SIMPSON’S ISRAELOLOGY
By Reverend Abraham Sandler
Dr. Albert Benjamin Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, never intended to found a denomination. His initial vision was to form a fellowship of Christians who would seek to know Jesus as Savior, sanctifier, Healer and Coming King. Simpson also had a God given vision and burden to reach the unsaved millions around the world. His passion for lost souls is visualized as we see him in prayer with his arms around a globe and his tears falling on a lost world as he lifts up a fallen world to God.
In 1897 when the Christian Alliance and the Missionary Alliance were formed into one movement and called The Christian and Missionary Alliance, Dr. Simpson set forth his vision in the program at that formation meeting.
A copy of that program is pictured in the book ALL FOR JESUS found after page 98 on the second page of the pictures. On Friday evening, April 16, 1897 at the 7:30-9:30 p.m. service we find the following words listed in the program that night:
Our Work for Israel and the Heathen World
The Jew First
The Pre-eminent Obligation to Evangelize the World
The World’s Need
The Possibility of the World’s Immediate Evangelization
“Let us go up and possess the land.”
Implicit in the formation of The Christian and Missionary Alliance and incorporated in our spiritual DNA are the words “Our work for Israel and the Heathen World. The Jew First.” These are the words of Paul the Apostle found in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile.” Dr. Simpson not only wrote and spoke these words, he lived them out. The early magazines of the Alliance carried articles on missionary work among the Jewish people and listings of Jewish missionary organizations in virtually every issue. Names like Gabeline, Irish, and Gruen were connected to Jewish outreach.
At the Annual meeting of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Boone, IA on May 26-30, 1912 we find the following in the annual report of 1911-1912 under the heading “Special Fields.” Dr. Simpson’s introduction of reports from the mission field begin: “Turning now to a review of particular fields our attention is naturally called in the divine order, first to Palestine.” A report then follows of both work among the Jewish people and the Arabs. Only after this report, the other mission fields follow, on pages 13-15. A further report is given later in that Annual meeting by the Committee On Jewish Work:
“The Committee submits the following:
- That if possible a small space be secured in the Alliance Weekly for the continuous presentation of facts and phases of Jewish work.
- That Mrs. T.C. rounds have oversight and selection of the material to be offered for such publication.
This resolution is offered—
- That the work among the Jews may be constantly brought before the members of the Alliance as an essential part of our work in the Gospel.
- That any members of the Alliance who may be used of God among the Jews individually, will thus find some help in the work and know to whom to apply for literature or assistance.
Mrs. T. C., Rounds Chairman
J. B. Thornton, Secretary” Page 67
The Christian and Missionary Alliance: the Fifteenth Annual Report 1911-1912, adopted at the Annual meeting, Boone, IA, May 26-30, 1912.
In his book series Christ in the Bible, book on “Genesis” Dr. Simpson spends a chapter on “Beginning of the Hebrew Race” chapter 7 p. 101-11. He refers to Abraham who became the “head of a separate people, chosen out of all the families of men, to be the special depositories of divine truth and the witnesses for God and the true religion throughout the coming ages; and also to form a clear genealogical line for the advent of the promised Seed”, page 101. Simpson cites “The Call of Abraham” and quotes the seven unconditional promises to Abraham and his descendants. “Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great ; And so you shall be a blessing ; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3.
Israel was to be a separate people and dedicated to God and His ways. The land of Canaan was promised as an everlasting possession of the Jewish people.
God chose Israel for three major roles:
- To be a people who Worshipped and rejoiced in God.
- To be Witnesses for God of His power and salvation, “a light to the Gentiles
- They were to be the people who would Welcome the Messiah, Who would bring salvation to the world.
Again Simpson writes “To them also we owe the divine law…and, indeed all we know of the true and living God.”, page 105 (Christ in the Bible: Genesis) He also says, “Let us never forget, as we look upon the Jew, that he is the brother of Jesus of Nazareth, and has given to us our precious Savior and dearest Friend.”, page 105. Dr. Simpson goes on to say, “They are distributed in almost every nation under heaven, as an evident part of the divine plan in their future destiny… Should they be converted to Christianity, there is no instrumentality on earth that could so suddenly and effectually be made available for the evangelization of the entire world.”, page 110.
Simpson: The Obligation to reach Gods Chosen people. “Preeminent above all other ministries for the evangelization of the heathen world is the Great Commission. The command, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), requires a personal ministry from man to man and for every man. The command to begin at Jerusalem passes on to us the obligation to reach God's chosen people. Acts 1:8 “Go ye…and disciple all nations” raises our commission to a nobler plane and makes us ambassadors for the King of kings and trustees of the gospel for every kindred and tribe and tongue. The command, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8), lifts the outlook beyond any section of humanity, any circle of selfish patriotism and any form of religious selfishness. It makes the work of evangelization the one supreme ministry of the Church of Christ and the one paramount responsibility of every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you come into close touch with the risen Christ or caught the spirit of His last momentous days on earth? If so, you cannot be inactive, indifferent, or even neutral in this mighty enterprise which is the emergency work of our times and which is the one great business for which God has called us. “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” John 20:21”
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Days of Heaven on Earth by Dr. A. B. Simpson
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