The Spiritual Significance of The Nazarite Vow In The New Testament

Study Aired June 8, 2014

In our last study we saw that all the symbolism of the Nazarite vow, from the uncut locks of hair to the prohibition against wine, strong drink, and touching a dead body, are one and all symbols of immaturity. It is completely fitting that the last judge of Israel, Samuel. and the last prophet of Israel, John the baptist, were both life long Nazarites, symbolizing the spiritual immaturity of that dispensation of the law of Moses.

I want to thank our brother John McDowell for pointing out that the beheading of John the baptist by King Herod, symbolized the end of that immature, Nazarite dispensation of the law of Moses and ushered in the beginning of the reforms which our Lord was prophesied to bring. The life of John the Baptist, like this prophesy in Deuteronomy, was for the purpose of proclaiming “the time of reformation” that was Christ’s ministry.

Deu 18:15  The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Deu 18:16  According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 
Deu 18:17  And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 
Deu 18:19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

It is Christ Himself who informs us that all the sacrifices, as well as all the instructions for the building of the tabernacle and all the prophesies of the law of Moses, actually “concerned” Christ Himself:

Joh 5:39  Search the [Old Testament] scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 

Luk 24:27  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 

The entire Bible is a Christ-centric book. How would it be possible to be any other way since Christ tells us that He is “the beginning and the end, the first and the last”.

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 

Of what exactly is Christ “the first and the last”? Here is what the scriptures reveal:

Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure [Greek: tupos – type. “the first man Adam”] of him that was to come [the last]. 

As Paul later explains:

1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam [the spiritual tupos, type of Christ] was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

It is all contained in these words:

Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

“All things” certainly includes the lessons behind the symbolism of the Nazarite vow. The very fact that it is a ‘vow’ belies the immaturity of all of its symbolism.

Mat 5:34  But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

Mat 5:37  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

The symbolism of not being permitted to cut one’s hair, short hair being the very symbol of the man who is the head of the woman…

1Co 11:3  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
1Co 11:4  Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

1Co 11:14  Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

The symbolism of not being permitted to drink, or eat, or even touch anything concerned with “the vine tree” or “the fruit of the vine”, the very symbol of Christ and His words…

Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [of wine] is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

The symbolism of not even being permitted to touch the dead bodies of his own family, which even the priest, typifying Christ, were permitted, all demonstrate the spiritually “yet carnal” symbolism of this entire vow:

Lev 21:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:
Lev 21:2  But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
Lev 21:3  And for his sister a virgin [Mat 12:48-49] , that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.

Mar 5:39  And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.
Mar 5:40  And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
Mar 5:41  And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

Mat 12:48  But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
Mat 12:49  And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 

Col 2:20  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

So the Nazarite vow in the lives of Samson, Samuel and finally, in the life of John the baptist, symbolizes the immature nature of “carnal… babes in Christ”, and the “law for the lawless… and… any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine”, which is what the scriptures call the law of Moses. (1Co 3:1-4)

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 

Like Moses before Him, our Lord was a reformer, whose life and doctrine began a reformation which is still taking place to this very day in the lives of all in whom He dwells.

Before the coming of Christ, no one had any idea that “Ye are the temple of God”.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 

To this very day that is a revolutionary concept.

Here is where the time of Christ is called “the time of reformation”:

Heb 9:1  Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 
Heb 9:2  For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
Heb 9:3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4  Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Heb 9:5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 
Heb 9:6  Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
Heb 9:7  But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
Heb 9:8  The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 
Heb 9:9  Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 
Heb 9:11  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 

Carnal ordinances were imposed on Israel until the time of reformation. When did that reformation begin? We just read that “God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto [Moses]“, who was also a great reformer. So the times of reformation began with Christ. But no reformation yet has ever taken place overnight. Christ made that perfectly clear concerning the reformation He had come to begin when He made this statement:

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

So Christ simply started the reformation, and like the reformation begun by Moses, which prophesied of a place where God would place His name, “the times of reformation” continued for many years.

Deu 14:23  And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

2Ch 6:6  But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.

The ‘place where God would place his name’, part of the reformation begun by Moses, was not fulfilled until the time of King David and his son Solomon, 350 to 400 years later:

One of the most powerful revolutionary parts of Christ’s “time of reformation” is this statement He made to the Samaritan woman at the well:

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.  

