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SABBATH DAY, THE NATION ISRAEL, Why did Jesus Christ heal on the Sabbath days?, Why did Jesus Christ heal on the Sabbath days?

Why did Jesus Christ heal on the Sabbath days?

WHY DID JESUS CHRIST HEAL ON THE SABBATH DAYS?

by Shawn Brasseaux

The Law of Moses forbade Jews from working on the Saturday Sabbath, so, it is asked, why did the Lord Jesus Christ heal the sick and cast out devils on the Sabbath? Was it just to anger the Pharisees and the other hypocritical religious leaders of Israel? We will examine some of these Sabbath-day miracles in detail so as to understand why Jesus Christ behaved in such a unique manner. I believe that you will find the explanation quite fascinating. Let us search the Scriptures and see what they have to say about this often-misunderstood issue.

THE SABBATH DAY COMMANDMENT

It is common knowledge that the LORD told Israel in the Ten Commandments as given through Moses: “[8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: [10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: [11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11). This was repeated in Deuteronomy 5:13-15. The Jews were not to work on the Sabbath day at all. In fact, one who picked up sticks on the Sabbath was stoned to death, as God instructed (Numbers 15:32-36)!

CHRIST’S SABBATH-DAY HEALING MIRACLES

There is no Scriptural way to prove exactly how many Sabbath-day miracles Jesus Christ performed. The Bible only records details about some of these miracles; the others are mentioned in a general context, such as “great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all” (Matthew 12:15)—verse 1 says that this was the Sabbath day. Our goal is to highlight the Sabbath-day miracles about which the Bible provides specific information, and thus we will better understand why Jesus Christ did what He did on the Sabbath days.

In Matthew 12:10-15, Mark 3:1-6, and Luke 6:6-11, the Lord Jesus healed a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath day. Since it was the Sabbath day, this angered Israel’s religious leaders who worshipped the Sabbath, so the Pharisees “held a council against him, how they might destroy him” (Matthew 12:14; Mark 3:6; Luke 6:11). Again, in Luke 13:10-16, there is a humpback woman, crippled and unable to stand up straight. Jesus Christ heals her too on the Sabbath day. On another Sabbath day, as documented in Luke 14:1-4, Christ heals a man who suffers from dropsy (edema). We see yet another instance of Jesus Christ healing a lame man on the Sabbath day in John 5:1-16. Let us examine a few of these passages in detail in order to gain a better understanding of why Jesus Christ healed on the Sabbath.

According to Luke 13:10-16, the Lord Jesus Christ is teaching in the synagogues on the Sabbath days. On one Sabbath, He heals a humpback Jewess. Verse 14 says that the ruler of synagogue is angry because Jesus has healed her on the Sabbath day. Jesus Christ responds (verses 15-16): “[15] Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? [16] And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on this sabbath day?”

Notice that Jesus refers specifically to Abraham’s children (the Jews, the nation Israel). Also, recognize that Satan has bound this Jewess, and Jesus Christ is the only one who can free her. Christ looses her from that spiritual bondage on the Sabbath day: remember, her physical illness symbolizes her spiritual illness (sin nature, captive to Satan).

Now, we look at John 5:1-16. In Jerusalem, there is a pool where the mute, the crippled, the blind, and other sick people go to be healed. An angel occasionally comes down and stirs the water. The first person to get into the water immediately after the angel comes, will be made whole (healed). One man sitting beside the pool has been unable to walk for 38 years (verse 5). The Lord Jesus Christ sees the crippled man waiting by the pool, so He asks the sick man if he wants to be healed. Jesus instantly heals the man (verse 9). This was on the Sabbath day, so Israel’s religious leaders are upset again (verses 9,16,18).

Let us briefly look at why God established the Sabbath day, and then we will come back to Christ’s earthly ministry.

THE SABBATH DAY ESTABLISHED

The Bible first mentions the Sabbath day in Genesis 2:1-3 (by the way, the Sabbath is Saturday, never Sunday, in Scripture). Then, the Bible does not speak of the Sabbath day again until Moses, some 2,500 years later. As we saw in some opening comments, in the Mosaic Law, the LORD demanded that Israel “keep the Sabbath holy.” The LORD commanded Israel not to do any work on the Sabbath—they were to rest on the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:3). Instead, every Jew was to spend the Sabbath day thinking about God’s purpose in creation and, thus, the nation Israel’s role in His plan for the earth (Exodus 31:13-18; Exodus 35:2-3).

So, what was God’s purpose in creation, when He rested on that first Sabbath back in Genesis chapter 2? Psalm 132:8 reads, “Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.” Verses 13 and 14 tell us: “[13] For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. [14] This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.” God’s purpose in creating the earth was to set up an earthly kingdom, which He had planned from the time He created the world (Matthew 25:34). Had sin not entered into creation with the fall of Adam and man, God would have come down and lived on planet earth the Sabbath that followed the first Sabbath of Genesis 2:1-3. This is why God referred to the Promised Land as His “rest” (see Hebrews 3:6-19 and Hebrews 4:1-11). God, in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, was to come and rest in Israel’s land, to enjoy His purpose and plan for creation, for all the work of creation was now finished.

However, we understand that sin interrupted God’s plan, and that earthly kingdom did not come about in Genesis. Instead, beginning with Abram (Abraham) in Genesis chapter 12, God started a new race of people, the nation Israel. God would make Israel His chosen people on earth. Once saved, the Jews would restore God’s authority in the earth (which had been lost when Adam fell, and man’s dominion on the earth was passed to Satan; cf. Genesis 1:28; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 2:2). To the nation Israel God would give that earthly kingdom that He planned backed with Adam and creation (Exodus 19:3-6). When the Jews kept the Sabbath holy every week, they were continually reminded of that earthly kingdom and their role in God’s purpose and plan for creating the earth.

Unfortunately, Satan polluted the nation Israel with pagan idolatry, false religion: also, he sent false prophets to mislead Israel, and his evil spirits seduced and possessed Jews (Deuteronomy 13:1-18; Jeremiah 6:13; Acts 8:7-24; Acts 13:6-8; 2 Peter 2:1-3; et al.). As long as Satan kept Israel in spiritual bondage, the Jews could not be the vessels that God had intended them to be. This continued throughout the Old Testament, whose prophets emphatically preached of Israel’s coming kingdom. Finally, Jesus Christ, Israel’s King-Redeemer was born, and He came to usher in their kingdom. However, that earthly kingdom was further postponed when the Jews rejected and crucified Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. Had Israel accepted Jesus as her Messiah-King 2,000 years ago, that earthly kingdom would have been set up. But, that kingdom will not be established until the Second Coming of Christ, some 6,000 years since creation, and a day beyond even our time!

Israel had forgotten the meaning of the first Sabbath day. By the time Jesus Christ showed up in Matthew, Israel was worshipping the Sabbath instead of worshipping the God of the Sabbath. Israel had no idea what the Sabbath day was all about.

JESUS CHRIST, “THE SON OF MAN,” AND “LORD OF THE SABBATH DAY:” HIS SABBATH-DAY MIRACLE-MINISTRY EXPLAINED

On three occasions, Jesus Christ called Himself, “The Son of Man, Lord of the Sabbath Day” (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5). What did He mean? It meant that He ordained that first Sabbath day of Genesis 12:1-3: He knew the significance of the Sabbath, that it was established to glorify Him instead of merely provide Israel’s religious leaders with a nice law to observe and feel pious. He was saying that Israel’s religious leaders had no idea what Sabbath day-worship really was! Jesus Christ was the perfect Man, “the Son of Man,” as opposed to sinful Adam or sinful Israel, for He was the Man who would accomplish Father God’s original intention in creation. Jesus Christ was also the LORD God manifest in human flesh, the Person whom creation was to glorify (Colossians 1:16-20).

We thus understand why Jesus Christ healed on the Sabbath day. When Israel’s Messiah and King (Jesus) came, as documented in the Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there was a spike in the number of devil-possessed and sick Jews. As long as Israel was in spiritual darkness and satanic bondage, God could not use them in their kingdom to evangelize Gentiles. Do you remember the humpback woman in Luke 13:16, whom we briefly discussed earlier? “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” That physically-crippled woman was spiritually-impotent Israel, firmly bound by Satan’s chains and spiritually blind! The Jews were to be released from that satanic bondage on the Sabbath, the Millennial (1000-Year) Reign of Christ, the period of “rest” that the Saturday Sabbath typified.

Notice what Mark 5:10 says: “And he [the unclean spirit] besought him [the Lord Jesus Christ] much that he would not send them away out of the country.” The devils do not want to be cast out of “the country.” They do not want to be cast out of the land of Israel! Furthermore, the devils rightly claim Jesus Christ has come to destroy them by setting up His kingdom and binding them.

The Lord Jesus Christ told the Jews whom He healed that their sins are forgiven (Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20; Luke 7:48). Jesus is casting out devils and healing all manners of disease and sickness and preaching “the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 9:35; cf. Matthew 4:17). He also sends out His 12 apostles to heal and preach “the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 10:1-8). The Lord Jesus is demonstrating to Israel the healing, prosperity, and forgiveness that God would provide for the Jews during their earthly kingdom. The “binding of the strong man” is Jesus Christ casting Satan out of Israel’s midst (Matthew 12:24-32; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 11:15-26).

Notice Matthew 12:15, which occurred right after the healing of the man with the withered hand (recall that it was on the Sabbath). “But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all.” Here is an example of Jesus healing multitudes of people on the Sabbath. This healed multitude also symbolized Israel being healed in her earthly kingdom.

Jesus Christ is not only healing Israel physically, but spiritually as well. Every time Christ cast out a devil (unclean spirit), He was diminishing Satan’s influence over the nation Israel. Interestingly, the crippled man in John 5:5 had been handicapped for 38 years. Amazingly, Deuteronomy 2:14 said that Israel wandered in the wilderness for 38 years. During that period, the Jews were rebellious and spiritually crippled, unable to enter the Promised Land, the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus healed the man suffering from dropsy in Luke 14:1-4, recall that He healed him too on the Sabbath day. This sick man also symbolized Israel, spiritually impotent and under Satan’s control. Again, by healing the sick, especially on the Sabbath day, Jesus was demonstrating to the Jews that their earthly kingdom would bring spiritual and physical healing. The man whose withered hand was healed on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10-15; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11) also symbolized Israel’s physical and spiritual healing in her coming kingdom.

Another example of Israel being devil-possessed is the man indwelt by the unclean spirit in Mark 1:21-27 and Luke 4:31-36. Notice that the unclean spirit asked Jesus (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34): “Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.” The devil knew exactly what Christ was there to do! Christ was there to destroy Satan’s stronghold on the nation Israel. He was here to bring in the kingdom that the Sabbath day had shadowed for some 1,500 years!

In contrast to such wonderful news, that God was there to break Satan’s grip of Israel, deliver her from her sins and free her from satanic and Gentile oppressions, Israel did not have hearts willing to listen to the doctrine being communicated by Jesus Christ’s Sabbath-day miracles. The Pharisees and scribes had such a formalistic mindset that they completely missed the point of why Jesus Christ was healing on the Sabbath. Hence, they condemned Him as a “blasphemer” and a “law-breaker.” They were too preoccupied with keeping the Sabbath (vain religious tradition) that they had lost sight of why God had implemented Sabbath day keeping in the first place!

Additionally, they completely missed the point that by performing those miracles, Jesus was proving that He was their Messiah. However, these religious leaders had wicked hearts of unbelief, and they used anything to discredit Jesus Christ, and thus accused Him of Sabbath day breaking. They did not have hearts of faith or spiritual eyes to see the meaning of those Sabbath-day miracles of Christ. In their hypocrisy, these unbelievers had totally missed the fact that they broke the Sabbath when they circumcised a male Jew on the Sabbath when it was the eighth day (John 7:22-24). Even today, Bible critics complain that Jesus Christ broke the Sabbath day on many occasions—they too have no idea what the Sabbath day means, or they would not utter such rash comments!

While the Sabbath day was important, it was a ceremonial law. Sometimes, the Sabbath day needed to be broken (such as in the case of physical circumcision). Furthermore, Jesus Christ spoke of loosing or helping animals on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11,12; Luke 14:5); Moses made provisions for such actions on the Sabbath (see Exodus 23:5; Deuteronomy 22:4). As to not infringe on other aspects of the Mosaic Law, the Sabbath day would need to be broken—these laws took preeminence above the Sabbath keeping because they were the right things to do. Yet, the religious leaders of Israel did not want to admit that Jesus healing on the Sabbath was good and acceptable. They were cold and heartless, as religionists as today. They would rather have sick people remain ill than disobey a church law!

