“[Christ] In whom also we [of the body of Christ today] have obtained an inheritance, being Predestinated According to the PURPOSE of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph. 1:11, cf. 22-23).

God’s once hidden Eternal Purpose is first for “the heavenly places,” (Eph. 1:3) as revealed in Paul’s Post-Acts epistles. God’s ultimate purpose concerns recovering both “the heavens” and “the earth” that were usurped by Lucifier. Thus it is first necessary that His purpose for “the heavens” be worked out so His plan for “the earth” could later be accomplished. Thus these two purposes are dependent on each other to a certain degree.

The conflict of the ages began with Lucifer rebelling and being cast down from the highest heaven. Thus Paul’s “revelation of the mystery [secret]” that concerns “the heavenly places” was first in God’s mind from “before the foundation [Grk. katabole, ‘the overthrow’] of the world [Grk. kosmos” [cf. Eph. 1:4, cf. Gen. 1:2]. God’s plan was from before Lucifer corrupting “the world,” that is ‘the kosmos.’ Lucifer corrupted God’s original order of the government of “the heaven and the earth” (Gen 1:1). Thus even today “… he [God] putteth no trust in his saints [Lucifers fallen angels]; yea, The Heavens Are Not Clean In His Sight.” Job 15:15.

God originally planned that all “the families [Gentiles]” of the earth were to be blessed through Abraham’s lineage, Israel (Gen 12:3). But Israel fell in unbelief (Acts 28:28; Rom. 11:10-12, 15, 25), thus failing in her calling. With that God had No ‘Conduit’ of Blessing for The Gentiles on earth.

Question: Since the “nations [Gentiles]” could not be blessed of fallen Israel, what was God’s answer? Few religionists recognize the answer to this question only because they don’t know the Scriptures ‘rightly divided,’ dispensationally that is. Right division of the Scriptures gives us the clear answer. From Abraham’s line came the Messiah, the promised “Seed which is Christ” (cf. Gal 3:16) who would establish a non-Israel people group to inhabit His restored heavenly government. This ‘people’ is called the Gentile “church, which is HIS BODY.”

Paul’s Post-Acts prison ministry and epistles concern a people for the restoration of God’s order “in the heavenly places.” The “faithful” believers of “the body of Christ” will be resurrected and manifest, to “appear with Him [Christ] in [heaven’s] glory” (Col. 3:4b), where they will “reign with Him [Christ]” (2 Tim. 2:12).

Many who claim to know about today’s dispensational age of the “Great Mystery” (Eph. 5:32) seem confused as to when today’s Gentile age began. Today’s Gentile age began when Israel was “divorced” of God (cf. Jer. 3:8, Acts 28:28), being set aside in failing to receive her Messiah and the promised “Kingdom come on earth.”

Paul’s 7 Post-Acts epistles were written after the ‘setting aside’ of Israel, when God’s secretly planned, program began. Jesus’ words of Jn 3:16 concern the whole world of “whosoever” believers. It was written that ALL men might believe and have His “everlasting life.” Thus ‘all men’ of ‘all races’ could believe and receive Him, not Jews only. God desires that ALL men might have Christ’s resurrection “life” [Grk. zoe]. Christ’s “Spirit of life” is in believers today so they might be able to comprehend Paul’s Post-Acts epistles concerning today’s dispensation of the “Great Mystery [secret]” (Eph. 5:32) of the heaven-bound Gentile “church, which is His body.”

We expect that Paul’s “Mystery [secret]” gospel likely began to be proclaimed in his hired house in Rome, while he was “in bonds.” Paul’s “revelation of the Mystery [secret plan of God]” is explained in his Post-Acts prison epistles of Eph., Col., and Phili., written only after the Book of Acts ended. ‘Acts’ explains how Israel fell and was set aside for a time (cf. Acts 28:28; Rom. 11:10-12, 15, 25). Acts was ultimately in defense of Paul and his unique ministry of “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) for ALL men. After Acts Paul expounds upon God’s plan to recover both “the heaven and the earth” (Eph. 1:10) God’s first purpose was revealed to Paul as the “the revelation of The Mystery [secret]” (Rom. 16:25) of the “One body” of Christ (Eph. 4:4) which is destined to “appear with Him” (Col. 3:4) to “reign with Him” (2Tim. 2:12) “in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3).

Now we can recognize how that after Acts 28:28, in Paul’s ‘hired house’ in Rome, there occurred one of the most significant and far-reaching events in world history. Then began the great parenthetical timeline gap of “the times of the Gentiles” which interrupted the Biblical Prophetic timeline concerning Israel. Israel as the chosen Nation of God (cf. Exo. 19:5) will have left the scene from Acts 28:28 … until after “the faithful” of “His Body” ascend to “Appear With Him In The [heaven’s] Glory.” (Col. 3:4).