In our last article we endeavoured to show that the setting aside of Israel as a nation

completely altered the dispensational dealings of the Lord. We will now seek to show

that prior to the revelation of the mystery hid in God, the blessing upon the Gentiles as

well as the Jews was Abrahamic and millennial in character, and that Gentile believers

were blessed through Israel or not at all.

The Epistle to the Romans, while containing doctrine as true to-day as when first

written, contains also dispensational teaching which has passed away with the

pentecostal period. The following list will give some idea as to the prominent position

which the Jew occupied before Acts xxviii as compared with the epistles written

Before ACTS 28:

After ACTS 28:

No. of Occurrences.

No. of Occurrences.

1

"Neither Greek nor Jew" (Col. 3: 11).

25

2

(Eph. 2: 12 & Phil. 3: 5).

14

-

3

Israelite.

-

19

61

3

When it is observed that the three occurrences are all negative statements, referring

back to the past, the contrast will be more clearly seen than ever.

The use of this expression in Rom. 2: 10 shows that it is not merely stating the

historical order of preaching, but shows us the place of precedence assigned to the Jew.

This is characteristic of the millennial kingdom, as a reference to Isa. 60: and lxi,

Zech. 8: 23, 14: 12-21, etc., will show. So long as Israel was a people and Jerusalem

their city, so long they retained the covenant position, and saved Gentiles came up to

Jerusalem to worship, and were linked with the believing remnant by baptism as the

channel of their blessing.

2

12

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and

strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

3

5

Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the

Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;