Chapter 11 - Gentile Age

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The suspension of national Israel from the covenant plan of God and their dispersion into the Gentile nations of the world introduced the Gentile Age. Fundamentally, it is distinguished by Gentile dominion over Jerusalem (cf. Daniel 2:31-45; 7:1-27; 8:1-26, in which Daniel discusses successive Gentile kingdoms ruling over Jerusalem until the return of Christ). Jesus referred to the Gentile Age as the “times of the Gentiles.” (Luke 21:24)

The Gentile Age was initiated with the destruction of the first Jewish temple and the forced removal of the southern kingdom of Judah from Jerusalem in 586 B.C. It will conclude when the “fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25) The “fullness of the Gentiles” refers to a predetermined time in the future when God will have sufficiently repopulated His kingdom with the elect from among the Gentile nations. It will be fulfilled immediately before the Second Coming of Christ.

The Gentile Age addresses two groups. It is inclusive of both individual Gentiles redeemed in the early part of the Age and Gentiles redeemed through the collective assembly of the church during the latter part of the Gentile Age.

The divine purpose for the Gentile Age is twofold. First, it provides sufficient time for national Israel to endure its appointed judgment. Second, the Gentile Age was designed to permit the rapid expansion and repopulation of the kingdom of God by the inclusion of the elect from among the Gentile nations of the world.

Individual Gentiles

The Gentile Age began immediately after the Israelite Age, more than 600 years before God established the church on earth. It can be believed that God continued to redeem the lost. Rather than collectively through the New Testament church, however, it would have been on an individual basis from the elect of the Gentile nations.

It should be noted that in the Old Testament era individual Gentiles were redeemed by faith alone. For example, the Ninevites and Rahab the harlot. Therefore, it should be understood that God also redeemed individual Gentiles during the early part of the Gentile Age, before He established the church on earth.

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Church

In fullness of time, approximately 600 years after the beginning of the Gentile Age, Jesus the Messiah was sent to earth by the Father. (Matthew 1:1-4:11; Mark 1:1-2:12; Luke 1:1-4:13) The immediate priority of His earthly ministry was to reveal the will of God to the Israelites remaining in the land of covenant promise. (Matthew 10:5-6; 15:24; Mark 7:27; John 1:11; Acts 10:36)

The will of God for the nation of Israel included the fulfillment of their long-awaited hope for inclusion into His kingdom on earth. However, relative to their hardness of heart and scriptural presupposition, the representative leadership of Israel did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah and soundly rejected His offer. (Matthew 11:2-27:66; Mark 11:27-12:44; Luke 9:51-24:53)

According to plan, God allowed the postponement of His kingdom promise to Israel to remain in effect and in the latter part of the Gentile Age He initiated an expansive repopulation of His kingdom. The vehicle chosen by God to fulfill His plan was the New Testament church (Ephesians 3:8-11).

Although created in eternity, the New Testament church was established on earth in fullness of time. It occurred on the first day of Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ. (Acts 2:1-47) Thus, the Church Age began during the late spring of 33AD.

In contrast to the gradual expansion of kingdom population during the Israelite Age and the early Gentile Age, the New Testament church has allowed for the exponential repopulation of the kingdom, predominantly from the elect of the densely populated Gentile nations. (Acts 9:15; 28:28; Romans 11:11-25; Galatians 1:15-16; 2:7-8; Ephesians 3:1-13) Through its instrumentation, the population of the kingdom of God has expanded into the Gentile nations near and far, “even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

It is important to note that God did not replace the nation of Israel with the New Testament church. (cf. Romans 11) However, it would not be entirely devoid of Israelites. Even though predominantly consisting of elect Gentiles, the church would also be inclusive of a remnant of Israel. (Romans 11:1-6) Rather than comprising national Israel, they would become members of the body of Christ.

The kingdom of God manifested on the degenerated earth during the latter part of the Gentile Age can be briefly summarized as follows:

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Category	Description
Primary Purpose:	The revelation of the authority of God for the benefit of human beings. The vindication of divine authority.
Plan:	The degenerated earth as a suitable habitat for human beings. Rather than the earth existing in the kingdom of God, the kingdom manifested on the degenerated earth within redeemed human beings legally representative and organically representational of God. Kingdom repopulation by human beings.
Realm:	The spatiotemporal degenerated earth.
Era:	Gentile dominion over the Israelites and more specifically, the city of Jerusalem (586 BC to the Second Coming).
Presentation:	Invisible.
Citizenship:	Holy, spatiotemporal, individual human beings descended from Noah’s sons Ham and Japheth. In fullness of time, collectively assembled in one spiritual body, the New Testament church.
Character for Citizenship:	Glorious, holy, powerful, and eternal (concordant with the nature of the divine king).
Qualification for Citizenship:	Individually: holiness, spirituality, and immortality awarded by divine justification and regeneration. Collectively: holiness, spirituality, and immortality achieved by divine justification, regeneration, indwelling, baptism, and sealing. Human cooperation by willing submission to the beneficent revelation of divine authority. By grace through faith alone.
Governance:	Theocratic. In cooperation with human mediation. Through union of life between God and elect individual Gentiles. Through union of life between God and the elect of the New Testament church.
Outcome:	By benefit of the past fulfillment of the Eternal Covenant, the elect, predominantly from the Gentile nations, justified and regenerated by grace through faith alone and consequently, made legally representative and organically representational of God. In accordance with the unconditional benefit of the Eternal Covenant, the continued vindication of the divine nature and repopulation of the divine kingdom. The “fullness of the Gentiles” achieved. The removal of the New Testament church from the earth. The kingdom of God not completely repopulated. The nature of God not fully vindicated.

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