Testament origin of the reference: `For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom' (Matt. 24:7),

we shall see that it comes from Isaiah's prophetic `Burden of Egypt' (Isa. 19:1,2), the passage ending with the words

`Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance' (Isa. 19:25). This

reference therefore, when seen in the light of its Old Testament setting, gives further evidence for the fact that Israel

is in view in Matthew 24.

Thirdly, this coming of the Lord takes place after the prophetic statements of Daniel 9:27 and 12:11 have been

` When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy

place ... then shall be great tribulation ... IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION of those days ... shall appear the

sign of the Son of man in heaven ... and they shall see the Son of man COMING IN THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN' (Matt.

As the detailed exposition of this chapter is not our purpose, and as these three items provide proof beyond

dispute that the second coming of Christ, as here made known, cannot be the hope of the Church revealed in the

prison epistles, we feel that no unbiased reader will desire further delay in prosecuting our enquiry.

We must now turn our attention to the evidence of Scripture as to the character of the period covered by the Acts

of the Apostles. Some commentators on this book appear to forget that it is the record of the `Acts' of the Apostles,

and had no existence until those `Acts' were accomplished. If the founding of the Church at Corinth chronicled in

Acts 18 be an act of the Apostle Paul, both Crispus (verse 8) and Sosthenes (verse 17) being mentioned by name,

then the epistle written by the same Apostle to the same Church, again mentioning Crispus and Sosthenes by name,

must be included as the Divine complement of the record of Acts 18. The aspect of the Hope in view in the Acts

and in the epistles written during that period to the churches founded by the apostles must of necessity be the same.

Any attempt to make the ministry of Paul during the Acts differ from the epistles of the same period is false, and

must be rejected. There can be no doubt that the hope entertained by the churches during the period covered by the

Acts of the Apostles was a phase of the Hope of Israel. This will, we trust, be made clear to the reader by the

quotations and comments given hereafter.

(1) `When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again

the kingdom to Israel?' (Acts 1:6).

This question arose after the forty days' instruction given by the risen Christ to His disciples, during which time

He not only opened the Scriptures, but `their understanding' also (Luke 24:45).

(2) `Repent ... and He shall send Jesus Christ, Which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must

receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy

prophets since the world began ... Ye are the children of the prophets ... Unto you first ... ' (Acts 3:19-26 see

These words of Peter, spoken after Pentecost, cannot be separated from the hope of Israel without violence to the

inspired words. It may be that some readers will interpose the thought: `These are from the testimony of Peter; what

we want is the testimony of Paul'. We therefore give two more extracts from the Acts, quoting this time from the

ministry of Paul.

(3) `And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which

promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come' (Acts 26:6,7).

(4) `Paul called the chief of the Jews together ... because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain'

(Acts 28:17,20).

Not until the Jewish people were set aside in Acts 28:25-29 does Paul become `the prisoner of Jesus Christ for

you Gentiles'. Until it was a settled fact that Israel would not repent and that the promise of Acts 3:19-26 would be