Category: Dispensation of the Grace of God

When Truth is Error

Saturday, May 26, 2012

“But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (2 Timothy 2:16 KJV).

Did you know that you can quote Scripture and be outside of God’s will? Unfortunately, people have been doing it for millennia. Many “name and claim” Bible verses, only to end up confused and disappointed, sometimes spiritually destroyed, or even in hell. If “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33), how is this possible?

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” If you refuse to obey this verse (like most of Christendom), you will automatically disobey today’s Scripture. When you do not rightly divide, separating Israel’s program from our program, you will not “shun profane and vain babblings.” This phony, empty chatter describes much of today’s “Christian” teaching and preaching!

All the Bible is true: “thy word is truth” (John 17:17). When we rightly divide the Word of Truth, we are separating truth from truth, not truth from error. For example, animal sacrifices were true for Israel, but they are not true for us. God’s instructions to build an ark were true for Noah; they are not true for us. When we steal Israel’s covenant promises and blessings and claim them for ourselves, we are not shunning profane and vain babblings as God instructed.

Trying to make God do something He is not doing today will only bring you misery. God promised Israel certain things that He has not promised us in this the Dispensation of Grace. We study the whole Bible, but we can only claim the promises found in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon.

If we fail to rightly divide the Bible, truth becomes error. We quote verses that are not for us to practice, and today’s Scripture says, “they [the profane and vain babblings] will increase unto more ungodliness.” Being scriptural, but not dispensational, is “ungodly!”

Beware! Be not like most of Christendom. Failure to study the Bible dispensationally will cause you great confusion and heartache that will only grow worse and worse.

Vengeance Belongeth Unto the Lord #4

Thursday, May 24, 2012

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19 KJV).

Injustices abound. The wicked are applauded and often go unpunished while the righteous (God’s people) are despised and penalized. As the cliché goes, “God never sleeps.” All wrongs will be righted one day (today’s Scripture).

When the Lord Jesus Christ went to Calvary’s cross, He purchased our salvation. There, He suffered God’s eternal wrath against our sin: “He became sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21; cf. Isaiah 53:10; Matthew 26:46; Galatians 3:13). Once we trust Christ Jesus alone as our personal Saviour, Christ’s finished crosswork for our sins is applied (imputed) to us, and we will never suffer God’s wrath (Christ suffered that wrath for us).

However, those who physically die without having trusted Christ will remain forever dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23): physical and spiritual death. Thus, they must pay for those sins by suffering the eternal wrath of God against sin (the everlasting lake of fire; the “second [or spiritual] death” [Revelation 21:8]).

For the past 2,000 years, God has been offering the world His grace and peace. But, when this the Dispensation of Grace ends (at the rapture), God “shall speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure” (Psalm 2:5). During that seven-year Tribulation—“the day of the LORD’s vengeance” (Isaiah 34:8), “the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2), and “the days of vengeance” (Luke 21:22)—our wicked world will finally experience God’s righteous wrath. According to 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, Christ’s Second Coming will conclude those seven years, and fire will further execute vengeance on God’s enemies (Christ-rejecters).

“God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked…” (Nahum 1:2,3).

Indeed, “vengeance belongeth unto the Lord….”

Vengeance Belongeth Unto the Lord #1

Monday, May 21, 2012

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19 KJV).

When people do us wrong, human nature wants to retaliate, to devise a plan to get even. Today’s Scripture causes us to think otherwise… literally.

Paul is quoting the LORD’s words in Deuteronomy 32:35: “To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” This phrase originally described God chastising Israel for their wickedness. (He will do this during the seven-year Tribulation too; Hebrews 10:26-31.)

God’s wrath, Daniel’s 70th week, the seven-year Tribulation, is still postponed. God has not yet poured out His wrath on wicked man (Psalm 2:4,5). For nearly 2,000 years, our sinful world has enjoyed the riches of God’s grace. God is extending our Dispensation of Grace so that more people can get saved before His wrath is poured out on earth. Scoffers mock God, having deceived themselves into thinking that they will never face His righteous wrath. What foolishness!

