"The Fullness of Times": Part 2

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The expression, " The fullness of times " occurs Eph. 1:1010That 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: (Ephesians 1:10); and it \is so distinct from that of "The fullness of the time," that the one is applied to a past fact, the other to one yet future: " That, in the dispensation of the fullness 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." There is a connection between this expression and that which declares our standing, " upon whom the end of the ages are met." (See note, p. 83.) These ages or dispensations had all been cut short, each one had failed in man's responsibility; and before God takes them up again, He has (so to speak) left them: as it is written, " The Lord said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place;" and before He sets to His hand the second time to prove His superiority to failure-whilst we stand at the end of these ages there is a secret process going on, of gathering out from every nation a body for Christ. When God takes up again these ages, then are we introduced into "The dispensation of the fullness of times." On this expression I would dilate a little.
This is the time of God's long-suffering and bearing with evil, instead of judging it. It is a limited period. " Once" the long-suffering of God lasted one hundred and twenty years, and then came judgment. But now it may be said, speaking generally, that God's long-suffering has been from the flood to the present day, and will be limited only by Christ's taking His power and putting His enemies under His feet. This period, therefore, becomes the period of testimony, corresponding to the times before the flood; 1for although the long-suffering began at the fall, yet was it specially marked at its close as a period of testimony, when Noah was a preacher of righteousness.
So now, when man is despising the riches of God's goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, it is the period or time of testimony to the Cross and Resurrection to all the world; because all the world will be involved in Christ's coming to judge it in righteousness. (See Acts 17:3434Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. (Acts 17:34)). Therefore the testimony is to every creature. " And the gospel must first be preached unto all the nations " (Mark 13:1010And the gospel must first be published among all nations. (Mark 13:10)). " When the Son of Man shall come in His glory..... before Him shall be gathered all the nations " (Matt. 25:31,3231When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: (Matthew 25:31‑32)). Connected with this is another time, and that is " the time of misrule" because power is in the hands of men, and not directly exercised by God. (Compare Psa. 82; Rev. 11:1717Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. (Revelation 11:17).) Consequently, it is the time of the Church's suffering; for the Church being in the midst of an evil age, and God not as yet interfering in judgment, suffering is necessarily its portion. (See Phil. 1:2929For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; (Philippians 1:29).) But, to speak more definitely, it is the time of Israel's blindness and rejection, which is the mystery made known to us in Rom. 11, " Blindness in part is happened to Israel until," &c., and it is co-extensive with the period of "Preaching unto the Gentiles." Again, there is the time of Gentile supremacy; that is, their being the head, and Israel being the tail. (See Deut. 28:4444He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:44).) "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled " (Luke 21:2424And 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. (Luke 21:24)). Once more, it is the time of creation's thraldom: " We know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth together in pain until now " (Rom. 8). And this groaning is limited by another " until," as we read in Acts 3, " Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out (or unto the blotting out of your sins '), that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets." There is a time also for Satan to " deceive the nations, to be going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:88Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8); cf Job 1:7; 2:27And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (Job 1:7)
2And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (Job 2:2)); and the limit of this we find thus stated. " He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled " (Rev. 20:2,32And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:2‑3)). But all these afore-mentioned times depend upon one yet to be mentioned. The Lord Jesus occupies His present position only for a definite period, according to that Scripture, " Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool " (Psa. 110:11<<A Psalm of David.>> The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Psalm 110:1)). Now, " the dispensation of the fullness of times " is that in which all these several times will have run out, and into which they are all now running; and when the Lord Jesus leaves the right hand of God, then will God visibly interfere with all that is measured by these times, The threads of them had been cut off at the rejection of Christ, and now they are resumed again. " The time of misrule " ends by Christ's taking His power and reigning. " The time of testimony " ends by judgment. "The time of the Church's suffering " ends by her being glorified with her Lord. " The time of Israel's blindness " ends by the vail being taken away (2 Cor. 3), when the Lord Christ shall say, " Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see " (Isa. 42:1818Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. (Isaiah 42:18); cf. vs. 6, 7). The time of gentle domination " ends by the Stone cut out without hands smiting the image (Dan. 2). " The time of creation's thraldom" ends by the manifestation of the sons of God (Rom. 8:1919For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)), and this we know, is when Jesus shall be manifested (1 John 3:22Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)). And Satan, who had in the ministry of our Lord asked not to be tormented before the time, will then know that the time of his restraint is come, though his judgment will even then be in prospect. Surely, a dispensation so marked is of the deepest importance! A dispensation in which all the apparent failures of God will be proved to have been but the means of displaying His power and wisdom. And so far from time being done with, as men say, at that period, it would be more proper to say that God is not now interfering in temporal things, but is only gathering to an eternal state, and that then He will interfere with things both temporal and earthly. This is of great importance; because the believer has now to do only with things heavenly and eternal, except so far as the present evil circumstances of the world -afford occasion for his learning obedience through 'suffering. And this leads me to notice the other expression
 
1. It is important to mark the parallel, that God has not interfered in such manner in judging the living of the world and the things of the world, since that time; and that He will again so interfere at the coming of Christ. (Luke 17)