Category: prophetic program

Bible Study 101 #12

Thursday, January 16, 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 study the Bible!

While we study all of the Bible, Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, have direct application to us as people in the Dispensation of the Grace of God.

Want to know how to be saved from your sins and eternal hellfire? Read Romans chapters 1-5. Want to know how to have victory over daily sins? Read Romans chapters 6-8. Want to know what happened to the nation Israel and what will happen to her in the future? Read Romans chapters 9-11. Want to see the grace life applied in specific situations? Read Romans chapters 12-16.

Wondering what a Christian congregation looks like if it ignores the grace doctrines in Romans and embraces philosophy (humanism)? Read 1 Corinthians. Want to see Paul defend his apostleship? Read 2 Corinthians.

What does a Christian congregation look like if it ignores the grace doctrines in Romans and embraces Mosaic Law-keeping (legalism)? Read Galatians. Curious to know what Jesus Christ will do with us Christians in the ages to come? Read Ephesians. Want to see how Christians should work together for the Gospel’s sake? Read Philippians. What does a Christian congregation look like if it ignores the grace doctrines in Romans and embraces religious “self-denial” (asceticism)? Read Colossians.

Wondering what a Christian congregation looks like if it applies by faith the doctrine of Romans, thereby becoming a model assembly of mature grace living? Read 1 Thessalonians. What is our relationship to Israel’s prophetic program? Read 2 Thessalonians.

Want to address and correct issues involving the local church—its organization and administration and our participation in its ministry? Read 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Desire to see Christian brotherly love displayed? Read Philemon.

Regarding life issues, these 13 epistles of Paul should be consulted first, and if they are silent about a matter, then seek advice from other Bible books. Dear friends, God’s will for us is not complicated like religion makes it….

Bible Study 101 #8

Sunday, January 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 study the Bible!

Ephesians 2:11,12 explain that the “Old Testament” Scriptures (Genesis through Malachi), Matthew through John (the Four Gospels), and Acts chapters 1-8 are “time past,” and thus have no direct application to us. Verse 13 says we are in the “but now,” and that distinction between Jew and Gentile is currently rescinded (Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon). Ephesians 2:7 speaks of the “ages to come,” the future (discussed primarily in Hebrews through Revelation [for the nation Israel], but also throughout Paul’s epistles [for us, the Church the Body of Christ]).

Thus, we cannot steal Israel’s Old Testament passages and promises and pretend they belong to us. We cannot go into Christ’s earthly ministry and follow His teachings as though He was speaking to us Gentiles (when He said He was speaking to Israel only; Matthew 10:5-7; Matthew 15:24; cf. Romans 15:8). We cannot grab passages in Hebrews through Revelation and conclude they are talking to or about us, when their contexts indicate they are not. And yet, the professing Church has done just this for the last 2,000 years, and created over 38,000 rival denominations in the process!

In the context of today’s Scripture, Paul writes that false teachers, Hymenaeus and Philetus (verse 17), “concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some” (verse 18). These men were mixing our mystery program with Israel’s prophetic program. They had misled Christians to believe that they had missed the rapture (“the resurrection”) and caused them to believe that they were now living in Israel’s seven-year Tribulation (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-14). Even today, many do not “rightly divide the word of truth” (today’s Scripture)—that is, they fail to recognize the distinction between prophecy and mystery—so, they confuse doctrines (here, confusing the timing of the rapture).

Again, we must stop mixing the dispensations in God’s Word if we are to understand God’s Word….

Bible Study 101 #7

Saturday, January 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 study the Bible!

We often hear about “Bible contradictions.” One of the most critical and obvious examples—a major issue during the Reformation, and still divisive among Protestants and Roman Catholics today—is justification by faith without works versus justification by faith plus works. Protestants quote, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). Roman Catholics quote, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24). Well, which is it? Faith plus works, or faith without works? The Bible clearly teaches both!

