Have you ever wondered why Paul wrote these words to the Ephesian ecclesia?

 

"...During every prayer and petition on every occasion [in spirit being vigilant also for it with all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints, and for me], that to me expression may be granted, in the opening of my mouth with boldness, to make known the secret of the evangel, for which I am conducting an embassy in a chain, that in it I should be speaking boldly as I must speak..." [Eph.6:18-20.C.V.]

 

Let me first say that the evangel [gospel] was never a secret. If you go to Romans. [1:1-7.C.V.] Paul said;

 

"...Paul a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, severed for the evangel [gospel] of God [which He promises before through the prophets in the holy scriptures]..." Greek, ["dia ton propheeton autou en graphias hagiais,"] those well known as such in the Old Testament. How can it be said that "Paul was severed to the gospel of God"  [Rom.1:1-7] If he had already been heralding the same gospel for a full year at Antioch [Acts.11:26] ?

 

Jesus confirms this when He spoke to Cleopas on the road to Emmaus on the third day and Cleopas answering the Lord  said; "...But surely, together with all these things also, it is leading in this third day since these things occurred...And He said to them,

 

 "O foolish and tardy of heart to be believing on all which the prophets speak! Must not the Christ be suffering these things, and be entering into His glory?" And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, He interprets to them, in all the scriptures that which concerns Himself..." [Luke.24:25-27.C.V.]

 

These things were never a secret, or hidden in the mind of God, Jesus was able to show them from Moses and all the prophets the things concerning Himself, and chastened them for being so foolish not to believe on all they spoke. Paul tells us that the evangel [gospel] of God was first preached to Abraham.

 

"...Now the [Old Testamant] scripture, perceiving before that God is justifying the nations by faith, brings before an evangel [gospel] to Abraham, that In you shall all the nations be blessed...." [Gal.3:8.C.V.] Paul is referring to his evangel [gospel of God] to which he was severed, being first preached to Abraham, which he sets forth in the first eight chapters of the epistle to the Romans. This evangel [gospel] was apart from law. [430 years before Sinai]. Paul said, "...For Christ is the consummation of [not "the" law] "law" [any law] for righteousness to everyone who is believing..." [FAITHing]  [Rom.10:4]

 

 WE may ask, believing [FAITHing] what? The answer is, Paul's evangel [the gospel of God] dating back to Abraham's faith [FAITHing] see, [Sept.22:1-13]  We may also ask, what is faith? The answer is, "Faith is action based upon belief, sustained by confidence." Whatever God says He will do, He can be relied on to perform His word no matter what the circumstances are.

 

"The Greek word in the New Testament, [PISTEUO] is a verb. It's literally to hang the body, "an action" on what the mind agrees to and the heart responds to. And when we translate it into English, there is no whole action FAITHing word, so an abortion occurs. There is the weakness in the English language. So we have to make a word up when one doesn't fit, you translate over. So let us talk about "FAITHing" and "FAITHers" that do it, and the result is the "FAITHed." [Prof.Scott]

 

So, let look at Abraham again in [Gal.3:5-6]

 

"...He then, who is supplying you with spirit, and operating works of power among you did you get the spirit by works of law of by the hearing of faith, according as Abraham FAITHed "the" God and it is reckoned to him for righteousness?..."

 

Abraham's faith was based on the definition,  "action based upon belief sustained by confidence." Abraham was confident, God would raise Isaac from the dead to keep His promise that in His seed would all the nations be blessed. The proof is found in the story in Genesis. Before Abraham ever went up the mountain He was confident they would both return to his servants to whom he said; "...Sit ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will proceed thus far, and having worshipped we will return to you..."[Gen.22:1-15]

 

 Paul went on to say, "a covenant, having been ratified before by "the" God, the law, having come four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not invalidate, so as to nullify the promise. For if the enjoyment of the allotment of is of law, it is no longer a promise. Yet God graciously granted it to Abraham through the promise..."

 

 

Jesus said to them;

 

"...Yet I am saying to you Elijah came already, and they did not recognize him, but they do to him whatever they will. Thus the Son of Mankind also is about to be suffering by them." Then the disciples understand He spoke to them concerning John the Baptist.

 

Now the Old Testament scriptures also, [dia ton  propheeton autou en graphias hagiais] "by His prophets in holy writings." were not silent, but were clearly recorded for the benefit of the Hebrew people and Cleopas should have been aware of all that was happening and Christ told him so.

 

 "...And He said to them, "O foolish and tardy of heart to be believing on all which the prophets speak! Must not the Christ be suffering these things, and be entering into His glory?.."