“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men” (1 Thessalonians 5:15). We need not “pay back” those who hurt us, for that sin will either be dealt with at Christ’s cross (if these people trust Christ), or they will have to pay for that sin by enduring God’s wrath during the Tribulation and finally, suffering in the everlasting lake of fire.

“O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud” (Psalm 94:1,2). “…The righteous judgment of God… [He] will render to every man according to his deeds… to them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish…” (Romans 2:5-9).

Rest assured, no injustice will ever go unpunished…. for “vengeance belongeth unto the Lord.”

A Den of Thieves #2

Thursday, May 17, 2012

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:12,13 KJV).

As today’s Scripture teaches, religion robbed people in Christ’s day… and it is still “the world’s most profitable business!”

The world is dotted with millions of ornate, massive cathedrals, structures built with exquisite materials, housing trillions of works of art and gold and silver vessels. Unfortunately, many were (and are) financed by poor, naïve souls who paid clergy in hopes of escaping hellfire. Christ’s words echoing, “Dens of thieves!”

One Christian author wrote that religion’s price list reads: “High money = high mass; low money = low mass; no money = no mass.” Pay the church and the church will pray! Church organizations possess large sums of real estate, and are always looking to expand… into your soul, yard, and home! BEWARE!

Beloved, if God required church leaders not to be greedy of material wealth (1 Timothy 3:3,8; Titus 1:7), this is a warning that many will be money-hungry. These individuals, seeking to support their lavish lifestyles, demand, “If you want God’s blessing, sow your seed of faith into our ministry.” These “donations” are often pricey, but when threatened with “God’s curse,” people have no choice but to give. Malachi 3:8-11 was written to Israel (1:1), not to us; we are under grace, not law (Romans 6:14,15). Grace is against tithing (obligatory giving).

We give of our resources to sound Pauline dispensational (grace) ministries and local churches, but we do not give to get God’s blessings (that was for Israel). Today, in the Dispensation of Grace, God has already blessed us in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Now, we give out of gratitude to God, and we willingly give an amount “as [we] purpose in [our] heart” (2 Corinthians 9:6,7). The amount is not the issue; the heart attitude is!

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ #3

Saturday, May 12, 2012

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 KJV).

Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is so powerful that it can save anyone and everyone… from Jews who murdered their Messiah, to pagan Greeks who worshipped idols.

The Gospel of Christ, first preached by the Apostle Paul nearly 2,000 years ago, has saved millions. Paul received that special message directly from the resurrected, ascended Lord Jesus Christ: “But I certify [guarantee] you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11,12).

This Gospel of the Grace of God (Acts 20:24) has saved two groups of people: Jews who rejected and murdered their Messiah-King Jesus, and pagan Greeks (Gentiles) who, unlike the Jews, did not even have God’s Word (the Old Testament Scriptures; Romans 3:1,2). It saved Jewish Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul, and it saved us formerly pagan Gentiles.

Although unbelieving Israel could not receive salvation in the prophetic (kingdom) program after Acts chapter 7 (cf. Matthew 12:31,32), they could receive salvation in our Dispensation of Grace, the mystery program, by trusting Paul’s Gospel, the Gospel of Grace (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Before our dispensation, salvation was almost limited exclusively to Israel (Matthew 10:5-7; John 4:22; Acts 3:22-26): non-Jews were to receive salvation in Israel’s kingdom (Matthew 25:31-34; Matthew 28:19,20).

When Israel rejected her King, her kingdom was postponed; through Paul’s ministry, salvation went to the Gentiles without redeemed Israel (Romans 11:11-13). Now, Israel’s works-religion (Judaism) is inactive. Today, God is saving Gentiles, not by their conversion to Judaism (as in time past), but by them trusting Christ Jesus as their personal Saviour; God is saving Jews, not by having them keep the Law (as in time past), but by them trusting Christ Jesus as their personal Saviour (today’s Scripture).

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ #2

Friday, May 11, 2012

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 KJV).

Why is the Gospel of Christ given “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek?”

From Genesis chapter 12 (Abraham’s salvation) to Acts chapter 9 (Paul’s salvation), God dealt almost exclusively with Israel. During those 2,000 years, God dealt with mankind on the basis of physical circumcision (Jew) and physical uncircumcision (Gentile) (Ephesians 2:11,12).

