The Mystery Of The Gentiles

by J. Lindsay | Category: The Mysteries | Apr 1960

(Mystery, in the Scriptures, denotes that which is only known through revelation to those taught by the Holy Spirit.)

The rejection by Israel of their King-Messiah, of whom they had become the betrayers and murderers (Acts 7.52), resulted in Israel being set aside nationally by God and the unfolding of the purpose of God in relation to the Gentiles. This purpose is described as "the revelation of the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets (i.e., the Old Testament Scriptures), according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith" (Romans 16.25, 26).

Not only was Israel set aside, but having rejected the One who was God's Salvation, and in whom were all His promises, for they had closed their eyes and hearts in unbelief (1 Peter 2. 8), they were now judicially blinded nationally and made deaf by God. Their table had become "a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling-block, and a recompense unto them" (Romans 11.8, 9). This quotation, taken from Psalm 69, which is definitely a Messianic Psalm dealing with the experience of the Lord on the cross, shows that this condition of Israel was God's judgement upon a faithless nation for their lack of appreciation of Christ. The Jew today suffers from a double blindness -the blindness common to all men, which is the result of Satan's work who "hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the Image of God, should not dawn upon them" (2 Corinthians 4.4), and they also suffer from. the national blindness sent by God.

In the epistle to the Romans where this mystery (Romans 11.25) is specially dealt with, we have a most wonderful exposition of God's workings in grace and righteousness. If God goes out in grace to either Jew or Gentile it must be in perfect agreement with His righteousness, for He can never sacrifice any of His attributes.

God's dealings with men are traced right from the fall in Eden's garden (Romans 5. 12). In chapter 9 we have His dealings with Jacob and Esau and also with Pharaoh. Despite such dealings we find men rebelling against God's sovereignty and saying-" Why doth He still find fault? For who withstandeth His will?" (Romans 9.19). Surely the only proper course for guilty man is to submit to God. No reasoning on man's part can alter the fact that God is' and being God He must be sovereign. Let men rather rejoice that. this is a sovereignty of mercy. Man's only hope is to own his condition, and cast himself upon God.

Chapters 10 and 11 of the Romans deal specifically with the setting aside of Israel and the bringing in of the Gentiles. The consideration

of the wondrous ways of God appears to have bowed the heart of the beloved apostle. He breaks forth into the wonderful doxology

"0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! "how unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past tracing out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His Counsellor?" (Romans 11. 33, 34).

In the matter of God's sovereign purposes we cannot follow them. The way of salvation has been made very plain, and the way of service also, but His sovereign acts are past tracing out. As we look at His dealings with the nations, how impressed we are! He sits sovereign on His throne, and we feel our own nothingness!

"God everywhere hath sway,

And all things serve His might;

His every act pure blessing is,

His path unsullied light."

The present work of grace among the Gentiles is a wonderful appeal on the part of God to Israel, to provoke them to jealousy, to arouse in them, not only a sense of what they have lost, but also to provoke a longing desire to recover the wealth of blessing they forfeited through the rejection of their Messiah.

In Romans 3 and 10 we have most explicit statements bearing on our subject. "There is no distinction between Jew and Greek" (10.12). Again we read, "There is no distinction; for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3.22, 23).

The latter statement proves that Jews and Gentiles are both guilty before God. The cross manifested this,

"For of a truth in this city against Thy holy Servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together, to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel foreordained to come to pass" (Acts 4.27, 28).

The former statement shows that the grace of God is flowing out equally to the one-time favoured Jew and to the outcast Gentile "for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon Him" (Romans 10.12).

In keeping with what is before the Holy Spirit's mind we have a quotation in Romans 10.18 from Psalm 19.4, "Their sound went out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." This quotation shows that "the report" or "the glad tidings of good things," good things which are altogether of God, is as universal as the witness of the heavenly bodies

"The spacious firmament on high,

With all the blue ethereal sky,

And spangled heavens a shining frame,

Their great Original proclaim.

The unwearted sun from day to day

Does his Creator's power display,

And publishes to every land

The work of an almighty hand."

The application of the quotation from Psalm 19 is found in the gospel of Christ, who is now seated at God's right hand. The cross has broken the link of the Jew nationally with God, for the time being at least, and now the Lord Jesus, seated at God's right hand, is a universal Saviour for both Jew and Gentile, individually.

In Isaiah there is a very definite reference to the work of grace among the Gentiles,

"Yea, He saith, It is too light a thing that Thou shouldest be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a Light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My Salvation unto the end of the earth" (Isaiah 49.6).

Then again we have the prophetic words of Simeon, who belonged to the faithful remnant of Israel, which in the dark days of decline and apostasy held fast the word and waited for its promised fulfilment. This waiting ended for him when he held the Babe in his arms. Faith saw in that Babe the Lord's Salvation. Simeon said of Him that He was "A Light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel" (Luke 2.32). This is prophetic. The Gentiles are put first. The words seem to indicate the rejection of Christ by the nation of Israel, and the bringing in of the Gentiles. Then after the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, all Israel will be saved (Romans 11.25, 26).

The words of James before the Council of elders in Jerusalem (Acts 15), are worthy of special notice in relation to our subject. Through James, the Holy Spirit revealed God's gracious purposes, not only concerning this age, but also the age to come. In verse 14 we read, "How first God did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His Name." This is the purpose of the present age. Those who are "taken out of the Gentiles" are "fellow-heirs, and fellowmembers of the Body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (Ephesians 3.6). They, together with the "remnant (Israel) according to the election of grace " (Romans 11.5), form the Church, the Body of Christ.

James refers to the words of Symeon, and then he quotes from Amos, showing that the bringing in of the Gentiles was foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures. "After these things "-the fulness of the Gentiles-" I will return, and I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen." This return is in the coming of Christ to the earth. The restoration of Israel follows upon this, and then all the Gentiles upon whom His name is called will seek after the Lord (Acts 15.17). This in bold outline is the divinely revealed purpose, made known by the One "who maketh these things known from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15.18). In agreement with these words we have the declaration of Paul and Barnabas consequent upon the unbelief and gainsaying of Israel-" Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13. 46). The bitterness of the Jews against the

bringing in of the Gentiles to the favour of God is clearly seen in Acts 22.21, 22. When Paul said, "And He (the Lord) said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee forth far hence unto the Gentiles .They gave him audience unto this word; and they lifted up their voice, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live."

>From Romans 11 we gather that the present condition of Israel, which is described as "their fall" (verses 11, 12), "their loss" (verse 12), and "the casting away of them" (verse 15), has resulted in the unsearchable riches of Christ coming to the Gentiles, and will continue until" the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11.25).

We must not confuse "the fulness of the Gentiles " with "the times of the Gentiles." " The fulness of the Gentiles " will end when Christ returns for His Church; the "times of the Gentiles," which commenced with Nebuchadnezzar, will end with the return of the Lord to the earth in judgement and to set up His kingdom, which will be a universal and an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7.27).

As we contemplate the wondrous ways of our God to us who were "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2.12), we can only bow low in His presence. We can there adore God's sovereign grace and mercy which spring from His thought for us.

"How unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past tracing out!" (Romans 11.38).

J. Lindsay | Apr 1960
The Mysteries