and II Timothy. The ministry there in exercise was given "for the perfecting" (the

re-adjusting [katartismos], see Matt. 4: 21, "mending"; Gal. 6: 1, "restore") "of the

saint", until all should arrive at the unity of the faith, the perfect man, the measure of the

stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4: 12, 13), words utterly foreign to any promise

made before Acts 28:

If these things (Nos.1-7 above) are so (and chapter and verse have been given for

each point discussed), then we must reach the conclusion that the dismissal of the Jew at

Acts 28: is national and final, that the present dispensation intervenes as a foreknown

parenthesis in the purpose of the ages; that Israel and Israel's hope are in abeyance; that

a calling, constitution and sphere related to a "mystery" is here made known for the first

time; that neither the covenants nor the promises nor the miracles belonging to Israel are

functioning to-day, and that they are superseded by an entirely new set of conditions

opened to the far-off Gentiles; a salvation and a calling of such amazing grace that it

would be unbelievable were it not written in these epistles of Paul the prisoner, given by

inspiration of God.

If Acts 28: is the dispensational boundary, if it is national and final, then we have

no need to go into all the side issues that have been or can be raised. But if Acts 28:

be, after all, "local"; if the hope of Israel extended beyond this chapter; if the ploughing

of the site of the Temple be not the judgment threatened in Matt. 23: and 24:; if the

olive tree of Israel still stands; if Gentiles believers are still grafted in as wild olive

branches; then all that has been brought out of the epistles of the mystery in these pages

becomes an empty dream; we are found false witnesses of God; our preaching is vain;

the words "far above all" and "seated together" are emptied of significance; the mystery,

instead of being a secret hid in God, has been known as far back as the call of Abraham;

the "one new man" instead of being so "created" (ktizo) (Eph. 2: 15), is but an evolution

from the conditions of the Acts; the unique reference to a period "before the foundation

of the world" has no special significance; the equally unique phrase, "in heavenly

places", is nothing more than a reference to Israel's "heavenly calling"; the unique

equality indicated by the word sussoma, "the same body", or a "joint body"--the

outcome of that gospel whereof Paul was made a minister--means nothing more than

we could have learned by reading Gal. 3: 28, 29;  the three distinct "adoptions"

(Rom. 9: 1-5; Gal. 4: 5 and Rom. 8: 23 and Eph. 1: 4, 5) are merged and spoiled,

and there is nothing left for us but to repent, to confess to colossal failure, and to stand

From time to time we have in these pages acknowledged the pioneer's liability to

mistake and have retraced our steps; and this we will do again, should truth so demand,

but the theme, "Acts 28: the Dispensational Boundary", which opened our ministry

in The Berean Expositor in 1909;  has been before the reader for these thirty-seven

years; has been examined and re-examined, and challenged but never refuted. We have

again re-considered its claims, and return to our ministry with strengthened conviction

that in this matter we have the truth of God.  This being so, questions as to the

relationship of Ephesians with Hebrews and similar arguments, do not arise. They can