Just A Thought!

If the Lord Will?

2011-02-06T20:50:00.000-05:00

God, through James, taught saints to be conscience of the Lord’s will in every thing they do, in every where they go:

James 4:13-17 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

God, through Paul, showed the example by experience of doing what James taught:

1 Cor 4:17-21 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

1 Cor 16:7-9 For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.
8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.
9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ live like God doesn’t care what they do or where they go .... and that no one should say anything to them about it .... because ‘they’re under grace’. But God does have a ‘will’ about the way they live:

Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

Where Did Paul Rightly Divide

2011-01-31T22:44:00.002-05:00

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ say that since ‘Paul’ told us to ‘rightly divide’ .... then we should ‘go to Paul’ to show us how! So they run to Eph 2:11-12 to pick up ‘time past’ .... followed by Eph 2:13 for ‘but now’ .... then they have to back-track in the scriptures, to before ‘time past’, to Eph 2:7 for ‘the ages to come’. I don’t have a problem with the concept of past, present, and future .... but I strongly disagree with the separation of saints that the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ assign for the three sections. They have Israel isolated in ‘time past’ with all the old testament prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, and His 12 disciples, and all who believed by them. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ make ‘but now’ saints be ONLY those converts who have believed by PAUL. They think that Paul preached a different gospel than any other of Christ’s ministers, even though the scriptures teach otherwise:

Mark 1:1-4 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

John explained that He was talking about Jesus:

John 1:15-17 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

The old testament prophets preached in ‘time past’ .... the time of the old testament law .... but since John the Baptist came at the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ .... things changed. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ don’t recognize what God says in these verses:

Matt 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John:
since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

After John preached the kingdom of God ....
Jesus preached the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14).
The 12 disciples/apostles (Matt 10:1-2) preached the kingdom of God (Luke 9:1-2).
Jesus told a certain unnamed man to preach the kingdom of God (Luke 9:57-60).
Philip preached the kingdom of God (Acts 8:12).
Paul preached the kingdom of God (Acts 20:25, 28:31).

John recorded where John the Baptist rightly divided ....
between the law and Moses .... and grace/truth and Jesus Christ:

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Paul rightly divided the very same place ....
between the law written in tables of stone .... and the Spirit’s writing of the law in the heart (just like the prophecy said Jer 31:33):

2 Cor 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God;
not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Again, Paul rightly divided the same way ....
between the old testament ‘letter’ that killeth .... and the new testament Spirit that giveth life:

2 Cor 3:5-6 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament;
not of the letter, but of the spirit:
for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Paul rightly divided the same points ....
between the ministration of death written in stones (the law, the letter that killeth) .... and the ministration of the Spirit:

2 Cor 3:7-8 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

Paul kept the same position of right division ....
between the ministration of condemnation (the law by Moses, written on tables of stone, the letter that condemned and killed) .... and the ministration of righteousness (the grace and truth by Jesus Christ, the law written in the heart by the Spirit that ministered righteousness and life):

2 Cor 3:9-10 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory,
much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

The law by Moses was done away .... but the grace of Jesus Christ continues:

2 Cor 3:11 For if that which is done away was glorious,
much more that which remaineth is glorious.

The old testament by Moses is out .... and the new testament in Christ is in:

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old.
Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

That’s just where Paul rightly divided ....
between the old testament law in ‘time past’ .... and the new testament grace in ‘but now’:

Rom 6:14-b for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

That’s the SAME place Paul rightly divided in Eph 2:11-13 ....
between the old testament and the new.

Paul did NOT divide the saints, the church of God, nor ministers.
But ‘mid-Acts-ers’ do. Beware!

1 Cor 3:3-4 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Yes, ye are!

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

What if God Gives Them What They Want?

2011-01-23T23:11:00.004-05:00

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ boldly claim that they have ‘no part at all’ in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, as it is recorded by John:

Rev 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ deny new Jerusalem being their mother .... even though Paul declares it .... because new Jerusalem is in the book of the Revelation (Rev 3:12, 21:2).
What if God gives the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ what they want?
‘No part’ in new Jerusalem?

Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ boldly claim that James, Cephas (Peter), and John wrote only to the circumcision (Israel) and not to the Gentiles (based on Gal 2:9).

“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev 19:10b). ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ think they have no part in the book of Revelation. They want nothing to do with the book of Revelation:

Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

What if God gives the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ what they want?
‘No part’ of the book of this prophecy .... and thus, no part in the book of life?

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

Cannot Sin?

