01.14. Salvation of Gentiles
14 The Salvation of Gentiles
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace (Hebrews 11:31).
There are two occurrences of the nation of Israel preparing for entrance into the land of Canaan following the Exodus from Egypt. The first occurrence was under Moses about one and one-half years following the Exodus, and the second occurrence was under Joshua forty years following the Exodus. In each instance, with the nation anticipating entrance into the land, spies were first sent in to obtain a report concerning the land and its inhabitants.
At Kadesh-Barnea, Moses, by commandment of the Lord, sent twelve spies into the land of Canaan. These twelve spies journeyed throughout the land for forty days; and at the termination of this time, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, they returned with a false report concerning Israel’s ability to enter into, conquer, and take possession of the land. This false report resulted in unbelief among the people. The Israelites refused to believe that the Lord could bring to pass what He had commanded. In their unbelief, they even sought to appoint a new leader and return to Egypt. Consequently, God caused this nation to remain in the wilderness, outside the land of Canaan, for thirty-eight and one-half additional years. The Israelites were caused to wander in the wilderness until every single individual in that generation, "twenty years old and upward...save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun," had died (Numbers 13:1-33; Numbers 14:1-45).
At the termination of the complete forty years, with a new generation on the scene, the Lord spoke to Joshua saying, "Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel..." (Joshua 1:2). This new generation under Joshua was about to move forward at the point where the former generation under Moses had failed. This time though, rather than twelve, only two spies were sent into the land, to "view the land, even Jericho." And, following their surveyance of the land, these two spies returned to the camp of Israel with a true report concerning the land and its inhabitants: "And they said unto Joshua, ’Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us’" (Joshua 2:24).
Faith and Works The two spies sent into Jericho prior to its destruction were provided with lodging in the house of Rahab the harlot, which was located on the city wall. Rahab hid the spies, and she then helped them escape from Jericho by letting them down through a window on the outside of the wall with a "scarlet line." Two things account for the inclusion of this incident at this point in Hebrews, chapter eleven:
1) Rahab’s Faith
Rahab, a Gentile alienated from God (Ephesians 2:12), believed what God had revealed far more readily than the generation of Israelites who, with God dwelling in their midst, fell away at Kadesh-Barnea. Rahab’s response to the two spies constitutes one of the great confessions of faith recorded in the Word of God: "I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard..." (Joshua 2:9-10 a). Rahab heard, and then believed. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).
2) The Chronological Sequence of Events
Rahab was a Gentile saved out of the destruction of Jericho through the instrumentality of two Israelites sent to her house. The destruction of Jericho in verse thirty typifies the coming destruction of the present world system; and the salvation of Rahab, by faith, out of this destruction in verse thirty-one typifies the salvation of Gentiles, by faith, out of the coming destruction. The salvation of Gentiles out of the coming destruction will, as in the type, be effected through the instrumentality of Jewish messengers.
Rahab "received the spies with peace." She believed the Word of God surrounding their journey. It is evident from Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25 and the account in the Book of Joshua that Rahab’s reception and treatment of the spies was the result of her faith. The king of Jericho sent men to Rahab’s house in search of the spies, but she hid them and sent the king’s men elsewhere. Thus, the two spies experienced protection at the hands of Rahab; and Rahab later experienced deliverance from the destruction of Jericho because of her treatment of the spies, based on her faith.
During the Great Tribulation 144,000 Jews will carry God’s message to the Gentiles throughout the earth. These Jews will minister to the earth-dwellers during a time when no man will be able to "buy or sell," save he possesses "the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:17). These individuals will be as the two Israelites in Jericho -- within a world system about to be destroyed, with the king of this system (Antichrist) seeking their destruction. The only place they will be able to find lodgment and safety will be at the hands of those typified by Rahab. Gentiles in that day will befriend these Jewish witnesses because they, as Rahab, will believe the Word of God surrounding their ministry.
The position which Gentiles will occupy relative to the ministry of the 144,000 during the Great Tribulation is clearly brought out in the account of the judgment of the nations (Gentiles) in Matthew 25:31 ff. This judgment occurs following Christ’s return, following His dealings with Israel, and following the battle of Armageddon. The armies of the Gentile nations of the world will come under God’s judgment at Armageddon, and Gentiles who survive the Great Tribulation and do not appear among the armies at Armageddon will then be judged. (Note that over fifty percent of the earth’s population will die during the judgments of the Tribulation, preceding Christ’s return; cf. Revelation 6:8; Revelation 9:15; Revelation 9:18; Revelation 11:13; Revelation 13:15.)
Following Armageddon, the Son of Man will sit upon "the throne of his glory," and all the Gentiles coming out of the Great Tribulation will be gathered before Him. They will be separated, "as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats." The sheep (saved Gentiles) will be placed on His right hand, and the goats (unsaved Gentiles) will be placed on His left hand. Saved Gentiles will be allowed to enter into "the kingdom," but all unsaved Gentiles will be cast into "everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
The revealed, determining factor surrounding salvation in this judgment will be centered on the Gentiles’ previous treatment of Christ’s "brethren" (the Jews) during the Tribulation (Matthew 25:35-40), as the revealed reason for Rahab’s salvation centered on her previous treatment of the two Jewish spies in Jericho (Joshua 6:25). However, as Rahab’s treatment of the two spies in Jericho was based on faith, so will the treatment accorded the Jews by Gentiles during the Tribulation be based on faith. Rahab acted "by faith," and so will Gentiles who befriend the Jews during the Tribulation. Salvation cannot be effected apart from faith. Without faith "it is impossible" to please God. The Message Concerning the Kingdom The message which will be carried to the ends of the earth by the 144,000 Jewish witnesses during the Great Tribulation is called in Matthew 24:14, the "gospel of the kingdom." The gospel of the kingdom was proclaimed to Israel in time past, but it is not the gospel presently being proclaimed to Christians. The facet of God’s message having to do with the kingdom which is presently being proclaimed is called the "gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4, ASV). However, following the removal of the Church, the gospel of the kingdom will once again be proclaimed. The ministry of the gospel of the kingdom has been committed to Israel, not the Church. This message was proclaimed by Jews during the years immediately preceding the Church Age, and it will be proclaimed by Jews once again during the years immediately following the Church Age.
All facets of the message concerning the coming kingdom must be understood in their proper framework if one is to have a due appreciation and understanding of what God has done, is doing, and is about to do. Thus, the remainder of this study will center around the past, present, and future ministry of "the word of the kingdom" as it affects Jew, Christian, and Gentile.
1. The Kingdom Offered to Israel -- Past
Almost 2,000 years ago John the Baptizer appeared to Israel as the forerunner of Christ with the message, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of the heavens is at hand" (Matthew 3:1). After John was imprisoned, Jesus began to proclaim this same message. He then commissioned His twelve disciples to carry this message, and later commissioned seventy other disciples to also carry this message. The gospel of the kingdom proclaimed by Jesus, the twelve, and the seventy was a message directed only to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," and the message was accompanied by signs, wonders, and miracles (Matthew 4:12 ff; Matthew 10:1 ff; Matthew 15:24; Luke 10:1 ff). The signs, wonders, and miracles which accompanied the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom were visible manifestations of future kingdom conditions (Isaiah 35:5-6), and, thus, constituted the credentials of these messengers to Israel (Acts 2:22).
The kingdom offered to Israel was "the kingdom of the heavens," not the kingdom covenanted to David. "The kingdom of the heavens is simply the rule of the heavens over the earth. The governmental structure of this kingdom is located in a heavenly sphere, the subjects of this kingdom are located in an earthly sphere, and the kingdom itself is worldwide in its scope, "under the whole heaven" (Daniel 2:35; Daniel 7:27).
The present existing kingdom of the heavens is under the control of Satan and his angels, who reside in the heavens. These "principalities" and "powers" are designated as "world-rulers" (Gk.) and are associated with darkness, not light. These are world-rulers, existing apart from light, govern a world which is itself in the grip of spiritual darkness -- the Gentile nations, apart from God (Ephesians 6:12; cf. Ephesians 2:12; Ephesians 5:8).
