Pentecost anticipates the Millennium and has no bearing upon the doctrine

and practice of the Church of the One Body.  See articles entitled Acts of the

Apostles1 and Pentecost3.  The passage quoted previously from Galatians 2 shows

that the gospel committed to Paul differed from the gospel that had been

committed to Peter, James and John.  The structure of the section containing

the verses quoted will be found in the article

entitled Galatians (p. 37).  The R.V. at Ephesians 3:9 reads `dispensation'

where the A.V. reads `fellowship'.  The two Greek words so translated differ

very little from each other, koinonia being fellowship and oikonomia being

dispensation.  The structure of Ephesians 3 appears to demand this change, as

can be seen in the article entitled Ephesians1.  The reference to the olive

tree in Romans 11 belongs to the great dispensational portion of Romans, namely

chapters 9 to 11.

The structure and exposition of these chapters are given in the article

entitled Romans4, and the point of the apostle's argument is revealed in the

article entitled Olive Tree3.  These should be consulted.  The basis of the

word fellowship is something that is `common' like a `common faith' or a

`common salvation'.  The bulk of the references is of a practical nature,

manifesting in deed, and by the sharing of expenses, the blessings which all

shared alike in grace.  The believer should be willing `to communicate' (1 Tim.

6:18), which is used in that passage almost synonymously with readiness `to

distribute'.  The Philippians, not only knew about `the fellowship' of the

sufferings of Christ (Phil. 3:10), they had fellowship with Paul in the gospel

also (Phil. 1:5; 4:15).

Fig Tree.

The Companion Bible at Judges 9:8 -15 says:

`The Olive tree

=

Israel's religious privileges (Rom. 11).

The Fig tree

=

Israel's national privileges (Matt. 21).

The Vine

=

Israel's spiritual privileges (Isa. 5)'.

The fig tree appears in one or two passages that have a dispensational

bearing.  The barren fig tree, Matthew 21:18 -20, Mark 11:13,14.

`And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might

find anything thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but

leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.  And Jesus answered and said

unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.  And His disciples

heard it' (Mark 11:13,14).

The time of year was a few days before Passover, for the Lord had just

ridden into Jerusalem on the ass.  The people had cried `Hosannah to the Son of

David', yet only a few days pass and the same people cry `Away with Him, let

Him be crucified'.  The fig tree often has fruit of two or three years' growth,

and elaborate measures are laid down in the Talmud for computing the age of the

fruit for tithing purposes.  The time of figs had not yet come, and so if the

Lord went seeking fruit He expected to find some of the last one or two years

still hanging on the tree.  This particular fig tree was remarkable for its

display of leaves, and as leaves and fruit often appeared together, it seemed

to give some sort of special promise.  It was a fitting symbol of the nation of

Israel.  Their `hosannahs' proved to be `nothing but leaves', the season for

figs had not yet come, and Israel will not see the Lord they rejected until in

the fullness of time they shall again say, `Blessed is He that cometh in the

name of the Lord' (Matt. 23:39).