19
There can be no question here as to whether the Gentiles
referred to are in the Church, for the presence of such words as,
`all joy and peace in believing' and `the power of the Holy
Ghost' is conclusive. We are dealing here with the hope of the
believer, and therefore with the hope of the Church at that time.
We must first draw the reader's attention to the fact that the
word `trust' here is elpizų in the original, and that the word
`hope' is elpis. The noun and the verb are from the same root,
and both demand the same English word. Also, before the word
`hope' in verse 13 we have the definite article, and the two
words should therefore be translated `that hope'. Putting in these
corrections, we have:
`In Him shall the Gentiles hope. Now the God of that hope fill you with all
joy and peace in believing'.
This hope of the believing Gentile is found in the Prophet
Isaiah, and a reference to Isaiah 11 will reveal that it is
millennial. We might have anticipated this by observing the
clause `rise to reign over the Gentiles', a statement consistent
with the hope of Israel and the earthly kingdom, but impossible
of application to the Church of the Mystery. The hope here in
Romans is, therefore, millennial, and, if Romans was written
after 1 Thessalonians 4, then it is impossible that the hope of 1
Thessalonians 4 should be other than this same hope.
In dealing with 1 Thessalonians 4, it is of the utmost
importance to remember that there arose a misunderstanding in
the Church as to the apostle's teaching concerning the hope, and
that he consequently wrote a second letter with the express
purpose of correcting these errors. It is patent, we trust, to all