In Jalkut Shimoni we find the Thora, Repentance, the Paradise, the throne of glory, the Temple and the Messiah.

The beginning of the Gospel of John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word," contains the doctrine of the old synagogue. As so much has been written on this, and not a few Christologies refer in defense of the eternal and absolute Deity of Christ to the old Jewish sources, we will not repeat what is well known.

Messiah, when He comes, will find, according to the Rabbis, the world in a sad state and Israel in deep misery and ungodliness. We will give, however, in a later article deeply interesting and important quotations from Talmudical literature concerning the conditions and signs of His coming—quotations which pre significant because we meet statements which agree in every detail with the New Testament predictions concerning the conditions which will exist at the end of this present evil age and the signs of His coming.

Because Israel has fallen so deep and a great and true repentance is necessary, according to the Rabbis, the prophet Elijah will come before Messiah appears for the redemption and restoration of Israel. Elijah as the forerunner of Messiah (Mai. iii: 23) was firmly believed in by the Scribes and Pharisees when Jesus of Nazareth lived (Matt, xix: 10,11). It is still believed by orthodox Jews. Prayers are made to God to send Elijah, the prophet, and every Pesach (Passover) night, when the beautiful and inspiring feast of the unleavened bread is opened, an extra cup filled with wine stands on the table for the prophet Elijah, while an empty chair is reserved for him at every circumcision. An old tradition says: "In the time when the Holy One, blessed is He, redeems Israel, three days before Messiah comes Elijah will appear. He will lift up his voice in the mountains of Israel, and will be heard from one end of the earth to the other (Jalkut). He will prepare the way. In Edijoth we read that he will clear up the genealogies. He will settle all difficulties in Israel; the money on account of which two are fighting remains deposited till Elijah comes (Baba metsia).

His greatest work, however, is teaching and leading Israel to repentance. In the sayings of Rabbi Elieser it is recorded that Israel will never truly repent till Elijah comes. Jalkut Shimoni says: " Elijah cries and weeps on the mountains of Israel, and calls out, ' How long will you stand in a desolate and deserted land?' But then for three days will he proclaim peace is coming for the world; even the wicked will rejoice; but he says to them, salvation is for Zion and her children, and not for you."

In this great work of calling Israel to repentance and reforming the nation, Elijah, according to the Rabbis, is assisted by the other great prophets of the Old Testament. Moses is especially mentioned. In Devorim rabba we notice the following very remarkable tradition: God said to Moses: '' Just as thou hast given thy life for Israel in this world, even so shall it be in the future one. When I shall send them the prophet Elijah, you both shall come together." The identity of the two witnesses in Revelation xi. has always been an open question with Biblical students. That they are persons, and not nations or systems, that they are witnessing in Israel's land and to the people, is now little disputed. It is also generally believed that Elijah is one of these witnesses. Many people still hold that Enoch must be the other. More Scriptural reasons, however, are in favor of Moses.

In Targum jer. we read: "In the fourth night, when the world reaches the set time—the time of the redemption —and the iron yoke is to be broken, Moses will come out of the desert." * * * Other prophets, especially Isaiah and Jeremiah, are likewise mentioned as forerunners.

Concerning the time of Messiah's coming, the rabbinical writers are likewise not silent. It is a Jewish belief, which many Christian teachers of the Word have adopted, namely, that the earth will exist in its present state for six thousand years, corresponding with the six days of the week, and to be followed by the seventh day—the seventh thousand, the everlasting Sabbath. Two thousand years without the law, two thousand years under the law, and two thousand years under Messiah. According to many of their reckonings, the Messiah should have come long ago, a fact which is freely acknowledged by some, and the non-appearance of the Messiah is explained in different ways. Orthodox Jews say that God keeps Messiah from coming, so that Israel, His people, waiting still longer for Him, waiting in suffering and persecution, may receive in the end a greater reward. In Joma the question, " Why does Messiah tarry?" is answered with a statement that the sins of Israel prevent His coming. Others count the time of Messiah's coming from the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and the following very interesting note is found in Aboda zarra: Rabbi Chananja says: "If some one should say to thee, four hundred years after the destruction of the Temple: Buy this field for one piece of silver, though it is worth one thousand pieces, do not buy it, for in that time Messiah will come, and we will be redeemed; why shouldst thou lose the money?" These writers have no doubt learned this counting from the destruction of the Temple from the prophecy of Daniel, chapter ix. In other places the years 4231 and 4291 after the creation of the earth are given as the years when Messiah will surely come.