When Jesus and His disciples were passing through a grain field, and His hungry disciples ate some of the crops, the Pharisees complained that they were working on the Sabbath. One of the questions Jesus asked the Pharisees is the following excerpt from Matthew chapter 12: “[5] Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? [6] But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. [7] But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. [8] For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” The Lord Jesus explained that certain activities had preeminence to Sabbath-day rest, and two of them were having compassion on the hungry (David and his men eating the shewbread; Matthew 12:3-4) and the priests of Israel having to offer sacrifices on the Sabbath. Even Israel’s priests had to break the Sabbath day. We saw earlier how they circumcised male Jewish babies on the Sabbath, but let us look at another example of how Israel’s priests were to work on the Sabbath.

In Numbers 28:3, JEHOVAH commanded Israel through Moses, “This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the Lord; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering.” Every day, no matter what day it was, these two lambs were to be offered—one lamb in the morning and the other lamb in the evening. Even on the Sabbath day, JEHOVAH said, the priests were to minister in the Tabernacle or Temple in this manner. The priests were to work in the Tabernacle or Temple on the Sabbath. Verses 9-10 discuss special offerings that were also to be offered on the Sabbath day: “[9] And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: [10] This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.” In addition to their daily routine, the priests had two more burnt offerings to sacrifice on the Sabbath day. Notice how JEHOVAH gave Israel’s priesthood the permission to infringe upon Sabbath-day keeping: the priests could not rest on the Sabbath, otherwise they would disobey other commandments of JEHOVAH.

CONCLUSION

Why did Jesus heal on the Sabbath day? He did it to demonstrate “the powers of the world to come” (Hebrews 2:3-5; Hebrews 6:4-6). The Old Testament prophesied that when Israel’s God would come, the lame man would leap, the mute would sing, the blind would see, and the deaf would hear (Isaiah 35:4-6). When Israel’s Messiah would come, there would be no unclean spirits in Israel’s land (Zechariah 13:1-2). By performing the healing miracles, especially on the Sabbath, Jesus Christ was fulfilling what the Old Testament had predicted all the way back to the Creation Week!

There will be no sickness or suffering in the kingdom when Christ returns to Earth at His Second Coming (Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 33:23,24; Isaiah 35:3-6; James 5:14-16). God will cause the evil spirits to pass from the land of Israel (Zechariah 13:1-2)—during the Millennial Reign of Christ, Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3,7). By performing those miracles, Christ was showing Israel the healing and forgiveness that would take place in His millennial kingdom! Moreover, the Jews needed signs and wonders before they would believe God, and Christ’s miracles taught Israel what He was going to do with them (Exodus 4:1-8; John 4:48; 1 Corinthians 1:22). Now you know why the Lord Jesus Christ healed on the Sabbath.

Also see:
» Is the Sabbath day Saturday or Sunday? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Should I observe the Sabbath day? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Why did Jesus and His apostles cast out devils? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)

ESCHATOLOGY (END TIMES) / PROPHECY, PRAYER, Should I recite “The Lord’s Prayer?”, Should I recite “The Lord’s Prayer?”, Should I recite “The Lord’s Prayer?”, THE NATION ISRAEL

Should I recite “The Lord’s Prayer?”

SHOULD I RECITE “THE LORD’S PRAYER?”

by Shawn Brasseaux

The so-called “Lord’s Prayer” is Christendom’s official prayer: it is uttered ad nauseum in nearly every “Christian” setting. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most uttered prayers in all of the professing Church’s history. Actually, a better title for this prayer is, “The ‘Our Father’ Prayer,” since Jesus never prayed it (John chapter 17 is the true “Lord’s Prayer”). Should we recite “The Lord’s Prayer?” If we are Bible believers, we are going to believe what the Bible says. Let us see what the Bible says about this special prayer, that we may have “joy and peace in believing.”

Despite its constant and widespread recitation, there is almost no understanding as to what the phrases and petitions in the “Our Father” Prayer actually mean. In 1 Corinthians 14:15, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.” In Paul’s mind, prayer was an action in which one understood the words he or she was uttering. If we do not understand the meaning of the contents of the “Our Father” Prayer, how can we expect our recitation of it will glorify and honor the Lord Jesus Christ? Unfortunately, prayer in much of Christendom is often repetitious utterances mindlessly spoken because of “religious duty.” The purpose of prayer in the Bible is thus overlooked.

Due to Christendom’s persistent failure to “study… rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), it has greatly erred doctrinally. Prayer in Christendom is usually worthless tradition or misapplied Scripture because dispensational Bible study has been either innocently or deliberately ignored. The dispensational changes evident in God’s Word are overlooked: verses that do not describe anything that God is doing today, are forced onto us as if they did apply to us today. Israel’s verses are taken and often applied to us, the Church the Body of Christ. No wonder people get confused regarding Scripture. No wonder people stumble over the so-called Bible “contradictions.” We will search the Scriptures to discover that the so-called “Lord’s Prayer” is a beautiful summary of Israel’s program, and that it actually has nothing to do with any Christian today. Eliminating the static due to religious tradition, we present to you “the official prayer of Christendom” in “HD,” with unparalleled clarity.

First, read the entire “Our Father” Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13): “[9] After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [13] 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.”

We will now dissect this prayer in order to understand its individual clauses and concepts.

“AFTER THIS MANNER THEREFORE PRAY YE: OUR FATHER….” (MATTHEW 6:9)

The “Our Father” Prayer begins, of course, with “Our Father.” Who is the “our” in “Our Father?” Why are they calling God “Father?” What is the significance of God being “in heaven?” Remember, contrary to common belief, Jesus Christ did not minister to us Gentiles in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus stated, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24; cf. Romans 15:8). The “Our Father” is Israel’s model prayer—the “ye” of Matthew 6:9 is Israel’s believing remnant. Jesus is speaking to Israel, not us, in Matthew 6:9.

“Father” denotes origin. When Israel called God “Father,” they were acknowledging He gave birth to them (Deuteronomy 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 89:26). God gave birth to national Israel when He delivered them from Egyptian bondage (“Israel is my son, even my firstborn;” Exodus 4:22-23; cf. Hosea 11:1). Israel is to renounce Satan as their spiritual father (John 8:42-44), discard their pagan idols whom they foolishly called “father” (Jeremiah 2:27), and declare, “O LORD, thou art our father” (Isaiah 64:8).

Israel’s believing remnant will say in the future: “Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting” (Isaiah 63:16). Jeremiah 3:19 speaks of Israel’s future restoration: “But I [the LORD] said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.” Malachi 2:10 asks Israel, “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?”

“WHICH ART IN HEAVEN….” (MATTHEW 6:9)

God was to dwell with Israel on earth (Job 19:25-27; Isaiah 2:1-5; Daniel 2:34-35,44; Zechariah 8:23), and yet He is in heaven. Israel is here acknowledging her fall into sin (Deuteronomy 32:15; Hosea 1:2; Acts 7:38-43,51-53), and her delaying God’s earthly kingdom (2 Chronicles 7:19-22); in the future seven-year Tribulation, believing Israel will acknowledge this. JEHOVAH said to unbelieving, apostate, rebellious Israel in Hosea’s day, “I will go and return to my place [heaven], till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early” (Hosea 5:15).

When Jesus Christ died, God’s presence left the Temple in Jerusalem, and the veil was rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Jesus had said to Jerusalem, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:38,24). Israel will not say this until Jesus Christ returns at His Second Coming (Psalm 118:26).

By uttering the “Our Father Prayer,” Israel is asking JEHOVAH to come back to them, to return to planet Earth and be Emmanuel, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Zechariah 8:23; Matthew 1:23).

“HALLOWED BE THY NAME….” (MATTHEW 6:9)

Israel is recognizing JEHOVAH as separate from the pagan gods and goddesses they historically served. Unlike Moses (Deuteronomy 32:51), Israel is praising His name as holy. Isaiah 8:13 urged sinful Israel: “Sanctify [Hallow] the LORD of hosts himself; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” Israel’s believing remnant will also honor (“sanctify”) JEHOVAH’S name in the last days (Isaiah 29:23).

Speaking of her restoration to God, the Bible says about Israel in Ezekiel 39:27-29: “[27] When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; [28] Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. [29] Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 28:25, speaking of Israel’s future restoration, says: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.” Ezekiel 39:27 amplifies: “When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;…” Ezekiel 20:41 again confirms: “I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.” And Ezekiel 36:23, “And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.” Jeremiah 3:22 is an example of how Israel will sanctify or hallow JEHOVAH’S name: “Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.”

“THY KINGDOM COME….” (MATTHEW 6:10)

In this first petition of the “Our Father” Prayer, Israel’s believing remnant is acknowledging that their nation’s fall into sin postponed God’s earthly kingdom, but they are now ready to receive it. The New (heavenly) Jerusalem will “come down from God out of heaven” and be established on earth (Revelation 21:1-4). This “heaven on earth” kingdom was Israel’s hope throughout the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 11:21; Psalm 45:6,7; Isaiah 9:6,7; Daniel 2:35,44; Zechariah 9:9-10; et al.) and Israel’s believing remnant during Christ’s earthly ministry anticipated it (Luke 1:67-79; Luke 2:25-38; Luke 24:21; et al.). Jesus and His disciples preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 10:7; Mark 1:15; et al.). Israel’s believing remnant, in the future, will pray for God’s earthly kingdom to come, and her Messiah Jesus will be returning (His Second Coming) to establish it (Revelation 5:10; Revelation 11:15; Revelation 20:4; et al.). Father God said of Jesus Christ: “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion” (Psalm 2:6,7).

“THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN….” (MATTHEW 6:10)

Satan has polluted heaven and earth with sin (Job 15:15; Isaiah 14:14; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12). By the time Israel’s believing remnant is living during the (future) seven-year Tribulation, we the Church the Body of Christ will already be raptured into heaven, ruling and reigning for God’s glory there. Halfway through those seven years, Satan and his angels will be cast out of heaven (that is, the second heaven, outer space) and confined to earth (Revelation 12:7-9); we will occupy their vacated offices of government in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:20-23; Ephesians 2:6-7; Philippians 3:20-21).

God will restore heaven to Himself first, He will glorify His Son Jesus in heaven first, and His purpose and plan will be accomplished in heaven first. Israel’s believing remnant, knowing this, will pray the second petition that God’s will on earth—His earthly kingdom—be accomplished AS His heavenly kingdom was established. They want Jesus Christ to come and cleanse planet earth of Satan’s activity as He cleansed the heavens of Satan’s activity.

“GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.” (MATTHEW 6:11)

Although God raining down manna (bread) for Israel to eat is very well known, the prophetic aspect is seldom realized: God will feed Israel again with manna during the seven-year Tribulation. The following Scriptures have a dual application—they are history and prophecy. “Feed thy people with thy rod,… as in the days of old. According to the days of [Israel’s] coming out of the land of Egypt…” (Micah 7:14,15). The psalmist recounted God giving manna to stubborn, ungrateful Israel under Moses’s leadership (Psalm 78:19,20): “Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?” The psalmist David wrote, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies” (Psalm 23:5).

When the Jews in the area of Judaea hear the news of the Antichrist desecrating the newly-rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, God through the Scriptures will instruct them to flee to the mountains (Matthew 24:15-22; Mark 13:14-20). Their evacuation is urgent, and they are not to waste time gathering their material possessions. These Jews will escape into the wilderness, lacking food, shelter, and extra clothes. God will miraculously provide for them, just as He did for Israel in Moses’s day. Revelation 12:6 supplements: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” God will take care of this believing remnant of Israel or the last three-and-one-half years of the Tribulation (the 1,260 days referenced). This “hidden manna” of Revelation 2:17 will rain down for the last 42 months of the seven years. As Jesus Christ taught, Israel’s believing remnant will literally rely on God for their daily food; thus, their third petition is, “Give us this day, our daily bread,” reminding themselves that He will meet all their physical needs as He promised (Matthew 6:24-34; Luke 12:22-32).

We have no reason to pray the “Our Father” prayer because we do not depend on God for our daily food; our pantries are stocked with food to last for weeks. The Jews of Revelation 12:6 will be unable to work for their food, so God will honor their faith and feed them. Our Apostle Paul tells us that if we want to eat, we must work (2 Thessalonians 3:10)! Yet, according to the “Our Father” Prayer, notice that the Jews are instructed to pray for daily bread rather than work for it (cf. Luke 11:3).

“AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS” (MATTHEW 6:12)

Like the second petition of verse 10, this fourth petition also utilizes a comparison. Once Jesus Christ concludes the “Our Father” Prayer, in verses 14 and 15, He elaborates on this principle of forgiveness: “[14] For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: [15] But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Notice how God instructed Israel to pray in her prophetic program. They were to ask God for forgiveness so they could be forgiven. In other words, their forgiveness from God depended on whether or not they forgave others. This principle is in perfect accordance with the Law, the operating system of Israel’s program. Israel’s incentive to forgive others is so that she can get forgiveness from God. This performance-based acceptance system of Law is delineated so clearly in Deuteronomy chapter 28. If Israel was to receive God’s blessings, she had to obey all of His commandments. If Israel disobeyed, she received curses and judgments. God accepted these Jews on the basis of what they did by faith (see James 2:14-26): faith was the foremost issue for Israel, but they also needed works (physical circumcision, water baptism, confession of sins, et cetera).

Contrast this with what the Apostle Paul wrote to us in the mystery program, the Dispensation of Grace, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32) Colossians 2:13 supplements, “God… having forgiven you all trespasses.” In our Dispensation of Grace, God has already forgiven us because of Jesus Christ’s perfect sacrifice on Calvary, and it is on this basis of God’s grace to us in Christ that we forgive others. We are under grace, not law (Romans 6:14); we do not appeal to Israel’s legalistic doctrine, for it is not God’s will for us. Just as God for Jesus Christ’s sake has forgiven us of all our sins—past, present, and future—we are to forgive others. Unless we “rightly divide the word of truth,” approaching the Bible dispensationally (2 Timothy 2:15), Matthew 6:12,14,15 will appear to be contradictions when examined in light of Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 2:13, and Colossians 3:13.

“AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL:” (MATTHEW 6:13)

This fifth and final petition does not involve a daily temptation we all face. Remember, God does not force anyone to sin, and He does not lead anyone to sin: sin is the result of a bad thought in the mind of the one committing the sinful deed. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:13-14).

Actually, the “temptation” in this petition refers to the seven-year Tribulation, when Israel’s believing remnant will be tested, tried—persecuted and greatly pressured into following Satan’s policy of evil. Specifically, Israel’s little flock of believers will be imprisoned and executed for refusing to follow the antichrist and his satanic religion (Psalm 10:1-18; Daniel 7:19-25; Revelation 13:15; et al.); this is the “evil” (world system) from which believing Israel wants to be delivered. The way these Jews “overcome” the Antichrist and Satan is to die for Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:16-28; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 12:11; Revelation 15:2; Revelation 20:4; et al.). See also Psalm 37:1-40. During the Tribulation period, these believing Jews will be tempted to follow the Antichrist and accept his mark and/or worship his image, or face death/martyrdom (Revelation 13:7-18). These believing Jews are praying for protection and that they will not accept the Antichrist.

“FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER.” (MATTHEW 6:13)

Absent from the modern English perversions and their underlying corrupt Greek manuscripts, this doxology is found in the majority of Greek New Testament manuscripts and it belongs in the Bible text just as the King James translators’ inclusion affirms. God, in His great power, will deliver Israel’s believing remnant from the Tribulation’s horrors and deception, and He will resurrect them and bring them into His earthly kingdom (which Jesus Christ will establish at His Second Coming, after those seven years), thereby glorifying God forever (Revelation 11:15-17).

Interestingly, the doxology of The “Our Father” Prayer is very similar to the doxology of King David’s prayer to JEHOVAH God: “Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11).

“AMEN.” (MATTHEW 6:13)

Hebrew for “so be it.”

THE TWO RULES ASSOCIATED WITH THE “OUR FATHER” PRAYER

Before Jesus gave them that model prayer, the “Our Father” Prayer, He gave two rules. Matthew 6:5-8: “[5] And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. [6] But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. [7] But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. [8] Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

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: “[5] And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. [6] But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (verses 5,6).

Secondly, Jesus told them not to pray like the heathen, either: “[7] But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. [8] Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (verses 7,8). 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). According to the Lord, “vain repetitions” are what the “heathen” pray. God wants intelligent prayer with faith, not mindless repetition of words whose meanings we do not understand. (Interestingly, the New American [Catholic] Bible says, “In praying, do not babble like the pagans,….” This dishonest wording conceals Jesus’s explicit forbiddance of “repetitious” prayer, which Christendom prefers instead of God’s will anyway.) Believing Israel, surrounded by the pagan Romans, could have easily fallen into the trap of praying like those heathen, mindlessly repeating words to gain attention from any deity that would capitulate to their petitions. In Matthew 6:7-8, Jesus Christ was very careful in warning Israel not to err in that regard.

Jesus Christ comforted 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, Israel’s God, was a God of great love and faithfulness. He knew the needs of His people, and never would He fail them. They simply needed to study and meditate on His Word to them, and that would be the type of prayer that He would answer. JEHOVAH was fully aware of their needs, so “vain repetitions” were unnecessary. They simply needed to remember His Word to them.

The “Our Father” Prayer mentions three main needs of Israel: material blessings (particularly food), forgiveness, and deliverance from Satan’s world system into Christ’s kingdom. Jesus so clearly declared, “For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:8). The “Our Father” Prayer is Israel’s way of asking JEHOVAH for things He already said He would give them anyway! (Thus, it is senseless for us Gentiles to pray it in the Dispensation of Grace.)

At this point, one may ask, “If God already knew Israel’s needs, why did Israel have to ask Him for them?” The “Our Father” Prayer is how Israel communes with (fellowships with) her God at a very intimate level. She is memorizing God’s Word to her, speaking it back to Him, and her exaltation of His Word is what honors Him. May we learn God’s Word to us (Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon), and may we continually dwell on those precious grace truths, thereby honoring Jesus Christ just as much as the “Our Father” Prayer praises Him in Israel’s program.

CONCLUSION

The reader is thus greatly cautioned, for Christendom not only misunderstands the “Our Father” Prayer, but it also misuses it. Again, before Jesus even gave Israel this model prayer, He instructed them, “use not vain repetitions” because that was the manner of pagans (lost people, those going to hell). Yet, millions in Christendom today utter the “Our Father” Prayer over and over and over and over and over, completely disregarding its context and breaking the two rules Jesus attached to it. The “Our Father” Prayer is mindlessly repeated in public in circumstances that really have nothing to do with its contents. The so-called “Lord’s Prayer”—more aptly, the “Our Father Prayer”—has nothing to do with us in this the Dispensation of Grace. Its contents do not apply to our dispensation. However, the “Our Father” Prayer is very appropriate in Israel’s kingdom program, its context.

By studying the contents of this prayer, we saw that it neither applies to us nor describes what God is doing today in this, the Dispensation of His Grace. This prayer is a summary of Israel’s prophetic program—it opens and closes with a doxology (Israel’s praise of God), and its five petitions involve God’s Word to Israel. We can and do study this prayer and we can and do rejoice in its doctrine. However, we acknowledge that it is God’s Word to Israel in her kingdom program, and we should not steal it and force it into our program. The Lord Jesus Christ provided four large model prayers in Paul’s epistles that involve and describe what God is doing today (Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 3:14-21; Philippians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:9-13). May we study these prayers and understood their contents, so we can enjoy our fellowship with God and talk to Him in light of His Word to us, just as believing Israel delighted in His Word to them and they spoke to Him about it.

The immediate context of Matthew 6:7-8 is Jesus Christ instructing His believing remnant in Israel how to pray (the “Our Father” Prayer immediately follows those verses). 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, Matthew 6:7-8 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.

The so-called “Lord’s Prayer,” actually the “‘Our Father’ Prayer,” is one of Christendom’s favorite prayers. Unfortunately, however, none (!) of the millions who pray it daily understand its contents. Recall what the Apostle Paul wrote, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:15). In Paul’s mind, prayer was an intelligent response to God’s Word to him; it was not mindless repetition of religious rhetoric that he memorized or read from a page. Before Jesus Christ gave the “Our Father” Prayer to believing Israel, He established two rules. Firstly, He instructed them not to pray like the hypocrites: they were to pray privately instead of publicly to be seen of people (Matthew 6:5,6). Secondly, He told them not to pray like the heathen: they were to pray intelligently rather than mindlessly utter empty, repetitious prayers (Matthew 6:7,8).

Romans 10:10 says of Israel’s salvation, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made nigh unto salvation.” Inside their hearts, believing Jews will trust in Jesus as Messiah, and in their hearts, they will confess the truths of the “Our Father” Prayer as true. Paul spoke of Israel’s future salvation in Romans 11:23, “And they [Israel] also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.” During the future seven-year Tribulation, the nation Israel will come out of her unbelief by recognizing as true the doctrine of the “Our Father” Prayer.

This concludes our study, “The ‘Our Father’ Prayer in HD.” (Please do not return to low-definition.) 🙂

Also see:
» How should I pray?
» What about hindered prayer and unanswered prayer?
» Should I pray the rosary?
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Could you please clarify Ephesians 2:18-22?, Could you please clarify Ephesians 2:18-22?, Could you please clarify Ephesians 2:18-22?, DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, GRACE (CHRISTIAN) LIVING, THE NATION ISRAEL

Could you please clarify Ephesians 2:18-22?

COULD YOU PLEASE CLARIFY EPHESIANS 2:18-22?

by Shawn Brasseaux

“If the church began [with] Paul’s conversion why is it that in Ephesians 2:18-22 the apostles were included in the Body of Christ? The words ‘fellow citizens’ show that other believers are included. And aside from that, Ephesians 2:13-14 tells us that the body was created at the cross & through the death of Christ on the cross.” Thank you for these great questions; let us see what the Holy Spirit says in His Holy Word.

Before commenting, we should read Ephesians 2:18-22: “[18] For through him [Jesus Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. [19] Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; [20] And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [21] In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: [22] In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Firstly, you made a good observation in remarking that Ephesians 2:19 has the phrase “fellowcitizens with the saints.” The noun “fellowcitizens” would refer to us (members of the Church the Body of Christ), while the noun “saints” would be those who were saved unto eternal life prior to us. Those saved prior to the beginning of the Church the Body of Christ would be the members of Israel’s believing remnant—Israel’s 12 apostles, and all the other members of her “little flock” (Luke 12:32), all Jews who had trusted Jesus as Messiah-King. However, redeemed Israel and the Body of Christ are two separate entities; they are all citizens of the kingdom of God of the Bible, but they still belong to two unique bodies of believers.

The Bible says we Gentile Christians “are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). We Gentiles used to be cut off from the God of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-12), but now, we who were far off are made nigh (near) to God by Jesus Christ’s shed blood at Calvary (Ephesians 2:13). According to 1 Corinthians 12:13, we are made nigh to Father God by the Holy Spirit placing us into the Church the Body of Christ (whose formation is discussed in Ephesians 2:13 onward into chapter 3, verse 11). The purpose of God forming the Church the Body of Christ is revealed elsewhere in Paul’s epistle to Ephesus.

Let us read Ephesians 1:9-10: “[9] Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: [10] 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 had a will, a purpose, in creation, but He did not reveal “the mystery [secret] of His will” until the Apostle Paul. In other words, prior to Paul, God only made known some of His will; God had a secret will that He did not reveal until Paul. This secret will involved a secret family of God, another aspect of His kingdom. (We will discuss this more later.)

With Paul’s ministry and the completion of God’s revelation to man through Paul, we learn that Father God wanted His Son Jesus Christ to head the governments of heaven and earth. This goes back to the first verse of the Bible (Genesis 1:1) and is cross-referenced in Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:15, and Colossians 1:20. We will take some time to look at Ephesians 3:15 and Colossians 1:20.

Colossians 1:16-20 explains: “[16] For by him [Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: [17] And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. [19] For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; [20] And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

Currently, Satan has defiled heaven (Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12) and earth (2 Corinthians 4:4; Galatians 1:4) with sin. Satan wanted to rule heaven and earth, he wanted to be “like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14); he wanted to be “possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19,22). Overall, God wants to form two agencies—two groups of His children—to restore His authority in heaven and earth, to have Jesus Christ glorified in heaven and in earth, to combat and subdue the rebellion that Satan has caused in heaven and in earth. We should view Ephesians 3:15 in this light.

Please note Ephesians 3:14-15 now: “…the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named….” God’s kingdom, God’s household, God’s family is made up of people in heaven and people on earth (refer back to Ephesians 2:19). God’s kingdom—the realm over which He rules—can be divided into two bodies, the nation Israel and the Church the Body of Christ. Israel is God’s earthly people (Exodus 19:5-6; Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:5; Revelation 5:10) and the Church the Body of Christ is God’s heavenly people (2 Corinthians 5:1; Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 2:6-7; 2 Timothy 4:18). All believers in the Scriptures—whether Adam (those saved before our dispensation), or those saved during our dispensation, or those Christians saved after our dispensation—they are all members of God’s family (otherwise they would be lost, part of Satan’s family). However, only those saved in our Dispensation, the Dispensation of Grace, are members of the Church the Body of Christ. To those prior to the Apostle Paul, God revealed information about His earthly family (that would be the nation Israel). To Paul, God revealed information about His heavenly family (that would be the Church the Body of Christ). This is how we should view Ephesians 1:9-10.

