The Real New Testament Church
  • Home
  • Contents
  • Preface
  • Plan
    • Kingdom >
      • Chapter 1 - Beginning
      • Chapter 2 - Errant Reasoning
      • Chapter 3 - Consequence
      • Chapter 4 - Adaptation
      • Chapter 5 - Original Earth
      • Chapter 6 - Renovated Earth
      • Chapter 7 - Degenerated Earth
      • Chapter 8 - Time, Space and Representation
      • Chapter 9 - Early Ages
      • Chapter 10 - Israelite Age
      • Chapter 11 - Gentile Age
      • Chapter 12 - Tribulation
      • Chapter 13 - Regenerated Earth
      • Chapter 14 - New Earth
    • Covenant >
      • Chapter 15 - Covenant
      • Chapter 16 - Major Covenants
      • Chapter 17 - Eternal Covenant
      • Chapter 18 - Renovation Covenant
      • Chapter 19 - Old Covenant for Israel
      • Chapter 20 - New Covenant for Israel
  • Church
    • Preparation >
      • Chapter 21 - Parables
      • Chapter 22 - Kingdom of Heaven Parables
    • Foundation >
      • Chapter 23 - New Testament Church
      • Chapter 24 - Church Covenant
      • Chapter 25 - Eternal or Temporal
      • Chapter 26 - Calling
      • Chapter 27 - Description
    • Legality >
      • Chapter 28 - Law
      • Chapter 29 - Transgression
      • Chapter 30 - Justification
    • Life (zoe) >
      • Chapter 31 - Life (zoe)
      • Chapter 32 - Progression of Life (zoe)
      • Chapter 33 - Birth
      • Chapter 34 - Perfect Example
      • Chapter 35 - Church Life
      • Chapter 36 - Sanctification
      • Chapter 37 - Rule of Life (zoe)
      • Chapter 38 - Life According to the Spirit
      • Chapter 39 - Return to Law
      • Chapter 40 - Faith
    • Composition >
      • Chapter 41 - Covenantal Headship
      • Chapter 42 - New Covenantal Headship
      • Chapter 43 - Practical Headship
      • Chapter 44 - Body
      • Chapter 45 - Women
    • Incarnation >
      • Chapter 46 - Function and Form
      • Chapter 47 - Purpose and Mission
      • Chapter 48 - Manifestation
    • Doctrine and Practice >
      • Chapter 49 - Apostolic Teaching
      • Chapter 50 - Apostolic Tradition
    • Apostolic Teaching >
      • Chapter 51 - Values
      • Chapter 52 - Prayer
      • Chapter 53 - Works
      • Chapter 54 - Giving
    • Apostolic Tradition >
      • Chapter 55 - Governance
      • Chapter 56 - Simplicity
      • Chapter 57 - Biblical Gatherings
      • Chapter 58 - Practical Gatherings
      • Chapter 59 - Supper: Celebration and Sign
      • Chapter 60 - Supper: Apostolic Tradition
      • Chapter 61 - Gathering Together
    • Growth >
      • Chapter 62 - Biblical Church Growth
      • Chapter 63 - Practical Church Growth
      • Chapter 64 - Exponential Growth
    • Simulation >
      • Chapter 65 - Temporal Simulation
      • Chapter 66 - Simulated Church History
      • Chapter 67 - Confirmation of Scripture
    • Warfare >
      • Chapter 68 - Warfare
      • Chapter 69 - Utter Defeat
      • Chapter 70 - Freedom
      • Chapter 71 - Position
      • Chapter 72 - Descriptive Armor
      • Chapter 73 - Cooperative Armor
      • Chapter 74 - Armor Abridged
      • Chapter 75 - Armor Paraphrased
      • Chapter 76 - Armor Appropriated
      • Chapter 77 - Full Armor
      • Chapter 78 - Power of Position
  • Reformation
    • Chapter 79 - Formation, Deformation and Reformation
    • Chapter 80 - Law and Life
    • Chapter 81 - Practice of Law
    • Chapter 82 - Practice of Life
    • Chapter 83 - From Law to Life
    • Chapter 84 - Doctrine, Desire and Dependence
    • Chapter 85 - Design, Decentralization, Demonstration and Divestment
  • Conclusion
    • Chapter 86 - The Real New Testament Church
  • Endnotes
  • About
Vertical Divider
Picture
Vertical Divider
Vertical Divider
Chapter 11 - Gentile Age
Vertical Divider
Vertical Divider
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 completed immediately before the Second Coming of Christ.
    
The Gentile Age addresses two groups. It is inclusive of Gentiles, both individually and collectively. 
    
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 the New Testament church was established on earth. During its early stage, God redeemed Gentiles on an individual basis.
    
The precedent had already existed for the redemption of individual Gentiles. Two examples in the Old Testament era included the Ninevites and Rahab the harlot. Similar to every other age, they were redeemed by faith alone.
Vertical Divider
Picture
Vertical Divider
                                                                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 of critical importance to understand 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 included among the Israelites, they 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:
Vertical Divider
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.
Vertical Divider
 
© 2023 James Hiatt
Vertical Divider
Vertical Divider

Vertical Divider
Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly