Ashamed!

In an interesting prophecy, we read in Joel 2:27, “And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.” The Summarized Bible comments, “Striking facts: This has a partial and continuous fulfillment during ‘the last days’ (Heb. 1:2), which began with the first advent of Christ (Acts 2:17), but the greater fulfillment awaits the end of the age as applied to Israel.”

The word, “ashamed,” in our text is a translation of the Hebrew, “boosh,” meaning to pale, that is, by implication to be ashamed; also, by implication to be disappointed or delayed, be put to confusion or confounded. Believers in these last days at the end of this age are disappointed and ashamed of the immorality and blatant lawlessness we see in our once-Christian nations, and have reason to be confused and confounded by the unscriptural dispensational-futurist theology so popular in our churches.

Much of this shame and confusion today is due to a lack of British-Israel understanding. The actress, Rosanna Arquette, known for starring in films like Desperately Seeking Susan and Pulp Fiction, tweeted that she felt “so much shame” and disgust at being born white and privileged. In the same spiritually confused vein, it was widely reported that a leading Christian songwriter had decided to turn agnostic and reject both God and Christ. One of his key reasons was that Bible prophecy according to his popular understanding had failed and the Bible therefore, he assumed, was untrue.

Leading infidels of the past, like Paine, Hume, Bradlaugh, Holyoake, Ingersoll, and others have also based their infidelity upon the assumption that God is unfaithful to His promises. Perhaps Bradlaugh, in a public discussion, put their case most strongly and in the fewest words when he said, “God, a God of Truth! Why! He promised to Abraham in the most solemn words; He repeated His promise. Nay, this book which reveals the attributes of Almighty God, tells us that God condescended to swear to a weak, puny man, that He would establish his kingdom forever, and that his seed should be as numerous as the sand upon the sea shore; that promise was reiterated, and sworn by God; and I ask where is that kingdom now? Where? Don’t tell me it is meant figuratively; don’t tell me that it is not literal. God swore that it should be forever; He established it, and now it is a thing of the past, and yet you tell me that the God of the Bible always speaks the truth.”

When, where or how has this impeachment of the Bible by infidelity been met except by British-Israel understanding? Popular theology makes God a liar! Author, C.R. Colquhoun, commented over a century ago, “Christians know this, but console themselves with the belief that some time or other all may be made clear by means of that pernicious system of spiritualizing, allegorizing, and accommodating which enables people to glide over or under or on one side of a difficult question. But on this occasion we demand that they neither do the one nor the other, but face the question fairly and squarely. We all believe that God and our Savior did not make use of meaningless expressions, and that unless we know the meanings we are not in a position to understand, much less to explain to others.” (BOI xxxii:58) Indeed, when the Bible speaks of the House of Israel, the ten tribes, it is not speaking of the tribe of Judah or today’s Jewish religious adherents!

Much of the confusion and disappointment with Bible prophecies is due to a lack of properly identifying the House of Israel today, as well as understanding not only the blessings but the responsibilities we have as God’s witnesses in the earth. The Rev. Leonard Hills, a century ago in a British-Israel Journal, The Banner of Israel, gave some sound advice that is vitally important in our own day. He warned: Be on your guard against…Those who say the Jews represent all of Israel. Those who so say deny our blessed Lord’s own words in Matthew 10:6; 15:24; 21;33-44; Luke 19:9, 10; John 10:16, etc., and cast ridicule upon such passages as Hosea 1:10,11; Jeremiah 31;31; Ezekiel 37:16-20. They also deny the Jews’ own testimony and the plain facts of history.

Those who say the promises to Israel are to a “spiritual” and not a literal Israel. God’s oath to Abraham made his seed a nation, and Jesus confirmed this when He said to the literal people of Judah, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation,” etc. (Matt. 21:43) Those who say Israel’s covenant blessings are postponed until the Millennium, God’s Word instead specifies their fulfillment in the “latter days,” or “last days,” that is, from the time of the first coming of our Lord (Heb. 1:1-2, see also and mark particularly Genesis 49:1; Deuteronomy 4:30; Hosea 3:5; Micah 4:1,6; Isaiah 2:2; Numbers 24:14; Daniel 10:14; John 6:39, etc.; 2 Peter 3:3; 1 Peter 1:5, 20). You will find certain violent traducers of British-Israel truth quite willing to accept 2 Peter 3:3 as referring to now, but who will try to juggle out of the other testimonies as to Israel’s tremendous growth and blessings in the “latter days” (Jer. 30:24; 31:1).

Specially, beware of those who say Christ will not confirm these promises until the Millennium. The Bible says He was a Minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers (Rom. 15:8). If He did not confirm them then they make Him a liar and the Book unreliable. If He did confirm them, as we humbly and devoutly believe He did, then their fulfillment and taking effect must be seen in operation upon those to whom the promises were given. [BOI xxxii:12]

Yet the vast majority of Christians today are wedded to popular traditions—many of them false—and refuse to examine their beliefs in light of Scripture. Just because something is popular does not make it right, and truth is often stranger than fiction. Yet more than once through the years I have been laughed at when I shared Biblical facts.

Let them laugh; I am reminded of a scene in Charles Dickens’ classic book, A Christmas Carol: “He let them laugh and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe—for good—at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him.” Yes, be ready to endure laughter and ridicule secure in the knowledge that you are sharing needed truth to those who are unknowingly blind. We are in possession of a complete answer to unbelief, misbelief, and make-belief.

The lesson here is to stand fast in the truth and do not be ashamed to present it to others. Our message is not a ‘topic’ to be merely talked about, but a work to be done! American author, Mark Twain, well advised, “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world today, and moral courage so rare.” This situation is no different than when he wrote these words over a century ago!