We have seen that the hope of Israel, with its accompanying evidential miracles, continued throughout the Acts

to the last chapter, and that Paul associated himself and the Gentile believers entrusted to his care with that hope and

kingdom. What we must keep in mind, however, is that the kingdom of Israel had two phases, one earthly, the other

heavenly, and that it is with the heavenly phase that Paul associates the believing Gentile, as Galatians 3:28,29; 4:26;

Hebrews 3:1 and 12:22 reveal. That this heavenly phase is, nevertheless, closely linked with the earthly portion of

the kingdom Romans 15:12,13 makes clear. We are not now attempting proof of these statements, but simply

indicating to the reader that we are fully alive to the fact that the churches under Paul's care were not expecting to

participate in the restored kingdom of Israel, even though their own heavenly hope could not materialize until Israel

was restored. For this reason the apostle used the wider, all-comprehensive, term `The kingdom of God', which we

have seen from Acts 1:3 and 6 could be used to indicate the kingdom of Israel only, yet is wide enough to include

not only the heavenly phase of this kingdom (Acts 28:23), but the mystery itself, when the hope of the lower aspects

of the kingdom went into abeyance (Acts 28:31).  Again, we remind ourselves and our readers that these

fragmentary references cannot be considered as proof, but as our immediate concern is the general teaching of this

part of the Acts we pass on to consider the peculiar place which Isaiah 6:9,10 occupies in the dispensational teaching

of the New Testament.

The first quotation of this passage in the New Testament is in Matthew 13, and an examination of the context

and what leads up to its quotation by our Lord will throw light upon its use by Paul in this great climax of the Acts.

The Gospel according to Matthew is purposely limited in its scope. In face of the unambiguous words of Christ in

Matthew 10 no one who believes the inspiration of Scripture can deny this:

`Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost

sheep of the house of Israel' (Matt. 10:5,6).

This limitation was reaffirmed in Matthew 15 where the Lord said in the hearing of the Syro-phenician woman:

`I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matt. 15:24).

That a woman of Samaria was nevertheless saved and that this woman of Canaan was nevertheless blessed, does

not alter the fact that neither the apostles nor the Lord were, at that time, `sent' to any other than Israel. This

restriction is endorsed by the apostle Paul in Romans 15:8.

The Lord's public ministry was heralded by a great succession of miracles which were witnessed throughout the

land from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem and Judæa to beyond Jordan. The Divine purpose of these miracles is

indicated in the lament of Matthew 11:20: `Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works

were done, because they repented not'. It is obvious that the repentance of the people was the prime object before

the Lord in these miracles, and in this they failed. In Matthew 12 the shadow of rejection deepens: One `greater than

the temple', `greater than Jonah', `greater than Solomon' was in their midst and they knew Him not (Matt.

12:6,41,42). Here we see the growing rejection of Christ as Prophet (Jonah), Priest (Temple) and King (Solomon).

Then comes parable, mystery, and the quotation of Isaiah 6:9,10 in Matthew 13:14,15.

The disciples were struck with the new form of teaching which the Lord adopted. Until then `He taught as one

having authority, and not as the scribes' but now His symbolic language was contrasted with His former plainness of

speech by both apostles and people. He had used the symbol of a Shepherd, and the people said: `If Thou be the

Christ, tell us plainly' (John 10:24). He had said to the grieving disciples, `Our friend Lazarus sleepeth', but upon

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their evident misunderstanding of his words `Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead (John 11:11,14),

and in John 16:29, the disciples say: `Now speakest Thou plainly, and speakest no proverb'.

The word translated `proverb' here is translated `parable' in John 10:6, where the people first ask for plainness of

speech. Upon hearing the parable of the Sower, the apostles asked the Lord the question: `Why speakest Thou unto

them in parables?' (Matt. 13:10). The Lord's answer (partly postponed until verse 35, when Matthew adds his own

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This has a bearing upon the absence of the figure `sleep', for death, in the epistles of the mystery.