wonderful prophecy given by our Lord upon the Mount of Olives; fit place for

such a revelation!

As all that we have yet seen of our subject has been very definitely

connected with Israel, it would seem wise to leave Paul's testimony until we

have completed our study of the remainder of the New Testament, and

considered the testimony of James, Peter and John as ministers to the

circumcision (Gal. 2:7 -9).  Accordingly we turn to the epistle of James.

The true rendering of the word 'James' is 'Jacob'.  That the

translators of the King James' Version should use this name is not surprising

when we remember that followers of King James were called 'Jacobites'.  The

opening verse of the epistle reads, therefore:

'Jacob, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the Twelve

Tribes which are scattered abroad'.

If any reader maintains that the 'twelve tribes' is an appropriate

title of the church which knows neither Greek nor Jew, we cannot approve of

his logic, though we can readily admit his consistency if he takes to himself

the whole epistle; but for those who have learned to distinguish things that

differ, a letter addressed to the twelve tribes, though it may possess the

full authority and blessing which belong to 'all Scripture', must of

necessity contain much that cannot strictly refer to the Church.

The theme of the epistle is that of patience in tribulation, with glory

in prospect at the end.  With this theme the first chapter opens, and with it

the last chapter closes:

'Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.  Behold,

the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath

long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.  Be

ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord

draweth nigh ... Ye have heard of the patience of Job ...' (James 5:7 -

James here refers to some of the Old Testament prophets for his

'After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us

up, and we shall live in His sight ... He shall come unto us as the

rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth' (Hosea 6:2,3).

Joel also, speaks of the former and latter rain in direct connection

with the restoration and Pentecost (2:23 -31).  It is not by accident that,

towards the close of chapter 5, James speaks again of the rain, this time of

its being withheld from the earth for a period of three years and a half

(5:17).  As we have already seen, James writes to Israel, urging patience,

and using the figure of the husbandman; and he includes the actual period of

three and a half years that Revelation indicates to be the time of Israel's

greatest testing (Rev. 13:5).  Moreover, in chapter 5, he speaks of the

'Judge standing before the door' (James 5:9).

We now pass on to the fuller testimony of Peter.  In the opening

greeting of the epistle of James the wording is literally, 'To the twelve