2011-01-16T21:00:00.004-05:00

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ apply being ‘born of God’ to Israel, never us Gentiles (John 1:11-13). They teach that Peter, James, and John ministered only to Israel (Gal 2:9), not us Gentiles. Those are 2 sure ways to totally eliminate having to deal with 2 verses, in particular, in John’s 1st epistle:

1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

Since I came out from being a ‘mid-Acts-er’ .... I am willing to reevaluate every doctrine I held, and take a fresh look at each issue .... without the ‘mid-Acts’ paradigm. I found MANY areas where they are, and I WAS, wrong. I admit it is much EASIER and more CONVENIENT to just throw these away, but that is not the right thing to do. So here is my understanding.

The Greek word [dikaioo] that is translated ‘freed’ in Rom 6:7 is written 40 times in scripture. It is translated ‘justified’ 37 times, ‘justifier’ 1 time, ‘be righteous’ 1 time, and ‘freed’ 1 time. Paul teaches in Romans that we are dead and ‘justified’ (freed) from sin. Therefore, we understand that sin cannot be ‘charged’ to us. We are released from it. We are detached from it. Sin cannot be on our account:

Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed (Greek [dikaioo]) from sin.

Rom 8:10-11 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Gal 2:20 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.

Thus, in essence, we, who are dead (to sin) and yet alive (to God),
do not commit sin.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Did Paul Preach Messiah?

2011-01-08T20:02:00.003-05:00

Indisputably, Paul preached the good news of Christ:

Rom 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. (also see Rom 15:29; 1 Cor 9:12, 18; 2 Cor 4:4, 9:13, 10:14; Gal 1:6-7; Phil 1:27; 1 Thess 3:2)

Common sense would tell you that the gospel of Christ is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Would any ‘mid-Acts-er’ contest this?

2 Thess 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Interestingly, could the gospel of Christ and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ be the same as the gospel of Jesus Christ? Of course, it is .... unless you’re a ‘mid-Acts-er’ .... then it can’t be, because they must maintain their paradigm .... even to the point of not being rational!

But surely, Christ is Jesus the Christ .... is Jesus Christ .... is the Lord Jesus Christ .... is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Not only is the gospel of Jesus Christ in Paul’s writings, and in the beginning of Mark, but gospel of Jesus Christ is also written in the OLD testament prophets:

Mark 1:1-2 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

John penned his gospel message so that people who read it would believe that Jesus is the Christ and be saved:

John 20:30-31 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Peter testified that the same Jesus who Israel crucified was their Christ:

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Paul himself proved from the prophetic scriptures that Jesus is Christ:

Acts 17:2-3 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

Here is the kicker for the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ .... ‘Messias’ is of Hebrew origin for the Greek word meaning ‘Christ’. The words, Messias (or Messiah) and Christ, are in different languages, Hebrew and Greek, with the same meaning ‘the Annointed’:

John 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

Paul had persecuted ‘this way’ unto the death (Acts 22:4, 26:11). He persecuted Jesus (Acts 22:8), not individually, but by persecuting His church (1 Cor 15:9, Gal 1:13). After Paul personally encountered Jesus (Acts 9), he preached in the Hebrew tongue (Acts 21:40, 22:2) .... the very same faith (Eph 4:5) that he had once destroyed (Gal 1:23):

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Thus, Paul preached Jesus, the Christ, the Messias.
He was not embarrassed of it, and neither am I, and neither should you be.

I am standing on the Word of God .... not just with Paul.
Will you even stand .... and if so, where?

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Different Gospels?

2011-01-02T19:54:00.003-05:00

The gospel of Christ is the good news of grace:

Gal 1:6-9 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.

Just because Peter and Paul went different directions (Peter to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles) .... does NOT mean that they took a different message:

Gal 2:7-9 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of (no Greek word here for the preposition 'of') the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of (no Greek word here for the preposition 'of') the circumcision was unto Peter;
8 (For he that
wrought effectually in Peter to (Greek: [eis]) the apostleship of the circumcision,
the same was mighty in me toward (Greek: [eis]) 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 (Greek: [eis]) the heathen,
and they unto (Greek: [eis]) the circumcision.

In the same letter, Paul emphasized that it made no difference between circumcision and uncircumcision:

Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

They certainly would not have had different gospels for them, when it did not matter:

Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

When Peter went to the first group of Gentiles (at Cornelius’ house), he knew that everyone - regardless of whether they were Jew or Gentile - would be saved by the grace of Christ:

Acts 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

When God said, over and over, it makes ‘no difference’ ....
then ‘mid-Acts-ers’ should stop making a difference!

