Most conservative churches, Fundamentalists, Baptists, Pentecostal, Independent and Grace churches emphasize Bible study. Bible study is important in developing a deep relationship with God. God wrote a letter to many in the human race, so to understand God’s will it is important that you study that letter, the Bible
The problem is that many folks don’t know how to study the Bible. Sure, it’s easy enough to just read the Bible, but much of it seems confusing. It often appears to contradict itself. And let’s face it, a lot of it is just boring.
Exodus 25:8-20, “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it. And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.”
Passages like this that go on and on can be mind-numbing. Of course they must be in there for a purpose – but what is it? How would one go about studying a passage like this to see the glory in it, to make it exciting?
These five articles will attempt to arm you to be able to study any passage and understand it to the fruition of your understanding. In progressive posts, we will go from the basics of Bible study to the mechanics of Bible study. Of course, what will be presented – especially the mechanics – will only represent one person’s opinion on how to study. There are many other mechanical ways to study, and one can choose which way suits his purposes. The basics, however, must be understood and applied to avoid confusion.
So let’s get on with the basics.
Salvation
To begin any study of the Bible, it is very important to know without a doubt that you have been justified by faith in the blood of Christ. Soul salvation through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, the sinless son of God, is critical to any deep understanding of the Word. Here are a few verses to explain. If you still don’t understand the concept of salvation by grace through faith without works, please contact us in any way and let us assist you.
Romans 3:21-31, “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”
Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:“
Bible study requires that the student have justification through faith in his blood. Salvation is the easy part. You simply believe that Christ died for your sins, that he was buried, and that he rose the third day. That is it. You don’t have to do anything or say anything or get baptized or declare that He is Lord of your life. You only have to believe that He died for you, and He defeated death by His resurrection. Now by faith you have also defeated death and you have an eternal home in heavenly places.
If you attempt to study the Bible without being saved, you are just looking at words on a page. Once you are saved by grace, the Holy Spirit is inhabiting those words so that God can communicate with you.
Right Division
2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Every Christian sect, denomination, and church divides God’s Word. To some it is as simple as Old Testament / New Testament. Others follow logical but man-made divisions. Some will look for divisions in the minutia of different passages, ignoring a larger over-riding issue.
But what is right division? Why is it important? Let’s look at just a few passages to see.
Genesis 3:17-19, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
Genesis 9:1-4, “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.”
Leviticus 11:1-11, “And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you. These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.”
And here it just goes on and on about what may and may not be eaten.
Now, if it is your desire to do what the Bible tells you to do, and you begin reading through it, first you would think you have to be a vegetarian. God told Adam and Eve after they sinned that they were basically to eat a farmer’s diet of herbs and fruits. But then he told Noah later on that he could eat meat – and not just certain meat – but anything he could kill. Then along comes Moses, and he gets hundreds of instructions about not only what he can eat, but often how he had to eat it.
How is that Biblically based eating going for you? You see, there are not only minor distinctions and divisions in the Bible, there are overarching ones too. We’ll begin with the overarching divisions and work our way down.
The overarching method in which you study will lead to either better understanding or more confusion. For example, if you divide the Word of God in a way that makes you believe God has made a promise to you, and yet that promise never comes true for you, you will become disturbed and perhaps even lose your faith. Many churches and denominations will tell you that these promises don’t work for you because you don’t have enough faith. The truth of the matter is that it isn’t your faith that is lacking; it is the manner in which the Word of God is being divided.
Our church is what is known as a “Grace” church. One of the most important distinctions that makes a Grace church a Grace church is how we divide the Word. And even still, among Grace churches, different methods are often used to determine how to “rightly divide the word of truth.” We will look at some of these as we go on.
At Grace Alive! we use a simple but effective way to begin to divide God’s Word – we let it tell us what to do.
Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Revelation 21:1, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
The very first verse of the Bible tells us that God created a heaven and the earth. The last book of the Bible, close to the very end, tells us that God has made a new heaven and a new earth. Now in another passage we find out why God has made two entities and not just one:
Ephesians 1:9-10, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:”
God created both places so they might be inhabited and their inhabitants would be subject to Him.
Wait, what? Sure we know the earth is to be inhabited – it is inhabited:
Isaiah 45:18, “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
But what’s this about the heaven being inhabited, and what heaven are we talking about?
The heaven that we are talking about is the one with the stars and planets – what we call outer space. We are certainly not talking about the third heaven where God dwells. God’s dwelling place is eternal and wasn’t created with the earth, nor will it be recreated with the new earth. God created both the heaven and the earth to be inhabited.
Ephesians 2:4-7, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
The heavenly places were created to be inhabited by a certain group of people.
2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
So we can see that the heaven and the earth were both created to be inhabited. God wrote a book, but He didn’t write the whole book to everyone. He wrote parts of it for one group – those that will eternally inhabit the earth, and He wrote other parts of it to another group – those that will eternally inhabit the heavenly places. That doesn’t mean that one group can’t read and study the other groups parts, it just means that they must realize that those parts aren’t to them.
At Grace Alive! our overarching method of dividing God’s Word is to simply understand who God’s earthly people and heavenly people are, and then sort their mail. We use this method to find the books of the Bible that speak specifically to us, and the other books that we study understanding they were written to someone else.
Determining this is not difficult.
Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
The second verse of the Bible shows that God is going to begin focusing on the earth. He goes about creation creating life for the earth. Later in Genesis we get to Abram, and God makes him a promise.
Genesis 12:1-3, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Abram is promised to be made into a great nation on the earth, and it is on the earth that all families will be blessed in him.
God goes about creating that nation – the nation Israel – when He brings them up out of Egypt. In Deuteronomy, as Moses is giving this nation their last instructions before they move into the land, God gives them this promise:
Deuteronomy 11:22-25, “For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.”
God promises this new nation a land. He never says that they will sit in heavenly places, but they will inherit a land on the earth forever.
Later still in the history of Israel, as Solomon dedicates the temple he built for the LORD, God gives Israel this promise:
2 Chronicles 7:12-14, “And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Notice here that the result of forgiving their sin isn’t eternity in heaven, it is the healing of their land. Israel is a land-based nation.
Many Christians today misuse this verse and apply it to the place where they live and to their situation, but it wasn’t written to us, it was written to Israel. The next verse confirms that it has nothing to do with us today:
2 Chronicles 7:15, “Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.”
This place is the temple that Solomon had built. We can’t go there to pray because it no longer exists. These books were specifically written to Israel.
Moving on through the books in the order they are placed in our Bible, we see again and again that the issue is always Israel and its land. They were in the land, then carried out of the land, then allowed to return to the land. Even when their prophets prophecy about the reborn Israel, and what it will be like after the resurrection, it is all about the land – the earth.
Ezekiel 36:24-35, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.”
The prophecy for resurrected Israel isn’t heaven, it is the land that was given to their fathers.
So we can see that the whole of what is referred to as the “Old Testament” is written to the nation Israel, and they are an earthly people. And yet being an earthly people, they looked for a heavenly kingdom to be set up on earth.
Daniel 2:44, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”
This heavenly kingdom is set up on the earth.
Daniel 7:27, “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
This heavenly kingdom is set up under the whole heaven.
Now moving into what is known as the “New Testament,” we almost immediately see that this kingdom is still the subject:
Matthew 3:1-2, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
And here is Jesus, the promised Messiah to Israel, and the promised King in the line of David, on the earth. The kingdom of heaven is truly “at hand” because the King has come to earth.
And the King is still talking and preaching about the earth.
Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
Of course He also often speaks about the kingdom of heaven, but the focus is still on the earth, because that is where this kingdom is to be set up.
Matthew 6:9-13, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
Christ comes talking about the meek inheriting the earth in the heavenly kingdom. He talks about “thy kingdom come” to the earth so that God can rule on earth as He does in the third heaven.
