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For more than 2000 years now Theologians have puzzled over the question of why Daniel's 70th week has never been literally fulfilled. Scripture provides an answer, of course, but there is a sort of "primer" to unlocking the answer. Meanwhile, "Prophecy" Conferences abound today despite the fact that the Apostle Paul EXPLAINED why the Nation of Israel's Phrophetic Program was INTERRUPTED. The outcome of this doctrinal misunderstanding is predictable: mass confusion in the Body of Christ, untold denominational squabbles, uncertainty about the exact ingredients of "saving faith" for today, and an "experiential" approach to determing scriptural truth which has led to an out-of-control "Experiential Movement" in which truth is discerned by personal impressions rather than the rock-solid truth of the Word.
But before attempting to understand why this interruption has lasted for more than two millenia, it is important to go back to the beginning of God's purposes and programs at their inceptions.
Many years after the rebellion at the Tower of Babel, humankind was scattered geographically over the face of the Earth resulting in the various Gentile cultures,languages, countries, tribes, and races......
God then formed a brand new Nation under a brand new system of "Theocratic Law". The bible
calls such as program an "Administration" (or Dispensation or 'house economy') in which God deals out His sovereign
plans and states the terms on how to express individual 'saving faith' within that system by believing what God has "testified" or "made manifest". In the bible these gospels (proclamations of good news) simply mean to TRUST what God says by the human volitional will. For example, Abel knew enough to bring the required blood sacrifice as an act of belief, which did not constitute a "work". Later in the bible, Abraham BELIEVED GOD and David had "imputed righteousness" even though he had broken Gods Law for Israel. Justification in the bible is always by grace through faith and never by works or human efforts--although this reality is not fully explained or "testified" until the Apostle Paul. (see Ephesians Chapters 1&3/ Colossians Chapter 1, 1Corinthians chapter 9).
Gods' sovereign plans for the new-born Nation-Israel (expounded in Exodus 19) included protecting the seed-line
of the coming Redeemer, offering salvation to individual Gentiles
through their "joining as Proselytes" through circumcision (thereby acknowledging Israel's status as "Head" as the Olive Trees' Channel of Blessing)
, recording the Scriptures, and the giving of
a conditional law-system which would show the Jews that they were
condemned by the inability to keep the Mosaic Law.
God chose the man Moses to "deal out" (dispense) this new program.
When The Messiah Jesus came, in fulfillment of Prophecy, he offered the promised Davidic
"King"-dom to this Nation FIRST (because they were to act as Priests to the Gentile Nations)..... but they rejected the offer and crucified the King,
But instead of immediately judging the Nation Israel according to the Prophetic Timeclock (called
"The Tribulation" or the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" )..... God unveiled a
mastermind INTERRUPTION of that law-system which the bible calls
"The Mystery" .
Romans 16:25 (KJV) "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"...
In order to understand the bible, and in particular the FULL ASSURANCE of understanding of Paul's progressive revelations, it is essential to grasp the significance of Gods' secret--the Mystery:
Colossians 2:2 "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the FULL ASSURANCE OF UNDERSTANDING , to the acknowledgement of the MYSTERY (secret) of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
The Mystery had been "Hid in God" according to God's foreknowledge
but was now revealed (or made manifest or "testified"):
God was going to form a brand-new administrational program in which
the Gentiles could once-again be saved APART from the Nation Israel instead of THROUGH the Nation (just as individuals trusting in God's commandment of a blood sacrifice before Israel was formed could).
This dispensational program is called "The Body of Christ" and is
composed of "neither Jew nor Gentile", but instead is identified as the "One New Man".
The new Mystery body (as opposed to Israel as "Bride") was administered or "dealt out" by Paul, just as Gods purpose for the "birth" of His "first-born son" (Israel) had been administered by Moses. (Much later, Jesus told Jewish Nicodemus that all believing Israelites would be part of the "born....again" Nation {still future} in the book of John).
John 3:7 "Marvel not that I said unto THEE (singular), YE (plural) must be born again."
The writings of Paul (Romans through Philemon) can be
understood as an historical 'insertion' of
scriptural progressive revelation in between God's plans to literally fulfill Judaism: For 2000+ years now Gods' Saints have been living under a non-prophesied Dispensation in which God is forming a BODY, not a THEOCRATIC NATION. Even so, in the bible, all justified saints who believed what God had revealed about salvation up to that time, are referred to as "IN CHRIST" in the New Testament.