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Peter’s Further Revelation from the Risen, Glorified Lord

2010-12-26T23:47:00.003-05:00

Scripture details Peter’s vision with the Lord, after He was ‘risen’ and ‘glorified’ .... but ‘mid-Acts-ers’ don’t like to mention it because it messes up their ‘Pauline’ paradigm:

Acts 10:9-20 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
Like Saul in Acts 9:4, Peter heard a voice, but saw no man:
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
Like Saul in Acts 9:5, Peter called the voice he heard, “Lord”:
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
Like Paul in Acts 26:19, Peter described his experience as a ‘vision’ -- also from ‘heaven’ as was Paul's (Acts 10:11):
17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing:
for I (the Spirit) have sent them.

Peter testified that it was God that showed him the equality of the Gentiles:

Acts 10:28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Peter knew that God specifically picked him out to take the gospel to the Gentiles:

Acts 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us,
that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

Peter understood the ‘no difference’ issue back in Acts 10, and he told the council at Jerusalem about it later:

Acts 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

Peter preached the gospel of salvation to the Gentiles:

Acts 11:11-14 And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.
12 And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:
13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;
14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.

What gospel did Peter take? According to the Bible (and NOT the 'mid-Acts-ers'), it was the same gospel the 12 took, the same gospel Paul took:

1 Cor 15:3-5, 11 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas (that is, Peter),
then of the twelve:
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach (that is, Paul or them), and so ye believed.

Paul was not the only apostle to get ‘further revelation’ .... Peter got it, too!

The Bible disrupts ‘mid-Acts’ doctrine, so they follow a man with a chart instead. How sad!

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

The Gospel of God or the Gospel of Christ?

2010-12-21T22:15:00.003-05:00

We will just consider 1 of Paul’s 13 epistles for this topic .... his letter to the saints at Rome (Rom 1:7).

Paul wrote that he was separated unto the gospel of God:

Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Then Paul wrote that the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation:

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Paul wrote that he ministered the gospel of God:

Rom 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

Paul wrote that he preached the gospel of Christ:

Rom 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Paul wrote that he will go to Rome with the gospel of Christ:

Rom 15:29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

Was Paul confused? Back and forth, back and forth .... the gospel of God .... the gospel of Christ .... Could Paul not make up his mind WHICH gospel he had? .... But the HOLY SPIRIT inspired his words .... so they MUST be RIGHT.

The Cunning (Eph 4:14) Royal Jester and his Jokers commonly refer to the gospel Paul preached as the gospel of Christ. They do NOT call attention to the fact that PAUL preached the gospel of God. They’re afraid some of their ‘mid-Acts-ers’ followers may venture ‘outside of Paul’ sometime and see that PETER also wrote about the gospel of God .... and that does not fit their wrested (2 Peter 3:16) paradigm:

1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ believe that even though Paul and Peter wrote the SAME words and phrases .... they were talking about DIFFERENT things .... like, the gospel of God, for example.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Turning the Grace of God Unawares?

2010-12-18T12:09:00.004-05:00

Paul warned the churches of imposters, who pretended to be fellowcitizens with the saints (Eph 2:19), entering in among them (also see Acts 20:29-30; Matt 7:15, 10:16; Luke 10:3) .... that would draw them away from the grace of Christ (John 1:17b) and put them under the law (John 1:17a):

Gal 2:4-5 And that because of 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:
5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

The contrast IN THE BIBLE is between grace and law ....
not between Peter and Paul.

From what were the saints being pulled away?

Gal 1:6-7 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.

Spiritual perverts?! Turning the grace of God?!

Jude 1:3-4 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of
the common salvation, (also see ‘the common faith’ in Titus 1:4)
it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
(There is only ONE faith - Eph 4:5.
Paul preached ‘the faith’ that he once destroyed - Gal 1:23.)
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke recorded Peter’s words before the apostles and elders (Acts 15:6), telling about God chosing HIM to take the gospel of salvation to a group of Gentiles gathered at Cornelius’ house (Acts 10:1,24):

Acts 11:14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.

Acts 15:10-11 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Are ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ turning the grace of God unawares? They are not trying to put saints under the law. But what they are doing, is accusing Peter and the rest of the apostles of it .... even though the SCRIPTURES teach otherwise.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ deny that Peter and the other apostles taught salvation by grace through Christ, like Paul did.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

ABC's from the CRJ - Going Back to Basics

2010-12-15T23:40:00.002-05:00

If I had not recognized the SBC pulpit this evening, I would have figured the Cunning Royal Jester (Eph 4:14) was speaking to an audience that had never heard his ‘mid-Acts’ doctrine before! Oh, no! Could a passage in Hebrews apply?

