Category: The Nation Israel

Bible Study 102 #15

Thursday, March 20, 2014

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to understand the Bible!

Cognizant of His will, God inspired His Word, that we too may meditate on it. Consequently, Scripture discloses God’s will (Ephesians 1:9,10; 1 Timothy 2:4-8) and provides His power so that we may joyfully fulfill His will with Him as the indwelling Holy Spirit works in us who believe that grace doctrine (Hebrews 4:12; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18; Ephesians 3:16-21; Colossians 1:29; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Timothy 4:6-8). God’s Word leads us to salvation from our sins and, “rightly divided” (today’s Scripture), saves us from false teaching—God’s two-fold will for mankind (1 Timothy 2:4).

Sound Bible doctrine for us Gentiles is not what God told Israel, but what He spoke through our apostle, Paul, “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13). We magnify Jesus Christ today, not by emphasizing His earthly ministry to Israel (Matthew 15:24; Romans 15:8), but by exalting the office He gave Paul. Jesus said, “He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me” (John 13:20). Jesus said if you do not receive Paul whom He sent to you, then you reject Him! We do not emphasize Paul the man, but the Lord Jesus Christ who sent Paul to tell us His grace doctrines (2 Corinthians 4:5; Ephesians 3:1-11).

Paul exhorted the Ephesian elders, “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up [edify], and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). Satan knows Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, are God’s inspired Word to us Gentiles, that those grace doctrines align us with God’s present will. Consequently, Satan’s religious system draws us away from Paul’s apostleship and ministry (although Satan’s scriptural religion follows Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, Hebrews through Revelation, the “Old Testament,” anything and everything but the Scriptures that describe what God is currently doing in the Dispensation of Grace!).

Indeed, dispensational Bible study—“right division” (today’s Scripture)—is the key to unlocking the Bible and producing mature saints!

NOTE: At least three increasingly advanced 15-day companion devotional arcs—“Bible Study 103,” “Bible Study 104,” and “Bible Study 105”—are in development, and will be posted in the future. Stay tuned! 🙂

Bible Study 102 #14

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to understand the Bible!

Throughout Paul’s epistles, we discover “mysteries,” what Scripture calls “the hidden wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:7), truths that had been “hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9), but which the risen and ascended Lord Jesus revealed directly to Paul, and finally to us via Romans through Philemon (Romans 16:25,26). Unfortunately, this mystery dispensation, the Dispensation of Grace, is still a mystery to most—today, Satan, not God, hides it. God kept Pauline doctrine secret in order to destroy Satan’s work (1 Corinthians 2:6-8). Now, Satan keeps Paul’s doctrines secret to hinder God’s work—ironically, Christendom cooperates!! Centuries of church tradition and denominationalism still cause many to view Paul as an “extension,” a “supplement,” to Peter and Israel’s other 11 apostles. Paul is not understood as our apostle (Romans 11:13), a unique apostle, but rather an apostle who did and taught exactly what Peter and the 11 did.

The agency associated with Paul’s ministry (the Church that Body of Christ) is not clearly defined (we are thought to be Israel’s “extension” or “replacement”). The Gospel of the Uncircumcision that Paul preached is not distinguished from the Gospel of the Circumcision that Peter preached. Legalistic doctrine such as repentance and water baptism for salvation, tithing, Sabbath day keeping, and confession of sins that Paul spoke against (because it belongs in Israel’s program rather than ours) is still held by many denominations today. Ignorance about spiritual gifts (which Paul corrected) still severely afflicts Christendom. Confusion involving prophecy and us still abounds (even though Paul exhaustively wrote that we are not related to prophecy).

Indeed, the mystery is still a mystery, and what a shame! This mess is to be expected, for the verse after today’s Scripture warned, “But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (2 Timothy 2:16). A “simple” failure to understand the Bible dispensationally has introduced a literal inundation of false teaching. God foresaw Christendom’s current dilemma almost 20 centuries ago, but the solution was (and still is) ignored….

Bible Study 102 #13

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to understand the Bible!

Beginning in Acts chapter 9 with our Apostle Paul’s salvation unto eternal life, but also throughout his ministry, the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ directly revealed Himself to him (Acts 26:12-18; 2 Corinthians 12:1; Galatians 1:11,12; Ephesians 3:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:10,11)—Christ’s heavenly ministry. The Holy Spirit, through our reading and studying of Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, reveals those Pauline (grace) doctrines to us, enabling us to understand them (Ephesians 1:17,18; Ephesians 3:4,5).