 

This is why Paul keeps telling us "the secret of the evangel," [not the gospel of God] was a "secret" hidden in the mind of God until He revealed it to Him and commanded Him to make it known unto all the nations for faith-obedience. [Rom.16:25-27.C.V.]

 

Let us read from the first [Graphon Propheetikon] "prophetic scriptures" Paul wrote to the nations in 62.A.D. post [Acts.28:28.C.V.] at the suspension of the administration of the "new covenant law," and the beginning of the new administration of the grace of God for all the nations apart from law, [any law] in the secret economy which is a parenthesis in which Paul was chosen and given the stewardship [administration] for the nations for "faith obedience."

 

 This new administration replaced the old administration of law officially in which the Sinai covenant was being nullified through the cross and blood of the new covenant that is shed for many. [Mark.14:24] The new covenant which was about to become officially inaugurated had they repented, but due to their foolishness and tardiness of heart, they could not repent and it was suspended instead of officially being established [ratified] by all Israel as prophesied by Jeremiah. 31:31-34]

 

Now, let us read from the Concordant Literal New Testament;

 

1 On this behalf I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you, the nations --
2 since you surely hear of the administration of the grace of God that is given to me for you,
3 for by revelation the secret is made known to me (according as I write before, in brief,
4 by which you who are reading are able to apprehend my understanding in the secret of the Christ,
5 which, in other generations, is not made known to the sons of humanity as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets): in spirit
6 the nations are to be joint enjoyers of an allotment, and a joint body, and joint partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus, through the evangel
7 of which I became the dispenser, in accord with the gratuity of the grace of God, which is granted to me in accord with His powerful operation.
8 To me, less than the least of all saints, was granted this grace: to bring the evangel of the untraceable riches of Christ to the nations,
9 and to enlighten all as to what is the administration of the secret, which has been concealed from the eons in God, Who creates all,
10 that now may be made known to the sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials, through the ecclesia, the multifarious wisdom of God,
11 in accord with the purpose of the eons, which He makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord;

 

Notice what Paul said;

 

"...for by which you who are reading [Ephesians, the first Graphon Propheetikon, "prophetic scriptures"]  are able to apprehend my understanding in the secret of the Christ, which, in all other generations, [or scriptures] is not made known to the sons of humanity [or the Old Testament prophets] as it was now revealed to His holy [New Testament] apostles and prophets..." [Paul and his associates. [Eph.4:9-10.C.V.]

 

Note well: The modern church is also foolish and tardy of heart to believe these things, that is, the revelation that was unknown in all prior generations of God's Hebrew people or the other Nations, that Paul was commissioned with, and it is called the "stewardship" [administration] for them?

 

It was that;

 

"...in spirit [not flesh] the nations are to be joint enjoyers [Gr. sonsomon together-body] of an allotment, and a joint body, and joint partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus, through the evangel of which I became the dispenser, in accord with the gratuity of the grace of God, which is granted to me in accord with His powerful operation...." [in 62.A.D.]

 

This revelation was unknown in Moses and the prophets, and Christ could not make it known, because He only spoke and confirmed "Moses and the prophets." The secret was in fact "a secret purpose" [Eph.3:9-12.C.V.] in the mind of God prior to the disruption [Gr. katabole down-cast] of the world, and Paul tells the Ephesian ecclesia that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ chooses us in Him [Christ] before the disruption of the world, we to be holy and flawless in His sight, in love designating us beforehand [before the disruption] for the place of a [celestial] son unto Him [the Father] through Christ Jesus..." [Eph.1:3-5.C.V. It is interesting that the scriptures in [1.Pet.1:19-20] give the same description of Christ;

 

"...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a flawless and unspotted lamb, foreknown, indeed, before the disruption of the world, yet manifested in these last times..." [1.Pet.1:19-20]

 

It is also very interesting that when we speak of the kingdom of God on the earth as Peters evangel teaches it, it is from the disruption of the world. This confirms those words that Christ had spoken during His ministry on the earth, He was revealing the things that were "from the disruption of the world."

 

"...All these things Jesus speaks in parables to the throngs, and apart from a parable He spoke nothing to them, so that fulfilled may be that which is declared through the prophets, saying,

 

"I shall be opening my mouth in parables,

I shall be emitting what was hid from the disruption..."

 

Jesus spoke two parables concerning the kingdom and we learn that the ministry of our Lord was confined to "the circumcism" confirming the promises made by God unto the fathers of the Hebrew nation; and had nothing to do with the "founding of a church," or with the setting up of the "Christian religion."