Heb 5:12-14 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Evidently the Cunning Royal Jester thought the 'Wednesday night faithful' needed a refresher of his paradigm .... or maybe his false foundation is crumbling beneath him as we chisel it away! He drew his infamous chart, with a circle around Paul’s epistles. He pointed that, inside the circle, there is ‘no difference’, indicating that there was a difference outside the circle. One problem with that teaching is Peter’s testimony of ‘now, no difference’ (Acts 15:9) .... when God chose him (Acts 15:7) to take the gospel (Acts 15:7) of salvation (Acts 11:14) to Cornelius and his kinsmen and near friends (Acts 10:24) who were Gentiles (Acts 10:1):

Acts 15:7-9 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them,
purifying their hearts by faith.

God sent Peter to leave from Joppa and go to Caesarea (Acts 9:36-43, 10:1-48) to preach to the Gentiles, directly after God’s announcement to Peter that He had cleansed the Gentiles (Acts 10:9-33, 11:4-14).

Here is a thought: If Saul (Paul - Acts 13:9) was the ‘first member’ of a ‘new’ church, called the ‘body of Christ’, made up of Jew and Gentile with ‘no difference’ .... then WHY did God not send him, instead of Peter?
Well now, that throws a wrench in ‘mid-Acts’ heresy, huh?

Let’s continue on in the scripture passage:

Acts 15:10-11 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

There is Peter, before Paul, taking salvation by grace to the Gentiles!

Matt 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.
And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Woops! The Cunning Royal Jester and his jokers are in the ditch!

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Peter Paved the Way

2010-12-13T23:08:00.002-05:00

Saul of Tarsus was saved in Acts 9. He immediately preached to Jews at Damascus that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God:

Acts 9:19-22 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?
22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Then Saul went to Jerusalem.
From there he went to Caesarea .... interestingly BY-PASSING Cornelius ....
and then into Tarsus, his hometown:

Acts 9:26-30 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
28 And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.
29 And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.
30 Which when the brethren knew,
they brought him down to Caesarea,
and sent him forth to Tarsus.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ use Gal 2:7 to say that Paul and Peter preached 2 different gospels:

Gal 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that
the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me (Paul),
as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ ignore the verse in the chapter before, that shows that ‘if they did preach 2 different gospels, then Peter would be accursed’:

Gal 1:9 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.

But .... for the sake of argument .... let’s see how absurd the ‘mid-Acts 2 different gospels’ doctrine works in the case of Cornelius and his kinsmen and near friends (Acts 10:24), who were the first Gentiles to receive the gospel after God declared them clean (Acts 10:15).

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ teach that God started a new church .... with Paul (the apostle of the Gentiles) in Acts 9 .... called ‘the body of Christ’. But they cannot give an answer why God picked PETER - NOT PAUL - in Acts 10 to go to the Gentiles .... just after Saul/Paul was saved.

Peter testified that God specifically chose him to take the gospel to these Gentiles .... which he did in Acts 10 .... just after Paul went right through the same area (Caesarea):

Acts 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago
God made choice among us,
that the Gentiles by my (Peter’s) mouth
should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

Here are some questions for ‘mid-Acts-ers’.

Did Peter take the gospel OF the circumcision .... TO the UNcircumcised .... since that was the gospel that was committed to him?

(In other words, did Peter give the gospel OF the Jews .... TO the Gentiles .... since that was the only gospel he had?)

- OR -

Did Peter take the gospel OF the UNcircumcision .... TO the UNcircumcised .... since they were UNcircumcisied?

(In other words, did Peter give the gospel OF the Gentiles .... TO the Gentiles .... since that was the gospel that belonged to them, being Gentiles?)

If God had begun a new entity with Saul/Paul in Acts 9 .... Peter would not have been the one God sent to the Gentiles in Acts 10.

Don’t forget that Peter also testified that the Jews would be saved through grace, the same as the Gentiles:

Acts 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Does that sound like a different gospel to you?
Not to me!

Peter paved the way to the Gentiles .... before Paul.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Changing Words?

2010-12-11T21:18:00.002-05:00

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ are notorious for changing words in songs. They alter messages in traditional hymns in order to replace the doctrine with what-they-think will make them ‘rightly’ divided. When I did my own investigation, I discovered information from the Greek that proved even more of the Cunning Royal Jester’s teaching was wrested. I found that he builds doctrines on words, particularly prepositions, that do not bear out to be true when you test them.

For example, he creates 2 different gospels (1 for Peter and 1 for Paul) from the word ‘of’ that does not even have its own word in the Greek:

Gal 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that
the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me (Paul),
as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

The Cunning Royal Jester furthers his 2 different gospels deception with the prepositions ‘by’ and ‘through’. With Rom 3:30, he teaches that
Israel is justified ‘by’ faith ....
and we Gentiles are justified ‘through’ faith:

Rom 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify
the circumcision by [Greek: ek] faith,
and uncircumcision through [Greek: dia] faith.

