Articles

Covenant and The Mystery #3

Covenant and The Mystery #3. From Truth for Today Archives, Aug. 1964-July 1975, by Oscar M. Baker. Seven articles entitled, “Covenant and The Mystery” (From Vol. 22, #5, p. 257)

In the prophecies of Hosea and others, there is a hint of the present age, a two days in the which Israel will be out of God’s plan and purpose. But these prophecies do not tell of Israel being blest in these days. The salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, no longer of the Jews.

But in the millennial times, there is a great deal to be said of the advantages of the Jews. They were first in Acts, both in blessing and in judgment. Again they will have a prior position, but even to a greater extent than at any time before.

If you read Isa. 60 and 61 you will discover some glorious things in store for God’s people. Then they will assume a position among the nations wherein they will be head, and not the tail. The nations will speak of them as being the ministers of their God. The nations, these Gentiles, will stand and feed the flocks of Israel, and also be their plowmen (and that willingly). The sons of strangers will build up the walls of the cities of the land. Even Gentile kings shall minister to the Jews. And the law of God in that day will be that those nations who refuse to minister to Israel shall perish.

In times past Israel in some instances dwelt in Jerusalem, holding to their dispensational position, being a channel of blessing to these Gentiles who came to Jerusalem to worship, and so were a people. So in the millennial kingdom, Israel will be a people dwelling in their city, and being a blessing to the nations of the earth as was promised to Abraham.

One fact that must be noted is that when Paul wrote to the Romans, the Jew was first dispensationally. But as to sin, there was no difference between Jewish and Gentile believers. All had sinned and come short of the glory of God. We further learn this was recognized and so God was able then to deal with both in grace as far as the sin question was concerned. We must not overlook this fact. God was not the God of the Jew only, but of every man who bore the image of God. Eternal life has always been available to all men. But salvation or dispensational privileges belong to those who are chosen. We find in Ephesians that this same principle works today in relation to the world and the church of the dispensation of the mystery. We must be careful here.

Churches today who believe the church began some time before Acts 28:28 are strangely silent about the dispensational argument in Rom. 9, 10, 11. The Jews had been teaching that because of the fact they were children of Abraham, their dispensational position was safe. They were sure they would inherit the kingdom. But an inheritance can be forfeited (but not everlasting life). And so in Romans, the Gentiles who believed and were grafted into the olive tree were warned they could lose that position. The Jews who had been broken out of the tree had lost their position. They would not enter the kingdom. But the Gentiles were told they could be torn out of this position and the Jews grafted back in again. Remember, all this has nothing to do with everlasting life. We repeat that. Also remember that a son of Abraham might be a Gentile (Gal. 3:7)