 

One of these latter parables is that of the vineyard. After sending His servants repeatedly to receive the fruits of His vineyard, and these servants being shamefully ill-treated, He finally sends His own Son, His well-beloved, who was slain by the farmers. This is the history of the Prophets and the four gospels.[Matt.21:33-42]

 

In the next parable of the wedding festivities we have His servants [John the Baptist and the Lord] sent to tell them who had aready been invited by the prophets in the Old Testament that the wedding festivities was ready, but "they would not come." This resulted in the end of the Lord's ministry.[Matt.22:1-3]

 

Then we have the sequel, which is the condensed history of the Acts of the apostles. "...Again He dispatches his slaves [Peter and the twelve] to call those invited  to the wedding festivities and they would not come. Again he dispatches other slaves, saying, Say to those invited, Lo! my luncheon have I made ready, my bulls and grain-fed animals have been sacrificed, and all is ready: Hither for the wedding festivities!" Yet they,  not caring , came away, one indeed, to his own field, yet one to his merchandise. Yet the rest, taking hold of his slaves, outrage and kill them. Now the King is angered, and sending his troops, destroys those murderers and sets their city [Jerusalem] in flames..." [Matt.22:4-7]

 

All this tells us, that this is the history of the Acts of the apostles [condensed] and of "the desruction of Jerusalem" and that far from being the establishment of the ecclesia [church] it is in fact the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy of "The song of Moses," concerning the history of Israel. [Deut,32:1-43]

 

Jesus never spoke of the secret of the evangel which was God's "secret purpose" from before the disruption of the world. He only spoke those things from Moses and the prophets which were to be put into effect from the disruption and are associated with the evangel [gospel] of the kingdom to be established on earth during the coming millennial reign and the inauguration of the new covenant which was temporally suspended in 62.A.D. see [Acts.28:28.C.V.]

 

In fact Jesus told them;

 

"...Still much Have I to say to you, but you are not able to bear it at present. Yet whenever that may be coming the spirit of truth it will be guiding you into all the truth, for it will not be speaking from itself, but whatsoever it should be hearing will it be speaking, and of what is coming will it be informing you. That will be glorifying Me, seeing that of Mine will it be getting, and informing you. All, whatever the Father has, is Mine. Therefore I said to you that of Mine is it getting, and will be informing you..." [John.16:12-15

 

Where, but in Paul's "prophetic scriptures" does the spirit of truth speak to us?

 

Paul was commissioned to this stewardship [administration] of the nations to reveal the plan and purpose of God that had been hidden in the mind of God [not Moses and the prophets] until He revealed it to Paul by the spirit of truth for all the nations after Judah Israel was cast aside [Rom.11:25-28] to make way for the new stewardship [administration] of the grace of God and the new secret economy of the secret of the evangel to call believers out of Judah Israel together with the believers out of all the nations and make them [Gr. sonsomon together-body] a joint body of saints, with a newly revealed celestial destiny in the heavens [among the celestials.Eph.1:3] as the complement of Christ, the One completing the all in all. [Eph.1:15-23.C.V.]

 

Brethren, the reason this is not understood today is that the modern church is "foolish and tardy of heart to believe," and is still teaching the suspended "new covenant" which is the basis of Peters evangel, the re-offer of the King and Kingdom, yet this evangel was suspended in 62. A.D. at the end of the Acts of the apostles dispensation when Paul quoted Isaiah's prophecy of doom over the foremost of the leaders of the nation of Judah. From that time, Isaiah's prophecy became operative and they have been temporally set aside while the suspension of the new covenant is in force.

 

This period of the suspension is a parenthesis as was the Law of Moses given at Sinai and annulled at the cross to make way for the new covenant which would have been RATIFIED had the nation of Judah Israel who was in possession of the Kingdom repented. Yet they refused to repent as a nation which was the only condition that prevented the re-offer through Peter on the day of Pentecost to come into force. [Acts.3:17-21.C.V.]

