These `Jews' were amazed to hear the apostles speak in the language in which they had been born, but that does

not alter the fact that they were `Jews'. Peter also recognizes their nationality, addressing them as `Men of Judaea',

`Men of Israel', `Men and brethren', and `All the house of Israel', and refers to the prophecies of Joel and of David,

but never once does he utter a word that would suggest the presence of a Gentile. Indeed, his attitude as late as Acts

10:28 makes the presence of a Gentile at Pentecost a logical impossibility.

We find the hope of Israel stressed in Acts 3:19-26, where Peter links the second coming of Christ with Israel's

repentance, and the restitution of all things that had been spoken by the prophets since Moses. `Jews only', obtained

up to Acts 11:19, and in the very last chapter we find Paul bound `for the hope of Israel' (Acts 28:20).

What is true of the Acts is true of the epistles of the period. `The Jew first' (Rom. 1:16), the Gentile believer a

wild olive grafted contrary to nature into the olive tree of Israel (Rom. 11:17). Such is the testimony of Romans, the

last epistle of the period.

Israel, and the prophecy of Isaiah 6.

When Israel rejected the Lord in Matthew 11 and 12 we find in the following chapter both the quotation of Isaiah

6:9,10, and the first occurrence of the word `mystery'. When Israel manifested their continued unbelief in Acts 28,

there we meet the final quotation of Isaiah 6:9,10 in the New Testament, and with the prison ministry of the apostle

we enter into the dispensation of the `Mystery'. The change is marked by the words:

`The salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles' (Acts 28:28).

The salvation of God had originally been sent to Israel (Acts 10:36); under the ministry of reconciliation it had

been sent to both Jew and Gentile (Acts 13:26); but in Acts 28:28 it was for the first time in Biblical history sent to

the Gentile independently of Israel. This marks a dispensational boundary. Here the apostle entered into his prison

ministry.

Israel, absent from the prison ministry of Paul.

In Acts 20:17-27 the apostle made known that one ministry had come to an end, and another - associated with

`bonds' - awaited him. In Acts 26:16 the apostle revealed that he had known throughout that he was to exercise a

twofold ministry, and had awaited the promised second appearing of the Lord. The prison epistles (Ephesians,

Philippians, Colossians, Philemon and 2 Timothy) contain the revelation of the Mystery which had been given to

Paul as the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles (Eph. 3:1-13; Col 1:23-27).

By the application of the principle of `right division' we are enabled to distinguish between the dealings of God

with men while Israel are a people before Him, and His dealings with men when Israel have passed off the scene.

During the first ministry of the apostle, we find the promise to Abraham, the New Covenant, and the

reconciliation of the world; but in his prison ministry, Abraham is never mentioned, and no covenant, whether old or

new, is spoken of. On the other hand the reconciliation of the Church (Eph. 2), and the reconciliation of all things in

heaven and earth (Col. 1), is opened up. In this new ministry we are taken back `before the foundation of the world',

and taken up `far above all' to be `seated together' in the heavenlies in Christ.

Dispensational truth needs every statement of Scripture.

The right division of the Word of truth does no violence to a single word of inspired truth; it does not

misappropriate a single promise made to other callings; it does not confuse `Jew' with `Gentile', `kingdom' with

`church', `earth' with `heaven'; it needs every statement of truth unaltered and unimpaired.  When one has

experienced the results of `spiritualizing' the Scriptures, and thereby often obliterating the ancient landmarks, this

fact, that a rightly divided Word leaves every word unaltered, and every promise undisturbed, should commend its

application to all who value the truth above reputation, usefulness or even fellowship.