dispensation' which had been given to the apostle as `the Prisoner of Christ

Jesus for you Gentiles' was `the dispensation of the grace of God' (Eph.

3:1,2).  Again, in his defence before Agrippa, the apostle spoke of his

twofold ministry, again using the word `witness' or `testify' of both:

`I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister

and a Witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those

things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the

people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee' (Acts 26:16).

Some of these words were uttered by the Lord on the Damascus Road, but

in Acts 9 Paul was not delivered from `the people' neither from `the

Gentiles', neither was he, at that time, `sent unto the Gentiles' in the

exclusive way he claimed to be in Ephesians, or Colossians.  Here in Acts

26:16, the apostle intimates that the second appearing of the Lord had taken

place according to the promise originally made, and that `Now', that is, at

the time of his defence, he was being `sent unto the Gentiles', the Roman

powers undertaking his transport as a prisoner.  (See article entitled Now3).

It is for this reason that the past tense is needed in the translation of

Acts 28:28 `the salvation of God was sent, or has been sent, to the

Gentiles'.  The apostle's Prison ministry is called by Paul `the testimony

(or witness) of our Lord' and of Paul `His prisoner' (2 Tim. 1:8).  The

special teaching which Timothy was enjoined to commit to faithful teachers,

was a teaching which he had heard of Paul `among many Witnesses' (2 Tim.

2:2).  So, in his first epistle to Timothy, where Paul speaks of the great

message concerning `One God, and one Mediator between God and men the man

Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself a ransom for all', he adds:

`the testimony in its own peculiar seasons' (2:5,6).

Then immediately following this most discriminating claim, he adds:

`Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth

in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity'

(1 Tim. 2:7).

The words translated `in due time' in 1 Timothy 2:6 which we have rendered

`in its own peculiar seasons', are the Greek words idios and kairos, in the

plural dative.  Idios means something peculiarly one's `own', and is so

translated in 1 Timothy 3:4,5, and 12.  A similar phrase, similarly

translated, is found in Titus 1:2,3 :

`In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before

age -times (pro chronon aionion); but hath in due times (kairois

idiois) manifested His word through preaching, which is committed unto

me according to the commandment of God our Saviour' (Titus 1:2,3).

Here we find it is a `God that cannot lie' which strikes the same note

as the interjected words of 1 Timothy 2:7 `I speak the truth in Christ I lie

not'.  Here we have a message `committed' to Paul in harmony with a

`commandment' of God, which is but another way of saying `whereunto I am

ordained' (1 Tim. 2:7).  The revelation of the Mystery, especially committed

to Paul the Prisoner, with its accompanying Gospel of the grace of God, and

its teaching concerning the One Mediator Who gave Himself a ransom for all,

is distinct from the more limited reference in Matthew 20:28, which was `for

many'.  Every fresh unfolding of the dispensations has been accompanied at

its inception with a specially equipped and commissioned witness.