Little Red Book Ministry

III. The Procession of Events
A. The Rejection of the kingdom by the Jews
When our Lord came to Earth the first time, He was offering the Kingdom of Heaven to the Jews (Matthew 3:1–2). If they had accepted His gracious offer, there would have been no Church Age. Rather, the Old Testament prophecies would have been fulfilled in their lifetime, for Jesus still had to be the Sacrificial Lamb to take away the sin of the world. The Second Advent would have occurred about seven years after His crucifixion to allow time for the tribulation (Matthew 24:32–34). This is the reason Jesus told His disciples that “no man knoweth the day or the hour” of His return (Mark 13:32). There were two possible times for that event depending on what choice the Jews made. When the Jews rejected the kingdom, the great mystery of God, the Church Age, was revealed. (See Romans 11:25; 16:25–27; Ephesians 1:7–10; Revelation 10:7.)

Luke 14:16–24; 19:14; Acts 13:45–46; 18:6

B. The Church Age
When the Jews rejected the physical Kingdom of Heaven, God turned to the Gentiles and brought in the spiritual Kingdom of God which was originally part of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 21:43; Romans 14:17). This kingdom is open to both Jew and Gentile. This age is referred to in a number of interesting phrases as follows:

These last days: Hebrews 1:2

These last times: 1 Peter 1:20 (These two include the millennium.)

The times of the Gentiles: Luke 21:24

The dispensation of the fulness of times: Ephesians 1:10

The fulness of the Gentiles: Romans 11:25

Also see: Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47; Ephesians 3:2–11