Many times I have heard him preach, "You don’t need the Greek! You can’t read Greek! You read English!" He can read Greek, so we were supposed to trust him. But unless you check out the Greek for yourself, you won’t catch his errors. Since I got away from the Jester and looked at the Greek myself, I realized he deceived me. When you compare Rom 3:30 (above) with Eph 2:8 (below), it seems that he is right. But when you look at another verse, and compare Rom 3:30 (above) with Rom 5:1 (below), you can see that he is wrong.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through [Greek: dia] faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by [Greek: ek] faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Now see how the Greek and English switch yet again:

Gal 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through [Greek: ek] faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

The Greek word [ek] is written 921 times.
It is translated
‘of’ 366 times
‘from’ 181 times
‘out of’ 162 times
‘by’ 55 times
‘on’ 34 times
‘with’ 25 times
and miscellaneous words for the others.

The Greek word [dia] is written 646 times.
It is translated
‘by’ 241 times
‘through’ 88 times
‘with’ 16 times
‘for’ 58 times
and miscellaneous words for the others.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ ought to be careful not to change the KJV word ‘bishop’. But for ‘bishop’, they substitute the word ‘pastor’ like The Living Bible does. Then they defend the KJV word ‘dispensation’ with vigor, and will allow NO substitutions for it .... yet the KJV translates the same Greek word 3 times as ‘stewardship’. So, a word of caution .... beware of the Cunning Royal Jester’s ‘sleight of word’ and his (along with other 'mid-Acts-ers') unfaithfulness to the scriptures.

Col 1:20 And, having made peace through [Greek: dia] 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.

Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by [Greek: dia] the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

As for me, I will still sing the old hymn ‘AT the Cross’ and rejoice!

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Divide and Conquer

2010-12-04T00:11:00.005-05:00

Even if ‘mid-Acts-ers’ engrave a plaque with a school logo based on Eph 4:4-6, don’t be fooled into thinking they support bringing all God’s people together in a unifying message. Far from it! They believe only ‘certain’ believers (specifically, just those who have been saved since Saul of Tarsus’ conversion in Acts 9, and by his ministry alone) are made ‘one’ in the body of Christ. But God wants us to have, and make an effort to maintain, a unity, a one-ness of the Spirit .... (which 'mid-Acts' teaching tries to destroy):

Eph 4:3-6 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, (also see Eph 3:6)
and one Spirit, (the Holy GHOST is not separate or distinct from the Holy SPIRIT)
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (there are not '2 hopes' as 'mid-Acts-ers' think .... 1 being for the 'body of Christ' - who 'mid-Acts-ers' see as 'just themselves' .... and yet another, different hope being for Israel)
5 One Lord, (the -SAME- Jesus .... not 'another Jesus' as 'mid-Acts-ers' teach)
one faith, (Paul preached the -SAME- faith which once he destroyed .... not a different faith - Gal 1:23)
one baptism, (THIS is the only 'one' 1 of the 7 that 'mid-Acts-ers' believe)
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Jesus even prayed for that when He was on earth:

John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Clearly, God wants us to have a one-ness with each other, and with Him .... a unity of the faith:

Eph 4:13 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:

Chloe’s family told Paul about the strife in the church of God .... who were debating over which minster brought them into the faith. Quite frankly, it did not matter ‘WHICH MINISTER’ gave them the gospel .... whether it was PAUL .... or Apollos .... or Peter .... or Christ. But 'mid-Acts-ers' don't agree with anyone's testimony who claims to have been saved by reading the epistles of Peter, or even the words of the Lord Jesus, much less any of the 4 gospel records while Jesus ministered on earth:

1 Cor 1:11-13 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith,
I am of Paul; (This is the only one 'mid-Acts-ers' will accept. They think all the others are FALSE conversions.)
and I of Apollos;
and I of Cephas;
and I of Christ.
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

Christ is not divided .... and neither should His body be! We are ONE body:

Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (also see 1 Cor 10:17, 12:12-13,20; Eph 2:16; Col 3:15)

Initially, Apollos knew only the water baptism of John the Baptist. Aquila and Priscilla expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. Then Apollos helped them much which had believed through grace (Acts 18:24-28). Obviously, Apollos preached the gospel to people at Corinth, since some of his converts were joined to the church of God there:

1 Cor 3:3-9 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4 For while one saith, I am of Paul;
and another, I am of Apollos;
are ye not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos,
but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
6 I (Paul) have planted,
Apollos watered;
but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, (Paul is nothing.)
neither he that watereth; (Apollos is nothing.)
but God that giveth the increase. (also see John 3:30)
8 Now he that planteth (Paul) and he that watereth (Apollos) are one: ('Mid-Acts-ers' say that Paul and Apollos were in SEPARATE 'programs' .... but GOD said they were ONE!)
and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Paul and Apollos are one. So why won’t ‘mid-Acts-ers’ be ‘one’ with those ‘in Christ’ before Paul (Rom 16:7)?

After Paul detailed the gospel that he preached "unto you" (at Corinth in 1 Cor 15:1-4 .... just like "unto you" in Gal 1:9 .... and "unto you" in 1 Thess 4:15) .... he listed many other ministers (1 Cor 15:5-7) and showed again .... it did not matter WHICH MINISTER they got the gospel from:

1 Cor 15:11 Therefore whether it were I or they,
so we preach,
and so ye believed.

That's just what Abraham did .... he believed .... and God counted his faith for righteousness (Rom 4:3). UNITY .... NOT DIVISION .... has been enjoyable among God’s people for a long time. I think I’ll be glad in that. "What about you?"

Psa 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is NOT ‘right division’ to divide God’s saints from each other. It is wrong! There are no verses that teach that foolishness. 'Mid-Acts-ers' are protecting their paradigm, charts, etc.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

First in the Body?

2010-11-27T23:45:00.002-05:00

For those ‘mid-Acts-ers’ who insist that Paul was the 1st person saved into the body of Christ, I ask .... why don’t YOU get into the body the same way Paul got in?

What are you waiting for? Follow Paul, get up, and get baptized!

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Just because Paul said he was sent not to baptize, but to preach the gospel (1 Cor 1:17), does not change the fact of what he did when he got saved. Paul was water baptized!

I’m not preaching water baptism .... but ‘mid-Acts-ers’ ought practice what they preach!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Whether I or They

2010-11-21T20:23:00.002-05:00

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ will not admit that Paul and Peter both wrote to the same people .... even though the Bible says they did. The verse plainly says so:

2 Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

So we must go back to the beginning of this epistle to find out to whom Peter addressed it. Right here it is:

2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

There you have it! Simple as can be! I’m not going to allow ‘mid-Acts-ers’ to twist the word of God for me. I choose to believe GOD’s word .... instead of the Cunning Royal Jester’s paradigm .... because they are not the same.

When you read on past where ‘mid-Acts-ers’ stop in 1 Cor 15:4 .... you see that there were a lot of men preaching the gospel .... not just Paul. ANY of them were "ministers by whom ye believed" (1 Cor 3:5):

1 Cor 15:11 Therefore whether it were I (Paul) or they (Peter, James, any of the 12 apostles, and over 500 men - in the context),
so we preach (the gospel by which ye are saved - 1 Cor 15:1-11),
and so ye believed.

That is plain as day! Whether I or they!

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

A Trusted Book in the Hands of Untrustworthy Men

2010-11-13T00:53:00.003-05:00

The Cunning Royal Jester demonstrated why he holds the title tonight! He began wasting time on opening night by telling folks to turn in their Bibles to Psalm 33, and without even reading it, he immediately took off into Story-Telling Land for more than half an hour, pivoting from television personalities to politics to a trip with his wife to falling down an escalator to a dog chewing up his Bible to his rule on whether you should sing in public or not to musical instruments he can play to the first time he preached on the street and at the mission when he was 16 years old to losing a parked car ..... and on .... and on .... and on. His audience seemed entertained like they were watching a variety show. He is a Cunning Royal Jester, indeed.

Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

One story was about a man who didn’t know that the good Samaritan was from the Bible. The Jester described him as a blank (meaning, I assume, that the man had no Biblical knowledge), so the Jester just quit talking to him. Then he said you should think about your opportunity to be a light in a dark world. Why encourage others to do what he himself did not do? By his own testimony that he just gave, his experience was a bad example.

For a ‘speaker’ who claims to be celebrating 400 years of the KJV, it is a tragedy that he avoids the KJV word ‘bishop’ for the very office he holds, written by inspiration of God from the very apostle he pretends to follow .... all the while preferring The Living Bible word ‘pastor’ instead.

1 Tim 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

Oddly, the Cunning Royal Jester does not handle the word ‘cross’ like he does ‘bishop’ by switching the ‘cross’ to be called the ‘tree’ since many religious denominations with which he disagrees use the word ‘cross’. Neither does he substitute even the KJV’s other translation ‘stewardship’ (Luke 16:2,3,4) for the KJV word ‘dispensation’ (Eph 3:2), by which he identifies himself.

When he finally got around to reading the Bible, the ‘instructor’ who teaches others to ‘divide Paul’ from the rest of the scriptures, taught from ‘outside of Paul’ as he expressed the authority of the Bible. He admitted he "talked too long getting started" .... but, hey, why should that matter, since "we’re people of the book"?

