March 1927
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and shrubs with which we are dealing. No man undertakes to raise plants or trees or grains without making some kind of a study of the laws that govern their growth. No life in all the universe is so tender and sensitive and per fectly governed as the human soul and therefore it be hooves the Christian worker to make a most diligent search of the Bible to find out what it has to say along the lines of the nature of man and the conditions under which thé life reaches its normal expressions. This involves a study of the nature of faith and of the will and the affec tions and the way we come to experience things. The mas tery of what the Bible teaches concerning these would unquestionably lead to a more intelligent appreciation of the significance and power of human personality. Man is fearfully and wonderfully made, for God has made him. He was made to realize a complete life and we ought to appreciate that that coinpleteness is made possible through Christ and that in the realization of it it is governed by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This is all Christian Psychology and of supreme importance. gest that the terminus will be reached when our Lord comes in manifested glory to execute judgment, as the Stone “cut out without hands” (Dan. 2:44, 45 ; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 6:19). G entile F ulness and G entile T imes Some may a sk : “What is the difference between the Fulness of the Gentiles, and the Times of the Gentiles; are they not related to the same time and purpose?” The expressions are quite different. Both have a different starting-point, and both have a different terminus. They both relate to a different purpose in the counsels of God. The Fulness of the Gentiles, (or Nations) refers to a vast number of individuals “come in” to God, through the reception of the Son of God, as Saviour and Lord, from Jews and Gentiles. The Times of the Gentiles relate to the full measure of times (plural), or fixed periods determined by God for the great Gentile Powers (Israel not included) to exercise domination 1 in the earth, during which Jerusalem shall be trodden down under their feet. The Times of the Gentiles began when God took the sword of power from Judah, and gave it into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, as the instrument of His judgment for the conquest and occupation of Jerusalem, which has passed on to the several powers who have succeeded Baby lon. The Fulness of the Gentiles relates to this present dis pensation of the Gospel, by which God is taking out from the Nations (Tew and Gentile) a people for His Name (Acts 15 :14)v “The coming in of the Fulness of the Gentiles must not be confounded with the fulfilment of the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21 :24). The one refers to spiritual bless ing, the other to earthly power. Jerusalem is not to be the capital of a free Nation, independent of Gentile power, until the true Son of David comes to claim the'Sceptre.” T h e C ourse of E vents As already intimated, a well-defined course of events may be traced in this Third Cycle, just as in the case of
sonal work a true knowledge of Psychology ought to be of invaluable help in the approach to the different people sought to be won to Christianity. The approach to people in the matter of religion is of infinitely more importance than that of business or the professions. It is a well known fact that it is coming to be the ordinary thing in all lines of business and in the professions to give a most careful study to the laws of Psychology to the end that they may be able to secure the most effective approach possible to the public with which' they are dealing. The church of Christ cannot afford to lag behind the children of this age in this particular line. A id in B uilding C hristian I deals In the third place Psychology is of particular value in the matter of the building up of the life and the nurturing of it in the Christian ideals. It is of tremendous impor tance that we should be at least as familiar with the laws of the growth of the human soul as we are with the plants “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations and Jerusalem shall be trod den down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be ful filled." (Luke 21:24). W E have already, we trust, made it clear that God has well-defined purposes, which He is carrying out in spite of the opposition of men and demons1—even causing His enemies tq further His plans. This is seen in a remarkable way in history, especially in the period covered by this cycle, “the Times of the Gentiles,” which take us backward, as well as forward. We are brought into the realm of fulfilled and unful filled prophecy. God sees the whole course of this world right to the end, and He has given to His people the lamp of prophecy (2 Pet. 1:19), which, like a searchlight, en ables them to see to the end of the Age; also to see the culmination of man’s evil course, and the consummation of God’s purposes. S tarting P oint and T erm inus As in the First and Second Cycles, considered in pre vious articles, so in this Third Cycle there is a starting- point, followed by a course of events leading up to a ter minus— thus indicating purpose and design. Let us look at the terms of our text, “And 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). (1) Jerusalem shall be trodden down-conquered; under the sway of, or dominated by, another; ( 2 ) until—limited for a time, not always; (3) times (plural)—appointed or fixed periods; refers to several nations as to their course or time-limit; relating to time, not number, nor quantity; (4) fulfilled^—completed, ended. We may .therefore read the clause thus: “Jerusalem shall be under the domination of the nations, until the fixed, appointed periods of the Gentile Powers have run their course.” We would sug gest that the starting-point is to be found when the Jews were displaced and world-power was committed to the Gentiles, commencing with Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 25 : 8 - 12; 27:6-7; Dan. 1:1,2 ; 2 :38 ); and we would also sug
The Times of the Gentiles B y T homas F itzgerald
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