In our times many Christian believers occupy themselves with figuring out the time when our blessed Lord will come again; this is not only unscriptural, but a snare. Much harm has come through the setting of days and years, and the enemy has always used these failures to bring prophetic teachings into disrepute. The same setting of times and expectancy seems to have been the case at different times among the Jews, especially before Jesus of Nazareth appeared, and many times after that, when clever fanatics or deceivers rose up among the Jews, proclaiming themselves as Messiah, believed in by many, and ending in failure and shame. Zangwill in his book, "The Dreamers of the Ghetto," gives a good history of one of these impostors. Very true, says the Targum to Koheleth (Ecclesiastes), '' the day on which the Messiah comes is a secret.''

In the Gospel of Matthew we read that the disciples came to the Lord, while He rested on the Mount of Olives, and put two questions to Him : '' Tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the age?" These questions show that the disciples must have understood in some measure the future glory and coming again of their Lord and Master. The most interesting fact, however, is in the question they put to Him about the sign of His coming. Much about the signs of the coming of Messiah is recorded in Jewish traditions, and it is a wonderful fact that the utterances of many of the old wise men and teachers in Israel agree with the sayings of our Lord and His apostles. There can be no doubt that the Spirit of God did enlighten many of the old Jewish writers, and they foretell the conditions correctly which will prevail when the King of Glory comes.

Bereshith rabba and the Medr. to Shir Hashirim (Song of Solomon) has many of these remarkable predictions, likewise the tract Shabbath, Sota, Pesikta, rab., Sanhedrin and the Jalkut Shimoni. The signs given are signs among the nations and in Israel. The years preceding the coming of the Messiah are years of dissolution for the entire world, and that time is called "The travail of the Messiah." With travail Messiah is to appear. One kingdom will be against the other, and one will try to overcome the other. How clearly this corresponds with the Lord's words, '' Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom." The Rabbis state also that many plagues will come upon the entire earth, and that Israel will suffer with all the nations. Among the plagues are mentioned, "the sword, pestilence, famine and tribulations." At last there will be terrible signs in nature, in heaven and in earth, and a terrible earthquake will shake the foundation of the earth. (Pesikta and Sota.) It is indeed remarkable that the physical phenomena are placed at the end of the tribulation by the Jewish writers, being the true place where they belong, in harmony with the words of Jesus: " Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be Shaken." Sanhedrin says : In the last seven years before the Messiah, the Son of David, comes, every year will have its peculiar trouble, till at last, toward the end of the seventh year, the Messiah will come.

But there are still more remarkable predictions which harmonize with Paul's prophecies in I Tim. iv:1. etc., 2 Tim. iii: 1-7, and other prophecies in the Old and New Testaments concerning the last days. Israel will have sunk down into the deepest depths of unbelief and wickedness. The wisdom of the teachers of the Scriptures will be hated, and the few who are afraid of sin are being despised, while the Law is no longer studied. All the good customs will be discontinued; no one hopes any longer for a Messiah. Before Messiah comes immorality will increase at a frightful rate. (The days of Lot.) Disobedience and violence against father and mother will be universal. The son will hate the father and the daughter lift up her hand against her mother. It will be a time when no truth is found in the earth—a time of universal lawlessness, anarchy. To make the confusion still greater, the tract Sanhedrin says, that false Messiahs will appear. Again we refer the reader to the Olivet discourse of our Lord. He said: "For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and they shall show great signs and wonders." Rabbi Joshua says, concerning the repentance which Israel will do at last before Messiah comes: "The Holy One will give to Israel a king, whose decrees and whose rule will be much harder than Haman's, and under him Israel will repent." This king no doubt is Antichrist, of whom Haman is a type.

The similarity in these Jewish writings with the New Testament is very striking. This ought to be very convincing to the learned Hebrew, and help him to see in Jesus of Nazareth, Him who is the true Hope of His people.

