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Thursday, December 8, 2011

Walther and the Jews

To followup previous posts on the Jews here, here and here, I found where Walther clearly taught the Biblical teaching regarding today's Jews.  This is found in his convention essay for the Eastern District, 1868, in the book Essays For The Church – C.F.W. Walther, Volume I, 1857-1879 (CPH, 1992), page 188.
Conversion of the Jews
...if one dreams of a glorious future of the Jews as a special nation, perhaps with a retum to Palestine [and] ruling over all nations, that already borders on chiliasm and becomes dangerous and objectionable. As a nation the Jews will remain Jews till Judgment Day, for 1 Thess. 2:16 says that God’s wrath has come upon them eis telos, till the end [of time]. And Christ says: “This generation [or “race”] will not pass away till it all comes to pass” (Matt. 24:34). As a nation there is no more hope for them; there is salvation for them only if they enter the open door of the Christian church. But then they also stop being Jews, and their glory will be no greater than that of other Christians. In the kingdom of God physical descent provides no privileges (Matt. 3:9). (Underlining is mine)
I would comment on 2 things from this quote of Walther:
  1. the quoted passage in 1 Thess. 2:16 reads in the King James Version "... for the wrath is come upon them (the Jews) to the uttermost".  But the Greek words mean more than "uttermost" for they translate better as forever or until the end of time.
  2. chiliasm today seems to mean the same as premillennialism according to Wikipedia
Walther's message flies in the face of almost all Christian teachers and commentators (and politicians!) today concerning the Jews. This is the same situation as for Luther for he was nearly alone in his writings against the Jews.  C.F.W. Walther – The American Luther!

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