The entire earthly ministry of Christ was emphasizing the kingdom of heaven that would come down to earth where God would rule and reign over his earthly people. Matthew through John are part of God’s plan for the earth, and were written specifically for the nation Israel. Israel has already been established as God’s earthly people.
Christ Himself avoided interaction with Gentiles. In His entire ministry, He only healed two Gentiles.
Matthew 15:22-28, “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
Christ resisted this Gentile woman until she took her place as a Gentile dog, who was willing to accept only crumbs which fell from the Jewish table, then He healed her according to her faith.
Luke 7:2-10, “And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.”
This centurion was a Gentile, but he was what was known as a proselyte. This was a Gentile who came to Israel in humility and proclaimed that “thy God shall be my God, and thy law shall be my law.” We see this in that he loved Israel and had built them a place of worship.
So we see that the four Gospels were not written TO us today, they were written TO the nation Israel. Christ even proclaims that “ I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
So far, throughout the Old Testament and through the four “Gospels’ it is all Israel all the time. We know Israel is an earthly people, so those books are all of the earthly part of the Bible. This is what we know so far about who these books are written TO.
Genesis – Malachi: written to Israel, looking for a heavenly kingdom on earth.
Matthew – John: written to Israel, showing that the heavenly kingdom was at hand, if only they would accept it.
Now let’s examine the book of Acts. This book is finally different, but not in its entirety. At the beginning, the kingdom is still the subject.
Acts 1:1-3, “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:”
Jesus made these Jews a promise.
Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
These Jews, God’s earthly people, were going to receive the Holy Ghost. After this, they were to be witnesses of Christ to the uttermost part of the earth.
Not long after, on the day of Pentecost, that promise was fulfilled.
Acts 2:1-11, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.”
This is interesting in that the Holy Ghost was given only to Jews and proselytes, God’s earthly people. These were Jews from all over the known world, where they had been scattered by God. They returned to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, as was proscribed in their law.
So Pentecost in early Acts is still about the earth. Peter confirms that he is still preaching about God’s earthly program soon after.
Acts 3:19-21, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
Peter doesn’t say that if you (Israel) repent you will spend eternity in heavenly places. He says that God would send Jesus, the Messiah that Israel had formerly rejected, to fulfill what had been prophesied by all the prophets since the world began. These prophecies were about a heavenly kingdom on the earth.
Israel still has a chance for redemption. Peter says if only they will repent, God would send Jesus and that kingdom could yet be set up!
In Acts chapter 7 a pivotal event happens. Israel, God’s earthly people reject God for the final time. Jesus had given Israel a warning during His earthly ministry:
Matthew 12:31-32, “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”
Israel had already spoken a word against the Son when they chose to loose Barabas instead of Christ, then cried “Crucify him! Crucify him!” until Pilate relented and the Romans nailed him to a tree. That was forgiven them. They still had a chance for redemption. Then they blasphemed the Holy Ghost.
In Acts 7, Steven, being falsely accused of blasphemy, gave a defense of himself and an accusation against Israel.
Acts 7:51-60, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
God’s earthly people had committed an unforgivable sin. Steven said: “ye do always resist the Holy Ghost.” This was their last chance – repent now before the Holy Ghost – who was filling Steven – or reject him and commit a sin that wouldn’t be forgiven. There was no repentance, but wrath at the truth the Holy Spirit spoke through Steven. So Steven, being full of the Holy Ghost was stoned to death. Israel had spoken against the Holy Spirit,
It was now time for the judgements and chastisement prophesied over and over again in the law and the prophets to be poured out on them. It was time for Israel to be purified by chastening and judgement, so that the kingdom could come to the earth.
But then, instead of that happening, God did a curious thing. He didn’t punish Israel at that time, but he called out a man who was persecuting the faithful kingdom believers. His name was Saul, and this is how he described his conversion on the road to Damascus.