According to God the Holy Ghost, the test for true spirituality today is Pauline doctrine: “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I [Paul] write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37). If someone is speaking on God’s behalf (called a “prophet” in Bible days) and/or if someone is “spiritual” (led by the Holy Spirit), then he or she will magnify the Lord Jesus Christ’s heavenly ministry, Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon. Those who emphasize Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry (Matthew through John), Hebrews through Revelation, Genesis through Malachi, or even early Acts, as doctrine that we should follow and apply today, the Bible says they are not led by God’s Holy Spirit and they are not speaking on God’s behalf! (Just as Jews who rejected Moses’ writings were not led by God’s Spirit or speaking for God.)

Beloved, any church, any minister, any seminary, or any literature or media that does not instruct you to follow God’s grace doctrines as found in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, the Bible says “avoid them” (Romans 16:17,18) and “from such withdraw thyself” (1 Timothy 6:3-5)—God says avoid 99.9999 percent of so-called “Christianity!!!” Regardless of their sincerity or appeal, God the Holy Spirit insisted through Paul and Peter that we are not to hinder or destroy our spiritual growth with non-dispensational Bible doctrine (2 Corinthians 11:3,4; Colossians 2:4,8; 2 Timothy 2:14-26; 2 Peter 3:15,16). We need not do Satan’s work for him….

Bible Study 102 #10

Saturday, March 15, 2014

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to understand the Bible!

Dispensational Bible study enables us to learn who we are—the Church the Body of Christ—lest we think we are someone we are not—the nation Israel (Romans 11:25). Lest we think we are Israel, lest we follow Israel’s doctrine, lest we claim Israel’s promises, lest we act like Israel, and lest we believe we have any relationship to Israel’s prophetic program, the Holy Spirit through Paul penned Romans chapters 9-11. Without these three chapters, we cannot understand Israel’s temporary fall and why God has momentarily set His special nation aside. Save for these three chapters written by Paul, we would not know that Israel still has a glorious future awaiting her, despite her program having been suspended these last 2,000 years so that our mystery program could operate.

Therefore, the Apostle Peter exhorted his Jewish audience to study Paul’s epistles—specifically Romans chapters 9-11—and learn how Jesus Christ will return for Israel, pour out His wrath on the unbelievers, and deliver Israel’s believing remnant into her earthly kingdom. Peter told them that, until then, as Paul’s epistles teach, Gentile salvation in our Dispensation of Grace must first be fulfilled (Romans 11:25-29). Even the Apostle Peter—led by the Holy Ghost—wrote that he recognized Paul’s special ministry.

“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” (2 Peter 3:15,16).

By writing Romans chapters 9-11, God the Holy Ghost demonstrated that, in our Christian life, we should not behave like Israel nor claim her passages, for we are not Israel….

Bible Study 102 #8

Thursday, March 13, 2014

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to understand the Bible!

When Scripture says we Christians are “workmen” (today’s Scripture), Ephesians 2:10 (“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”) and 1 Corinthians 3:9 (“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building”) explain that God has saved us unto eternal life so we could join Him in accomplishing His will (which we could not do when we were lost, headed for eternal hellfire, participants in Satan’s policy of evil).

Recall that God has a two-fold will: save all people from their sins and Satan, and then save all Christians from all false doctrine (1 Timothy 2:4). Satan has a two-fold will that counters God’s: hide the Gospel of Grace from all people, and hide sound Pauline (grace) doctrine from all Christians. Religious tradition—a non-dispensational approach the Scripture—furthers Satan’s policy of evil, for it keeps lost people lost, and it keeps Christians ignorant of God’s will, His Word to them.

Satan, “the god of this world,” “hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,” by causing lost people to ignore Paul’s Gospel and trust in their own religious performance to gain a right standing before God (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). Moreover, Satan misleads Christians to introduce into their lives everything but God’s grace to them in Christ—the wrong “Jesus” (His earthly ministry in Matthew through John, rather than His heavenly ministry as revealed through Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon), the wrong “spirit” (law rather than grace, Romans 6:14 cf. Romans 8:15), and the wrong “gospel” (Israel’s kingdom gospel rather the Gospel of Grace of 1 Corinthians 15:3,4) (2 Corinthians 11:3,4).