We desire to add to the interesting statements about the orthodox Jews' belief concerning the time and conditions previous to Messiah's coming the following quotations from the Medrash to Shir-Ha-Shirim:

Rabbi Chija says; The days when Messiah comes there will be a great pestilence over the entire earth. All the wicked will perish. " And the vines are in blossom; they give forth their fragrance" (Song of Sol. ii: 13). This means the saved remnant, of whom Isaiah says (chapter iv: 3), " And it shall come to pass that be that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy.''

Rabbi Jochunan says: " Seven years of trouble come before Messiah comes.'' The first year before the Son of David comes the prophecy of Amos (chapter iv: 7) will be fulfilled: " I also have withholden the rain from you," etc. In the second year (of tribulation) there will be six months of famine. In the third year there will be the great famine. Many men, women and children will die and the pious will be few. The Law and the Prophets will be forgotten by the people of Israel. The last years will bring signs in heaven and wars, and at the end of the seventh year the Son of David will come.

Another Rabbi says: "When Messiah comes He will find no truth (Isaiah lix: 15). The generation He will find will be like dogs."

Rabbi Levi says: When thou seest one generation after the other despising God and His Anointed, then thou mayest hope that the King Messiah will soon appear, as it is written in the Ixxxix Psalm, "Wherewith Thine enemies have reproached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of Thine Anointed.'' But in the last verse of the Psalm we read. "Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and amen.''

Much could be said on the teachings of the Old Synagogue concerning the person of the Messiah, His birth and coming into the world, etc. We call attention to the fact that in many of the rabbinical writings a parallel is drawn between Moses and Messiah (Tanchuma, Schemoth rabba, Jalkut Schimoni, etc.) Moses had received from the Lord the promise, I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, applies in his sermon this passage to the Messiah. The modern Jewish interpreters of the Word of God deny that the promise has any reference to the coming of the Messiah, but, as stated above, the older Jewish Rabbis speak of the Messiah as a second Moses. Just as Moses grew up in the house of Pharaoh, without Pharaoh knowing that in his house the future judge through whom God was to avenge His people was dwelling, thus the Messiah, through whom God will judge the world, will dwell unknown in Edom—here the Roman empire (Tanchuma and Schemoth rabba). This is a very interesting comparison, which has escaped many a Christian commentator and preacher, Still more striking is the statement which we find in Jalkut Shimoni: '' Israel will be a long time in tribulation after the birth of His Redeemer." Here we may notice again the story of Moses. Not till Moses came the second time was there a national deliverance for Israel; however, he was their deliverer all the same, though rejected for forty years. Israel is now in the experience of the tribulation in Egypt. waiting for the return of their Moses. On account of this parallel, the Messiah is called by the name the Deliverer. In Ruth rabba Moses is called the first Deliverer. As Moses led Israel out of Egypt, so shall the Messiah effect the last deliverance and lead His people from the dispersion into the Land of the Fathers (Beresh. rabba and Tanchuma). The Rabbis likewise believe that this second great deliverance cannot take place without the judgment over the powers in the world (the nations), just as Pharaoh and his house was judged. The Targum Jonathan to Isaiah has much to say on the consequences of that deliverance. Messiah will rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, and establish His Kingdom over the nations, etc. Of this more later.

We have now to speak of a very strange and interesting doctrine in the orthodox Jewish belief, the teaching concerning Messiah, the Son of Joseph. According to this belief Israel has two persons who are their Messiah. The first one, Messiah the Son of Joseph, is to be killed and then will come the second, the Messiah the Son of David. It seems to us there are two reasons for this belief. The first is the Jews knew of the early Christian teachings concerning a second coming, and they knew likewise the danger

which came from such teaching and hence this invention. In the second place the prophecy of a suffering and dying servant of the Lord or the Messiah (Isaiah liii.). was a stumbling-block to them, and they were unwilling to believe this of the Son of David, with whom in their minds kingship and world-rule was closely associated, therefore another Messiah of an inferior degree must come before the victorious Son of David; and this Messiah, the Son of Joseph, is to suffer for Israel's sin, and to open the way for the coming of the King Messiah. We have spoken with many orthodox Jews on this doctrine, and proved to them from the Scriptures that there is only one Messiah, who suffered once, and who will come again in glory to build once more the tabernacle of David which is fallen down. We have pointed out to them, and that not without success, that when Messiah the Son of David will at last appear, He will have wounds in His hands, He will be the One who was pierced, and that His wounds in His hands are the final proof for His people Israel that He is their Elder Brother. Jesus of Nazareth, who suffered and died, is risen and glorified, seated at the right hand of Jehovah, and now once more revealed in majesty and glory as the King of Kings.