Acts 26:9-18, “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
This was astounding! Going to the Gentiles, those whom even Christ had shunned? But for what purpose? God tells Saul that he will be a witness of those things that he has seen (A risen Christ!), and of those thing which he would learn directly from Christ.
Finally in Acts 13, Saul, now called Paul, who has preached his message to the Jews, finally rejects them as a whole.
Acts 13:45-46, “But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”
Acts is a transitional book. It explains how God gave up his earthly people and called out a new people.
Galatians 3:26-28, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
This new people are not a nation. They are a body.
1 Corinthians 12:13, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
This body is referred to as the Body of Christ,
1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
The Apostle Paul alone is the messenger of this new gospel. It can only be found in his epistles.
Colossians 1:25-27, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
Notice how different this is from what Peter said in Acts 3:
Acts 3:19-21, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
But Paul’s message: “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints…”
Peter’s message was prophesied since the world began. Paul’s message was hid from ages and generations.
So we can see that Paul is preaching something radically different, but what about heaven and earth? Isn’t that how I told you that we divide the Bible? Let’s look at what the hope is for the Body of Christ – is it the earth as is Israel’s hope?
2 Corinthians 5:1-3, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.”
Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”
Philippians 3:20-21, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
The church, the body of Christ, is destined to spend eternity in heavenly places. To do that we need a special body, so God will give us one.
Now whose message is this? Of course it came from God, but through what vessel?
Ephesians 3:1-10, “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,”
This heavenly message is given exclusively to and through Paul.
Paul’s message is a heavenly message, not an earthly message. Paul explains how the heavens will be inhabited in the dispensation of the fullness of times. It will be the body of Christ in heavenly places, and the kingdom of heaven on the earth. And it will all be in subjection and harmony to Christ.
So if Paul’s message is a heavenly message, then we will have to “divide” the scripture here:
Genesis – John: Earthly kingdom
Acts: Transition from Earthly Kingdom to Body of Christ
Romans – Philemon: Heavenly Body of Christ
Hebrews
Moving on to Hebrews, it is evident that this book is written to the Hebrews. The Hebrews are the nation of Israel. We have already determined the nation of Israel is God’s earthly people. But God has not forgotten them. He will fulfill His promises to them.
Romans 11:25-27, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
Hebrews is once again a transitional book. As the church the body of Christ ends in failure, the wild olive tree branches that were grafted into the holy tree of God’s blessing will be broken off, and the believing remnant of the Jews will be grafted back in.
The wild branches, the body of Christ, will be replaced when they end up in unbelief.
Romans 11:16-24, “For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?”
When this happens, when faithful Jews begin to be graffed back in as the new Nation, they will need an instruction book.
Hebrews is that book. It explains that Christ is raised from the dead. That He is their High priest. That His passion was not just for individuals, but to save the nation from their sins.
Hebrews explains everything for the Jews according to the law, just as Romans explains everything to the Body of Christ according to grace. But Hebrews explains that under the High Priesthood of Christ, that the law will be in their hearts through faith, and that it is a better law. Hebrews explains how this new system for Israel is better in every way.
The transition that Hebrews will oversee is the transition from the body of Christ to believing Jews. It explains their salvation and gives them the message to deliver in the end times, which will be fast approaching.
James
James begins to instruct his people how to live and how to endure the current trouble. The trouble he is describing is in fact two-fold. The original kingdom church was persecuted by the likes of Paul. James experience with this will be vital during the time of Jacob’s trouble. So James was written to the contemporary kingdom saints of the time, but also to those Jews who find themselves in the time of great tribulation.
James 1:1-3, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
Again, James writes to the twelve tribes, Israel – God’s earthly people. He writes of tribulation and chastisement, and he advises how to live through it – showing grace even under persecution.
James 5:10-11, “Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”
In James we also begin to see God giving signs through miracles and healing for his people. These signs completely vanished from the body of Christ when the Word of God was completed. But they are back in James.
