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The following Bible essay comes from the pen of Pastor Curtis Clair Ewing who was one of the premiere teachers of our Christian-Israelite identity from an earlier generation. We came across it recently in our library of old magazines.
Specifically, this work comes from the July-August 1967 issue of Truth and Liberty magazine and was entitled “Views on the End of the Age.” Pastor Ewing was from Dayton, Ohio, but moved to California in later years.
Regarding another tiny but highly significant point of contention in Christian eschatology (the study of the last things) is the word “gentiles.” Most Christians have a false understanding of it and that confusion makes it impossible for them to correctly interpret God’s Word.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Pastor Ewing clears up the confusion and makes it easy to understand in his essay entitled “A Study into the Meaning of the Word ‘Gentile’ as Used in the Bible.” For years, we have made this enlightening little work available for reading or for free downloading here on our website.
Here is Pastor Ewing’s essay on two opposing views on the work of the Holy Spirit at the end of this age. All emphases and comments within [brackets] are ours.
As this age comes to an end, what may Christians expect as to the continued working of the Holy Spirit? Two schools of prophetic interpretation answer this question. The futurist teaches that the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn at the end of this age just before the antichrist makes his appearance. But the historicist maintains that the Holy Spirit will never be taken from this earth; in fact, we maintain upon the testimony of Scripture that this age will end with the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit this world has ever known.
How then can men come to two opposite views when both appeal to the same Scriptures? Simply by a wrong interpretation of one proof text. This is found in II Thessalonians 2:3-12. In this passage the apostle Paul is teaching concerning the manifestation of the “man of sin” and “the son of perdition” and when he was to make his appearance.
[Here is the passage cited by Pastor Ewing:]
2 Thessalonians 2: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
He [Paul] refers them back to conversations he had with them when he was present in person. Verse 5 calls attention to this fact. He had undoubtedly interpreted some prophecies on this, particularly Daniel 7 which speaks of the “little horn” to come which was identified by Paul as “the son of perdition” and the “man of sin.”
[We have expounded at great length on these and other prophecies of Daniel in our series called Mystery Babylon and the Stone Kingdom. Those parts of the series are available for your study in edited manuscript form. The series begins here.]
Paul tells them that before this manifestation some hindering cause had to be removed. “And now we know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” The word “let” means “restrain.” What was the restrainer or hindrance to the manifestation of the “man of sin”?
Remember Paul had already explained about this hindrance in exposition of Daniel 7. So the solution is obvious. As long as Imperial Rome was intact the “little horn” of Daniel 7 could not become manifest.
As long as the ROMAN EMPIRE under the dynasty of the CAESARS held sway, the ten minor kingdoms could not appear, nor the “little horn.” Thus the hindrance was the ROMAN EMPIRE. This was universally taught by the church fathers. A few quotations from outstanding scholars on this verse should put this beyond dispute.
Dr. Smith’s Standard Bible Dictionary tells us on page 1483 that “the fathers regarded the Roman Empire as the restraining power.” Dr. Adam Clark in his Commentary on this verse states “if we may rely on the concurrent testimony of the fathers, it was the Roman Empire.”
In his The Approaching End of the Age, Grattan Guinness tells us “From Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, the contemporary of St. John, we first hear that the hindrance mentioned by Paul when he was with the Thessalonians, and alluded to in his second Epistle, was the Roman Empire; and from him downward the Fathers are unanimous in this assertion.”
Many more such statements could be given, in fact a good size book could be filled with quotations from the ancients on this very point, but this is hardly needed. So we know just what was taught on this matter by the Fathers.
What do the futurists do with this passage? They say the hinderer or restrainer is the Holy Spirit and when He is withdrawn from the earth all hell will break loose. This is their key passage or proof text.
But does the construction of the passage justify their interpretation? Let us take the passage apart and see. First we notice that both the neuter and masculine gender are used — “he” and “what.” And where do we find any other place in the Scriptures where the Holy Spirit is spoken of as “what”?
This should cause any Christian to think twice before accepting any modern innovation. And remember this interpretation is comparatively modern. It certainly didn’t have the support of the early church.