So, what do we do at this point? Throw the Bible away, dismissing it as “riddled with errors?” Nay! Before we grab the verse we prefer and attempt to claim it, we MUST pay attention to the context! Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:16; 2 Timothy 1:11), wrote Romans 3:28. James, an apostle of Israel (Galatians 2:9), wrote the epistle of James. Romans is clearly written to Gentile Christians in Rome (Romans 1:5-7), and James 1:1 says that James is writing to “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (Israel!).

We do not combine James and Paul and make their doctrine one—their teachings are to be “rightly divided,” separated unto their audiences. Scripture is not contradictory concerning Romans 3:28 and James 2:24. These verses are written to different groups of people living in different circumstances, so they teach different doctrines. James 2:24 has nothing to do with us Gentiles; the context says it is Israel’s doctrine. Romans 3:28 is our doctrine!

Just as Acts 3:21—“spoken since the world began”—and Romans 16:25—“kept secret since the world began”—seem contradictory, they are speaking of two separate programs (prophecy and mystery, respectively). James 2:24 belongs to the former and Romans 3:28 belongs to the latter.

Again, the Bible becomes so clear when we use God’s Word, God’s way….

Bible Study 101 #4

Wednesday, January 8, 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 study the Bible!

I trusted Jesus Christ alone as my personal Saviour when I was a small child, but religious tradition once misled me. I spent the first 13 years of my Christian life ignorant of why God saved me from my sins and eternal hellfire. Seven years ago, some dear Christian brothers shared with me some simple Bible verses that completely revolutionized my understanding of the Holy Bible—these verses will do the same for you if you believe them!

Today’s Scripture was one of those verses (please memorize today’s Scripture as it is quoted above from the King James Bible). Two other passages that clarified the Bible for me was Acts 3:21 and Romans 16:25,26a. Dear friend, you would do well if you also memorized these (again, as quoted from the King James Bible, see below).

In Acts 3:21, the Apostle Peter preached, “[Jesus Christ] 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.” Contrast this with what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 16:25,26a: “Now to him [God the Father] that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest,….”

Notice these two antithetical statements: “spoken since the world began” and “kept secret since the world began.” These are the prophetic program and the mystery program, respectively. God revealed some information to man before Paul’s ministry (prophetic program), and He kept some information secret until He revealed it to man through Paul’s ministry (mystery program). This is the clearest summary of Pauline dispensationalism, dispensational Bible study with emphasis on the special ministry the ascended and glorified Lord Jesus Christ committed to the Apostle Paul….

The “Our Father” Prayer in HD #8

Monday, November 25, 2013

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:7,8 KJV).

Eliminating the static due to religious tradition, we present to you “the official prayer of Christendom” with unparalleled clarity….

The immediate context of today’s Scripture is Jesus Christ instructing His believing remnant in Israel how to pray (the “Our Father” Prayer immediately follows today’s Scripture). The broader context is His famous “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew chapters 5-7), a summary of God’s earthly kingdom program for Israel. While often ignored, today’s Scripture is necessary to appreciate the overall purpose of the “Our Father” Prayer.

Throughout the Bible, prayer is simply a saint (believer) speaking to God in light of God’s Word to him or her. Jesus Christ knew His disciples needed a model prayer, a way to remind themselves of that kingdom doctrine He was teaching them within the wider context. Before Jesus gave them that model prayer, He gave two rules.

Firstly, Jesus said they were not to pray like the hypocrites (such as the Pharisees), who prayed publicly merely to be seen of others: believing Israel was to pray privately in prayer closets (Matthew 6:5,6).

Secondly, Jesus told them not to pray like the heathen: “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (today’s Scripture). These Gentiles, Jesus said, talked much in prayer because they were trying to get their god’s attention. The pagans mindlessly repeated the same empty words, hoping “their much speaking” in prayer would result in a “divine” response (remember, they were certainly not praying to Israel’s God, the God of Scripture).

Today’s Scripture was Jesus Christ’s way of comforting believing Israel. He explained to them that they did not have to waste their time in mindless, repetitious prayer to get JEHOVAH’S attention. JEHOVAH was fully aware of their needs, so “vain repetitions” were unnecessary. They simply needed to remember His Word to them….

