resumed when the day of the Lord sets in as we learn from the Prophets of old and the

Book of the Revelation. In the interval, and filling the gap caused by Israel's failure and

dispersion, the Lord introduced "The dispensation of the Mystery" (Eph. 3: 9 R.V.)

entrusting it to Paul as the Prisoner of Jesus Christ for us Gentiles (Eph. 3: 1; Col. 1: 25).

In this calling the New Covenant is not mentioned. In Ephesians and Colossians Israel's

hopes and the promises made unto the fathers have no bearing. The recipients of the

blessings that belong to this calling were "strangers from the covenants of promise"

(Eph. 2: 12).  Their blessings go back to a period called in Eph. 1: 4 "Before the

foundation of the world" (or as we have learned to translate it, "before the overthrow of

the world").

This Psalm of David appealed to Hezekiah when he arranged his fifteen Songs of the

degrees, or steps (II Kings 8: 8-11, Isa. 38: 8), for similar words are used of the

united nation under David "as the heart of one man" (II Sam. 19: 14), as are used of the

unity under Hezekiah "one heart" (II Chron. 30: 5-18). (See The Companion Bible,

appendix 67.) Later, Ezekiel was instructed to set forth the future unity of the nation of

Israel, by writing the names "For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions" on

one stick, and "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his

companions" on another stick.

The first reference to any form of oneness in the early ministry of the apostle Paul, is

in his first epistle, that to the Galatians.

Lifted out of their context these words could be and are used of richest and fullest

unity found in the N.T., but they form part of an argument, as the opening word "For"

indicates, and not only so, they become luminous when read in the light of a threefold

prayer, found in the Jewish Prayer Book, which reads like this: