Gentiles Fellow-Heirs

God's Covenant with Abraham gave assurance that all the blessings God purposed for mankind would come to them through his posterity. The Jews were the natural seed of Abraham, and properly to them belonged the promises. But when all Jews possessed of the faith of Abraham had been privileged to come in with Jesus and become His joint-heirs in the Messianic Kingdom, then God through St. Peter used the second Key to the Kingdom. He threw open the door of opportunity to the Gentiles, that they might become fellow-heirs with the Jews in the Messianic Kingdom.

Three and a half years after Pentecost the angel of the Lord appeared to Cornelius. He told him that now God was ready to accept his prayers and his devotion. He told him to send for St. Peter at Joppa. From him he would hear "words" necessary to be believed in order that he might be fully accepted of God and receive the Holy Spirit.

Three messengers were sent to fetch St. Peter. Meantime God prepared the Apostle. He was told that what God had cleansed he should not consider any longer unclean. St. Peter associated his dream with his visitors, and promptly went to Cornelius' home. He found Cornelius and his family devout and ready to hear. He proceeded to tell them the true story of Jesus: His death, His resurrection, the call of the Church to be His Bride class--proving their worthiness by loyalty and faithfulness even unto death.

While St. Peter was speaking, these consecrated people, drinking in the Message, fully accepted the terms of discipleship. Then God gave a manifestation of His acceptance of them by the gift of the Spirit, such as was common to all Christians at the beginning of this Age. St. Peter, astonished, then said, If these have received the Holy Spirit, who can forbid them water baptism, which is only a symbol of their consecration to be dead with Christ? Here Gentiles first began to be grafted into the "Olive Tree" of Romans 11:17.