Big Brother Versus Heavenly Father #5

Friday, November 8, 2013

“…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5c,6 KJV).

Big Brother is watching; Heavenly Father is, too!

In Daniel 9:24-27, the angel Gabriel informed the prophet that, in addition to Israel being out of her Promised Land for 70 years (the Babylonian captivity of 606-536 B.C.), so that her land could be cleansed of sin, there would be 70 weeks of years (or 490 years) for her people to be cleansed of sin. Verses 25 and 26 say that 483 years were fulfilled before Calvary. The last seven years—God’s wrath, the “Tribulation,” or “day of the LORD”—should have occurred in early Acts (Joel 2:28-32 cf. Acts 2:16-21).

However, rather than wrath, the ascended Jesus Christ poured out His grace and peace on Saul of Tarsus, his chief enemy on earth. In Acts chapter 9, Saul was saved, and was ordained of Christ as the Apostle Paul. The program that God had been operating—Israel’s prophetic kingdom program (Acts 3:19-21)—was interrupted. Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom is still awaiting fulfillment.

From Paul’s salvation onward, God began to form a body of people, the Church the Body of Christ, who would govern the heavens for His glory like Israel would do on earth (Ephesians 1:20-23; Ephesians 2:6,7; Colossians 1:16-20). The Bible calls this the mystery program, which God had kept secret until He revealed it first to Paul (Romans 16:25,26). We, living in the Dispensation of the Grace of God, are actually living in an interim time period between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel’s prophecy.

The program that God is operating today has nothing to do with Israel’s prophetic program; our current dispensation, the mystery program, revealed first to the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:1,2), is totally isolated from Israel’s program. Hence, earth’s governments remain corrupt: God’s program to restore them is currently postponed so He can operate our program to restore the heavenly governments to Himself.

Howbeit, before we discuss God’s present-day dealings with mankind, let us see the resumption of Israel’s program….

Consider Your Ways, Mankind! #4

Sunday, September 29, 2013

“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:29,30 KJV).

Mankind, in his natural state, is apathetic to JEHOVAH’S desire to build a temple… using him….

Satan’s rebellion against God, which started in heaven, then infiltrated the earth with the fall of man. Adam—actually all of mankind—was to be God’s vessel in fulfilling His will in the earth (Genesis 1:26,28), but Adam sinned and failed (Romans 5:12). God then created the nation Israel to do in the earth what Adam failed to do (Exodus 19:5,6), but Israel also sinned and failed (Jeremiah 31:32).

Once Israel reached the point where she adamantly and continually rejected God’s will for her—the culmination of her unbelief was Acts chapter 7 with the stoning of the prophet Stephen—God set into motion a plan for the heavenly places, a plan that He had kept secret during the entire time He was revealing to man His purpose and plan for earth (Romans 16:25 cf. Acts 3:21).

In today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul is preaching in Athens to remind these lost pagans that their idols of silver, gold, and stone that they have invented and carved and molded, are the results of their spiritual blindness. God, having given these Gentiles over to Satan in Genesis chapter 11 (so He could form the nation Israel in Genesis chapter 12 with Abraham), is now reaching out to them through the fall of Israel and through Paul’s ministry (Romans 11:11-13).

Paul urged these Gentiles, whose spirits were dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3) and whose souls were darkened by Satan the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:3,4), to receive the light of God’s Word that he is preaching to them. They are to recognize their error, change their mind (repent), and start thinking of the triune God as the living and true God, not as some worthless, inanimate idol.

By faith, they are to submit to the construction of JEHOVAH’S new temple….

Consider Your Ways, Mankind! #1

Thursday, September 26, 2013

“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:29,30 KJV).

Mankind, in his natural state, is apathetic to JEHOVAH’S desire to build a temple… using him….

Job, the oldest Bible book (predating Moses and his books of Genesis to Deuteronomy), summarizes the hope of every believer who lived in the “Old Testament” economy (although, technically, this was also the hope of believers in Christ’s earthly ministry and the early Acts period):

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:25-27).

