THE APOSTLE OF THE RECONCILIATION

`... God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear ...

blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in' (Rom. 11:8-25).

The typical teaching of Peter's first miracle is the restoration of Israel: the typical teaching of Paul's first miracle

is the rejection of Israel, and the reconciliation of the Gentile.

We have drawn attention in the opening of this section to the close parallel that exists between the miracle at the

beginning of Paul's ministry during the Acts, and the event that closes it in Acts 28. This subject has been dealt with

in `Dispensational Truth' under the chapter headed `The Cumulative Fulfilment of Isaiah 6', to which the reader is

referred. We will not again traverse the ground covered there, but deal more definitely with the closing verses of

Acts 28 as the complement of Acts 13. In both cases Paul is acting independently of the leaders at Jerusalem; in

both cases he is on Gentile soil. Paul, upon being placed under the custody of a soldier, and after the first three days

had passed, called for the elders of the Jews at Rome, in order to lay before them the truth. They appointed him a

day, and came to his lodging:

`... to whom he expounded, testifying of the kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of

the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening' (Acts 28:23 Author's translation).

And yet there are men who say that Acts moves on with no apparent design.

Luke 24, which is summarized in Acts 1, records that the Lord also opened up these very same Scriptures

concerning Himself. Further, the next verse but one (28:25) introduces the last Old Testament quotation in the Acts.

It balances the first. The first quotation is made by Peter, not concerning the Lord, but concerning the apostate

Judas, the son of perdition. A gap in the apostolate is felt, and the number is made up by the choice of Matthias.

The last quotation is made by Paul, concerning, not the Lord, but the apostate nation. Again a gap is felt, this time

to be filled by the dispensation of the grace of God to the Gentiles, and the calling out of the members of One Body.

If Judas was the son of perdition, Elymas - the type of the apostate nation - was the child of the devil: thus perfect

harmony is seen everywhere.

The Authorised Version rather tamely reads, `And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed' (Acts

28:25). The words are far more emphatic and far-reaching, `THEY WERE DISMISSED'. The words mark a crisis. In

Acts 1 the burning question is concerning the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. Peter pursues the theme, and

Paul, even when a prisoner in Rome, still says, `for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain' (Acts 28:20). The

tragic words, `They were dismissed', close for that season the Pentecostal foreshadowing. The Firstfruits have been

gathered, but the Harvest is not yet; there must be a national repentance, a great day of Atonement before the

Ingathering and the Tabernacles. The apostle's words, `Be it known therefore unto you (Gnoston oun esto humin),

that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it' (Acts 28:28), are a far-off echo of his

opening words, when in Acts 13:38-41 he concluded his first sermon with the words, `Be it known unto you

therefore' (Gnoston oun esto humin), which led up to the warning, `Beware therefore, lest that come upon you,

which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish'.

Here, in Acts 28, that which had been spoken of in the prophets had come. The end is foreshadowed in Acts

13:45,46 (verse 42 needs serious emendations as it stands in A.V.):

`The Jews ... were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things spoken by Paul, and blasphemed: and Paul

and Barnabas spake out boldly and said, It was necessary that the Word of God should be first spoken to you'

(this is in line with Peter's words of Acts 3:26); `seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of

aionion life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles, for so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light

of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this

they were glad, and glorified the Word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to aionion life believed' (Acts

13:45-48 Author's translation).

It will be seen, therefore, that Acts 28 is foreshadowed, not only in the apostle's first miracle, but in the effects of

his first sermon. Peter's first sermon, preached on the day of Pentecost, results in about 3,000 souls believing - a

remnant saved from the perverse generation. There, `the Lord added saved ones' (Acts 2:47). Here it is not so much

believing Jews, but Gentiles, who are said to be `ordained' to aionion life. Both chapters record the gladness and joy