could be at the same time Godless, Christless and hopeless?  The church that the

apostle has in mind in Ephesians 2 is a new thing, created so by God, for the

passage in the fifteenth verse that reads `To make in Himself of the twain'

should be translated `To create in Himself of the twain' as the R.V. indicates.

The Church of the Mystery is no mere evolution; it is a new creation, and

as with all other new creations of God, `former things' pass away, and with that

passing of former things the dispensational place of the Gentiles, whatever it

may have been, is swept aside, the new thing completely taking its place.*

*See also:

Survey Of Ages And Dispensation in,An Alphabetical Anaysis Part 4,

and The Berean Expositor,vol.20,p.139,and The Signpost,1994 and later printings.

We have already placed Romans 9:3-5 over against Ephesians 2:11 and 12,

where the dispensational advantage of an Israelite `in the flesh' is placed in

strong contrast with the dispensational disability of a Gentile `in the flesh'.

Only as he is translated and found `in the Spirit' can Christ profit him or

blessing be enjoyed.

We must now devote our attention to the wondrous change that grace has

The far off Gentiles, under the gracious provision of the dispensation of

the Mystery are `made nigh'.  To appreciate the nature of the distance that

hitherto marked the position of the Gentile, we must pay attention to the

explanatory matter that follows in Ephesians 2:14-18.

Before taking up the separate terms `peace', `enmity', `access', etc. it

will be profitable to consider what is implied in the figurative use of the

`middle wall of partition'.  Josephus, speaking of the Temple as it stood in his

day, tells us that it consisted of an outer square some six hundred feet wide,

and a second inner area, which he describes as follows:

`When you go through these (first) cloisters, unto the second (court of

the) temple, there was a partition made of stone all round, whose height

was 3 cubits: its construction was very elegant; upon it stood pillars, at

equal distances from one another, declaring the law of purity, some in

Greek and some in Roman letters, that "no foreigner should go within that

sanctuary"` (Wars 5:5,2).

`Thus was the first enclosure.  In the midst of which, and not far from

it, was the second, to be gone up to by a few steps: this was encompassed

by a stone wall for a partition, with an inscription, which forbade any

foreigner to go in under pain of death' (Ant. 15:11,5).

In 1871 one of these inscribed stones was discovered by Mr. Clermont

Ganneau built into a wall of the Via Dolorosa at Jerusalem.  The original is in

the possession of the Palestine Exploration Fund and a cast is in the British

Museum.  The inscription being as follows:

`No one, being a foreigner, may enter into the enclosure around the holy

place.  Whosoever is apprehended will himself be to blame for his death

which will certainly follow'.