Angels under Satan, holding various positions of power in this heavenly realm, govern the earth through men, holding various positions of power in the earthly realm. The breakdown of governmental powers among men on earth has its counterpart, wherein the real controlling power lies, in a parallel breakdown of governmental powers among angels in the heavens. Although "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men," establishing and removing rulers and nations (Daniel 4:17; Daniel 4:25-26; Daniel 4:32; cf. Ezekiel 28:14-19; Ezekiel 38:1-23; Ezekiel 39:1-29; Genesis 10:32; Exodus 15:1 ff; Exodus 17:14), the kingdom of this world is presently in the hands of sinful man under the dominion of the incumbent Messiah and his subordinates -- Satan and his angels. The entire structure, under Satan, is a rule of darkness within a kingdom where darkness reigns supreme (Colossians 1:13). And the governmental structure of the earth will remain in this fashion until the completion of Man’s Day.
Satan’s present rule extends over all the Gentile nations, but this rule does not include Israel. Israel is not to be "reckoned among the nations" (Numbers 23:9). The prince over Israel is "Michael," an angel governing Israel’s affairs directly under God, apart from Satan’s rule (Daniel 10:21; cf. Daniel 10:12-20).
Israel is God’s firstborn son, a special creation of God called into existence to rule upon this earth at the head of the nations (Exodus 4:22-23; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 43:1). Israel’s calling centers primarily around earthly promises and blessings. Although Israel was in possession of heavenly promises and blessings in Old Testament times (Genesis 22:17), the nation’s primary interest lay within her earthly calling -- within the promises and blessings bound up in the covenants. Consequently, when Christ offered the kingdom of the heavens to Israel, the leaders among the people were not interested, and the proffered kingdom was rejected.
2. The Kingdom Offered to Christians -- Present
Following Israel’s rejection of the offer of the kingdom of the heavens this kingdom was taken from Israel, and the Church was subsequently called into existence to be the recipient of that which Israel rejected (cf. Matthew 16:18-19; Matthew 21:43; 1 Peter 2:9-10). Whereas in Old Testament times God had an earthly people who were in possession of both earthly and heavenly promises and blessings, today He has both an earthly people and a heavenly people in possession of these same promises and blessings. Israel, God’s earthly people, remains in possession of all the earthly promises and blessings (associated with the nation’s present position as God’s firstborn son), which will be realized in the coming age; and the Church, God’s heavenly people, is presently in possession of all heavenly promises and blessings (associated with the Church’s coming position as God’s firstborn son), which will also be realized in the coming age.
Israel will yet realize her God-ordained status for which she was called into existence, separated from Egypt, and directed toward a land previously given to this nation through an unconditional covenant established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In order for this to transpire, Israel must be placed back in the land designated by the Abrahamic covenant, elevated to a status above all nations, and dwell in the land under a theocratic governmental structure with her Messiah dwelling in the midst of the nation. Israel, however, in this future position will realize no heavenly promises and blessings, for these have been forfeited and are in possession of the Church.
The Church, as Israel, is yet to realize her God-ordained status for which she was called into existence. Christians have been called to separate themselves from the world and journey toward another land, typified by Israel’s separation from Egypt and journey toward Canaan. Canaan was an earthly inheritance which lay before the nation of Israel, and the antitype has to do with a heavenly inheritance which lies before Christians. The ones standing in the way of the Israelites going in and possessing the land were Gentile nations, and the ones standing in the way of Christians going in and possessing the land are fallen angels ruling over the Gentile nations. The Israelites were to conquer (overcome) the inhabitants in the land of their inheritance. Israel’s warfare was earthly, but the Christians’ warfare is "not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places [’against the spirit forces of wickedness in heavenly places’ (an expression describing and locating the previously mentioned ’world-rulers,’ i.e., the ’principalities’ and ’powers’)]" (Ephesians 6:12).