James 5:13-20, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
Why do the signs return?
1 Corinthians 1:21-23, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;”
The Jews require a sign, and they’ll get many. James then is for the twelve tribes – an earthly people – to instruct them how to deal with persecution and chastisement. This is the process of purifying the nation that directly precedes God’s earthly people receiving their kingdom.
I Peter
1 Peter 1:1-2, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
Again Peter is writing to Jews and proselytes that have been scattered because of the persecution against them. He is writing to an earthly people.
1 Peter 1:9-12, “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.”
Peter is still preaching the gospel of the kingdom, because the gospel of the grace of God was kept secret since the world began. Here Peter is explaining what the prophets tried to understand, but were unable to. Now Peter’s message is that not only can Jews be saved as Jews, but Israel can now be saved too,
Peter goes on to give instructions on how to live in the face of oppression. This book will again be very important to those living in the Middle East during Daniel’s 70th week.
1 Peter 3:12-14, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;”
Again, these are instructions to the Jews living in the end times. It is an earthly book.
II Peter
2 Peter 1:10-11, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Second Peter is still looking for that glorious kingdom, as has all the prophets since the beginning of the world, and that kingdom is coming to earth.
2 Peter 2:1-3, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
Chapter 2 Peter begins to warn of all the evils that befall the kingdom church, even as it happened to their church. This is again a warning and instructions for the time of Jacob’s trouble – Daniel’s 70th week.
Finally in chapter 3, Peter explains why judgement and chastening hasn’t yet fallen on Israel as it should have.
2 Peter 3:15-16, “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; 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.”
Peter has said he is about to die – be offered. He had a hard time figuring out why God interrupted His schedule to judge Israel and the nations and bring in His Kingdom. After a while he finally got it. God is extending His grace to both Jew, Gentile, bond, free, male, female – yes, anyone.
Peter admits he had a hard time understanding all of this, but he fully understands that God’s longsuffering means salvation for many who were before aliens and enemies of God. And he knows that his message for his time is over, but when the fullness of the Gentiles come in, the words in his book will be vital to them. In the meantime, follow what that Paul fellow says.
I John
1 John 1:9-10, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
John, as Peter and James before him, give instructions for times of temptation, trouble and chastening. I John 1:9 is often used to tell us we need to confess each sin. What it is really talking about is if we (Israel) confess our sins (we played the whore, we killed our Messiah, etc.) he is faithful and just to forgive us our (Israel) sin . . .
In the dispensation of the grace of God, confession of sins is an insult to God. Why?
Colossians 2:10-15, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
Ephesians 1:6-8, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;”
Members of the body of Christ have been forgiven ALL trespasses. This doesn’t say: “all trespasses until you’re saved, and then you have to confess your sins from then on.” We have forgiveness of all our sins – we are complete in Him with no caveats or restrictions.
Israel, however, has not yet been forgiven. Israel as a nation must confess their sins (as Daniel did in captivity) and repent (which means change your mind). What does Israel have to change their mind about? That Jesus Christ was indeed their Messiah – Their High Priest, Prophet and King.
1 John 2:21-23, “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
So first John is written to Israel, and explaining to them what they must believe to have their Messiah come. They must believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, and any who claim otherwise (the Antichrist) will be damned.
One passage in I John has confused, challenged and discouraged may Christians. This passage actually proves that I John is not for the body of Christ, but for the Jews only.
1 John 3:9-10, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”
If you believe that I John was written to us (body of Christ), then there is no body of Christ because there is no saved person who does not commit sin. However, if I John is written to Israel in the end times, it makes perfect sense.
Ezekiel 36:25-27, “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.“
To those who God gives a new heart at that time, they will not sin because God will cause them to walk in His ways.
So I John is manifesting the beginnings of God’s kingdom on earth.
