The accusation set over the Lord's head on the cross was: "This is Jesus the King of

the Jews" (Matt. 27: 37).

The chief priests mocked Him with taunting words:--

The dying malefactor said unto Jesus:--

When the Lord answered the apostle's question it is surely significant that He said no

word to reprove them for their slowness of heart: neither did He say that they were fools.

All that He did was to take up that part of their question which related to the "time",

saying: "It is not for you to know the time or the seasons, which the Father hath put in

His own power" (Acts 1: 7). Yet in Luke 24:, before His exposition of Moses and all

the Prophets, they had merited these rebukes.

The kingdom shall be restored to Israel, and upon the fulfillment of conditions already

laid down, but it was impossible to reveal to the apostles the foreknown failure of Israel

to repent, and the consequent postponement of the hope of Israel. That is understandable

and true, but it does not in any way invalidate their question as to the restoration of the

kingdom. It gives no warrant for substituting the church in the place of Israel.

If, while Israel were still a people, and while prophetic times were still running their

course (Dan. 9: 24), the apostles were not permitted to know "times and seasons", how

much less, during this period of Israel's blindness--this parenthetical period during

which the clock of prophecy has been stopped--how much less warrant is there for

attempting to fix dates concerning the end of the age or the coming of the Lord. We have

not a list of names of all those who from time to time have turned prophets and

announced the date of the second coming, nor do we wish to be cumbered with such sad

evidences of error, but the reader should be warned against all such attempts, by whatever

method--all are unscriptural and doomed to failure. Captain Crossby announced that in

1925 this dispensation would close, and that the most conspicuous figure in Europe at

that date would be Antichrist. We neither saw Antichrist in 1925, nor did the age end

seven years later, namely 1932, with Israel restored to their land. Baxter toured the

country lecturing upon the forty coming wonders that should be seen during 1896-1908;

Not one came to pass. Dimbleby computed by astronomical reckoning that the end would

come in 1898. During the year in which we write these words claims have been made to

divine illumination, illumination that, if resisted, would mean resistance of the Holy

Ghost. These claims were that the teaching of the Scriptures had been made plain, and

that about 12th June, 1933, the coming of the Lord, according to I Thess. 4:, would be

fulfilled. Newspapers ridiculed the prophet in advance: unstable believers were moved

to all sorts of extravagancies by it--and nothing happened. Nothing, we say; yet, is it

nothing that the Word of God should be thus held up to scorn? Is it nothing that the faith

of many has been so rudely shaken? What difference should it make, if we positively