CONSIDERING CONTRASTS

CONSIDERING CONTRASTS

What is What?

By David Dowell

But this is that which was spoken…... ACTS 2:16

"TIMES PAST"

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: " Luke 1: 70

"But this is that which it, as spoken by, the prophet Joel;... " Acts 2:16

"(Jesus Christ) Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. Acts 3:21 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. " Acts 3:24

Since the "birth" of the nation Israel through God's promise to Abram in Gen.. 12:1-3, they were blessed with the Word of the Lord. God continually spoke to them through prophets verbally and their sacred writings. Be told them many things He would do. As the fathers taught their children, the nation grew with the ever present knowledge of their future. Though they anticipated the joys of kingdom life, they surely dreaded God's judgment upon their disobedience. Yet before things happened, God made Israel aware of coming events. Those were the subjects of prophecy, as God foretold his plans to his chosen people. He revealed not only his will to them, but also what his response would be to their behavior. Whichever way Israel chose to walk, they walked in the light, for God disclosed both the path of blessing and the path of cursing before their steps were taken. They couldn't plead ignorance to the consequences of sin. Jehovah gave them his law.

How different things were then for the Gentile nations! People who were not descended from Abraham, "who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were, without Christ, being aliens from the com- commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, HAVING, NO HOPE, and WITHOUT GOD in the world." (Eph. 2:11-12).

"BUT NOW"

"Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to MY gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, BUT NOW is made manifest " Rom. 16:25

"How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery;... Which in other ages was NOT made known unto the sons of men, as it is NOW revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit,- " Eph. 3:3, 5 "

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, BUT NOW is made manifest to his saints:" Col 1:26

Thank God for "but now!" Through the apostle Paul, God revealed a mystery to the world that we Gentiles could be "made nigh by the blood of Christ " (Eph. 2:13). God no longer had to be reached through Israel, but now direct access to him was given to us. For by the blood of his cross, Jesus broke down the middle wall of partition between us and the Jews (Eph. 2.14). We no longer stood on the outside, but were brought into the family of God as fellow citizens with the saints (Eph. 2:19). We learned these precious truths from Paul's holy writings to the church. Repeatedly he insists upon the fact that his message was a secret, not known to man, but hidden in God. The verse does not say "hid in the scriptures," as some suppose that God disguised and obscured it in his word. He did not masquerade it in prophecy, but kept his secret HID IN HIMSELF (Eph. 3:9) until He revealed it to Paul. Webster's dictionary defined mystery as "something unexplained, unknown, or kept secret."

Shouldn't we point out Paul's frequent references to the mystery to others? Aren't we concerned enough to help folks understand these basic truths in scripture? May we strive to tell everyone who will listen the glorious news of God's grace, now made known to and for all people. Let us be faithful to TELL a secret!