In spite of how plain our Lord speaks here, the prominence of the physical city of Jerusalem is in no way diminished by that statement from our Lord for the Christian world as a whole. For most Christians that statement simply means that Christians can worship God wherever they are in the world. “You shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father”, simply does not register. Not even the destruction of the temple in 70 AD has helped to make “You shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father” register with the average Christian.

So we are to this day living in “the time of reformation”, and the details of Christ’s reformation were slowly being revealed to us throughout the New Testament. For many years not even the apostle Paul was aware of the depth of the meaning of the statement Christ made to that Samaritan woman, “… Ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father”. It was going to take a very long time for even the apostles of our Lord to accept the depth of the Truth of those words.

The process of reforming the way we think is the same in the New Testament as it was in the Old. We are living in the time of reformation. It began with Christ, and it took many years to make that change from the material sphere to the realm of the spirit.

2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new.

That reformation continues to this very day.

A great part of that unveiling of Christ’s reformation was placed upon the shoulders of one more person who we are told took a Nazarite vow, indicating that he, too, was not yet mature while under that vow. The words “Swear not at all”, had not yet registered with this man, and that person was the apostle Paul. Paul was not a life-long Nazarite like John the baptist, but we do read this concerning Paul:

Act 18:18  And Paul after this tarried there [Corinth] yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. 

There were various reasons for shaving one’s head in the law of Moses. The cleansing of a leper, and the purifying of the Levites required shaving the head, but the only time a vow is connected to the shaving of one’s head was in the case of the Nazarite vow. I had not made that connection until our sister, Bettie Rogers, asked me why I had not mentioned Paul in my study on the spiritual significance of the Nazarite vow last week.

So now I will mention Paul, and it will be very revealing to see that Paul himself was still in a Nazarite stage of his own understanding before being imprisoned in Rome. It was while in prison in Rome that Paul wrote the epistle to the Ephesians where he tells us clearly and boldly for the first time:

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye [Ephesian Gentiles] being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  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:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

“Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man.” Such a reforming doctrine was unknown to the Paul of Acts 15 who signed onto what the holy spirit and the church had said in the letter that came out of that conference:

Act 15:19  Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
Act 15:20  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Act 15:21  For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
Act 15:22  Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
Act 15:23  And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
Act 15:24  Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
Act 15:25  It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
Act 15:26  Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Act 15:27  We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
Act 15:28  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
Act 15:29  That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

Why did it please “the apostles and elders, with the whole church…” here in Acts 15 for the the Jews to continue be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses while the Gentiles were only expected to “abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication”? Would the holy spirit agree to something that was not yet the mature Truth?

Here is the answer to that question:

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Ephesians 2:11-19 is part of those “many things” which Christ’s own apostles, including Paul himself, could “not bear” until after Paul was taken prisoner to Rome, where he was given to finally understand that the law of Moses was for the lawless and was being reformed to the extent of being “done away… abolished”, and replaced with “a change also of the law”. Paul had written many things which were slowly revealing that the physical realm was being replaced by the things of the spirit, but the fact is that Paul himself did not apply any of these statements to Jerusalem and the Jews, to the extend that he thought God was making of the Jew and the Gentiles, “one new man”.

Let’s look at a few things Paul said early on, of which we can safely say he did not understand the depth of his own words. For example:

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 

2Co 3:11  For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

2Co 3:13  And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 

Gal 3:6  Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7  Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Gal 3:8  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Gal 3:9  So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Gal 3:10  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Gal 3:11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

This is all in Romans and the first and second epistles to the Corinthians and in Galatians. All these epistles were written before Paul was apprehended in Jerusalem, but in Paul’s mind, and in the mind of all who had signed on to that epistle to the Gentiles in Acts 15, these words, at this time, applied only “to the brethren which are of the Gentiles”, and not at this time to the Jews who were in Christ. It was not until Paul was in prison in Rome that it was revealed to him for the first time that God:

Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

The body of Christ was not yet one while the Jews were being taught to keep the law of Moses, and the Gentiles were being taught the law had been “done away”.

How do I know that these statements in Romans 1st and 2nd Corinthians and Galatians, in Paul’s mind did not apply to Jews who were in Christ? That is clear from the fact that Paul himself had agreed to what was said in Acts 15. Further, it is very clear that Paul himself was still living under the immature law of Moses to the extent that He had taken a Nazarite vow, as I have already noted.