To make the 12 apostles of Israel a part of the Body of Christ would get rid of the nation Israel. The nation Israel and the Church the Body of Christ will always remain separate entities. Israel will always be made of Jews only, whereas the Church the Body of Christ is made up of neither Jews nor Gentiles but people who are “new creatures in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). God will always have a people to rule in heaven for His glory and a people to rule earth for His glory. There is always the necessity of the division between heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1), so there must always be a division between God’s heavenly people (the Church the Body of Christ) and God’s earthly people (the nation Israel). These are some basic conclusions that dispensational Bible study leads us to form.

Now, we move on to your question about when the Church the Body of Christ was formed.

THE CHURCH THE BODY OF CHRIST BEGAN BY THE CROSS, NOT AT THE CROSS

While it is definitely true that Jesus Christ’s shed blood makes the Church the Body of Christ possible (Ephesians 2:13), the Church the Body of Christ did not begin at Calvary. In fact, we still see the Jew and Gentile distinction after Calvary—after Calvary, there is still the distinction between Jew and Gentile (see Luke 24:47; Acts 2:5,14,22,29,36; Acts 3:25-26; Acts 5:30-31; et cetera). Remember, according to Ephesians 2:11-12, if there is a distinction between Jew and Gentile, it is not the Body of Christ, and it is not God’s current dealings with mankind.

Please do not misread Ephesians 2:16 as some do: “And that he might reconcile both [Jew and Gentile, verses 11-12] in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.” It was by the cross—not at the cross—that God formed the one new man. The Body of Christ is dependent upon the crosswork of Jesus Christ, but it did not begin at the cross. The distinction—the animosity—between Jew and Gentile was not settled until after Calvary, not at Calvary.

We read in Galatians 5:6: “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” And Galatians 6:15: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.”

The Holy Spirit through Paul wrote those two above verses, but they were not true in time past, prior to the Body of Christ. They are true today, but they were not true prior to Paul; the distinction between Jew and Gentile existed before Paul’s conversion and ministry. However, God has now rescinded that distinction. There is no mistake in the Bible—it is just a change in program. It did matter to be a Jew in time past, for Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry was to Jews only (Matthew 15:24; John 4:22; Acts 2:22; Romans 9:5; Romans 15:8). Today, there is the “new creature,” the “one new man,” the Church the Body of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:15), and in the Body of Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Galatians 3:28).

WHO ARE THE “APOSTLES AND PROPHETS” OF EPHESIANS 2:20 AND EPHESIANS 3:5?

In order to blur the glaring distinctions between Paul’s ministry and Peter’s ministry, between Israel’s believing remnant and the Church the Body of Christ, it has been postulated that we are built on the ministries of Israel’s 12 apostles. Ephesians 2:20 is believed to teach such a doctrine. It is asserted that Ephesians 3:5 says that the 12 apostles had the same revelation from God that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to the Apostle Paul. Before we assume anything, we need to look at the verses, especially within their contexts.

We return to Ephesians 2:18-22: “[18] For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. [19] Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; [20] And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [21] In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: [22] In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

We read a parallel passage in Ephesians 3:1-6: “[1] For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, [2] If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: [3] How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, [4] Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) [5] 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; [6] That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:….”

In order to shed light on these two passages, we need to simply look at chapter 4 of Ephesians: “[8] Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. [9] (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? [10] He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) [11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:….”

Ephesians 4:11 says that these would be apostles and prophets Paul wrote of were ordained after Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven. This could not be Peter and the 11 because they were ordained before Jesus Christ even died, some three years before He ascended into heaven. Regarding the “apostles and prophets” of Ephesians 2:19-22 and Ephesians 3:1-6, these would not be Israel’s apostles and prophets (as some allege), for even the Apostle Peter did not understand everything in Paul’s doctrines (2 Peter 3:15-16). The apostles and prophets of Ephesians 2:20 and Ephesians 3:5 are those apostles and prophets associated with Paul’s ministry (see Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Thessalonians 2:6; Acts 14:14; 1 Corinthians 12:10,28-29). These apostles and prophets were members of the Body of Christ—not the nation Israel—and they were instrumental in God forming the Church the Body of Christ. These apostles and prophets associated with Paul’s ministry spoke the grace doctrines of Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, before they were written down in a completed Bible (see Ephesians 4:11-13). The apostles and prophets are not the foundation; Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, is the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11). The apostles’ and prophets’ preaching Jesus Christ “according to the revelation of the mystery” (Romans 16:25-26), the message they preached about Jesus Christ, is the foundation on which we are built—Jesus Christ crucified for our sins, buried to put away our sins, and raised again to justify us before Almighty God (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 4:24-25).

The ascended Lord Jesus Christ revealed the doctrines first to Paul, and then the Holy Spirit used Paul to reveal the doctrines to everyone else (including us). Peter and the 11 learned of Paul’s special ministry and the wisdom committed to Paul by listening to Paul preach in Galatians chapter 2 and Acts chapter 15.

You should pay close attention to Galatians 2:6-9: “[6] But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: [7] But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; [8] (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles: ) [9] And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.”

Through Paul’s writing and preaching ministry, the Holy Spirit manifested the grace doctrines. We find those doctrines recorded in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon.

CONCLUSION: THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH THE BODY OF CHRIST (NOW AND IN THE AGES TO COME)

We read again in Ephesians 2:20-22: “[20] And [we] are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [21] In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: [22] In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Having briefly discussed our corporal purpose in chapters 1 and 2 (which we did briefly earlier), and he will do so further in chapter 3, the Apostle Paul reminds us that God’s will for us before He installs us to serve Him in the heavenly places, is to put us His Holy Spirit within us (that happens at the moment of salvation from sins unto eternal life, and this indwelling Holy Spirit enables us to function as God’s children, and by faith we work with Him to accomplish His will).

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” And again, 2 Corinthians 6:16: “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Finally, 2 Timothy 1:14: “That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.” Today, God the Holy Ghost will use the Bible verses (grace-oriented doctrine, especially Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon) that we study and believe, to fill us with Jesus Christ’s life.

Galatians 2:20 tells us all about the Christian life: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” And Philippians 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Finally, Colossians 3:4: “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” A parallel passage is found in Philippians chapter 1: “[9] And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; [10] That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. [11] Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” It is by the Holy Spirit Himself that Jesus Christ Himself will produce in us good works. This, not us striving in religious works, is the key to victorious Christian living!

But, this life of Jesus Christ in us is not just meant to operate during our brief lifetime on planet Earth. God the Father’s plan is to use us forever for the purpose for which He created us in Christ Jesus—it goes well, well, well beyond this earthly life. Once we leave this planet, God has a whole new realm of operation for us to function (which is why we need new bodies; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Philippians 3:20-21). This is best understood by examining some more basic principles of right division, dispensational Bible study.

We briefly mentioned that the Bible’s first verse says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). As we stated earlier, God needs a body of individuals to execute His will in both realms (originally, these agencies were angels and mankind, respectively). When Lucifer/Satan polluted heaven with sin, and when Adam joined Satan and corrupted earth with sin, God began His two-fold plan to restore heaven and earth to Himself. Most of the Scriptures discuss God creating the nation Israel to function as His earthly people, but what about His restoration of the heavenly places? Like we stated earlier, God kept His plan for restoring heaven a secret until the Apostle Paul’s ministry (Ephesians 3:1-11).

Again, God already had the nation Israel’s believing remnant as His people, but that was just part of His will. Why is God forming the Church the Body of Christ? God the Holy Spirit through Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:19-22 and its context: “[19] Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; [20] And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; [21] In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: [22] In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Now, God has revealed His secret will—heaven’s restoration (Ephesians 1:9,10). In Paul’s epistles alone, Romans through Philemon, we learn that God is currently creating a body that will fulfill His will in heaven (as Israel will fulfill His will in earth; note Matthew 6:10). God is forming the Body of Christ to be His dwelling-place, a body through which His life is to be lived now and forever (Ephesians 2:21,22)! Just as Jesus Christ will live His life in and through Israel on earth (Jeremiah 31:33,34; Matthew chapters 5-7; John 1:12; 2 Peter 1:3,4; et cetera), our grand reunion with our deceased brothers and sisters in Christ in heaven is just the beginning of God’s will for heaven.

God wants to fill us with His life now, and in the heavenly places, it will still be His life (albeit without our sinful flesh in the way, and the context will be the whole universe, not just earth like today!). Just imagine a local church assembly free from all doctrinal error and all sin. Via us, God will fill all of heaven with the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, and it will truly be a family enterprise, one that will literally transcend the endless ages to come!

Also see:
» When did the Church the Body of Christ begin?
» What is dispensational Bible study?
» Are we all God’s children?

Does Matthew 19:27-28 prove Judas is in heaven?, THE NATION ISRAEL

Does Matthew 19:27-28 prove Judas is in heaven?

DOES MATTHEW 19:27-28 PROVE JUDAS IS IN HEAVEN?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Honestly, this is a most thought-provoking question, one I have never heard others discuss and a view I have never before considered. This inquiry encouraged me to study the Bible for myself, and it yielded the following article. Let us look at Matthew 19:27-28 and see if we can shed some light on it. To the Scriptures!

The Bible says in Matthew 19:27-28: “[27] Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? [28] And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

If one were to argue that Judas died a saved individual, that he was someone who departed this world having a right standing before God, this would probably be the primary text that he or she would use. Jesus Christ certainly indicated that only 12 individuals would sit on 12 thrones in order to judge the 12 tribes of Israel. However, notice how Jesus Christ never actually singled out Judas Iscariot by name as one of these individuals. For example, Jesus did not say, “You twelve will sit on twelve thrones….” The Bible never says, “Jesus said unto the twelve apostles, Ye will sit on twelve thrones….” “The twelve” was frequently used in Scripture to include Judas (Matthew 26:20; Mark 4:10; Mark 6:7; Mark 9:35; Mark 10:32; Luke 18:31; John 6:67), but we do not see such language in Matthew 19:27-28; this leads us to conclude that Judas was not included in this promise. Moreover, Scriptural evidence indicates that Judas died and went to hell. (That topic, for sake of brevity, cannot be discussed in this study. For more information, see our Bible study linked at the end of this article.)

What concerns us here is the meaning of Matthew 19:27-28 with respect to Judas. Since the Bible suggests that Judas did not go to heaven, who was that twelfth individual that Jesus Christ made reference to in these verses?

Between the time period of Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven (Acts chapter 1) until the Holy Ghost came down to Earth on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2)—a period of roughly a week—Peter knew from the Scriptures that some man had to fill Judas’ now-vacant apostleship. There had to be twelve apostles to sit on twelve thrones, and with Judas now expired, someone had to be selected. Let us read from Acts chapter 1:

“[15] And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) [16] Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. [17] For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. [18] Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. [19] And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. [20] For it is written in the book of Psalms [Psalm 69:25], Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and [Psalm 109:8] his bishoprick let another take. [21] Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, [22] Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. [23] And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. [24] And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, [25] That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. [26] And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”

In order to occupy Judas’s bishoprick, his replacement had to meet two conditions (verses 21 and 22): firstly, the man had to have been a follower of Jesus Christ from John’s water baptism (Matthew chapter 3), and secondly, he had to be a follower of Jesus all the way up to His ascension into heaven (Acts chapter 1). To wit, Judas’ replacement had to have witnessed the entire earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. This makes sense, since only one who saw Jesus’s ministry and resurrection firsthand could serve in the capacity of being God’s witness of that ministry and resurrection. Only two men met these conditions—Joseph Barsabas Justus, and Matthias. By the casting of lots, God revealed His will to the 11 apostles; it is clear that God Himself wanted Matthias to replace Judas. “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33). “And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,…” (Acts 1:24). Contrary to popular belief, the Lord Himself—not Peter—selected Matthias beforehand; the method whereby the apostles discovered the Lord’s selection was by the casting of lots.

With all that said, we understand that when Jesus spoke of 12 men sitting on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel in His earthly kingdom, there were more than 12 people present in the audience of Matthew 19:27-28. In fact, we read in verse 26 that Jesus’ “disciples” are present—that would include more than just His “apostles.” Matthias would have been among the crowds when Jesus spoke of Israel’s 12 thrones and 12 princes sitting on those thrones. It is my conviction that Jesus was speaking to Matthias and Peter and the 10, not Judas, when He uttered the words of Matthew 19:27-28 and Luke 22:30.