We Christians are “workmen” when we “study… rightly dividing the word of truth,” and our faith in those verses causes the Holy Spirit to bring them to life in our lives, thus aligning us with God’s will for us….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Should Christians observe Lent?“

Bible Study 102 #7

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to understand the Bible!

Moved by God the Holy Ghost, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder [Greek, arkitekton, “architect”], I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed [beware!!] how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:9-11).

Father God is currently forming the Church the Body of Christ (as opposed to the nation Israel in time past and the ages to come). He is the Builder of this edifice, this vessel in which He desires to deposit His sound doctrine (the body of truth called the “Dispensation of Grace;” Ephesians 3:2). He has revealed “blueprints” for this new creature, this “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15), this agency the Body of Christ, through Paul, His “wise masterbuilder.”

Jesus Christ had a ministry prior to Paul’s ministry, and He had 12 apostles before Paul’s apostleship, but the risen and ascended Lord Jesus from heaven selected and commissioned Paul to be a new apostle, to serve in a new program—mystery (Romans 16:25)—rather than Israel’s prophetic program (Acts 3:21), to impart a new revelation to mankind (Dispensation of Grace), another way to view the Person of Jesus Christ (Head of the Body, Saviour of all men, King of the heavenly places).

If we are to join God in accomplishing His will, and build what He is building today, we must study and follow the blueprints, and Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, are God’s blueprints for His will today. God the Holy Spirit cautioned us not to ignore or forsake His instructions to us through Paul, by following His will for Israel (the remainder of the Bible). Dispensational Bible study is the only way we discover God’s blueprints for His current will….

Bible Study 102 #6

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to understand the Bible!

While Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, et cetera were justified (had a right standing before God), nothing in Scripture indicates they knew of Calvary’s crosswork (thousands of years yet future, and God had not revealed that information yet). God’s good news to Adam and Eve was that He shed animal blood to cover their sins (Genesis 3:21), His good news to Noah was to build an ark to escape His wrath (Genesis chapter 6; Hebrews 11:7), and His good news to Abraham was that He would make of him a great nation in the earth (Genesis 12:1-3; Hebrews 11:8-10). Romans 4:1-8 explains these Old Testament saints simply believed what limited information God revealed to them, and He imputed (credited) Christ’s righteousness and (future) crosswork to them (Romans 3:25).

How can we Gentiles get Christ’s righteousness at Calvary credited to us? We find the answer in the good news God has revealed to us through Paul (Romans 11:13; 1 Timothy 1:8-16; 1 Timothy 2:4-7; Titus 1:1-3)! The Gospel of the Grace of God (two verses worth memorizing): “For I [Paul] 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” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). This is the Gospel by which we must be saved in this the Dispensation of Grace (dispensational Bible study shows us Matthew 19:17, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 1 John 1:9, et cetera, are Israel’s salvation verses, and have nothing to do with us).

As taught in the mystery program revealed through Paul, we Gentiles can now enjoy God’s salvation, everything that God can do for us through Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork, without us having to do anything but trust it alone, because we can do nothing for Him anyway….

Bible Study 102 #5

Monday, March 10, 2014

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to understand the Bible!

God’s will is not simply that we “read and study Scripture” (Satan does that too, Matthew 4:5,6!), but that we “rightly divide” it. God’s will is not simply that we “believe the Gospel” (most Gospels in Scripture are not given to us), but that we believe the Gospel of Grace revealed to us through Paul’s ministry. God’s will is not simply that we “believe Bible doctrine” (there are many truths in Scripture not true about us), but that we believe Bible doctrine that He revealed to us through Paul. God’s will is not simply that we “follow Jesus,” but that we follow the Apostle Paul as he followed Christ.

Religious tradition—that is, a non-dispensational approach to Scripture—makes the Christian life confusing, frustrating, and futile. For years, yea decades, many souls who have trusted Jesus Christ alone as their personal Saviour never have peace about why the Bible instructs something in one passage and says something completely opposite in another. (Where are the pastors and teachers to guide them into God’s truth [Ephesians 4:11,12]? As Colossians 2:8 says, religious tradition has robbed nearly all of them, too!)