As a representative of the believers living in Israel’s program, Job shows us that the hope the believer in the God of the Bible had was not to go to heaven, but rather to be resurrected bodily to live forever in an earthly kingdom with that God reigning. As opposed to them expecting to go to heaven upon death, these saints expected heaven to come down to earth (literally, “heaven on earth”)! This was the hope believers had prior to the salvation and ministry of the Apostle Paul.

In early Acts, the Apostle Peter offered to Israel that earthly kingdom which was “spoken by the mouth of all [God’s] holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). That earthly kingdom was the heart of “the Gospel of the Kingdom” that John the Baptist preached, that Jesus Christ Himself preached in His earthly ministry, and the Gospel that He commissioned Israel’s 12 apostles to preach (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 10:7; Matthew 24:14; Mark 1:14; et al.).

Note how Peter says that God’s promise of that earthly kingdom goes right back to Adam, the first man. That kingdom prophesied “since the world began” is still postponed.…

Unfathomable Distances, Unsearchable Speeds #4

Friday, June 7, 2013

“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” (Philippians 3:20,21 KJV).

The vastness of space is mindboggling; today’s Scripture is equally mind-blowing….

When no one else wants to trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone as his or her personal Saviour, He will return to conclude the Dispensation of Grace. The “rapture” (“catching away”) is the event whereby the Church the Body of Christ is removed from Earth, thereby allowing Israel’s program to resume where it is currently paused. Unless we understand the Bible dispensationally—that the nation Israel and her prophetic program are separate and distinct from us the Church the Body of Christ and our mystery program—we will never understand the rapture (this is why many professing “Christians” either confuse the rapture with the Second Coming, or deny it entirely).

Scripture mentions “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and… our gathering together unto him” in 2 Thessalonians 2:1. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17, we learn, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [in Latin, ‘raptured’] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” The rapture is best illustrated by a magnet (the Lord Jesus Christ) attracting iron shavings (the Christians)—it is a forceful plucking or yanking.

In 1 Corinthians 15:51,52, Paul tells us about this secret resurrection (never revealed prior to him): “Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep [die physically], but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…” (cf. today’s Scripture). We Christians will receive our glorified bodies instantaneously, soaring through Earth’s atmosphere, and zooming into the heavenly places with Jesus Christ….

Our Second Anniversary – Perfected Saints

Saturday, June 1, 2013

“[Christ] Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily” (Colossians 1:28,29 KJV).

Only by God’s grace, “333 Words of Grace” celebrates its second anniversary today!

Proper Bible study—yea, Bible study at all—is rare. Hence, spiritual ignorance has vexed the Church the Body of Christ for nearly 20 centuries. But, it does not have to be that way. God has given us the written, completed revelation of Him and from Him!

Today’s Scripture summarizes our goal these last two years. To teach the Bible truths that religion denied us for many years. The Holy Bible can be understood and enjoyed—and you do not need a decade of Bible cemetery… I mean, seminary! Simply find a King James Bible, study it dispensationally, and believe what it says where it says it.

For years and years, denominationalism never taught us: (1) that all of the Bible is for us, but not all of the Bible is to us or about us; (2) that the ascended and glorified Lord Jesus Christ committed to the Apostle Paul a special ministry and message; (3) that Israel’s prophetic program for the earth and our mystery program for the heavenly places are separate. We were never taught the Word of God “rightly divided” as 2 Timothy 2:15 declares. Every Bible verse was thoroughly mixed with every other. The Bible became confusing and burdensome, just another weapon Satan used to discourage and defeat us.

Oh, but now Bible study is thrilling! The fetters of religious tradition and spiritual blindness are broken in twain. We now appreciate the Holy Bible like never before! We are maturing spiritually: now we know what God the Father is doing, and we can join Him by faith, declaring to Him in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: “I delight to do thy will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8a; cf. Hebrews 10:5-9).

Onward, dear readers and saints, in spiritual maturity, for we have several hundred more studies of sound Bible truths to consider and in which to rejoice! 🙂

Note: Please feel free to view our “Original 7” devotionals by clicking here.