The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times Part 2
Acts 17:26-31 Man was made and placed throughout the world to seek after God. Before the gospel of grace some haply {casually, by accident} found Him. During the times of this ignorance man never saw God. Gentiles did not have the law. Man wanted a God of their own making (Rom 1:21-23). And He just winked at their sin. He tolerated their sin, but did not forgive them of their sin.
· But now Tit 2:11
· When Christ walked upon the earth God was seen through his Son. (Col 2:9)
· How does the world see Christ today? Through His Sons, the church, the body of Christ. (Gal 4:5)
· V31 God has appointed a day when this world (man) will be judged according to the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
· When a person gets saved he is judged righteousness; in fact he is made the made the righteousness of God. (2Cor 5:21)
· God is no longer just winking at those who do not repent, He is reserving them greater punishment (Heb 10:28-29) in the dispensation of the fullness of times. God has declared the sin of considering the shed blood of the Son of God an unholy thing to be deserving of greater punishment than the sin committed during the Old Testament times.
The phrase “times of” is seen in seven verses
Ps 9:9, 10:9 “times of trouble”
· 14 verses concerning “time of trouble”
Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. (Ps 48:6, Jer 13:21 likened to a woman in travail)
Lu 21:20-24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until “the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled”.
· Eze 30:3 For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.
· The “times of trouble” God brought upon Israel’s are tied to the times of the Gentile. Because of the sin of Israel God brought the times of the Gentiles upon them.
· Neh 9:31-32 The “trouble” brought upon the nation of Israel by the great, the mighty, the terrible, the merciful God began with the time of the kings of Assyria. Assyria took control of all the land of promise except the area around Jerusalem and carried the northern tribes into captivity
· The Chaldeans entered Jerusalem
Ř Zedekiah was the last king to set on the throne of David in Jerusalem. The nation of Israel has never been in complete control of Jerusalem since that time.
Acts 3:19-22
· V19 the times of refreshing that follow after
· V21 times of restitution of all things
Zec 12:9 ¶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
· Ps 21:9 time of thine anger
The times of the Gentiles will end when the King sets upon the throne of David in Jerusalem for 1000 years.
The dispensation of the fullness of times is the times of restitution of all things leading to the times of refreshing of God’s creation and restoration of His city, His land and His people. But most importantly eternal worship of the Lamb and the Lord God Almighty.
· Isa 1:21-26
· Isa 2:1-5 The 1000 year reign of Christ
· Rev 21:22-24 Eternity with the Lamb
Am 9:11 ¶ In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
Mic 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Mal 3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Jer 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
· Isa 65:18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
· This last dispensation leads up to the restoration of the nation of Israel, the city of Jerusalem and children of Israel and the acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is Lord.