We give a few short quotations from the Rabbis about the Messiah the Son of Joseph and the Messiah the Son of David. The Targum to the Song of Solomon says : '' There are two persons who redeem thee. Messiah the Son of David and Messiah the Son of Ephraim (Joseph)." Emek Hammelech calls Him the Messiah, Son of Joseph, a descendant

of Jeroboam, and others say that He is the Redeemer for the ten tribes only. The Son of Joseph serves the Son of,David. They are like Moses and Aaron together: the Messiah, Son of Joseph, is Aaron (Priest), and the Messiah, Son of David, Moses (King, Deliverer). Messiah, Son of Joseph, gathers the ten lost tribes together and leads them to Palestine. There He becomes the Leader of the ten tribes, but falls in battle against the armies of Gog and Magog. According to others, Messiah, Son of Joseph, is killed innocently in the service of His people, while the Messiah, Son of David, has an immortal body and life (Succa). The most remarkable passage is the one found in Luckoth Ha-Brith: "The Messiah, Son of Joseph, will not come in His own interest but for the sake of Messiah, the Son of David; for Messiah, the Son of Joseph, gives His life and dies, and His blood shall make atonement for the sins of the people.''

Oh, that poor blinded Israel could see to-day that there is truly a Messiah who has given His life and who died, in whom we have redemption through His blood. Oh, that they could understand that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. The remnant, according to the election of grace, is now being called and accepts Jesus, while the rest of the nation will continue in unbelief till, at the end of the great tribulation, the Son of David, this same Jesus, comes again, and then they will look upon Him, the Pierced One.

The most interesting part in the old orthodox Jewish belief concerning the last things, is now before us. It is Israel's redemption and the first resurrection. The latter is always connected with that coming salvation and restoration of Israel. We wished before that poor blinded Israel might to-day see that there is truly a Messiah who has given His life for the redemption of His people —but, alas! the nation as such does not see that in our day. But when we come to study the rabbinical writings and commentaries concerning the hope of Israel, the restoration and first resurrection, we soon find that we need no longer to pity Israel's blindness, but it is now in order, to think of the blindness which in these things has happened to the Gentiles.

The redemption of Israel and the first resurrection is connected in Jewish tradition with the appearing of the Messiah, the Son of David. He is called the Great Deliverer, and when He comes Israel will be delivered from the bondage of the nations which commenced with the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. Not only is Moses the first deliverer a type of the Messiah, the second one, but also the redemption from the house of bondage Egypt s a type of the greater deliverance from all nations. (Jeremiah xvi: 15, 16). According to Pesikta, Messiah begins that redemption like Moses did; He reveals Himself and then disappears for a time. A number of writings say that His disappearance will last for forty-five days, during which time there will be great trouble on earth, while His faithful ones will be miraculously kept. After that time the Redeemer appears again, and the first thing He will do will be the destruction of the world power. The old Jewish synagogue understands by this world-power the fourth empire, and, of course, this means Rome. (Aboda-zora. Tanchuma, Theruma.) The Roman Empire is also called  Edom because Esau, as the adversary of Jacob, is a type of Israel's enemies. This fourth empire in many places is spoken of as an empire full of enmity against God; wickedness and ungodliness will abound, and it stands in contra:-t to the Kingdom of Heaven, which begins only when Messiah is revealed. In Daniel vii: 23, we read: "The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in pieces. Aboda-zora says to this: "This fourth beast is wicked Rome, whose dominion is over the whole earth.'' Every-where in Jewish tradition the thought is expressed that the Roman world power is to be conquered and destroyed when the Messianic Kingdom is ushered in.

