What Does the Fulness of the Gentiles Mean?

Fulness of the Gentiles vs. Times of the Gentiles

As indicated by the post title, I will focus on what Paul meant when he said, "the fulness of the Gentiles". However, there is often confusion when one considers another phrase that Jesus mentioned in Luke 21, namely, "the times of the Gentiles", which I will also clarify in this post. Before we analyze these phrases, lets read the scripture passages to get the proper setting and context.

Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24 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.

Romans 11:24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

How Prayer Changes in the Primary Dispensations

How Prayer Changes in the Primary Dispensations

Prayer is a vital part of a believer's faith and connection to God. It is therefore of great value to fully understand what prayer is and how it has changed throughout the primary dispensations. Before I get into the subject of prayer, let me first provide some details regarding the primary dispensations, so that you have context on how it changes the way we pray. Luke writes the following statement,

Luke provides us with a dispensational truth. We see two specific periods of administration in the verse,

Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

• the law and the prophets, which spans from Moses to John the Baptist, and
• the kingdom, introduced by John the Baptist and ends (temporarily) with Paul, then resumes again at the tribulation and through the millennial reign of Christ.

A Complete List of the Apostle Paul’s Prayers in the Bible

Prayer in the Dispensation of Grace

One way that each of us can improve the quality of our praying is to model our prayers after the examples of Paul, the apostle to the Gentles.

Paul recorded many Spirit-inspired prayers throughout the thirteen New Testament books he authored. God used Paul in a radical way to reach the Gentiles for Christ and spread the gospel over the whole Roman world in the first century. Praying and learning from his prayers can help us deepen and strengthen our prayer lives by gazing deep into the soul of the passionate apostle who said, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

Sanctification is a two-fold truth

Sanctification is a two-fold truth.

First, our sanctification (being made pure, being set apart) is our fixed, secure and true standing before God, "in Christ." This is our positional sanctification … "Being in Christ." So, in one sense, and in fact, every true believer in Christ has already been sanctified, or made pure to God, by the work of Christ and the operation of the Holy Spirit the moment we were saved.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,

1 Corinthians 6:11 ...and such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

The Framework of Scripture

The Framework of Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable (beneficial) for (1) doctrine (teaching, policy [rules, procedure], guidelines) for (2) reproof (discipline, admonition), for (3) correction (improvement, amendment), and for (4) training in righteousness.

2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Matt 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. (They are: infallible, flawless, unfailing, perfect)

What other book on the face of the earth can claim these credits?

Let your prayers be grounded in the character of God and not in your circumstances

Let your prayers be grounded in the character of God and not in your circumstances

I recently went through a personal challenge which placed focus on much prayer and exercising of faith. I'll leave out the details of this challenge so that I can get right down to the point of this short post. 

I was looking back at this episode in my life recently and in hindsight I was able to identify something that I think we all might miss in that moment of crisis. Due to the challenge facing me, my prayers were focused on asking God to solve the crisis; to take away the cause of my suffering, to fix that which was broken. Having gone through this challenge, I have to admit that the strain and the uncertainty in that moment tended to shape my prayers into these types of requests of God, into a plea, or a petition for a resolution or a fix of the problem.