Also see:
» Who was Judas’ replacement—Matthias or Paul?
» Did Judas die a saved individual?
» Was Judas literally Satan incarnate? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)

GRACE (CHRISTIAN) LIVING, THE NATION ISRAEL, Why did Israel have to keep so many “strange” laws?, Why did Israel have to keep so many “strange” laws?

Why did Israel have to keep so many “strange” laws?

WHY DID ISRAEL HAVE TO OBSERVE SO MANY “STRANGE” LAWS?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Why did God give the nation Israel such meticulous regulations that governed virtually every aspect of the Jews’ lives? Let us see what the Holy Spirit has to say in the Holy Scriptures.

Leviticus contains 27 chapters—859 verses and 24,546 words—of laws and procedures regarding sacrifices and offerings, civility, planting and harvesting crops, the kosher diet, hygiene and purification, apparel, real estate, religious ceremonies, the Levitical priesthood, and tithing. It can be quite confusing when reading the scrupulous procedures that JEHOVAH required them to execute under various circumstances. Bible critics attempt to discourage Bible-believing Christians by pointing out that the Old Testament Scriptures have many bizarre laws and many harsh punishments if those laws were not kept. These critics claim that the God of the Judeo-Christian Bible is a “bloodthirsty bully,” and should thus not be considered any different from the other cruel gods of primitive religions. Is there is any merit in these claims? We will thoughtfully consider these objections, and analyze some of the verses they criticize, that we may make sense of the matter.

For example, God told the Jews not to wear wool and linen at the same time. He instructed them not to plant different crops in the same vineyard. He did not want them to plow with an ox and a donkey together. He wanted them to have blue fringes on their vestures. A sampling of these “bizarre” commandments is found in Deuteronomy chapter 22: “[9] Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. [10] Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. [11] Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together. [12] Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.”

Another instance is that JEHOVAH God gave the Jews many dietary laws—they were not to eat pork, and they were not to eat sea creatures such as shrimp and catfish. These commandments are delineated in Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteronomy chapter 14. They were not to eat the non-kosher foods. Additionally, He wanted them to observe the Sabbath day and various other feast days and holidays, clearly delineated in Leviticus chapter 23. They were to physically circumcise their male babies when they were eight days old (Leviticus 12:3)—this physical circumcision went all the way back to Abraham, the father of the Jewish race (Genesis 17:1-14).

Why did the LORD God seem so nitpicky? Did it really matter to have them do these things? Why was it unacceptable for them to do these things in His sight? To understand why Israel was to be different, we need to comprehend that Israel’s God was different; to wit, Israel’s uniqueness reflected her God’s distinctiveness.

The word “holy” appears 92 times within Leviticus because God is instructing Israel to be very different from everyone else, from all the (Gentile) nations around her. He commanded Moses, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). Leviticus 11:44ab further explains, “For I am the LORD that bringeth you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy:….” JEHOVAH (the LORD) was separate from the pagan gods, so He wanted His people Israel to daily exhibit His uniqueness. He wanted them to lead “holy” lives to distinguish them from the Gentiles (everyone else in the world). He wanted the Jews to engage in practices that the Gentiles did not perform, that He indicate to every that the Jews were His people.

The term that the King James Bible uses to denote exclusive ownership is “peculiar;” this term appears seven times in the Bible’s canon. While we use the word “peculiar” today to mean “strange,” in older English (as in the King James days), it meant “of private property” (from Latin peculiaris, from peculium ‘property,’ from pecu ‘cattle’ [cattle being private property]; the sense [odd] dates from the early 17th century).

JEHOVAH God told the nation Israel in Exodus 19:5: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine….” Deuteronomy 14:2 repeats, “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.” And Deuteronomy 26:18: “And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments….” And“For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure” (Psalm 135:4). Finally, 1 Peter 2:9: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light…” God wanted Israel to be His special nation in the Earth (see today’s Scripture). The Apostle Peter assures us that it will happen one day, after our dispensation!

Ecclesiastes 2:8 further explains how God’s Word uses the term “peculiar:” “I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces…” (notice “peculiar” means “belonging to kings…”).

Deuteronomy 4:1-10 summarizes JEHOVAH’S goal in giving Israel the Mosaic Law: “[1] Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. [2] Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. [3] Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. [4] But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. [5] Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. [6] Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. [7] For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? [8] And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? [9] Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; [10] Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.”

It is extremely unfortunate that just four centuries after Moses said the above words, Israel told the Prophet Samuel: “Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5)—Israel did not want to be different, she wanted to have a king like all the nations of the world. She was tired of being “odd;” she did not want JEHOVAH to be her King, she wanted a human king like the nations had. Eventually, the LORD gave in to Israel, and Saul was anointed as king of Israel. As the centuries passed, Kings David and Solomon reigned and then Israel’s kingdom was divided between Israel (northern kingdom) and Judah (southern kingdom).

For the next nine centuries, right up to the ministry of Jesus Christ, Israel adopted more of the pagans’ ways, false religion, et cetera. As the LORD God through Moses predicted in Deuteronomy 4:9 (previous paragraph), Israel departed from His laws, His covenant given through Moses. Israel participated in her own spiritual defeat: after rejecting her Messiah Jesus and crucifying Him on Calvary, she finally fell before God during early Acts. Thankfully, the Bible is clear that JEHOVAH will restore Israel unto Himself one day via the New Covenant (Romans chapter 11); for now, in our Dispensation of Grace, Israel is fallen before Almighty God.

SUPPLEMENTAL: WHERE WE FIT IN

Writing about us, the Church the Body of Christ, the Apostle Paul penned in Titus 2:14: “[Jesus Christ] Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” While Israel is temporarily fallen (Romans chapter 11), God is forming us, Christ’s Body, that we may one day serve Him in the heavenly places. God’s people are always “unique,” but they are “peculiar” primarily because they are His! The people of the Lord Jesus Christ should have lives that exhibit the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only logical that they behave like they are His people.

We members of the Church the Body of Christ are just as separated unto God as Israel was in time past (and will be in the future). Paul wrote: “[17] This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, [18] Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: [19] Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. [20] But ye have not so learned Christ; [21] If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: [22] That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; [23] And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; [24] And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:17-24).

God has forever sanctified us Christians (we are saints, separated from the world). Let us walk by faith in Pauline (grace) Bible doctrine, and our lives shall exhibit the holiness of the LORD. How will this be accomplished?

We just read how Scripture (Titus 2:14) says that we Christians are to be “zealous of good works.” On one hand, religion emphasizes religious works needed to please God, and thus pushes aside faith in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork (the only work that is pleasing in Father God’s sight). On the other hand, these religionists will criticize us grace believers as being anti-good works. No, we are not anti-good works; they are anti-grace (and anti-faith). “And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work” (Romans 11:6). “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace…” (Romans 4:16a). Faith is the only thing grace will accept!

Ephesians 2:8-10 says God does not save us unto eternal life on the basis of our works; after we trust Jesus Christ alone as our personal Saviour, the eternal life Father God gives us by grace through faith is a life to be filled with good works, the works He does in and through us: “[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are HIS workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” It is “his working which worketh in [us] mightily” (Colossians 1:29), and our laboring together with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9).

What are the good works that Jesus Christ will do in us? Read Romans chapter 12, Ephesians chapter 4, and Colossians chapter 3 for starters. These are not good works we do to make Him happy with us; these are His works manifested in our lives! The Holy Spirit wants to produce in our lives, “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23). We are to be “filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11). These are just a few of the works God will perform in and through us. Let us be zealous in allowing God’s Holy Spirit to empower us to daily live the life He already gave us in Christ!

Also see:
» Why did Israel have to observe the Sabbath day? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Must I tithe 10% of my income?
» Does “walking in the Spirit” mean the same thing as “living in the Spirit?”

DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, THE NATION ISRAEL, Why did lying cause the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira?, Why did lying cause the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira?

Why did lying cause the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira?

WHY DID LYING CAUSE GOD TO STRIKE ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA DEAD?

by Shawn Brasseaux

What an excellent question, and thank you for asking. Let us study the Scriptures and see what they have to say about this very bizarre incident.

We should begin by reading the passage in question, Acts 5:1-11: “[1] But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, [2] And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. [3] But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? [4] Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. [5] And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. [6] And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. [7] And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. [8] And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. [9] Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. [10] Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. [11] And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.”

Whenever we have a puzzling Bible passage, it is always wise to look for another Bible passage to explain it; that is, look for verses that read similarly, and one passage will illuminate another passage. A parallel passage that will shed light on our current topic is Luke 18:24-25: “[24] And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! [25] For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” This is the key to understanding why Ananias and Sapphira were judged so harshly.

The context of this passage (Luke 18:18-30; cf. Matthew 19:16-30) is that a “certain ruler” had previously asked Jesus Christ, “Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18; Matthew 19:16). Luke 18:19-21 continues, “[19] And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. [Jesus was asking him, “Are you calling Me ‘God?’” Modern versions water down this verse for obvious reasons.] [20] Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. [21] And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up” (cf. Matthew 19:17-20). (Note how law-keeping is related to soul salvation in Israel’s program, just as James 2:17-26 says.)

Let us return to Luke 18:24-25, but now read them in their context: “[22] Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. [23] And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. [24] And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! [25] For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

Our Lord Jesus commanded this wealthy ruler to sell all of his possessions and give (alms) to the poor. Why? And why did Jesus speak so negatively of being wealthy, warning His audience not to be rich (and instructing them to sell their possessions, too)?

In Luke 12:13-15, a man desired Jesus to speak with his brother, that he “divide the inheritance” with him. Christ replied, “Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? [And he said unto them,] Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Jesus then spoke a parable, describing how a rich man wanted to demolish his barns and build larger ones to contain his many fruits and goods. This fool deceived himself into thinking he could now enjoy “the good life,” forgetting that he would perish, lose it all, and stand before God as an idolater. Jesus concluded, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (verse 21).

Jesus then proceeded to tell His disciples not to worry about what they would eat, drink, or wear (verses 22-29). Verses 30-34 continue, “[30] For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. [31] But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. [32] Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. [34] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

In the Four Gospels, Jesus told the Jews that selling all their possessions and giving to the poor was a sign that their heart, their hope, was in heaven. Those who ignored this command were signifying their unbelief. They did not care what Jesus said; they did not seek His Heavenly Father’s will. They were idolaters—money worshippers—and not worshippers of Father God and His Son Jesus Christ.

When Jesus spoke about giving up material riches and it being impossible for rich people to enter the kingdom of God, He had Israel’s prophetic program in mind. The book of Proverbs had already foretold: “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death” (11:4). “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land” (Zephaniah 1:18).

Once Israel’s Messiah, Jesus, arrived, her program was in its “last days” (Hebrews 1:2; cf. Acts 2:16-21; Joel 2:28-32; Luke 16:16; Matthew 3:7-12). After the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), the day of the LORD’S wrath, the seven-year Tribulation, was to begin. Then, the Antichrist, the false Messiah, would con Israel, and cause her to rest in a false peace policy. He would then manifest himself as satanic by implementing a tyrannical economic agenda: “[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: [17] And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17).

Jesus knew that material riches would spiritually hinder and destroy His little flock, for they would be tempted to take the Antichrist’s mark and accept his name or number in order to retain their physical possessions. He even warned Israel’s believers not to be attached to material goods during the Tribulation period (Matthew 24:15-18; Mark 13:14-16). If they sold all they had, they would be guarded against materialism. However, those rich would value their possessions, and thus submit to the Antichrist.

Observe how Jesus’ audience responded to His words, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25). We read in verse 26 and following: “[26] And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? [27] And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. [28] Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. [29] And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, [30] Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.”

Jesus’ audience did not comprehend that those who could be saved in Israel’s program were those who sold their possessions and gave to the poor. The rich, however, would be greedy, worshipping “mammon” (their material wealth; Matthew 6:24-34). They would fall into the snare of the Antichrist—and once they would accept his mark or worship him in order to keep the value of their possessions, the Bible says they would be damned to everlasting hellfire (Revelation 14:9-11).

The Apostle Peter, representing all members of Israel’s little flock, responded, “Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.” Jesus assured them that He knew that they had abandoned their houses, families, businesses, and so on, for the sake of God’s kingdom. He reassured them that they would receive “manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.” What did He mean? Though believing Jews had lost their flesh-and-blood family members, and their material possessions, they had gained many brothers and sisters and spiritual wealth in Christ. These Messianic Jews would behave like family now by taking care of each other’s physical needs.

CONCLUSION

Considering all of our previous comments, we can see why Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead when they were dishonest about their material wealth. Returning to Acts 5:1-11, we learn how they “sold a possession, and kept back part of the price” (verses 1-2). This was most serious indeed, as we will now delineate and summarize in the following observations:

  1. Ananias and Sapphira could not serve God and mammon: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Ananias and Sapphira were money worshippers; they despised the God of the Bible. They had no respect for Jesus Christ’s words about selling their possessions and giving the money to the poor. They were breaking one of the requirements necessary to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:18-30; cf. Matthew 19:16-30).
  2. Ananias and Sapphira were laying up treasure for themselves, and they were not rich toward God. They had fallen into the trap of idolatry, materialism. What did we read in Luke 12:21, when Jesus commented about the rich man who wanted to tear down his barns and build larger ones to hold his additional goods? “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Ananias and Sapphira had more interest in material goods than pleasing the God of the Bible.
  3. What had Jesus told the rich man? “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). Ananias and Sapphira refused to believe that to be true. They were more interested in having treasures on earth than acquiring treasures in heaven. In the words of Jesus, their heart (attitude, focus) was on earth and not in heaven. Luke 12:33-34: “[33] Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. [34] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
  4. Acts 5:3-4 provides us with what was perhaps the most serious error of Ananias and Sapphira. The Apostle Peter said, “[3] Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? [4] Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” Ananias and Sapphira had not really lied to the apostles—ultimately, they had lied to God the Holy Ghost, the Person working in and through the Apostles. Later, when Sapphira was questioned about the matter, Peter asked her in verse 9, “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” Ananias and Sapphira had “tempted” the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Ghost. They had determined in their hearts not to follow the Lord Jesus’ earlier commands about selling all they had and giving that money away. Ananias and Sapphira not only lied, but they purposed to cheat God and see how He would respond, a most serious matter. Thus, God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead right there on the spot.

Here are some interesting side-notes worthy of our consideration, especially in light of how we relate to this incident of Ananias and Sapphira.

While some teach that Jesus did not literally mean “sell that ye have, and give alms” (Luke 12:33), that His language was figurative (“sell out for Me”), His audience took Him literally. They actually sold their possessions and had all things common in Acts 2:44-47 and Acts 4:32-37. Hence, Peter declared to the lame beggar, “Silver and gold have I none!” (Acts 3:6; cf. Matthew 10:9). The Jerusalem saints pooled all their wealth together and lived for each other’s benefit, just as Jesus instructed, while those Jews who did not have their heart in heaven simply ignored Jesus.

Jesus literally meant for His Jewish disciples to sell their physical possessions; Ananias and his wife Sapphira were a tragic example of those who disregarded Jesus’ literal words. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Ghost and did not relinquish all of their wealth—remember, it was so serious that God actually struck them dead (Acts 5:1-11). They were money worshippers, idolaters, and they were indicating they wanted to remain a part of Satan’s world system, they preferred false gods instead of the true God. Had the Antichrist shown up in early Acts, and had our dispensation not postponed Israel’s program, Ananias and Sapphira would have most likely followed the Antichrist!

Later, when a great famine troubled the whole then-known world (Acts 11:28), and because there was no interest associated with the common account, the Jerusalem Messianic Jews grew poorer. Moreover, their kingdom program and their kingdom prosperity were delayed (since God had just instated our Dispensation of Grace). Thus, Paul’s Gentile converts repeatedly sent financial relief to these poor Jerusalem saints (Acts 11:28-30; Romans 15:25-28; 1 Corinthians 16:1-3; Galatians 2:10).

Therefore, dispensational Bible study is important. God’s Word to us—Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon—never instructs us to sell all our possessions and share one bank account. We are expected to work in order to eat (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; cf. Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:8). Still, the Apostle Paul also warned about loving and worshipping material goods, for “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:3-19). While it is not a sin to be materially rich or poor in this the Dispensation of Grace, let us remember that we in Christ are—and always will be—spiritually rich in Christ (Romans 8:32; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Ephesians 1:3; Philippians 4:19).

Also see:
» What is “the Dispensation of Grace?”
» Did the Church the Body of Christ begin in Acts 2?
» Are we obligated to tithe 10% of our income?

DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, In light of Galatians 1:8-9 was the Apostle Peter “accursed?”, In light of Galatians 1:8-9 was the Apostle Peter “accursed?”, THE NATION ISRAEL

In light of Galatians 1:8-9, was the Apostle Peter “accursed?”

SINCE PETER PREACHED THE KINGDOM GOSPEL, WHY WAS HE NOT UNDER THE CURSE OF GALATIANS 1:8-9?

by Shawn Brasseaux

“In light of Galatians 1:8-9, why was Peter not under a curse since he preached the Kingdom gospel?” What an interesting question! Let us turn to the Word of God and search it for answers.

Lest anyone not know what we mean by the expressions, “the Kingdom Gospel” or “the Gospel of the Kingdom,” we will briefly search the Scriptures for the definition.

Luke 16:16 quotes Jesus as saying, “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” Before Jesus’ earthly ministry even began, John the Baptist preached, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Later, we read about Jesus preaching during His earthly ministry, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Verse 23 continues, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people.” Mark 1:14-15 says, “[14] Now after that John was put into prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” In Matthew 24:14, the Lord Jesus predicted, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Christ used the expression “this” to indicate that “the Gospel of the Kingdom” was the title of the Gospel message associated with His earthly ministry—it was that Gospel that John the Baptist preached, that Gospel that Jesus preached during His earthly ministry, that Gospel that He had commissioned His 12 apostles to preach.

After ordaining the 12, Jesus commanded them, “[5] Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. [6] But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [7] And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. [8] Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:5-8). Basically, the Gospel of the Kingdom focused on the fact that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah-King-the Son of God (Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 2:11; Luke 4:41; Luke 9:20; John 1:41; John 4:25; John 4:42; John 6:69; John 9:22; John 11:27), and that He was coming to establish God’s earthly kingdom; the nation Israel needed to prepare herself by confessing their sin of idolatry and then being water baptized of John (Ezekiel 36:25; Matthew 3:6-12; Mark 1:4-5; Luke 7:29-30; Acts 13:24).

Following the Lord Jesus Christ’s instructions, the Apostle Peter and Israel’s other apostles preached the following salvation message in early Acts: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). This is the Gospel of the Kingdom that John the Baptist, Jesus, and His apostles preached in Matthew through John (change your mind, accept Jesus as Messiah, be water baptized), except there is now the addition of the Holy Spirit being poured out on those believers following their water baptism. Even as late as Acts 3:19-26, Peter continued preaching about the issue of Israel’s earthly kingdom and her need to get right with JEHOVAH, that she can then be His ministers to the Gentiles (non-Jews) in that literal, physical, visible, Davidic kingdom. Israel repeatedly refused the Holy Spirit’s testimony through the apostles and prophets in early Acts (chapters 1-7).

Once Paul’s ministry came on the scene (Acts chapter 9 and onward), but technically in Acts chapter 15 (Galatians chapter 2), the Apostle Peter (as well as James and John, and the other Israeli apostles) learned the further revelation from God that Paul had been given. At that time, Apostles Peter, James, and John finally gave up their ministry to Gentiles (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8) over to Paul. Since Israel was not cooperating, God enacted a plan that He had in mind long ago: He would minister to Gentiles without Israel and her earthly kingdom, and the ascended Lord Jesus Christ would reach Gentiles through Paul’s ministry (Romans 11:11-13). Paul preached “the Gospel of the Grace of God” (Acts 20:24). That message focused on Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). It is totally separate and unique from the Gospel of the Kingdom. (One day, that Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached again; Israel’s kingdom program will resume after our Dispensation of Grace; Romans chapter 11.)

Now, we can focus on the passage in question. We will read Galatians 1:6-9: “[6] I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: [7] Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. [9] As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

To be “accursed” here does not mean to be damned to everlasting hellfire (as commonly taught); it simply means, “separated” or “something (or someone) to be avoided.” In other words, Paul did not want anyone else preaching to the Galatians. After the Apostle had left the region of Galatia, false teachers and false preachers came into those Christian assemblies and mixed law and grace. The Galatians had gotten so confused doctrinally he actually called them “bewitched” (tricked, spellbound, mesmerized) and “foolish” (people who were not thinking clearly) (Galatians 3:1-5). They returned to a performance-based acceptance system (works-religion) and ignored Paul’s Gospel, God’s grace (Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork) as sufficient payment for their sins. The Holy Spirit through Paul wanted the Galatians to separate themselves from false religion; He did not want them to have fellowship with someone who did not preach Paul’s Gospel, the Gospel of the Grace of God. See Galatians 5:12: “I would they were even cut off which trouble you.” Paul wanted the Galatian believers to “cut off” fellowship from those preaching another gospel. (If we did this today, most pulpits would be vacated!)

Now, the question at hand is, Did Galatians 1:6-9 apply to the Apostle Peter?

Remember, according to Galatians 2:9, Apostles Peter, James, and John (Acts chapter 15 onward) confined their ministry to the “circumcision” (Israel’s believing remnant), and they agreed that Paul and Barnabas would go to the “heathen” (lost Jews and lost Gentiles). “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision” (Galatians 2:9).

Exactly who was preaching a Kingdom Gospel (legalism) to the Galatians, we do not know; the Bible does not identify them by name. We have no Scriptural evidence that Peter, James, or John ever visited Galatia. In fact, the Scriptures do reveal that, by Acts chapter 15, Peter, James, and John had already confined their ministry to Israel’s little flock, and the letter to the Galatians was written after Acts 15 (because Galatians chapter 2 alludes to the same event as Acts chapter 15).

Peter was not under any “curse” for preaching a false gospel to the Galatians because he had already learned in Acts chapter 15 (prior to the book of Galatians) that he had no ministry to Gentiles anymore; he learned that Paul was now God’s man to reach the lost Jews and lost Gentiles. As per agreement, Peter was not preaching a Kingdom Gospel to the Galatians, or to any other of Paul’s converts or Gentiles; the phrase “let him be accursed” in Galatians 1:6-9 refers to someone other than Apostles Peter, James, and John. It applies to those who were attempting to overthrow Paul’s ministry—that certainly would not be a reference to Peter, James, and John. Interestingly, we do read about “false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage” (Galatians 2:4). Perhaps it was one of these “false brethren” who misled the Galatians; Galatians 1:6-9 would certainly apply to these legalists.

Also see:
» Did Peter and Paul preach the same Gospel?
» Could you compare and contrast Peter’s ministry and Paul’s ministry? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» We are saved by faith, but are we blessed by works?

ESCHATOLOGY (END TIMES) / PROPHECY, THE NATION ISRAEL, What is “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?”, What is “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?”

What is “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?”

WHAT IS “THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB?”

by Shawn Brasseaux

Exactly what is “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?” Does it involve the Church the Body of Christ eating a meal with Jesus Christ in heaven, as frequently assumed? We allow the Spirit of God to tell us the truth; to Holy Scriptures we go for the divine perspective about this doctrine!

The term “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb” is found once in our King James Bible. We read in Revelation 19:9: “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” Certainly, the Lamb is Jesus Christ (Revelation chapter 5), and someone is marrying Him (see our study “Who is ‘the Bride of Christ?’” hyperlinked at the end of this article). As with the Jewish marriages of Bible days, there is a “supper” involved as well. Exactly what is this “supper?”

Before we proceed, Revelation chapter 19 should be read: “[7] Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. [8] And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. [9] And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”

From verse 11 onward, we read about Jesus Christ’s return to Earth in power and great glory, to establish His earthly kingdom. We will skip down to verse 17 and begin reading: “[17] And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; [18] That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. [19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

The “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” is certainly not a meal Christians have in heaven. Actually, it is quite a graphic event on the Earth, the violent end of Satan’s reign over Earth! Also called “the Supper of the Great God,” it is when Jesus Christ literally feeds the birds with the flesh of His now-defeated enemies! All of the armies of the Antichrist, all of Israel’s enemies, are vanquished when Jesus returns with His mighty angelic armies, and the fowls of heaven—the carnivorous birds—eat the corpses of those gathered against Israel to destroy her. Jesus Christ will marry His wife, and to celebrate that occasion, He invites all of the fowls of heaven to come and devour the flesh of His now-slain foes. It will be a celebration that Earth is now JEHOVAH’S domain. Satan and his minions are removed and confined to the bottomless pit and hell. Israel marries her God; she is forgiven, redeemed, justified, sanctified, made right in His sight. She moves into her homeland, the Promised Land, to stay forever. JEHOVAH will be married to that land forever! (Again, see our study “Who is ‘the Bride of Christ?’” hyperlinked at the end of this article, for more information).