Just as surely as Caleb, Joshua, and the second generation of Israelites moved in and possessed the land of their inheritance, so will overcoming Christians one day move in and possess the land of their inheritance. The incumbent rulers, as in the type, are to be put down; and Christ with His Church (which will then be His bride) are to dwell in that land in their stead, exercising a rule from the heavens over the earth.
In that day the governmental structure within both the earthly and heavenly spheres of the kingdom will be in harmony with Matthew 6:10 : "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." The will of Satan with his angels, exhibited in the heavens, is presently being manifested on the earth, contrary to the will of God. But in the coming kingdom -- with a change in administration -- the will of Christ with His bride, exhibited in the heavens, will be manifested on earth. (Note the prominent place these words occupy in what could be termed the model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. We are to pray, "after this manner"; and the very first petition set forth immediately following "Hallowed be thy name" is "Thy kingdom come..." We are to pray concerning the coming kingdom; we are to pray concerning that time when a transfer of power will be effected, and righteousness -- in heaven, and on earth -- will be the order of the day.)
The gospel of the kingdom was proclaimed during the earthly ministry of Christ when the offer of the kingdom of the heavens was extended to Israel, but such is not the case with the offer of this same kingdom presently being extended to Christians. The King is absent, and the kingdom can no longer be proclaimed as being "at hand." The present time (Church Age) is the day of the proclamation of the gospel of grace and the gospel of glory. An individual is to hear the gospel of the grace of God first; then, he is to hear the gospel of the glory of Christ.
A) The Gospel of the Grace of God
Key verses for this gospel are Romans 1:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9. This is the good news that "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This is a message for the unsaved alone.
Romans 1:16 reveals that this gospel is "the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." God requires shed blood to atone for sin. God’s Son paid the price on Calvary, and, according to Romans 1:16, God is satisfied with the price which His Son has paid.
Man can add nothing to that which God’s Son has already paid in full. This is the reason we read in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Salvation is free for fallen man only because Someone paid the price -- a price which God required, and a price which fallen man could not pay. Your salvation and my salvation cost plenty. This salvation cost the death of God "as Son" on Calvary. The very blood of God was shed to purchase our salvation (Acts 20:28).
A present tragedy in Christian circles is the light regard many hold for the salvation which we possess merely because it didn’t cost us anything. The tragedy for those in the world is the fact that God "as Son" has already paid the full price for their salvation, and this salvation is being spurned.
B) The Gospel of the Glory of Christ
Key verses for this gospel are 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 and 1 Timothy 1:11. This is the good news concerning the glory of Christ which will be revealed in the coming age. This is a message for the saved alone.
The words "glorious gospel" in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 and 1 Timothy 1:11. This is the good news concerning the glory of Christ which will be revealed in the coming age. This is a message for the saved alone.
The words "glorious gospel" in 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Timothy 1:11 (KJV) should be translated "gospel of the glory." This gospel was committed to the Apostle Paul, and is, on several occasions, called "my gospel," i.e., Paul’s gospel. Shortly after his conversion Paul was take into the Arabian Desert, Christ personally appeared to him, and spent approximately three years instructing Paul in matters concerning this gospel (Galatians 1:11-18).
The gospel of glory has to do with the "mystery" which was revealed to Paul while he was with Christ in the Arabian Desert (Ephesians 3:2-12). A mystery concerns a truth which had previously been hidden, but now revealed for the first time. It is often taught that the Church is the mystery, but this is true only if one views the Church in its true sense -- a called out group, synonymous with the bride of Christ.
Only in the gospel of the glory of Christ does one find the heirship (Ephesians 3:6), and the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8). The salvation which we presently possess, associated with the gospel of the grace of God, is not an inherited salvation. According to Scripture our inheritance can be forfeited, but not our eternal salvation. Nor does the gospel of grace involve the unsearchable riches of Christ, but, rather, the shame, suffering, and humiliation of Calvary.
God has visited the "Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name" (Acts 15:14), and the mystery concerns the fact that God has accorded to these Gentiles (now Christians) the same privilege He has accorded to believing Jews (now Christians). They have both become a part of the body of Christ. God has broken down the "middle wall of partition," creating "one new man" in Christ (Ephesians 2:14-15). And the offer has been extended to individuals comprising this one new man -- apart from any distinction between believing Jews and believing Gentiles -- to participate in the Son’s inheritance as joint-heirs with the Son in the coming kingdom when His glory is revealed for the entire universe to behold.