Prov 20:6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness:
but a faithful man who can find?

Prov 25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

1 Cor 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards,
that a man be found faithful.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

LOVE SHOWS

2010-11-12T01:47:00.003-05:00

When a scribe questioned Jesus about the first commandment, He answered him with BOTH the first and second commandments .... BOTH about love .... first for God; second for others in the kingdom of God:

Mark 12:28-34 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth:
for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.
And no man after that durst ask him any question.

All the law and the prophets are hung on just two commandments:

Matt 22:34-40 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Here is the 1st one:
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
Here is the 2nd one:
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

‘Mid-Acts-hyper-dispensationalists’ don’t like for Paul to mention the law in a ‘working’ manner .... yet he did. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ need to look at what Paul said about ‘US .... fulfilling the law’. It is all about showing love:

Rom 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another:
for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour:
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Being free from the law does not mean that we disregard it. The law is expressed by love:

Gal 5:13-14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

John understood this issue, too. Believers in Christ love each other:

1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

This is the very same thing Paul said that GOD taught:

1 Thess 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

We love God, and we love others. That is not a problem for believers, but it sure seems to be one for ‘mid-Acts-ers’ who SEPARATE from God’s children who don’t ‘follow Paul’ the way they do:

1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Our heart will not condemn us and we will have confidence toward God (1 John 3:20-21) and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (1 John 2:28). We will not feel guilty when we live and show love this way:

Rom 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Read Luke 10:25-37 about a certain Samaritan, who had mercy on a man who fell among the thieves that robbed him, stripped him of his clothes, wounded him, and left him half dead.

Love God, love your family, love your brothers and sisters in Christ, and love your neighbor. Let your love show!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

When Saints Judge

2010-11-07T23:47:00.003-05:00

In the Psalms, it was prophesied that God’s saints would be judges:

Psa 122:5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

Psa 149:6-9 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;
7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 To execute upon them the judgment written:
this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

Jesus prophesied to Peter that His 12 disciples/apostles will be judges:

Matt 19:27-29 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.
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ teach that a portion of God’s saints (those who have trusted Christ through the apostle Paul’s ministry, who-they-call, solely, the body of Christ) will be in heaven for eternity .... and that all the rest of God’s saints (meaning those who were saved BEFORE Paul and AFTER their unscriptural pre-tribulation, pre-70th-week-of-Daniel rapture of just Paul’s converts) will inherit the earth, especially and particularly the nation Israel. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ ignore the very apostle they claim to follow, Paul, when he prophesied to the saints that they/we will be judges:

1 Cor 6:2-3 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Recently, I heard the Cunning Royal Jester ask, ‘Do you know what world the saints will judge?’ .... Then he answered his own question, ‘The world of angels, that’s what world!’

For Paul to tell the saints that they shall judge the world, presupposes the fact that the saints will have to be ‘in the world’ in order to judge it. We know where ‘the world’ is. We know about this world .... and the world to come (Matt 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; Eph 1:21; Heb 2:5, 6:5).

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Faithful Ministers of the Mystery?

2010-10-31T22:29:00.001-04:00

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ spout about Paul being the ONLY ONE who had ‘the mystery’ .... well, according to the scriptures, he wasn’t! In this passage, we see that Apollos and Cephas were ALSO faithful stewards of the mystery, as well as Paul:

1 Cor 3:21-23 Therefore let no man glory in men.
For all things are yours;
22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
1 Cor 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Let’s re-read 1 Cor 4:1, in sections, with analysis:

1 Cor 4:1 Let a man so account of us (us, who? us in the context = Paul, Apollos, and Peter),
as of the ministers (Greek [huperetes] also translated ‘servants’) of Christ,
and stewards (Greek [oikonomos] like ‘dispensers’ from the same root word as [oikonomia] for ‘dispensation’)
of the mysteries (Greek [musterion] also translated in the singular, mystery) of God.

The passage (1 Cor 3:21-23, 1 Cor 4:1-2 together) proves that at least 2 other men -- other than Paul -- were dispensers of the mystery of God.

Do you listen to a FAITHFUL minister, who is TRUE to God’s Word (as found in the English language in the KJV), or do you heed the words of an unfaithful servant?

Prov 20:6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness:
but a faithful man who can find?

If you’ve given your attention to ‘mid-Acts-ers’ .... you should realize, by reading the verses, that they are grossly unfaithful with God’s word.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!