CONCLUSION

People often confuse “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb” with “the Judgment Seat of Christ.” This is because they assume that we are “the Bride of Christ,” and they assume that we are at “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” Beloved, what confused theology that is; it is good church tradition, but it is bad Bible doctrine. One assumption is based on another assumption and both suppositions are wrong—faulty assumptions only lead to faulty conclusions.

The “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” occurs at Jesus Christ’s Second Coming, which is at least seven years after the Rapture, so why do we wait seven years after we are taken from earth before we are married to Christ? It makes no sense. The reason why makes no sense is that the verses being used to teach such doctrine did not say such a thing at all. All it is, is little bits of verses patched together to make one continuous doctrine. At one time I believed such erroneous denominational doctrine because I had not studied my Bible like I should have; I have since discarded the vain traditions of men and have no desire to return to them. One day, I studied the Holy Scriptures on my own, and they became so clear to me. Afterward, I concluded that God’s Word is right, and everyone else—including myself—is wrong. How liberating, how liberating indeed!

Dear friends, we should not conflate Israel’s verses with ours. We have nothing to do with “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” However, we have everything to do with “the Judgment Seat of Christ”—Paul’s epistles do refer to that event, but it has nothing to do with “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” (For more information about “the Judgment Seat of Christ,” please see our study below.)

Also see:
» Who is “the Bride of Christ?”
» What is “the Judgment Seat of Christ?” (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» What is “Replacement Theology?”

DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, ESCHATOLOGY (END TIMES) / PROPHECY, THE NATION ISRAEL, Who is “the Bride of Christ?”, Who is “the Bride of Christ?”, Who is “the Bride of Christ?”

Who is “the Bride of Christ?”

WHO IS “THE BRIDE OF CHRIST?”

by Shawn Brasseaux

Is the Church the Body of Christ “the Bride of Christ?” Many denominationalists, and even some professing “Pauline dispensationalists,” answer that question in the affirmative. Beloved, let us search the Scriptures. We should not repeat what we have heard in church all of our lives, without first consulting the living and written Word of God. It is shocking to learn that the Bible usually does not say what people often presume it says.

Never once in the King James Bible do we find the term, “the Bride of Christ.” That is a religious term, and frankly, it is a core doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, never once does the Bible refer to the Church the Body of Christ as “the Bride of Christ.” This should indicate to us that it is nothing more than a man-made concept, a tradition of men, aimed at deceiving and robbing us of the clarity of God’s Word, and furthering a man-made theological system. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

We do find in our King James Bible the following phrases and terms: “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7,9), “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2), and “the Lamb’s wife” (Revelation 21:9). A marriage is certainly occurring in the closing chapters of the book of the Revelation, but who is marrying whom? We should not rip these verses out of their contexts and fabricate the identity of the bride and the groom (unless, of course, we seek to advance a denominational system rather than the simple teachings of Scripture!).

In the following Old Testament prophets, JEHOVAH God clearly referred to the nation Israel as His wife, and He her Husband:

  • Jeremiah 2:32: “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people [Israel] have forgotten me days without number.”
  • Jeremiah 3:14,20: “[14] Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: [20] Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.”
  • Isaiah 54:5-6: “[5] For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. [6] For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.”

The book of Hosea recalls how JEHOVAH married the nation Israel when He brought her out of Egyptian slavery (and made the Old Covenant, Law, with them, in Exodus chapter 24). Hosea also recounts how Israel became unfaithful to Him as a wife would cheat on her husband. Israel polluted herself with the idols of her pagan neighbors; she willfully went after other gods. Eventually, God had to divorce Israel; essentially, He sent her into Gentile captivity, exemplified most fully in the book of Lamentations, when Jerusalem was destroyed 586 B.C.

Hosea 2:15-23 summarizes how JEHOVAH will forgive Israel of her sins, restore her, remarry her, bring her back into her homeland (the Promised Land), where she will be His earthly people forever: “[15] And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. [16] And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi [“my husband”]; and shalt call me no more Baali. [17] For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. [18] And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. [19] And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. [20] I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. [21] And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; [22] And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. [23] And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.”

Jeremiah chapter 31 explains how God will forgive Israel of her sins: “[31] Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: [32] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD.” Again, JEHOVAH says that He was Israel’s husband.

God wanted the nation Israel to be His nation in the earth (see Exodus 19:5-6; Psalm 37:11; Isaiah 2:1-4; Matthew 5:5; Revelation 5:10; et al.). Israel is His earthly nation, and the way God will rule over the earth is through redeemed Israel. The planet Earth that Satan has polluted will one day be redeemed. God will save the nation Israel and marry her to the land, the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, thus marrying Himself to that land as well.

Isaiah 62:1-5 proceeds to explain: “[1] For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. [2] And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. [3] Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. [4] Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah [“my delight is in her”], and thy land Beulah [“married”]: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. [5] For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”

So, to summarize the above Old Testament passages, Jesus Christ will return to Earth one day, to restore the nation Israel, to redeem her and make her His earthly people (the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34, Romans 11:26-29, Hebrews 8:8-13, and Hebrews 10:15-17). At that time, JEHOVAH God will fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) to evangelize Gentiles through Israel, the Palestinian Covenant (Genesis 15:18-21) to give Israel her land, and the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:12-16) to give Israel her literal, physical, visible kingdom after David’s royal bloodline. The way Jesus Christ will restore Earth unto Himself is by using the nation Israel in her kingdom (called the “1000-year reign,” “Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ,” “kingdom of heaven,” to name a few titles). These passages interpret the marriage situation in the book of the Revelation (the verses we mentioned at the beginning of this study). Let us return to these verses in Revelation and comment on them in light of what we read from the Old Testament prophets. Notice how that, rather than fabricating something to explain Revelation’s “marriage” passages, we have consulted what God wrote centuries prior, so we are on solid footing when we explain John’s words in Revelation!

Please read Revelation 19:7-9: “[7] Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. [8] And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. [9] And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”

Considering the Old Testament prophets’ words about Israel waiting for JEHOVAH to remarry her, who would most likely be the “wife” of the Lamb here in Revelation? All we have to do is remember what God’s Word said in other books, and the answer becomes clear. The next several verses discuss Jesus Christ returning to planet Earth, fighting Israel’s enemies; the following chapters elaborate on Jesus Christ reigning on the Earth with the nation Israel. The “saints” of Revelation 19:8 would be those believing Jews that survived the seven-year Tribulation period; they will form redeemed Israel, the Jews who will inherit the covenants and promises made to Israel’s patriarchs through the Old Testament. Friends, the book of the Revelation has nothing to do with us. It was written by John, an apostle of Israel (Revelation 1:1; cf. Galatians 2:9), and the book of the Revelation is to and about Israel: it does not concern us.

In Revelation 21:1-4,9-10 we read: “[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. [2] And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] 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. [4] And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. [9] And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. [10] And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,…”

If the Bible says, “I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” and the next vision is that of “that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,” what would be the “Lamb’s wife” here? It would the New Jerusalem, the Holy Jerusalem, the Jerusalem currently in heaven (Hebrews 12:18-24) that will come down to Earth; it was this heavenly Jerusalem that Abraham and the other Old Testament saints anticipated (Hebrews 11:10,16,39,40). Overall, the idea of the marriage between JEHOVAH and Israel is actually Him marrying Israel to the land and thus marrying Himself to her land. It is not difficult to understand if we are open to God’s Word correcting our distorted views courtesy of religious tradition.

THREE COMMON OBJECTIONS ANSWERED

At this point, three common objections are raised. The first is, “Did not Paul liken our relationship to Jesus Christ as a wife married to her husband, in Ephesians chapter 5?” The second, “Did not Paul say that we were married to Jesus Christ in Romans chapter 7?” The third, “Did not Paul say that we need to be a pure virgin for Jesus Christ in 2 Corinthians chapter 11?” We believe the Bible has answers to these questions, and we would be more than eager to share those verses. However, we must be mindful not to read something into the Bible text (which is what denominationalists are trained to do).

Ephesians 5:25-33 says: “[25] Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; [26] That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, [27] That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. [28] So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. [29] For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: [30] For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. [31] For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. [32] This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. [33] Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”

Indeed, the Bible does teach that the marriage relationship between the husband and his wife should reflect and resemble, the loving, tender, selfless union between the Lord Jesus Christ (our Head; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:19) and us (His Body; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13,27; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:24). However, we never read in the above passage that we are Jesus Christ’s “wife” or His “bride.” We have already seen the Scriptures’ testimony that Israel is the wife of JEHOVAH (the Lord Jesus Christ)—does JEHOVAH have two wives or does He have one? The Bible calls Israel JEHOVAH’S “wife,” but it never calls us His wife; if words mean anything (and we have no denominational agenda to promote), we conclude that we are not JEHOVAH’S wife but rather that Israel is His wife. Ephesians chapter 5 is describing how marriage is designed to function, and the way to understand the marriage relationship is to see how Jesus Christ and His Body (us) interact with each other—the respective roles, the attitudes of each toward one another, et cetera.

Romans 7:1-4 says: “[1] Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? [2] For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. [3] So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. [4] Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”

Certainly, Romans 7:4 says that we are “married” (present tense) to Jesus Christ. In that case, Revelation would certainly not apply to us; Revelation describes a future marriage! The Church the Body of Christ is certainly joined (“married”) to Jesus Christ—otherwise, the members of the Body would not be saved unto eternal life! All Romans chapter 7 is discussing is how we are free from the Law, dead to the law of sin and dead works, not bound to live the Christian life in our flesh and energy. We are joined to Jesus Christ, and it is His life, not our life, His performance, not our performance (further discussed in chapter 8). To use this passage to teach that we are the “Bride of Christ” is to read something into the text. Romans chapter 7 is not designed to teach marriage in the Dispensation of Grace—that would be 1 Corinthians chapter 7.

In 2 Corinthians 11:1-4, we read: “[1] Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. [2] For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. [3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. [4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

Dear friends, here again, we read no terminology about us being the “Bride of Christ.” What Paul is doing in verse 2 is using a simile, likening us to being spiritually (doctrinally) pure as a chaste virgin would be sexually pure. False teachers had crept into Corinth, and throughout this chapter (11), we read about how the Corinthians enjoyed being misled. Paul warned them that he was jealous over them with a godly jealousy—he did not want some false religious system to corrupt them. He wanted them to abandon and avoid false religion (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). In the above verses, we read how Satan would use the same tactics he used to mislead Eve, to mislead us. Satan would quote Bible, but misquote it, ignoring the dispensational layout (see Psalm 91:11-12; Matthew 4:6; Luke 4:10-11). The Devil would cause us to follow “another Jesus” (as in His earthly ministry; 2 Corinthians 5:16) instead of following the Jesus Christ whom Paul preached (His heavenly ministry, “Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery;” Romans 16:25). Satan would cause us to follow “another spirit” (as in the “spirit of bondage,” law; Romans 8:15; Galatians 5:1-5) and ignore the spirit that Paul preached (grace; Romans 6:14-15). The Devil would cause us to follow “another gospel” (as in the Gospel of the Kingdom; Matthew 9:35; cf. Matthew 4:17; Matthew 10:5-7) but to ignore the Gospel of Grace that Paul preached (Acts 20:24; Romans 2:16; Galatians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Church the Body of Christ is in such shambles doctrinally today, in such confusion, because it has allowed Satan and his policy of evil (religious tradition) to corrupt them. Most Christians today are not “rightly dividing the word of truth” as 2 Timothy 2:15 says; they are mixing the dispensations in God’s Word and making Bible study burdensome. I know; I used to be a part of that system myself!

CONCLUSION

The Bible never calls the Body of Christ “the Bride of Christ” (that is religious tradition, and, beloved, it will profit us nothing in eternity). To use a concept that relates exclusively to Israel and use it to apply to us, is to place ourselves on a slippery slope of confusing ourselves with Israel, and we run the risk of falling into the trap of the damnable doctrine of “Replacement Theology!” (See our related study at the end of this article.)

However, the Bible does say that Jesus Christ will marry someone. This is what we want to focus on; we ignore the religious tradition. Believing Jews who will survive the seven-year Tribulation, Daniel’s 70th week, will stand on Earth and see Jesus Christ return at His Second Coming (see Zechariah 12:10 and Zechariah 13:8-9). These believing Jews will be married to Jesus Christ (JEHOVAH God the Son in the flesh) at His Second Coming—Revelation 19:7 says, “the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” (We deal with the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” in another study; see the link at the end of this article.)

According to Revelation 21:9-10, the “Lamb’s wife” is the New Jerusalem, the Heavenly Jerusalem—Israel’s redeemed capital city, and her Promised Land—which will come down from heaven and land on Earth. By marrying the nation Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ (the JEHOVAH of the Old Testament) will marry Himself to her land, the Promised Land. These are the concepts being advanced regarding the marriage of Revelation chapters 19 and 21. We can either believe the testimony of the Scriptures, or we can continue with our church tradition. I prefer to believe God, and let His critics be the liars (Romans 3:4). You?