3. The Kingdom Offered to Gentiles -- Future
Israel was called into existence to be Jehovah’s witness to the ends of the earth, but Israel refused to go. Israel was subsequently set aside, and another nation was called into existence to carry this message. This other nation is the "one new man," the "new creation" in Christ. But Christians, as a whole, have also refused to go; and following the removal of the Church, God will turn once again to Israel. Israel will then go to the Gentiles in numbers and in a manner which the Church has never been able to approximate.
This is graphically set forth in a type-antitype treatment of the Book of Jonah. Jonah was called and commissioned to carry God’s message of salvation to the Gentile city of Nineveh, but he refused to go and ultimately ended up in the sea (typifying Israel’s present position -- scattered among the Gentile nations). The time came, however, when God heard Jonah’s cry for deliverance, removed him from the sea, placed him back in the land, and recommissioned him. Jonah then carried the message of the one True and Living God to the Gentiles throughout Nineveh, resulting in their salvation. Likewise the day is coming when God will hear Israel’s cry for deliverance, remove Israel from the Gentile nations, place Israel back in the land, and recommission this nation. Israel will then carry the message of the one True and Living God to all the Gentiles of the earth, resulting in their salvation.
The nation of Israel will not be removed from the Gentile nations and go forth as God’s witness until the coming age. Jonah was not placed back in the land until the third day (cf. Matthew 12:40 Luke 24:21), and neither will the nation of Israel be placed back in the land until the third day -- the third one thousand-year period (Hosea 5:15; Hosea 6:1-2; cf. 2 Peter 3:8). Israel’s national conversion occurs when Christ returns to the earth, and the nation’s completion of God’s purpose in her calling follows this time (Isaiah 43:9-12; cf. Romans 11:26; Romans 11:29). However, before the time of Israel’s national conversion, but following the Church Age, a segment of the nation -- referred to as "the First-fruits unto God and to the Lamb" (Revelation 14:4) -- will be converted and go forth as God’s witness. The First-fruits out of the nation are identified as the 144,000 (Revelation 14:4), synonymous with the 144,000 of chapter seven, who will carry God’s message to the ends of the earth prior to the conversion and ministry of the entire nation. Thus, the "144,000" will bear witness during the Tribulation preceding the witness borne by "all Israel" during the Millennium.
The message of the 144,000 will be the "gospel of the kingdom" (Matthew 24:14), for the kingdom of the heavens can then once again be announced as being "at hand." Results of the ministry of the 144,000 are described as "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues..." (Revelation 7:9). These individuals, however, are only the ones martyred for their faith during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:13-15; cf. Revelation 13:15; Revelation 20:4). There will also be an innumerable multitude of saved Gentiles who escape martyrdom and come out of the Great Tribulation alive. These Gentiles will comprise the "sheep" appearing at the judgment of the nations in Matthew 25:31 ff.
Gentiles who are saved under the ministry of the 144,000 and suffer martyrdom will be accorded the privilege of ruling and reigning with Christ "a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4; Revelation 20:6; cf. James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). These individuals will have "all tears" wiped from their eyes, something not said of everyone until after the Millennium (cf. Revelation 7:17; Revelation 21:4).
The promise of rulership with Christ held by the Tribulation martyrs (which must, of necessity, be "from the heavens") does not appear to be equally held by saved Gentiles appearing at the judgment of the nations. Of these it is said, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). Nothing is said about ruling with Christ, as is said of the Tribulation martyrs. These individuals will, then, form the "sheep" nations which will enter into the earthly sphere of the kingdom with Israel.
Israel, converted and restored, will be placed at the head of the nations; saved Gentiles surviving and coming out of the Great Tribulation will form the nations over which Israel will exercise supremacy; and Christ with His bride will rule from the heavens, a rule which will also include Tribulation martyrs.