From the above it is evident that, had the church of Christ been on the earth in the past centuries, it would have been organized like the primitive church, with apostles and prophets of the house of Israel at the head of it. More than that, it would have enjoyed all the spiritual gifts and blessings mentioned in the above chapter. John the Revelator, in his visions of the latter times, says, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people;" _Rev_. 14. 6. No one who has any faith in the Scriptures would assert that the Gospel preached by Jesus and his apostles was not the "Everlasting Gospel." If everlasting, it must of necessity be the same wherever found. If the same Gospel, it would always produce the same results. Its ordinances would be the same. Its followers would enjoy the same gifts and blessings. They would call themselves Saints. They would have an organization that would not vary from the church organized by Jesus and his apostles. They would have been led by apostles and prophets of the house of Israel. Instead of this, the Christian churches and nations have for many centuries ground the House of Israel with the iron heel of oppression. They have robbed, driven and slain the covenant people of God, the chosen people of that same Jesus of Nazareth whose precepts and example they profess to follow. The Shiloh came and the sceptre departed from Judah. A series of terrible oppressions commenced under Roman governors, which resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem, and of the Jews as a nation; that may be considered the beginning of the fulfilment of the prediction of our Savior, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled;" _Luke_ 21. 24. The reasonable construction of this passage is, that "The times of the Gentiles" means the period in which they will bear rule, oppress Israel, and hold possession of the heritage of the seed of Abraham. When "The times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled," when the angel, seen in vision by John the Revelator, shall have brought again to earth the "Everlasting Gospel," will also be "The times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began;" _Acts_ 3. 21. The first century of the Christian era was a very important one in the world's history. The covenant people of God ceased to exist as a nation. The civilized world, represented by the Roman empire, with Paganism as the prevailing religion, began to fill up the measure of its iniquity by shedding the blood of the apostles, and of the disciples of Jesus. Pagan philosophy counteracted Gospel influences. There was a constant tendency in Christianity and paganism to assimilate. This is evident from the writings of the apostles.