Also see:
» Who will accompany Jesus at His Second Coming?
» What is “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?” (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Have we replaced the nation Israel?

DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, THE NATION ISRAEL, Were Gentiles saved before our Dispensation of Grace?, Were Gentiles saved before our Dispensation of Grace?

Were Gentiles saved before our Dispensation of Grace?

WERE GENTILES SAVED BEFORE OUR DISPENSATION OF GRACE?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Could Gentiles be saved before Paul’s ministry, before our Dispensation of Grace began? If so, how were they saved? As always, the Holy Bible is our final authority, so let us look at it, and it alone, for answers.

Ephesians 2:11-12 describes the situation before our Dispensation of Grace: “[11] 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; [12] 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:….”

In what the Bible calls “time past,” before our Dispensation of Grace began (that is, before the “but now” of verse 13 began), God was dealing almost exclusively with the nation Israel. At that time, our Gentile (or, non-Jewish) ancestors were “without Christ” (Christ’s earthly ministry was to Israel only; Matthew 10:5-7; Matthew 15:24; John 4:22; Romans 15:8), our Gentile ancestors “had no hope,” and our Gentile ancestors were “without God in the world.” Although “time past” involved God’s dealings with the nation Israel, that does not mean that God did not care about Gentiles. According to the Scriptures, the very reason why God was dealing with the nation Israel was to form an earthly people through whom He could then send salvation and spiritual light to the Gentiles. God was dealing with the nation Israel, to save the nation Israel, so then redeemed Israel would minister to Gentiles, that the Gentiles receive and believe the God of Israel, the one true God of creation.

Read the Abrahamic Covenant, the promise God made with Abram (later changed to Abraham) in Genesis 12:1-3: “[1] 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: [2] 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: [3] 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.” Again, it would be through redeemed Israel that God would reach the Gentiles (see Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 60:1-3; Zechariah 8:20-23; also Genesis 22:18; Genesis 28:14; Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 11:10; Isaiah 45:22; Isaiah 49:6,22-23; Isaiah 60:14; Isaiah 61:1,2,6,9; Isaiah 62:2; Isaiah 66:19; Jeremiah 3:17; Micah 4:1-3; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:8; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 21:23-27).

In order to prove that, overall, He did care about Gentiles, God dealt with some Gentiles in “time past.” Yet, and this is the important condition to remember, in time past, God dealt with Gentiles on the basis of Israel. As per the Abrahamic Covenant quoted above, God would only deal with Gentiles if Israel were somehow involved, if the Gentiles somehow blessed Israel or placed themselves under Israel to receive God’s blessings. Let us see some examples of this from the Scriptures, how God dealt with Gentiles outside of our Dispensation of Grace, but always involving the nation Israel.

RAHAB

Consider Rahab the Canaanitess (Gentile) prostitute who lived in the city of Jericho. As the Israelites were entering the Promised Land under Joshua, Israel encountered Jericho’s walls. Before Israel defeated the city, Joshua sent two Jewish spies to scout out Jericho. The Bible says that Rahab hid these two Jewish men when her Gentile city officials came looking for them (Joshua 2:1-24).

Read Rahab’s confession in verses 9-11: “[9] And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. [10] For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. [11] And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.”

The spies reassured Rahab that she and her household would be saved when Israel would overrun and defeat Jericho (see the end result in Joshua 6:22-25). Hebrews 11:31 summarizes, “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” According to the Holy Spirit, Rahab was a Gentile believer of the Old Testament, a saved (redeemed) Gentile in time past (see also James 2:25). As an interesting side note, according to Matthew 1:5, Rahab was actually an ancestor of Joseph, Jesus’ foster father; additionally, Rahab was Ruth’s mother-in-law, and an ancestor of King David.

RUTH

Recall that Ruth was a Moabitess (Gentile) and her mother-in-law, Naomi, was a Jewess. Naomi, now bereaved of her husband and her two sons (one of whom was Ruth’s husband), wanted to leave Moab (east of the Dead Sea) and return to Judah (the area of Jerusalem, northwest of the Dead Sea), now that Judah’s famine was over. Naomi said that she would go back to Canaan and instructed Ruth to return to her (pagan) relatives in Moab. Ruth refused. “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried…” (Ruth 1:16,17a). Ruth renounced her heathen (Gentile) religion and she desired Israel’s God to be her God! Eventually, she accompanied Naomi back to Judah. Ruth was another instance of a saved Gentile in “time past.” Furthermore, finally, Ruth became the mother of Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, and King David was… the ancestor of Jesus Christ (Luke 3:32). God used (Gentile) Ruth to establish Jesus Christ’s bloodline!

As a fascinating side note, Zechariah 8:22-23 describes believing Gentiles in the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ: “[22] Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. [23] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” Amazingly, this is basically what Gentile Ruth said to Jewish Naomi some 3,000 years earlier!

NINEVEH

In another well-known Old Testament account, JEHOVAH God commanded the Prophet Jonah, a Jew, to preach to wicked Nineveh, a Gentile city and the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. You can read all about his ministry in the little Bible book of Jonah, which speaks of how God wanted these Gentiles to repent of their pagan idolatry and believe/trust Him as the one true God. While Nineveh did reform after hearing Jonah’s preaching, the city, centuries later, returned to heathenism and was eventually overrun by its enemies (prophesied in the book of Nahum). Although the Bible is unclear as to which of the Ninevites, if any, were saved unto eternal life, Jonah’s ministry is another indication that God did care about Gentiles in time past. As an interesting side note, Jonah’s rebellion typified Israel’s unbelief and utter refusal to be the nation God desired to use to minister to Gentiles. Just as Jonah eventually changed his mind and preached to Gentiles, so Israel will one day enter her earthly kingdom and fulfill her God-given commission (Isaiah 60:1-3; Zechariah 8:20-23).

CONVERTED GENTILES IN ESTHER’S DAY

After Persian king Ahasuerus decreed that no one persecute the Jews in his land, the Bible says, “And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them” (Esther 8:17). The way these Gentiles “became Jews” was to become physically circumcised, a convert to Israel’s religion of Judaism (see Exodus 12:48 and Isaiah 56:6-7, for instance). The Scriptures do not disclose how many of these proselytes were actually saved unto eternal life.

However, oftentimes, through the centuries, Israel’s formalistic religious leaders placed too much emphasis on religious performance rather than stressing faith/trust in the JEHOVAH God who gave the ordinances. Hence, the Lord Jesus commented that many of the proselytes of His day were lost, going to hell. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matthew 23:15). Like many churches today, they were merely seeking members to “join and support the program”—they were not seeking lost people to see them saved!

ROMAN CENTURION IN JESUS’ EARTHLY MINISTRY

In Matthew 8:5-13 (and Luke 7:1-10), a Gentile Roman centurion (a commander of 100 soldiers) begged Jesus to heal his servant who was greatly suffering with paralysis. In fact, Luke 7:2 says this servant is “dear unto him” and “ready to die.” This centurion loved this dying servant, and he desired the Lord to heal him before he passed away. Jesus declared He would come and heal the dying servant. Luke 7:3-5 explains: “[3] And when he [the centurion] heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. [4] And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: [5] For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.”

As soon as the Roman centurion heard of Jesus’ entrance into Capernaum, he himself did not approach Jesus. Actually, the centurion knew that he could only access God through Israel, as per the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12:3. He knew that Jesus was sent to the nation Israel and not to Gentiles such as him (Romans 15:8). Thus, he sent some Jewish elders to Jesus on his behalf. Note the centurion loved Israel and he even built the Jews a synagogue. He was one of the few Gentiles who was not saturated with paganism—he recognized Israel’s God was the true God, and he understood that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah (something most of Israel did not care to realize)! He had blessed Israel, and God blessed him (Genesis 12:3). It seems likely that this Roman centurion was saved unto eternal life.

CANAANITE WOMAN IN JESUS’ EARTHLY MINISTRY

In Matthew 15:21-28 (and Mark 7:24-30), when a Canaanitess / Greek Syrophenician (Gentile) begged Jesus to heal her devil-possessed daughter, the Bible says, “he [Jesus] answered her not a word” (Matthew 15:23a). Jesus told His disciples, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). “But he [Jesus] answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s [Israel’s] bread, and to cast it to dogs [Gentiles]” (verse 26). Jesus reaffirmed that His ministry was to Israel, and He could not give to Gentile dogs what belonged to the children of Israel (His miracles, His blessings, His ministry). This dear Gentile woman recognized Israel’s preeminence, so she agreed with Jesus: “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (verse 27). She recognized that Jesus was sent to Israel, not to Gentiles such as herself and us. Only because she had faith in that fact, Jesus healed her daughter. She had placed herself under Israel’s table of blessing, and thus was blessed of God. Like the Roman centurion, she seems to have been saved unto eternal life.

SAMARITAN WOMAN IN JESUS’ EARTHLY MINISTRY

Although the Jews and the Samaritans had Jacob as their ancestor, the Jews did not like the Samaritans and tried to avoid them because the Samaritans had some Gentile ancestry and were not full-blooded Hebrews (see John 4:9,12). In John chapter 4, the Lord Jesus met and spoke with a promiscuous woman of Samaria. Notice what He told her in verse 22: “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” Jesus told her that salvation was sent to Israel, not her, and she readily understood that. This woman, although not a full-blooded Jew, was still willing to believe Jesus as Messiah (verses 25-29), and she brought many of her neighbors (other Samaritans) to see Jesus Christ; the Bible says that many Samaritans believed on Jesus Christ there (verses 34-42). Once this woman understood her position, that salvation went to Israel first, then Jesus Christ saved her.

PROSELYTES ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST

We read about “proselytes” (Gentile converts to Judaism) in Acts 2:10. Undoubtedly, the Bible did not consider them Gentiles anymore. They were now Jews in God’s mind, for Acts 2:5 says, “There were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, of every nation under heaven.” These were members of the Apostle Peter’s audience on the day of Pentecost. Evidently, they were not saved just religious attending a religious festival, for they heeded Peter’s gospel message in Acts 2:36-41, and were thus saved.

GENTILE SALVATION AFTER OUR DISPENSATION

After our Dispensation of Grace ends with the Rapture—when the Church the Body of Christ is caught up in the air to meet the Lord Jesus Christ there (1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)—then God will resume dealing with Gentiles in the same manner He did before our dispensation began (refer to the foregoing passages and paragraphs). The Abrahamic Covenant will be in effect once more, and Gentiles during the seven-year Tribulation will have to bless Israel if they are to blessed of God (Matthew 25:31-46, note especially verse 34). These believing Gentiles will enter Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom, to have God’s Word preached to them so they can believe it (Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 60:1-3; Zechariah 8:20-23; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Revelation 21:23-27).

CONCLUSION

A survey of the Scriptures outside of Paul’s epistles yields the conclusion that Gentiles can have a relationship with the God of the Bible in Israel’s prophetic program via three methods: (1) Become a Jew/proselyte, a convert to Judaism, (2) bless Israel in some way, and (3) submit to Israel’s preeminence in God’s dealings with man. When one understands the dispensational layout of Scripture, we can contrast this with how God deals with mankind today, how He deals with Gentiles today.

We read Ephesians 2:11-12 (what we read earlier) with verse 13 now: “[11] 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; [12] 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: [13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

In our program, our current Dispensation of Grace, salvation is available to all, not through Israel’s rise to kingdom glory, or through Israel in any way, but through Israel’s fall, through her spiritual blindness (Romans 11:11-12,25)—Gentile salvation was never a secret in the Bible, but our Gentile salvation apart from Israel was the secret that God had kept hidden until He revealed it first to Paul (Romans 11:25; cf. Romans 16:25-26; Ephesians 3:1-11). Furthermore, technically, everyone is a Gentile today, for Israel has no current status before God (this is temporary, remember). Today, we are saved by simple faith/trust in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork (note His shed blood of Ephesians 2:13) as sufficient payment for our sins: this is the Gospel of the Grace of God associated with the Apostle Paul’s ministry (Romans 11:13). We do not have to join a special religion, we do not have to bless Israel with material goods to be blessed of God, and we do not have to submit to Israel’s preeminence to be saved (Israel is temporarily fallen before God anyway, according to Romans chapter 11). We are saved by becoming members of the Church the Body of Christ, an agency completely separate from the nation Israel.

How clear the Bible becomes when one will, “Study to shew [himself] approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Also see:
» What is “the Dispensation of Grace?”
» Did Peter and Paul preach the same Gospel?
» What is “Replacement Theology?”