 

So what is the current situation? It is a period of "apostasy" and "confusion" brought on by the rejection through ignorance, similar to what Christ described to Cleopas, "...O foolish and tardy of heart to believe on all that the prophets speak..."  But this time it the same foolishness and tardiness of heart to believe what the "New Testament prophets" have written for us! [Eph.4:9-14] in the [Graphon Propheetikon] " prophetic scriptures" of Paul which contain the "secret of the evangel,"

 

  Paul's preparatory epistles, especially the epistle to the Romans contained the subjective foundation of the secret. This is why Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatians who had so swiftly moved away from the teaching of Paul that he recorded in the book of Romans. See [Rom.3:21-28.C.V.] They were established in grace apart from Law but after the party from James went down to them, they began to entertain the nullified law, the Decalogue, together with ordinances of circumcism, yet they were scrutinizing, Days, months and seasons and years etc, and Paul had to say, "...I fear for you, lest somehow I have toiled for you feignedly..." [Gal.4:10-11.C.V.] What would Paul say today if he came back and found them trying to keep the whole law that was nullified to make way for the new covenant which has been suspended until the inauguration at the re-marriage in the kingdom of God yet to be established during the millennium?

 

To summarize this news letter let me say that the ignorance and the foolishness and tardiness of heart among the disciples of the Lord prior to His resurrection, remained on the nation of Judah-Israel on a national scale. It blinded their hearts and comprehensions to the evangel Peter was commissioned with, the re-offer to the nation [Acts.3:17-21] which was rejected by the foremost of the leaders and caused the suspension of the new covenant for the last two thousand years. This was foreknown of God, but it could not be revealed until Judah had refused all three presentations to repent and receive the king and kingdom being offered to them. At the final presentation at Rome by Paul, it became necessary for the final time to quote Isaiah's prophecy [Isa.6:9-10] which became operative from that time and the new covenant was suspended until the fullness of the nations come in. [Rom.11:25-36.C.V.]

 

Paul must had been flabbergasted when he realized that just as Judah Israel rejected Peters commission [Acts.3:17-21] and the evangel [gospel] of God he was severed for [Rom.1:1-7] all the seven ecclesia's in Asia turned from his evangel also [2.Tim.1:9-15] together with the secret of the evangel with which he was given the stewardship [administration] of the nations for faith obedience. [Rom.16:25-27]

 

Yet, in Romans Paul tells us;

 

For God locks up all together, in stubbornness, that He may be merciful to all.

O, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! For, who knew the mind of the Lord? or, who became His adviser? or, who gives to Him first, and it will be repaid him? seeing that out of Him and through Him and for Him is all [Col.1:17] to Him be the glory for the eons of the eons! Amen!.." [Rom.11:32-36]

 

In closing it is important that we understand what Paul is saying;

 

To me, [not Peter] less than the least of all saints, was granted this grace: to bring the evangel of the untraceable riches of Christ to the nations [not Peters kingdom on earth evangel to Judah Israel] and to enlighten all as to what is the administration of the secret, [not the inauguration of the new covenant with the house of Israel] which has been concealed from the eons in God, [the new covenant was not kept secret. It was made known in full in [Jer.31:32-34] Who creates all, that now may be made known to the sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials, through the ecclesia, the multifarious wisdom of God, in accord with the purpose of the eons, [which was a secret hidden in the mind of God] which He makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord;

 

Brethren, we live in the days of the apostasy and it behooves us to be diligent and carefully read Paul's prison epistles, the [Gr. graphon propheetikon] "prophetic scriptures" which were written for us. [the nations] They alone contain all that the spirit of truth was sent to be informing us with.[John.16:12-15]

 

Those that stay with the four gospels and the book of Acts teaching are all reading Moses and the law and the prophets. This is what Jesus told Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. He said they were foolish and tardy of heart for not believing all that prophets speak.

 

"... And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, He interprets to them, in all the [Old Testament] scriptures, that which concerns Himself. [Luke.24:27] Therefore, the teaching of Christ which was continued by Peter and the other Disciples and confirmed with [Gr.pneuma hagion], "power from on high," was nothing less than what Moses and the prophets said would come.

 

Finally, Paul told the Corinthian ecclesia why their apprehensions were calloused. He said they were also like the sons of Israel who had their apprehensions calloused because Moses put a covering over his face so that they could look intently on the fading glory of the Decalogue. Paul said the same covering is remaining at the reading of the old covenant not being uncovered. This covering goes over the hearts of all who are reading the four gospels and the book of Acts thinking it is the evangel [gospel] for the nations today, not realizing it was the evangel gospel for Judah Israel now suspended.

 

"...Now the Lord is the spirit [of truth]; yet where the spirit of the Lord is, [truth is] there is freedom [from Moses, law, the Decalogue].Now we all [under Paul's stewardship] with uncovered face, mirroring the Lord's glory, and are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, [through Paul's [Gr, graphon propheetikon "prophetic scriptures"] even as from the Lord, the spirit..." [of truth] [2.Cor.3:17-18]

 

May God bless you real good.

David and Carol Buckman.

Down-under in the land of OZ.