Every student of prophecy knows that the Old Testament and the New Testament speak of a personal Anti-christ, in whom Satan and all wickedness is to be personified, and that this wicked one will be destroyed by the coming Lord from Heaven. (Isaiah xi: 4; lix: 19, 20; Ezekiel xxviii: 1-17; 2 Thessalonians ii: 3, 8, etc.) The same leader of lawlessness and wickedness is spoken of in different rabbinical writings. He is mentioned as a mighty ruler who will stand in the time when Messiah comes at the head of the Roman Empire, and he will unite in himself enmity against God and hatred against his people. This leader is called Armilus. Targum Jonathan says to Isaiah xi: 4, "This Armilus is the last enemy of Israel, and Messiah will kill him with the word of His mouth and the breath of His lips."

Connected with this wicked leader whom Messiah will find in the earth when He comes, are great tribulations and much weeping, while godliness and piety have almost ceased in the earth. Debarim rab. says, " Israel said before the Holy One, blessed be His name, how long shall we be trodden down and enslaved by his hand? The Lord said, Tell them the day dawns of which it is written, There shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel." (Numbers xxiv.) When that star comes out of Jacob and burns the stubbles of Esau, according to Obadiah 18, then shall come My kingdom and My King. Mechilta says, " It is unknown when the kingdom of David will be established and when the destruction of the world power is to take place." The capital of the empire itself, that is Rome, will be destroyed. One book mentions the Jews as the instruments used in the destruction of Rome. The Roman Empire will be punished by the same plagues which came upon Egypt in the days of Moses, and like Egypt the Roman Empire will become a great wilderness.

After this judgment and destruction Israel will be liberated, and will be gathered from all nations and led back by the powerful hand of Jehovah to the home-land. (Peskita.) This is certainly the true biblical teaching in Israel's restoration. The restoration which we are privileged to see in our times in the Zionistic movement seems to be a mock restoration—that is, one in unbelief—which is likewise foretold in prophecy. The true restoration will come after

the King has been manifested in His glory. Shir rob. asks, "Why does Messiah come? To gather the dispersed of Israel." Divine power will in this gathering be manifested. According to the Jalkut even the winds will fight among themselves, and the north wind will say, "I will bring them back," and the south wind will say, "No, I will bring them;" but the Holy One will settle their dispute and they will all bring them together. The ten tribes are also mentioned in a number of commentaries as becoming reunited with the two tribes, while others teach that the ten tribes have no hope in that direction.

It certainly is a blessed fact that the orthodox Jew who sticks faithfully to the Word of God and believes in the teachings of the old Jewish synagogue, waits believingly for the manifestation of the King and for the fulfillment of the sure word of prophecy. Surely the time will come when there will be a great surprise in two directions. Israel waiting for that coming redemption and restoration will be surprised to find that Jesus of Nazareth, so long rejected, is He who has brought them salvation and is their own King and Lord; while Gentile nations, and in them Christendom, will be surprised to find Israel restored, the kingdom people for this earth, then the head and no longer the tail.

The rabbinical teachings make it clear that all Israel is to share the blessings of the Kingdom of the Messiah when He comes. Bereshith Rabba says, '' We shall cry aloud with joy. When? When the prisoners come up from Sheol, and the Shekinah is leading them, as it is written in Micah ii: 13. "The breaker is coming up before them;  they have broken up, and have passed through the gate and are gone out by it: and their King shall pass before them, and the Lord at the head of them." The resurrection of all the righteous dead takes place. According to Abarbanel and Kimchi the resurrection of the righteous dead comes after Israel has been restored to the land, while others teach that it will take place during the reign of Messiah. He is called in Medrash Tehillim Jinnon, because He raises the dead. Sanhedrin says, God gives the key to the resurrection of the dead to Messiah. It is also taught that the resurrection from the dead, brought about by Messiah, will be the means to bring the nations of the earth to the knowledge of the One God.

The resurrection will take place in the Holy Laud, which is sometimes called the Land of the Living. Those who are not buried in the land are rolled in subterranean passages to the land to be raised there. A great deal of superstition is connected with this '' rolling'' of the dead.

