This sequel is a continuation of The Seven Church Ages we started last week. Having understood that the gospel light has shifted to the Gentiles about two thousand years ago, this episode explains the Covenant which brought us in.
Text: Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 17:4, Romans 9:24, Romans 9:23, Romans 2:10, Romans 6:16, Isaiah 42:6, Daniel 9:24, Luke 21:24, Isaiah 65:1, Romans 11:25, Act 10:11-28, Isaiah 65:5, Act 22:18, Romans 11:26-30
Abraham’s Blessing
Abram was from the lineage of idolaters when God called him, a call to separate him, so that He could make the Promise with him. This covenant covers all of God’s predestined seed – both Jews and Gentiles. It would be needful at this point to understand what exactly Abraham’s blessing is, for in it is all of God’s people called to blessing.
Knowing that Abram really did nothing to merit God’s calling out of his kinsmen and idolatry, while he was yet without strength, God chose him. Does that speak Election? Yes! The Love of God is Election, the Love of God is Predestination, and yes, the Love of God is Correction, the Love of God is Chastisement. Every of God’s seed, like Abraham was, would be partakers of this consequent of this great love. This blessing of Abraham is not money, it is not anything material. The blessing God promised Abraham was Salvation. But there was a way God planned to go about the fulfillment of this covenant in the world.
And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? ~Romans 9:23-24
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: ~Romans 2:10
God started with the Jews first, but don’t forget that this covenant does not cover all the Jews, but those predestined in God, and the same goes for the Gentiles. The Jewish time was prophesied in Daniel 9:24, there, they have seventy prophetic weeks in total before the regeneration. They have used part of their time, to be precise, they have used sixty-nine weeks, after which God put a pause on their time, to deal with the Gentiles. But note that, these seventy weeks are not literal seven days of a week. One prophetic week is seven years, which means that the seventy weeks are:
70 x 7 = 490 years
By spiritual enlightenment, we understand that they have used 483 years, it was at the verge of this time that Messiah was cut off from them. This was the reason God put a pause on their time. They have one week left, which is seven years. Well, known to God are all His works from before time began. God did it for a purpose! What is the purpose?
The Mystery of God
The purpose is to engraft the Gentiles in to Christ. Remember that the covenant of God did not only speak for the Jews alone, but for the Gentiles also. This Gentile time is in-between the break of the Jewish time. And until the Gentile times are complete, God would not return to the Jews. Talking about the Jews, the scripture gives us this:
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled ~Luke 21:24
The Jews would never believe that God would turn to the Gentiles for salvation. Even Jesus called us dogs, and that we are indeed, we are drawn to dumb idols, alienated form the life of Christ. But Christ came and showed us His Love, because He had predestined us in Himself before the foundation of the world. This is the mystery that was locked up in God and was not made known to anyone (although God spoke about it with and through His prophets), until the time of fulfillment.
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. ~Romans 11:25
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: ~Colossian 1:27
The duration of the Gentile time is what we call the seven-church age dispensation. God divided the Gentile time to seven different dispensation. What we know by the scripture is that the Gentile has an allotted time that must be fulfilled before God would return to the Jews, but the exact time for the Gentile, the Bible never gave any precision.
The Way of the Light
The movement of the gospel light from the Jews to the Gentiles wasn’t instantaneous, it was gradual. God was closing the door to the Jews, so that the Gentile’s door would be opened. It couldn’t have been that all the Jews turned against God at once, no! But like the Bible says, “blindness in part” happened to them, for the Gentile’s sake. But when the Gentile time was fully activated, the Jewish door was closed. (I doubt if you can get a bible to buy today in the whole of Israel).
Same with the Gentile, we are in the last age, and gradually, God is shutting the Gentile’s door, and the Light is moving gradually to the Jews. Of course, the Gentile days are numbered. That is why the religious world, though learning, are not coming to the knowledge of the truth. They cannot believe the wholesome truth established on the day of Pentecost. The Light is moving.
It even behooves us to be more careful, because we were grafted in, contrary to nature, to be part of the original vine. We therefore ought not to boast, but work out our salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that the privilege given to us would not last forever.
Again, it would be important to reiterate that now is the time for you as a Gentile to believe, and have your lamb trimmed. Now that you have the light, walk in it, believe the Light, before the gospel would return to the Jews, for their one-week left. Now is the time of salvation, the door is almost closed. Come on board!
Shalom!