To briefly summarize the purposes of each epistle-grouping:
--Matthew through John as the Offer of the Millenial KING-dom to Israel: (this is the FULFILLMENT of prophetic Judaism--not the introduction of "Mystery" Christianity--as the Kingdom was announced "at hand" and later offered...and then RE-OFFERED)
--Early Acts as a re-offer of the Kingdom to Israel: (Not, as is traditionally believed, the establishment of the "church"--the BODY of Christ)
PROOF VERSE: Acts 3:19 "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, WHEN (future) the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;....And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:" That is right! God promised to send Jesus BACK to Earth in early Acts if National Israel would repent and believe that Jesus was Gods' true Son.....although in God's omniscience He knew this would not happen--God is never ovetaken by surprise.
1 Timothy 1:16 in the KJV---....."Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in ME FIRST Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a PATTERN (new 'prototype') to them which should HEREAFTER believe on him to life everlasting (Justification...which can sometimes be differentiated from Israel's various 'salvations'--or rescue--ings)."
-- Romans chapter 9 - 11 expounds this (now 2010 year-old but temporary) setting aside
of the Nation Israel.
In another masterstroke it was revealed by God's new spokesman, Paul,
that the "Mystery" had another purpose: That God had planned
all along to achieve redemption for ALL of mankind through Israel's
Messiah. He kept this secret hidden because The Adversary, Lucifer (called satan after the Angelic fall),
would NOT have crucified the Lord of Glory if Satan had known that
Jesus death was actually a planned solution of substitutionary atonement
for ALL mankind -which had not been revealed in the Prophecy writings.
1 Corinthians 2:8 "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for HAD THEY KNOWN [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
For further study on this matter, it should be understood that even Jesus chosen Apostles didn't really understand that Jesus was going to be crucified in Jerusalem for the sins of the whole world until AFTER the resurrection. Instead, they expected Christ to fulfill the first part of prophecy involving reigning and ruling on David' throne , rather than the second part in which Christ rides on a Donkey and is crucified by Rome (according to prophecy, The Messiah was more likely understood to be offered as a blood sacrifice on an ALTAR. 
Once again, God proved his brilliant Omnicience and manifold wisdom by achieving redemption
for ALL of mankind despite the failures of BOTH the gentiles and the
Jewish Nation. He placed them ALL under condemnation, so that
He might save them ALL through the Mystery Atonement(see Romans 11:32). In amazing fashion and according to Gods' manifold wisdom, He always outsmarts the Adversary.
This new organism (revealed only by Paul through his progressive revelations) which is referred to as the Body of Christ differs significantly
from the Dispensation/Administration of Moses Law.
Individual members of the Law-Body had been placed under a conditional
performance contract, which never saved them but DID reveal them to be sinners in need of a Savior....thus requiring that saving faith by Grace alone be expressed by trusting
what God had revealed up until that time: the sacrifices (a veiled shadow of the coming mystery blood sacrifice ), National Priesthood (God's offer of salvation
to gentiles THROUGH the Nation), Signs (God granting physical evidence to Israel), and the blessings and cursings contract.
Individual members of the Mystery-Body are today placed under an
unconditional faith-offer in which they express saving faith by believing
in what God had HIDDEN before but has made MANIFEST today:
Trusting in the completed work of the one-time-only blood sacrifice by
simply believing (expressing personal volitional trust in) Christ's
death, burial, and resurrection APART from works or human effort
of any kind.
This new dispensational body is composed of neither "Jew nor Gentile"
but a "New Creation" not under any performance contracts, Mosaic
Law, sacrificial systems, Priesthoods, or religious observances.
The Body of Christ has not "joined" Israel in a spiritual sense, but rather, is a brand new creation held secret in the purposes of God until the Revelation of the Mystery.
The Mystery Body of Christ will continue until the last
Gentile has expressed saving faith, and then God will once again
be dealing with the prophecy Nation......As the timeclock resumes
He will resume His dealings with the prophecy Nation
under that system and as outlined in the writings of Hebrews through
Revelation.
As a final note, Paul has clearly stated that these two distinct
dispensational programs are not to be mixed.
"Do not mix Law and Grace".
The solution to separating them is found in second Timothy 2:15"
"Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth ": (The Greek word Orthotomeo means to DISSECT--much like Paul "dissected" various sections of material for tentworking).
If you are not aware of the difference between the Nation of Israel
and the Body of Christ then you are not dissecting the bible and
the result is you may be mixing Law and Grace.
The Bride of Christ is prophetic Judaism, under law, with ethnic identity, with the role of Priesthood to the Nations (gentiles)....and to find its fulfillment in the literal Millenial KING-dom. Jesus came to Israel ONLY ("go NOT in the way of the Gentiles")......in His earthly ministry to live under, keep, and FULFILL the Law.
Romans 15:8 "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises [made] unto the fathers:"
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