Many conveniently overlook the seismic change in regard to the Gospel opportunity that exist today (in comparison to before the cross) in regard to the nations access to truth.
This truth is highlighted in Matthew 4:8-9 where “the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”
During the temptations of Christ in the desert, Satan offers Jesus the world if He would only bow down before him. Satan was well within his rights to make such an offer since Adam handed over world dominion to him when he allowed himself to be subject to Satan's will.
The parallel passage in Luke 4:5-7 says: “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.”
Manifestly, through Adam’s sin, Satan was able to present a legitimate temptation to Christ. The fact the devil had the capability to tempt the Lord with this enticement proves he enjoyed authority over the nations that had to be broken. Ultimately, God permitted Satan to have this authority. But it was Adam that relinquished this rule over the earth in the Fall. After all, this was a definite and a real legitimate temptation. The devil had huge power over this world.
God controlled one single nation. Satan controlled the nations plural.
Matthew 4:13-16 records: “leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos]; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”
In Matthew 12 we see the religious Jews rejecting Christ. Matthew 12:18 & 21 records, “I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos] … in his name shall the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos] trust.”
Luke 2:30-32 says: “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the ethnos Gentiles [Gr. ethnos], and the glory of thy people Israel.
Christ came “to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:67-79).
John 12:46 "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."
Acts 2:17 records, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.”
Acts 11:17 "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."
Acts 12:27: “And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos].”
Acts 13:47 "For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos], that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth."
Acts 15:17: “That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos], upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.”
Acts 14:16 confirms that God “in times past suffered all nations [Gr. ethnos] to walk in their own ways.”
Acts 17:30 says, “the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.”
Acts 26:16-17 “the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos], unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."
Acts 26:23 declares, “Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first resurrection from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles ([Gr. ethnos]."
The first resurrection opened up the Gospel to the nations!
We should note in this passage, the enlightening of the Gentiles (or) ethnos is carefully connected to the first resurrection of Christ. It is only through this powerful event that the deception that smothered the Gentiles was lifted.
Acts 28:28: “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos], and that they will hear it.”
Romans 1:3-5 says, “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations [Gr. ethnos], for his name.”
Romans 3:29 "Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos]? Yes, of the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos] also"
The Israel of God is therefore NOT restricted to the physical earthly nation of Israel, as of the flesh, but rather to the spiritual seed of Abraham – the spiritual Israel that is born from above. Paul the Apostles said to the largely Gentile church in Rome, in Romans 4:13-18, “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law (natural Israel) be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed.”
And continues, “not to that only which is of the law (natural Israel), but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (as it is written (in Genesis 12:1-3, 17:5-6, 18:18, 22:15-18), I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not (the Gentiles) as though they were (the Israel of God). Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken (in Genesis 12:1-3, 17:5-6, 18:18, 22:15-18), so shall thy seed be.”
Romans 9:24-26 continues, “Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the but also of the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos]? As he saith also in Osee (Hosea 2:23), I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.”
Paul, referring to Deuteronomy 32:21, in Romans 10:19-21, supports this gracious fulfilment, saying, “Moses saith, I will provoke you (natural Israel) to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation (the Church) I will anger you.”
He continues, supporting his line of reasoning, this time referring to Isaiah 65:1, saying, “Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me (the Gentiles). But to [natural] Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.”
Paul draws several of the Old Testament prophecies, relating to the removing of this global deception upon the Gentiles éthnee, together in Romans 15:8-12 and shows how this began with the life, death and resurrection of Christ and the subsequent evangelism of the early Church. He declares, “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos] might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written (in 1 Samuel 22:50), For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos], and sing unto thy name. And again he saith (in Psalm 18:49), Rejoice, ye Gentiles [Gr. ethnos], with his people. And again (in Deuteronomy 32:43), Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles [Gr. ethnos]; and laud him, all ye people. And again (in Isaiah 11:10), Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos]; in him shall the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos] trust.”
Romans 16:25-26 says, “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.”
Paul the Apostle said to the Galatians believers in Galatians 3:7-9, “know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham (in Genesis 12:1-3, 17:5-6, 18:18, 22:15-18), saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.”
Galatians 3:14 "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos] through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
Ephesians 2:11-13 confirms this, saying, “ye being in time past Gentiles [Gr. ethnos] in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
Did that mean that all Gentiles were wholesale lost or deceived? No! Many Gentiles found Christ in the OT. It was a general observation at the prevailing spiritual condition of the mass of the people. That is all Rev 20 is saying.
The Scriptures often depict the Gentiles in the Old Testament as deceived, without hope, blinded, ignorant and darkened. The Bible repeatedly describes the Gentiles in the New Testament as enlightened. That does not suggest that all were blind in the Old Testament or that all will be enlightened in the New Testament. These are simply sweeping generalities establishing the Gospel climate in either era. The widespread light didn’t shine on the nations throughout the Old Testament. Today, it does exist as the Gospel is preached throughout the nations. Before the cross, the Gospel was largely withheld from the nations. After the cross, the Gospel spread like wildfire throughout the globe. Like Israel in the Old Testament, the Gentiles in the New Testament have now had the light shone on them through the great commission.
Ephesians 3:5 "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles [Gr. ethnos] should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel"
1 John 2:8: “the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.”
2 Peter 1:19 "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts"
1 Peter 2:9-10: “ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
Does Scripture not outline that following Calvary the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ went out onto the Gentiles (ethnos)? And that while individual Gentiles can still be deceived or attacked by Satan, the collective veil that once deluded them has now been remove. Satan cannot stop the Gospel going to the nations as he once did. Since the cross, the Gospel has spread throughout the heathen nations of this world, something that never happened previous. However, this doesn't stop individuals being personally deceived.
Revelation 20:2-3 reads: “And 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 Gentiles [Gr. ethnos] no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”
Scripture often make sweep in general sweeping statements in regard to a people or peoples pertaining to their spiritual state in a given era.