During these centuries, the Old Testament prophets reminded Israel of her coming King (Deuteronomy 18:15; Isaiah 9:6,7; Jeremiah 23:5,6; Zechariah 9:9; et al.). When Jesus Christ presented Himself to Israel in the Four Gospel Records, He came to establish His kingdom on earth, for Israel to then evangelize the pagan Gentiles (Exodus 19:5,6; Isaiah 60:1-3; et al.). Nonetheless, Israel rejected Jesus in unbelief, demanding His crucifixion on Calvary (John 19:15).

After Jesus Christ resurrected, Israel still rejected Him by persecuting and ignoring the Holy Spirit-filled twelve apostles who were calling Israel to repentance and faith (Acts 2:14-40; Acts 3:12-26; Acts 4:8-31; Acts 5:29-42; et al.). With uncooperative Israel finally murdering her prophet Stephen in Acts chapter 7, God turns to the Gentiles without Israel (Romans 11:11,12). The ascended Lord Jesus Christ saves Saul of Tarsus (Paul) in Acts chapter 9, commissioning him as his apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13).

From Acts chapter 9 to Acts chapter 28, Israel is “diminishing”—losing her special status before God (Romans 11:12). Thus, in the cities Paul visits in the book of Acts, God has him go to the local synagogue to preach the Gospel of Christ to Jews first: “Brethren [Jews], you have killed your Messiah Jesus, and your kingdom program is falling away, so you can only be saved now by becoming a member of the Church the Body of Christ!” Once these lost Jews refused to listen, Paul preached salvation in Christ to local pagan Greeks (Gentiles) (Acts 9:20-22; Acts 13:5, 14-52; Acts 14:1-27; Acts 17:1-34; Acts 18:1-11,18-21; Acts 19:8-10; Acts 28:20-31).

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

Thursday, May 10, 2012

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 KJV).

What is the Gospel of Christ, and why is the Apostle Paul not ashamed of it?

When we study the Bible dispensationally, we understand that the Apostle Paul has a unique ministry, one that is completely separate and distinct from the ministries of men whom God had previously commissioned (including the twelve apostles). One of the special aspects of Paul’s ministry is that the ascended Lord Jesus Christ committed to him a “mystery,” a secret program (our Dispensation of Grace) that God had kept hidden in Himself until He first revealed it to Paul (Ephesians 3:1-11; cf. Romans 16:25,26).

At the heart of this “mystery” ministry God committed to Paul, we find “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Paul wrote, “the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was to committed to my trust” (1 Timothy 1:11). Paul also called it “my gospel” (Romans 2:16; Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 2:8), and in today’s Scripture, Paul referred to it as “the gospel of Christ” because this “good news” belongs to and originates from the ascended Lord Jesus Christ Himself! What is Paul’s gospel? “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” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Our Apostle Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ in the sense of not being shy or embarrassed. He is not ashamed of it “for [because] it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Paul knows that the Gospel of Christ is so powerful, for it is God Almighty’s power, that it can literally reach into the depths of sin and death and eternally save anyone and everyone who simply believes (trusts, has faith in) it! See, no works are needed for salvation: “to everyone that believeth” (no water baptism, tongues, tithing, et cetera).

The Nations That Forget God

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17 KJV).

Beloved, today’s Scripture will always hold true: those who ignore God’s Word will experience apostasy, temporal misery, and eventually, everlasting hellfire. We would do well if we considered and believed today’s Scripture.

The Apostle Paul spent a large portion of his apostolic journeys around the Mediterranean Sea (Greece, Italy, Turkey [“Asia”], et cetera). Travel to these areas today, and you will find mere remnants of the Gospel of Grace and God’s doctrines for this dispensation. What was a hotbed for sound doctrine is now a hotbed for ungodliness. Pagan religion and sins of the flesh have just engulfed those regions. You could never tell God’s Word was even preached there! (Sadly, this even applies to our beloved America.)

Overall, no nation remembers God today. You can even go to the land of Israel today, and see God’s (former) earthly people so confused and spiritually blind (Romans 11:25). They have so departed from the Bible, which God originally entrusted to them (Romans 3:1,2)!!