II John
2 John 1:7-9, “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.”
The first highlighted section shows the time for which this is written. It will be important when the true Antichrist reveals himself to be god, claiming to be the king and the messiah, that true believers proclaim that the real Christ has already come in the flesh.
The second highlighted area shows that another gospel is in play here. Compare the highlighted section to the doctrine for the body of Christ:
2 Timothy 2:11-13, “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
Paul gives the salvation message in 13 words. Everyone in this verse is a saint. If we suffer for Him, we get rewarded; if we deny Him, we’re denied rewards; if we completely lose our faith in Him, we remain saved. Being part of the body of Christ, he cannot cast us out and lose (deny) a part of himself.
The two messages are so radically different that we know John is writing to the saints with a message that taking the mark of the beast means certain damnation.
III John
3 John 1:1-14, “The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth. I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true. I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.”
I believe III John is also a transitional book, looking forward to the coming of Christ and the preceding time of Jacob’s trouble.
The first section praises Gaius up until the end. Then he admonishes him for not taking gifts that were offered by the Gentiles. In the Acts period, these gifts would’ve come from the strengthening body of Christ churches to the poor kingdom churches who had sold all. In the end times, these would be coming from the still faithful body churches that are acknowledging that God’s plan has changed.
The second section deals with a leader who has gone off the rails and must be dealt with. Notice it says he loves to have the preeminence. Most scholars believe that is the sin of the Nicolaitans. I am not sure, but I know the only one who should have pre-eminence is Christ.
Revelation 2:15, “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.”
The third part is the part which most identifies this book as one for the end times. “He that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.” This hearkens back to what was said in first John, about those who repent and accept the true Messiah will receive a new heart and will be unable to sin. So 3 John again, although helping explain the transition from Grace to Kingdom, must be placed with the books written to Israel, making it an earthly book.
Jude
Jude is a short but powerful book. It is full of warnings, admonitions and historical references. It is obviously a book written for those who are in great temptation in the last times.
Jude 1:17-21, “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
This passage points to evil-doers who do not have the Holy Spirit. To those that do, as we’ve seen in John’s three epistles, they cannot sin. It is similar to what happened in Pentecost, when all were filled with the Spirit.
Jude is warning and instructing Jews, preparing them for the end times, and is an earthly kingdom book.
Revelation
Although we see some scenes in heaven – mostly the third heaven – Revelation is exclusively about taking back the earth. In Revelation 12, in a very brief note, we see the heavens being taken back (to make way for the body of Christ – although this is not said).
Revelation 12:7-9, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
The rest of the book is about the war on earth, the chastening of Israel, and the destruction of God’s enemies. Then after the destruction of God’s enemies, we finally see the kingdom of heaven come down to earth.
Revelation 21:2-3, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
Revelation 21:24-26, “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.”
So Revelation too must go into the earth division.
So here is what we have come up with. God made a plan when He created the earth and the heaven. They would be inhabited. He made no secret about the earth inhabitants and how He would eventually redeem them and save them from their sin so that they could reign eternally on the earth in the presence of God’s Kingdom.
But he kept his plan for the inhabitation of the heaven secret. It wasn’t prophesied and there was no clue that this was on God’s mind.
In this plan, he would remove the rebellious angels from heavenly places and would have mankind rule there. To complete this plan, he would have to give them celestial bodies at the resurrection and give perfect terrestrial bodies to those who would reign on the earth. He revealed this mystery to the Apostle Paul.
1 Corinthians 15:35-55, “But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
The countdown had begun for the reclamation of the earth. Satan thought he had won when the King was crucified – how could a dead king rule on the earth. But Christ the King rose from the dead. Even then, God’s earthly people rejected Him. The time for the fulfillment of all those prophecies of tribulation and war had come.
But God interrupted that timeline and revealed His secret. He called out His worst human enemy and told him of this plan to have the Gentiles and heathen rule and reign in heavenly places. But how could they do that? They had no access to God – salvation was of the Jews.
Romans 9:22-30, “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.”