We can understand and enjoy the Bible if we simply remember today’s Scripture when studying any Bible passage. God has made distinctions in His Word. We should not blend all Bible passages together—there are programs to be “rightly divided,” apostleships to be “rightly divided,” operating systems to be “rightly divided,” time periods to be “rightly divided,” gospels to be “rightly divided,” and they make perfect sense when we keep them separate as God instructs. What is spoken to Israel is spoken to Israel, not to us. What is spoken to us through Paul is spoken to us, not to Israel.

Dispensational Bible study is the only method of Bible study that will ever lead you to sound conclusions about Scripture. It allows us to find out what God is doing today, and by faith, we can join Him in doing the same….

Bible Study 102 #4

Sunday, March 9, 2014

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The only verse that tells you to study the Bible also tells you how to understand the Bible!

God’s will for man is two-fold: firstly, the Lord Jesus Christ wants to save man from his sins and Satan’s policy of evil (1 Timothy 2:4a), and, secondly, He wants to educate man about His original plan for him (1 Timothy 2:4b). “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

While a full comprehension of dispensational Bible study is not necessary for salvation from sins, where to find in Scripture God’s current plan of salvation is absolutely critical. For example, we do not find the Gospel of Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork declared in the Old Testament. Calvary’s crosswork was definitely prophesied (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, et cetera), but the benefits Israel received from it were not fully revealed until after it happened (Hebrews 10:10; 1 Peter 1:19; et al.). Moreover, until Paul’s ministry, God did not reveal what Calvary meant for us Gentiles (1 Timothy 2:5-7; Titus 1:2,3; 1 John 2:2; et al.). Unless we “rightly divide the word of truth” as today’s Scripture instructs, we overlook these doctrinal differences, and we do not recognize where in Scripture we find God’s message of salvation for us Gentiles.

God’s good news to us Gentiles today is that He is offering His grace in Christ to us, without any works on our part. The Gospel of the Grace of God, first committed to the Apostle Paul’s trust, is “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). If we Gentiles are to have a right standing before God (justification unto eternal life, eternity in heaven, et cetera), God expects us to believe and trust that message. Once we trust that Gospel, and that Gospel alone, then we can study the Bible to grow spiritually, to “come to the knowledge of the truth,” to learn why God saved us….

On Your Christian Life

Monday, March 3, 2014

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6,7 KJV).

If you are seeking victorious Christian living today, you can find it today!

Where do we obtain the power for Christian living? Christendom greatly emphasizes “Kingdom building,” terminology obviously derived from the Four Gospels (Matthew 3:2, Mark 10:14,15, Luke 12:31,32, et cetera). We hear it constantly: “Follow Jesus” (the implication is to obey and apply to our lives His Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, or Luke chapter 12, or John chapters 14-16, et cetera). Others tell us to keep the Law of Moses (Ten Commandments) for Christian living. Despite all that performance and effort, very few ever actually realize the life God has for Christians because of the confusion as to what it is and because nearly all of the activities that are presumed to be God’s life for us is everything but it!

Today’s Scripture summarizes both soul salvation unto eternal life and soul salvation unto daily grace living. How did we “receive Christ Jesus the Lord?” By our works? By keeping rules and regulations; performing rites, rituals, and ceremonies; repeating prayers; making God promises to do better; et cetera? NAY! Verse 5 says, “[our] faith in Christ.” Our Christian life operates exactly like our soul salvation from hell was accomplished—by grace through faith in Jesus Christ’s performance (Romans 3:22-26; Romans 4:3-8; Ephesians 2:8,9). As we were saved from the penalty of sin (eternal hellfire), so we can be saved from the power of sin (fleshly living, living for ourselves): it is all Jesus Christ’s work!

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). We are accepted in Jesus Christ because of what He did (His grace to us), and our lifestyles are acceptable to God when we allow Jesus Christ to live His life in and through us (the grace doctrines revealed in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, which we study, believe, and apply to life). That is the key to victorious Christian living under grace!

*These past seven devotionals, “Original 7 Expanded Again,” are advanced versions of our “Original 7” devotionals arc and our “Original 7 Expanded” devotionals arc: all 21 build on each other. Onward we go in maturity! 🙂