During the yet future seven-year Tribulation, after our dispensation closes, every nation will turn upon Israel. Our Lord Jesus warned, “And ye [Israel] shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9b). All Gentile nations will forget God (by turning on His people Israel), and they will gather in battle against Israel at the end of the seven years (Revelation 16:14-16). Because of their hatred of Israel (which at that time will be God’s people), God will be just in pouring His wrath out on every Gentile nation. Jesus Christ at His Second Coming will destroy these pagan Gentiles (Revelation 19:11-21), as well as purge out the unbelieving Jews in Israel (Matthew 24:38-41).

When Jesus Christ sets up His kingdom, He will declare to the Gentiles that hated Israel during the Tribulation: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire…” (Matthew 25:41). Indeed, “the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God….”

Those who have forgotten God need to wake up before God’s judgment comes!!!

How to Lead Someone to the Lord Jesus Christ

Sunday, May 6, 2012

“And brought [Paul and Silas] out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:30,31 KJV).

We dedicate this devotional to sharing the verses that are critical to leading someone to salvation in Christ Jesus.

Christians often have great difficulty in witnessing to the lost. Why? They have not grasped Bible basics; they are unsure of what to say. Many are confused because they have been taught anything and everything but the King James Bible rightly divided. For example, I once asked a Christian if she could show me our Gospel in the Bible. Her answer was swift in coming, “The Gospel of John” (NO!). The poor lady repeated what her church said.

Notice God’s plan of salvation for our Dispensation of Grace:

  1. Someone must first understand his/her need for salvation. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). Without salvation, our sin will cause physical and spiritual death: ultimately, eternal separation from God in hellfire.
  2. Second, the person must understand that he/she can do nothing to save himself/herself. “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” (Ephesians 2:8,9). You may also show them Romans 3:28, Romans 4:1-8, Galatians 2:16-21, and Titus 3:5-7.
  3. Finally, the person must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ “died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day for our justification.” This is the Gospel of Grace of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: this is the only way we are saved from hell today. “… the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23b). The person must trust exclusively in Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary as sufficient payment for their sins in order to receive God’s forgiveness and eternal salvation.

Have the person read these Scriptures from your King James Bible. You may also refer them to Ephesians 1:13,14, Romans 3:19-30, Romans 4:25-5:11, and Colossians 1:12-15.

Dispensational Doctrine on Display

Thursday, May 3, 2012

“First, I thank God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world” (Romans 1:8 KJV).

Why does God not immediately take us home to heaven once we receive salvation in Christ? Today’s Scripture gives us a clue.

Firstly, God has temporarily left us Christians on earth because He wants to reach the world’s lost people with the Gospel of Grace (salvation). God reaches lost people (those outside of Christ) by using Christians, those who know His Word (the Bible) and are willing to share it with unsaved, hell-bound people.

For example, God saved the Apostle Paul in order to reach us pagan Gentiles with salvation (Paul did not go to heaven until 35-plus years after salvation). Paul was sent to us Gentiles “to open [our] eyes, and to turn [us] from [spiritual] darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that [we] might receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in [Christ]” (Acts 26:18).

Secondly, God has temporarily left us Christians on earth because He wants us to reach other Christians with sound dispensational Bible study. God wants all Christians to experience the grace life, or Christ living in them (Galatians 2:20), and this only happens when we understand and believe God’s Word dispensationally.

For example, in today’s Scripture, Paul commended the Roman believers, whose lives communicated sound doctrine to the whole then-known world! The Romans believed the grace message, and then, by faith, they let God’s Word work in them (1 Thessalonians 2:13) to transform their minds (Romans 12:1,2) and then their lifestyles (Romans 6:1-23). The Thessalonian believers also had lifestyles that encouraged other Christians to pursue sound doctrine and acceptable Christian service (1 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Lost people (and sadly, even some Christians) will never read the Bible. However, when we apply sound dispensational (Pauline) Bible doctrine to our lives by faith, these individuals will see sound doctrine in practice (see Philippians 4:9; 2 Timothy 3:10). The great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ will be glorified, for lost and saved will see dispensational doctrine on display.