Again this book is really in two parts revolving round the witness of two men, Peter

and Paul--chapters 1:-12:, Peter; 13:-28:, Paul.  The first part concerns the

longsuffering of God with Israel after crucifying their Messiah and King and the

possibility of the earthly kingdom being `restored' to them upon repentance and turning

to God (Acts 1: 6; 3: 19-26). Here Peter, the minister of the circumcision, is dominant

until the conversion of Paul, and then as Paul's ministry commences, Peter's fades out.

Paul's ministry is twofold, to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. Wherever Paul

covered new ground with the Gospel, he went to the Jew and the synagogue. It was

necessary to do this, he stated (Acts 13: 46, 47) for Israel were the channel chosen by

God to make the knowledge of Himself known all over the earth so that His kingdom

might become a reality. Just as the Lord in His earthly life and Peter at the beginning of

the Acts witness to the Jew in the land, Paul and those associated with him minister to the

Dispersion, the thousands of Israelites living outside the land.  When this was

accomplished and the question asked late in the Acts period "have they (Israel) not

heard?", the answer is "Yes, truly (verily)" (Rom. 10: 18). Still they were disobedient as a

whole to obey God's command to repent, and in the last chapter of Acts they are laid

aside by the Holy Spirit in the darkness of unbelief. It is in this state they have been as a

race ever since and will be so until the blindness is taken away from them, when the

Deliverer, the Lord Jesus Christ will come back and `turn ungodliness from Jacob

(Israel)' (Rom. 11: 25-29).

Paul's prison ministry follows and this deals with the heavenly aspect of the kingdom

of God, kept secret and hidden by God in Himself till revealed to Paul the prisoner for us

Gentiles and then made known through his ministry, specially that of Ephesians and

This wondrous letter associated with the Colossian epistle, touching heights and

depths of doctrine unmatched anywhere in Scripture, is likewise divided into two

sections. The first three chapters contain teaching concerning the new calling after

Israel's laying aside in unbelief by God at Acts 28: In them the revelation is given of

a secret (Mystery) kept hidden by God in past ages and from past generations of people

and now made known through Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for us Gentiles (3: 1).

It rests, as the whole purpose of God does, on redemption and the finished work of the

Lord Jesus Christ (1: 6-8) and concerns the creation of a new company of the redeemed

(2: 14, 15), a heavenly one, which is seen closely linked to the ascended Head in the

heavenly places where He is now exalted (2: 4-6).

In the whole of this section there are no commands or exhortations. It is purely a

revelation of this overwhelming calling of grace. The second part (chapters 4:-6:) starts

the practical section which enjoins a worthy walk day by day to match this supreme

calling. It is interlaced with doctrine which expands what has been given in chaps. 1:-3:

This epistle, together with Colossians, touches the high water mark of divine revelation.