God revealed through Paul that Christ’s resurrection had paid for the sins of the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that by faith alone in His death, burial and resurrection they too could receive the righteousness of Christ.
Israel in time past received salvation by believing in the promises given to them. When Christ came, they received salvation by believing that he was their Messiah. After his resurrection, their salvation came by trusting that God had made Jesus both Lord and Christ of Israel.
Acts 2:36, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Then Paul came with a new message, one for both Jew and Gentile, because, he said, there was no longer any difference. All had sinned and come short of the glory of God. Faith in the law and the promises no longer had any affect. Keeping the law was a chain around your neck that should be thrown off. Salvation was now by grace through faith in the shed blood of Christ. No need for circumcision or baptism or yearly atonement. It is done. Just believe and you are complete in him – you get a spiritual baptism and a circumcision without hands. And you won’t receive an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly one.
Paul alone had this message, and it is in his epistles alone that you will find it. It is a heavenly message of salvation, as the rest of the Bible is an earthly message of salvation.
So this is how we divide the Word of Truth:
Genesis – John: God’s earthly kingdom
Acts: Transition from God’s earthly to His Heavenly Kingdom
Romans – Philemon: God’s Heavenly Kingdom
Hebrews: God’s earthly kingdom handbook as God’s program transitions back from His heavenly program to His earthly program.
James – Revelation: God’s fulfillment of all promises concerning His earthly program.
Other Grace churches divide the Word using different methods, but still getting pretty much the same results. (Some churches start the Body of Christ is Acts 9 while we believe it starts in Acts 13.) A few examples for your edification:
Prophecy and Mystery
Prophecy begins in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” It continues throughout the Old Testament through the Gospels, and it has to do with God’s kingdom. Prophetic events have moved to critical mass with Steven’s martyrdom, even as he sees Christ STANDING as he dies.
Isaiah 3:13, “The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.“
Acts 7 sees the Lord standing to judge, but then Acts 9 prophecy is interrupted when Paul is on the road to Damascus.
Paul then, in his epistles, reveals the mystery, hidden from ages and generations.
After Paul reveals the mystery, Hebrews – Revelation go back to dealing with the fruition of the previously prophesied scriptures.
This is a good method, with one caveat – Paul does a lot of prophesying, so this method can confuse some folks.
Time Past; But Now; The Ages to Come
This method is Biblical and sound. It comes from these verses:
Ephesians 2:7-18, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 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; 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: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 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; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
In time past Gentiles only hope for salvation was through the nation Israel. This began when Moses was given the law, and hinted at in Genesis 12. This continued through the Gospels and into early Acts. When Paul said there was no difference between Jew and Gentile, the Jews naturally tried to stop Paul and his message. In Acts 13 there is a metaphor for what happened to the Jews:
Acts 13:6-12, “And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.”
Here we have an evil Jew who stands in the way of a Gentile who desires to hear the word. The Jew is blinded for a season and the Gentile believes.
Israel’s leaders withstood the preaching of Paul, and so were blinded for a season that the Gentiles might hear the word. This blindness continues until the end of the dispensation of Grace.
But now the middle wall of partition is broken down between Jew and Gentile. This is the message that Paul preaches – there is no difference.
In the ages to come He will show the riches of his glory to both Jew and Gentile. When the dispensation of grace ends, God’s timeclock begins again and the prophesies will pick up where they left off. This will begin the ages to come as this age has come to an end. The ages to come will end with God showing those riches to his saints.
Again, this method reaches the same conclusion of how to rightly divide God’s Word book by book.
Concluding this lengthy first entry, understanding that most of the Bible is not written TO you is very important. All scripture is written FOR you, for your edification and understanding, but only Paul’s epistles are written for us today. We should study the whole Bible, but act only on Paul’s epistles for finding the truths for us today.
In the next entry we will begin to get into the mechanics of Bible study. Where do you start? What do you look for? How to know that your conclusions are correct? And so on.