I have a question.

[fullarmor2]

  I was at our bible study/fellowship last week and I talked about the scripture(Acts) which says "restoration of all as spoken by all the holy people of old"  as being a verse that teaches salvation of all.  And someone else said no its not, because the mystery of salvation for the gentiles was not revealed until Paul. So Peter here was not teaching salvation of all.   So it seems like a bit of a contradiction.  How can salvation of all be mentioned in scripture before it was revealed first to Paul?

[Molly]

I'd have to look at the verses to be sure, but my thought is that only the initiates [holy people] of old knew about this, and Paul is told by God to reveal this mystery to the Gentiles.  That means that most of the Jews of old [the Hebrews, that is] did not know this mystery.  I would guess it was pretty upsetting to see their 'favored' status opened to all the Gentiles.  We see some of this playing out with Peter.

That word 'mystery' refers to keeping a secret as one does who is an initiate of a [religious] group.  In other words, this was secretly known by only a few before Paul revealed it to the nations [Gentiles].

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: Finding the life of the Spirit in the OT scriptures reveals mysteries and patterns. The OT conceals, but the NT reveals. Doesn't mean some of them in the OT, by the Spirit were not given understanding in their age on what was concealed. God always has an "overlapper" in the wings, able to step out of the current dispensation given, and into the future one. Look at all the OT in this mindset and you see that they appropriated and walked in things that technically, were not even given to the body until Christ appeared in the flesh. They are, "overlappers"........my  :2c:  Blessings....

[Lefein]

From the Brenton's translation of The Septuagint, The Greek Old Testament:

Isaiah 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall arise to rule over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust, and his rest shall be glorious.

Isaiah 12:4  And in that day thou shalt say, sing to the Lord, call aloud upon his name, proclaim his glorious deeds among the Gentiles; make mention that his name is exalted.

Isaiah 42:1  Jacob is my servant, I will help him: Israel is my chosen, my soul has accepted him; I have put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Isaiah 42:4  He shall shine out, and shall not be discouraged, until he have set judgment on the earth: and in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Isaiah 42:6  I the Lord God have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will strengthen thee: and I have given thee for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles:

[Isaiah 49:1  Hearken to me, ye islands; and attend, ye Gentiles; after a long time it shall come to pass, saith the Lord: from my mother's womb he has called my name:
Isaiah 49:6  And he said to me, It is a great thing for thee to be called my servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to recover the dispersion of Israel: behold, I have given thee for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation to the end of the earth.]

Isaiah 51:5  My righteousness speedily draws nigh, and my salvation shall go forth as light, and on mine arm shall the Gentiles trust: the isles shall wait for me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

Isaiah 54:3  spread forth thy tent yet to the right and the left: for thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and thou shalt make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Isaiah 55:4  Behold I have made him a testimony among the Gentiles, a prince and commander to the Gentiles.

Isaiah 62:2  And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and kings thy glory: and one shall call thee by a new name, which the Lord shall name

Isaiah 62:10-11  Go through my gates, and make a way for my people; and cast the stones out of the way; lift up a standard for the Gentiles. For behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, say ye to the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy Saviour has come to thee, having his reward and his work before his face.

Isaiah 66:19  And I will leave a sign upon them, and I will send forth them that have escaped of them to the nations, to Tharsis, and Phud, and Lud, and Mosoch, and to Thobel, and to Greece, and to the isles afar off, to those who have not heard my name, nor seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

Jeremiah 3:19  And I said, So be it, Lord, for thou saidst I will set thee among children, and will give thee a choice land, the inheritance of the Almighty God of the Gentiles: and I said, Ye shall call me Father; and ye shall not turn away from me.

Jeremiah 16:19-21 O Lord, thou art my strength, and mine help, and my refuge in days of evil: to thee the Gentiles shall come from the end of the earth, and shall say, How vain were the idols which our fathers procured to themselves, and there is no help in them. Will a man make gods for himself, whereas these are no gods? Therefore, behold, I will at this time manifest my hand to them, and will make known to them my power; and they shall know that my name is the Lord.

___ ___ ___

For Universal Reconciliation in the Old Testament: Some samples from Isaiah; KJV

Isaiah 45:23  I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Isaiah 25:6-8 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

[redhotmagma]

Some other thread on this site, people were talking about the mystery being Gods new order of things as in ending the jewish law based order and bringing in the new grace based order. Thus the apostles still wanting to conform to the law until paul revealed the mystery. If someone knows which thread im talking about id appreciate them posting. I know a portion of it had to do with the order of the nt books as in the first written to jews and the last the full revelation of the mystery.

Heres the point I was trying to get to. UR is taught in the ot and in the verse the op posted but the mystery has to do with the program of redemption