But more than this, the position of the early church fits in perfectly with the construction of the passage. First the neuter gender is used when Paul states, *“Ye know WHAT *withholdeth,”** then he uses the masculine gender, “HE who now hinders.”
The position of the Fathers is confirmed by the history of their days which was both neuter and masculine. Bear in mind that Paul had already explained about this hindrance to the Thessalonians in his exposition of Daniel 7, so the solution is obvious.
As long as the Roman Empire under the dynasty of the Caesars held sway, the ten minor kingdoms could not appear, nor the “little horn.” We see then that the hindrance in the neuter gender was the Roman Empire, and the hindrance in the masculine gender was the Caesars.
This is the reason the early church prayed for the preservation of the Roman Empire, for they knew that when Rome was removed they were headed for hard times under the “little horn” which was to arise. And of course this was the Papal power under the succession of Popes.
[Again, the papal power was detailed at great length in our series Mystery Babylon and the Stone Kingdom. It begins here.]
Not only do the futurists believe that the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from this planet but that at the same time all Christians will be removed [according the futurists’ false teaching of the so-called “rapture” of all Christians], so that those who are left will actually be living in a Godless society.
Yet they also would have you believe that one of the greatest revivals of all time will take place during their proposed tribulation. They write so much about tribulation saints. But remember no Christian, no Holy Spirit!
All ministers, evangelists, Christian workers of all classes and positions are absent. And wonder of wonders, who are to be the greatest converts in this period? The very people who are the hardest to win to Christ today, the Jews.
I ask you, dear friend, to name me one revival in history where God didn’t have His people present to counsel, preach, advise, lead and direct inquirers and those needing help.
Yet without any help from Christian workers especially trained to direct men to God, and not even the Holy Spirit to convict and trouble them, Jews and other men by the millions will turn to the Lord and be saved against the greatest odds possible.
What cannot be accomplished during the present age with all the means which God has ordained to turn men to Him will take place on a greater scale without any of these means. This cannot be! Furthermore, what are we to do with such verses as John 6:44? It is still in the Bible:
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent the draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
But something still more absurd is evident with this theory. The Holy Spirit is able to restrain the greatest apostate personality in history from coming into manifestation but is not able to restrain men guilty of less apostacy. He can keep back the antichrist but cannot put down the wicked during this age. Surely something is wrong with such a theory.
The plain teaching of the Bible is that as this age ends we are to have the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit of all time, especially on [true Anglo-Saxon (etc.)] Israel. Christ said the Spirit was to abide with His people forever (John 14:16) and Isaiah 59:21 voices the same thing.
Being Israel we are the inheritors of the Abrahamic blessings and are assured “that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14). So let us see what some of these promises teach about the Holy Spirit at the end of this age and what we may expect.
We are assured that the outpouring of the Spirit will produce righteousness (John 16:8-11) and righteousness brings peace to the earth (Isaiah 32:15-18).
We are assured that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will also convict men of the LORDSHIP of Christ and convince men they are descendants of Jacob-Israel (Isaiah 44:1-5).
We are assured that the outpouring of the Spirit will repulse the enemy and deliver us from world communism (Isaiah 59:19). Communism will be put down in no other way.
We are assured that the outpouring of the Spirit will give men vision and initiative to start the new order (Joel 2:28-32).
We are assured that the outpouring of the Spirit will be the main cause of our deliverance from economic bondage, see Isaiah 10: 27; Jeremiah 30:7-8; Ezekiel 34: 27 and James 5:1-7, and note especially the 7th verse of James where the latter rain is spoken of which is directing our attention to Joel 2:23 and Hosea 6:3.
In these passages rain is used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit to be outpoured as this age comes to a close. Just remember that the passage in II Thessalonians 2:3-12 is all past history and therefore has no reference to a withdrawal of the Holy Spirit at the end of this age, nor of a coming [singular] antichrist. Antichrist has seen his day.
There is a sense in which individuals and communities and even generations sin against and grieve the Holy Spirit so that He abandons them until a new generation or a new community arises then we witness the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit doing His work again.
A good example of this is found in Genesis 6:3 which tells of a condition just before the flood and the wickedness of the people was so great we read this indictment:
“And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man.” But this is something entirely different from the complete withdrawal of God’s Spirit from this earth.
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