This is to explain how Israel and her Kingdom gospel program was set aside for a time… while God brought a new Grace gospel program to the Gentiles through the Apostle Paul.

Paul’s words “grace and peace be unto you” are more than a beautiful, spiritual salutation. Paul’s words ‘grace and peace’ is an official proclamation of the great truth of Paul’s ‘pure grace gospel’ for the Gentiles. In every one of the epistles signed by Paul, he opens with the declaration: “Grace be unto you and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

As you will note through-out Paul’s thirteen epistles, he is referring to the riches of the ‘indwelling Christ’ that are so close at hand to every believer. Christ is not a distant. as the phrase might seem to infer. Salvation by Christ’s redemptive cross-work on our behalf, and it’s out-working by “Christ in you,” was the theme of the message which Paul, as Christ’s duly appointed ambassador, was sent to proclaim in word and in his thirteen epistles (Romans through Philemon).

To appreciate how the truth of the message of the ‘indwelling Christ’ came to be for the Gentile “dogs,” as they were referred to by Jesus, we need to remember that God had declared by Israel’s prophecy that He would reply to the world’s rejection of Christ with judgment.

Psalm 110:1 portrays the Father saying to the Son… “Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.” Psalm 2:5 declares: “Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure.”

1. Israel had consistently rejected God the Father by killing the prophets He sent to warn and guide them. But then also they killed “the Son” that He sent to them as Messiah, offering the Kingdom on earth. So, after Jesus’ crucifixion and ascension it seemed that everything was ready for the judgment to fall.
2. Yet, as the miraculous ‘signs’ of Pentecost appeared 50 days after Jesus’ ascension. This was in answer to Jesus’ words of the Cross when He said; “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” At Pentecost Peter declared;

“This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16);

it did indeed look as if the rejected Lord would ‘save a remnant of Israel’… as He was about to return to… “judge and make war,” as Rev. 19:11 puts it.

3. Then also, a short time later, God had Stephen speak by the Holy Spirit, declaring to Israel’s leaders the rebellious history of Israel; but rather than them repenting… they stoned him to death too (Act 7:58). The Father, the Son, and the Spirit had been rejected! This then was three strikes and you are out!

One would certainly now expect judgment to fall!

4. But, though judgement was the next Prophetic Event on the calendar, it has not yet come. As we know all know judgment has not yet fallen upon Israel or the world… still being held in abeyance for a time.

Why is the judgment of God still pending and Israel’s King still in exile?

It is because God had something else planned, a ‘secret plan,’ concerning the GENTILES, one formulated from “before the world began” (Eph. 1:3-4).

You see, instead of God’s wrath, judgment, and war, Christ from heaven reached down to directly save Paul, who would proclaim an entirely new gospel called “the gospel of Grace of God” (Acts 20:24) for ALL men of ALL races. Paul was given to reveal the worth of Christ’s cross-work, making peace between God and man; justifying and forgiving all believers freely... based upon faith alone.

Christ Himself, as “the grace of God,” is “the peace of God” that indwells every grace-believer’s spirit, according to Paul’s “my gospel” (Rom. 16:25 below).

• Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to My (Paul’s) Gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the Revelation of “the Mystery (The Secret),” which was Kept Secret since the world began, Romans 16:25 (KJV)

“To whom God would make known what the riches of the glory of this Mystery among the GENTILES; which is ‘Christ In You,’ the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27 (KJV)

Doesn’t this sequence of events outlined above indicate that God’s ‘Grace program for the Gentiles’ has… INTERRUPTED… God’s ‘Prophetic program for Israel,’ setting aside the promised Millennial ‘Kingdom on earth’… for a time.

This delay in the Kingdom was to allow for the formerly secreted, hidden, present age of “the dispensation of the grace of God” for the Gentiles to be established in ‘pure grace,” totally apart from Israel’s Law system with it Sabbath, Holy Days, food restrictions, ritual (e.g., circumcision) and rites (e.g., water baptism).

“Moreover the law entered, (so) that the offence (sin) might abound. But where sin abounded, GRACE did much more abound: ²¹ That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might GRACE Reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

Indeed, Paul the former persecutor of Israel’s believing remnant, was himself the living demonstration of God’s grace to the Christ-rejecting world. Paul declares:

“… Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. ¹⁶ Howbeit for this cause I (Paul) obtained mercy, that in me (Paul) first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

Thus, not only Paul, but as we see above, God’s intention is that … Paul’s experience of receiving God’s grace (free gift) and mercy was to be… the pattern for our receiving grace and mercy “in Christ.” All believers can rest in Him, free from “the Law” (Rom. 6:14) and free from the dominion of the Sinful flesh we dwell in (Rom. 6:6, 6-7).

Just as God intervened in Paul’s life, so He does with all who will believe… to reveal to us His Freely Given Love, Grace, Peace and Rest as our daily portion… “In Christ.”