world. They longed for a temporal kingdom to be set up, and desired a Messiah who would lead them to victory over their enemies, and would give them the plunder of the neighbouring countries. Hence they could not understand the spiritual teaching of the Old Testament about the promised Messiah, and were not drawn to the Saviour when He offered them spiritual salvation from sin and Satan. They desired a deliverer from foreign rulers, and thus worldliness blinded their eyes. Yet it is foretold that in the last days, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall return with power and great glory, the Jews also will receive Him as their Saviour.¹ The signs of the speedy coming of that great day are so evident now that none but the spiritually blind can fail to see them.

In concluding this chapter we must point out that, when Abraham was pleading for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, he gave the LORD with whom he was interceding the title of 'The ² Judge of all the earth'. Now in the New Testament the Lord Jesus Christ declares that at the last day He Himself will judge all men, for He says: 'Neither ³ doth the Father judge any man, but he hath given all judgement unto the Son . . . . . He gave him authority to execute judgement.' This is an additional proof that the Lord who revealed Himself

to Abraham was the Word of God, and that the latter has the fullest claim to the Incommunicable Name ¹ of God. The Lord Jesus confirms this identification by saying: 'Verily, ² verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.'

Whenever, therefore, it is stated in the Old Testament that God revealed Himself to Adam, the father of mankind, to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, to Moses and other prophets, and spoke to them, it is evident that the Divine Speaker was the eternal (ازلي) Word of God (كلمة الله), who then for a time occasionally appeared in the form of an angel or of a man, and who afterwards, 'in the fulness of time' 'became flesh and dwelt among us', becoming incarnated and being known as the Lord Jesus Christ. For only through Him who is the one true Manifestation (مظهر) of God has God Most High ever spoken unto men.

From the passages which in the whole of this chapter we have quoted, alike from the Old Testament and the New, it has been clearly proved that the Bible teaches throughout the essential Deity of the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. We trust that every one of our respected readers will study this matter for himself in the holy Scriptures, for we feel sure that, seeking with all his heart for the truth, he will find it in Christ. Prejudice may blind men to the teaching of the holy Scriptures;