Besides that mention of Paul shaving his head because he had a vow in Acts 18:18, let’s consider a few other verses which demonstrate that Paul was not yet aware that the reformation of Christ would, in the end make both Jews and Gentiles “of twain one new man”.

In Acts 18 we read:

Act 18:21  But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

Paul did not say ‘attend this feast’, he said “keep this feast”, and that was what he did. Paul was still keeping the Jewish holy days according to the agreement he had signed onto in Jerusalem.

He was still keeping the day of atonement:

Act 27:9  Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast [day of atonement] was now already past, Paul admonished them,

If Paul was not keeping these holy days, how could he possibly have made this statement to Festus:

Act 25:7  And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.
Act 25:8  While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.

If you still have any doubt that Paul was keeping the law while teaching the Gentiles that they needed not to do so, let us look at one more proof of that fact. In Acts 21, having just penned his epistle to the Romans, Paul has arrived in Jerusalem with a generous gift from the churches of the Gentiles in Macedonia and Achaia.

Rom 15:25  But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
Rom 15:26  For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

So all the epistles in which it appears that Paul was teaching that the law was not for the Jews or the Gentiles, were already written before Paul brought this gift up to Jerusalem, and before his prison epistles.

What we will now read in Acts 21 will settle this question of whether Paul was still keeping the law of Moses beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Act 21:17  And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
Act 21:18  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: 
Act 21:21  And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. 
Act 21:22  What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Act 21:23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Act 21:25  As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
Act 21:26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.
Act 21:27  And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
Act 21:28  Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
Act 21:29  (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

That there are four of these Christians who have this Nazarite vow, shows us that we are all, to this very day, first “carnal… babes in Christ” (1Co 3:1-4), before we are granted to see the things of the spirit.

See the study on the spiritual significance of the number four: http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers_four/

The fact that there are four of these Jewish Christians who had this Nazarite vow indicates that the Christian church as a whole was, and still is, at first under the law. You may very well ask “How can you possibly say that the Gentile Christian church is still under the law? Gentile Christians don’t keep the weekly Jewish sabbath, Gentile Christians don’t keep the Jewish holy days,  Gentile Christians don’t circumcise their sons, How can you possibly say that Gentile Christians are still under the law?” Here is how Paul tells us the Gentiles are under the law:

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 

What this tells us is that Gentile Christians have their own weekly sabbath, their own holy days, and yes, many Gentile Christians still circumcise their sons. I myself paid extra to have my first two sons circumcised as a Gentile Christian…on the eighth day, of course.

Getting back to what happened to the apostle Paul in Acts 21, either the accusations being made against Paul in verse 21 were false and Paul had never taught the Jews that were among the Gentiles to forsake the teachings of Moses or else Paul is a hypocrite of an incredible magnitude to agree to pay for the sacrifices of these four Nazarites so “all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law,” while going around for years teaching the Jews that lived among the Gentiles that they need not keep the law of Moses.

But Paul is not a hypocrite, and he has already proven repeatedly that he is willing to lay down his life for the truth of Christ as he understands it. He has already been stoned and left for dead for the gospel’s sake:

Act 14:19  And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. 
Act 14:20  Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

That was just one of many such persecutions Paul had endured to stand firm with Christ in His Truth:

2Co 11:24  Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
2Co 11:25  Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

So Paul was not worried about what anyone thought about him. He wanted only to please God, and God had not yet made it clear to Paul that not only are the Gentiles fellow heirs with the Jews, but now, while in prison in Rome, just two or three years prior to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews out of their own country at the hands of the Romans, God has decided that it is time for the truth to be made known that He is in the process of “making of twain [Jews and Gentiles] one new man”.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  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:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

“Even the law of commandments contained in ordinances [is now] abolished.” Gentiles who are in Christ are now to consider themselves spiritual Jews, and all the false ‘two administration” doctrines to the contrary, the Jews will, with no temple at which to offer the offerings of the Nazarite, now be saved just like the Gentiles, just as Peter had prophesied way back there in Acts 15:

Act 15:7  And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Act 15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 
Act 15:10  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Act 15:11  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

The holy spirit used the apostle Peter to verify the revelation God gave to Paul at the beginning, and I will close this study with another quote from the apostle Peter who is again vouching for the authenticity of the revolutionary revelations God gave Paul to show us the depth of the reformation Christ had come to complete within each of us:

2Pe 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.