Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/300

 a ransom for all, and that from this highly exalted spiritual class all blessings must proceed, whoevei may be honored as its instruments or agents.

The earthly phase of the kingdom is thus seen to be Israelitish ; and around this faft cluster those many proph- ecies which relate to the prominence of that nation in God's plan for the future blessing of the world, when their taber- nacle, fallen in the dust, shall be restored, and Jerusalem shall be a praise in the whole earth. We nd statements by both prophets and apostles which clearly indicate that in the times of restitution Israel as a nation will be the first among the nations to come into harmony with the new order of things; that the earthly Jerusalem will be rebuilt upon her old heaps ; and that their polity will be restored as in the beginning under princes or judges. (Isa. i : 26 ; Psa. 45 : 1 6 ; Jer. 30 : 18.) And what could be more reasonably expedled than that Israel should first of all rejoice to recog- nize the prophets and patriarchs ? and that their acquaint- ance with and long discipline under the law should have prepared them for tra&ability and obedience under the authority of the kingdom ? And while Israel will be the first of the nations to be recognized and blessed, it is writ- ten also of Israel that "The Lord shall save the tents of Judah first."

We do not deem it of importance to enter into a discus- sion as to where the " lost tribes ' ' of Israel are to be sought. It may or may not be true, as some claim, that those "lost tribes" are traceable to certain civilized nations of the present day. But though some of the suggested proofs are not unreasonable, yet, as a whole, it is largely inference and guess-work. But should it yet be clearly demonstrated that some of the civilized nations are descendants of the lost tribes, it would prove no advantage to them under the "heavenly" "high calling/' which, since their national re-

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