We read likewise of the sounding of a great trumpet. It is given in detail as follows: " The Holy One takes a great trumpet and sounds it, and the tone is heard over the entire earth. The resurrection takes place under seven sounds from the trumpet. At the first sound, the whole earth is moved; at the second, the dust is separated; at the third, the bones of the dead are gathered; at the fourth, the different members receive warmth; at the fifth, they receive skin and veins; at the sixth sound, the souls become reunited to the bodies; and, when the trumpet is heard the seventh time, they are raised up and stand upon their feet."

One of the strangest myths found in Jewish Eschatology is the one concerning a bone of the human body which is incorruptible. It is a small bone which cannot be destroyed. and it will be the starting point for the resurrection of the body. Much is also said about the resurrection of the dead, whether the dead will have clothes or not. Sanhedrin says, The Corn of Wheat is laid into its grave clothed, and it comes to life again in the same form; if that is the case with the corn of wheat, how much more will it be then with the human body ? The resurrection body will have no defects. Blindness, lameness, deafness, etc., will be completely healed. After the living have been restored to the land and the dead have been raised, the glorious Messianic age, the Kingdom will commence, according to the Jewish belief.

The Messianic age is called Olam Haboh, the world to come. With it begins the eternal life. The present age is called Olam Haze, this age. Shemoth Rab speaks beautifully of this present age as the time when the bride is coiled and the betrothal takes place, but the world to come, Olam Haboh, is the wedding. In this present age there are the little gifts to the bride, but in the days of Messiah the fullness of Jehovah will be given. The world to come or Messianic age begins, according to Bereshith Rab, with the rebuilding of the Temple, and it ends with the revolt of Gog and Magog. Jewish tradition holds that the Messianic age will bring a literal fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. That fulfillment will be restoration and the fullness of Israel. Oh, that such interpretation, so true and vital, would be given to Christendom! Wonderful does the Talmud speak (Shabbath) of that restoration: "All prophets have prophesied concerning the days of Messiah, but about the world to come the word is written, " No eye hath seen.'" . . . Rabbi Joseph Albo says: "The world to come will be revealed step by step."

How long will the Messianic age last? Many different answers are given to this question. Some say forty years, others one hundred, six hundred; again, several speak of one thousand years, two thousand years, and Rabbi Abahu says seven thousand.

The rebuilding of Jerusalem, and in it the temple, forms a good part of the discussions in rabbinical writings. The Holy One shall make Jerusalem inhabitable again, and the righteous will dwell there. The rebuilding of the city will take place when the scattered nation is restored, and not before. Jerusalem becomes then the Metropolis of the whole earth. Baba Bathra says that the doors of the city will be adorned with precious jewels. In this present age the land is marked by stones and trees, but in the world to come the landmarks will be pearls and costly stones. Jerusalem will cover twelve square miles. The entire city will be lifted up higher and higher, till at last it will reach the throne of glory in the heavens. The City of God towers over everything in the world. It continues to expand, and becomes larger and larger, because in it all the exiles and many nations are to find a glorious shelter. Still higher than the city is the temple of the Messianic age. The Targum says: '' Messiah will build the temple, which was destroyed and desecrated on account of our sins. Several traditions say that Messiah will build the third temple. This third House of God will be the most glorious which ever stands in the earth. The last house will be more glorious than the first. It becomes the great centre of the world and for the nations. It is so high that all the world will see the glorious hill with its wonderful structure. The most wonderful hymns of praise and thanksgiving will be heard in that temple."

The sacrifices are again brought in the temple. Everything will be again like as it was in the olden times, with the exception that this temple is not only for Israel, but it is for all the nations. The whole law given through Moses will then be fulfilled. Messiah Himself will teach then His people. Still more is said in different traditions concerning the righteousness and blessedness of Israel and the nations in the Messianic age. There is then a perfect peace between God and Israel. Messiah, the Prince of Peace, will have accomplished this. Not only is there peace with God, but there is likewise peace for Israel, outwardly, for the world-powers which oppressed Israel are no more in existence. The image of Nebuchadnezzar has been pulverized. (Berachoth.) The fruitfulness of the land returns, and it is so wonderful that the trees give a new fruit every day. The curse laid upon the woman is removed, and for the people of God there is no more death. The nations will serve Israel, and their lives will be greatly prolonged. God's glory will again be seen upon the human countenance.