Standing on the Promises of God

2010-10-27T02:20:00.004-04:00

Talking about ‘mid-Acts’ preachers before him, I have heard the Cunning Royal Jester say that we stand on their shoulders, but they did not see as far as we see. He excused them, stating they just didn’t have time to think things through. In retrospect, I believe they were not as radical at dividing as the CRJ is. He makes nearly 2 of everything .... 2 Jesus’ .... 2 groups of saints (those saved through Paul’s ministry vs. all other believers) .... 2 sets of last days .... 2 or 3 future comings of the Lord .... 2 different eternal destinies .... 3 churches (those before Paul, those by Paul, those after Paul) .... 3 or more resurrections .... the Holy Spirit / Ghost, etc.

Instead of standing on the shoulders of earlier ‘mid-Acts’ preachers .... to divide even more than they did, I would rather stand on God’s promises, like GOD, through ‘our’ apostle Paul, said:

2 Cor 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

GOD, through ‘our’ apostle Paul, explained that the promise of the Spirit we have, was the PROPHETIC one that God promised Abraham way back when:

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Anyone who denies the verses that Abraham is their father .... well, maybe they will get what they believe and want:

2 Tim 2:12-b if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Matt 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

God, through Paul, gave us Gentiles the benefits that He formerly promised to His people Israel. You can reference those promises in the scriptures and see Paul repeat them, and apply them to us Gentiles:

Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

2 Cor 6:16-18 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.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2 Cor 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Paul wasn’t the only prophet and apostle who sent ‘grace and peace’ in the opening of every one of his epistles .... Peter did, too, when he wrote to those of the same faith in Christ. Peter also recognized the wonderful promises of God to His saints:

2 Peter 1:1-4 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Since I got away from the Cunning Royal Jester’s denial of God's promises, and I have rejected his ‘mid-Acts’ madness .... I rejoice and glorify God for His promises to me!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Scolded for Study?

2010-10-22T23:39:00.005-04:00

When I began studying on my own and got away from following the Cunning Royal Jester .... I did something ‘forbidden’ by the ‘mid-Acts’ Jokers! I looked into the Greek! I admit that I am no English grammar major, but I do have some sense. With a lexicon I am able to compare Greek words and their translation in different verses. I found out that ‘mid-Acts-ers’ completely distort God’s words through Paul by saying that Paul preached a different gospel than Peter preached:

Gal 2:7 But [alla]
contrariwise [tounantion],
when they saw [eido]
that [hoti]
the gospel [euaggelion]
of the uncircumcision [akrobustia]
was committed unto me [pisteuo] (The same Greek word is written 248 times, and translated "believe" 239 of them.)
as [kathos]
[the gospel] of the circumcision [peritome] (The same Greek word is written 36 times .... it is translated "circumcision" 15 times, "the circumcision" 12 times, "of circumcision" 4 times, "of the circumcision" 3 times, "with the circumcision" 1 time, and "circumcised" 1 time.)
[was] unto Peter [Petros]; ([Petros] is just Peter’s name .... with no preposition 'unto'.)

Led by the Cunning Royal Jester, ‘mid-Acts-ers’ are his staunch defenders. Both he and, likewise, they teach that Peter and Paul preached 2 separate gospels .... based upon the word ‘of’ in Gal 2:7. Let’s look at that to see why they are wrong:

Gal 2:8 (For [gar]
he that wrought effectually [energeo] (This same Greek word, similar to our English word "energy" is translated later in this same verse as "was mighty".)
in Peter [Petros] ([Petros] is just Peter’s name .... with no preposition ‘in’. Obviously, to create a doctrine with the word 'in' in this phrase would not be right, but that is how 'mid-Acts-ers craftily handle the word 'of'.)
to [eis] (This same Greek word is translated later in this same verse as "toward".)
the apostleship [apostole]
of the circumcision [peritome], (This Greek word is ‘circumcision’ and the words ‘of’ and ‘the’ are added to make an English sentence. But ‘mid-Acts-ers’ invented a doctrine of ‘2 different gospels’ from the preposition ‘of’ that does not even have its own Greek word.)
the same [kai]
was mighty [energeo] (This Greek word was translated at the first in this same verse as "he that wrought effectually".)
in me [emoi]
toward [eis] (This same Greek word was translated earlier in this same verse as "toward".)
the Gentiles [ethnos]:) (similar to our English word "ethnic")

I believe the KJV is the Word of God in the English language.
I accept it as the final authority.
I do not have any problem with the KJV.

However, I now understand that the KJV translators, from the Greek, made proper English sentences by adding prepositions, adjectives, etc. This I did not realize before. I took the Cunning Royal Jester’s word that the KJV is a word-for-word translation, and thus, there was never any reason to consult the Greek. I trusted him as my teacher, who told me that only the words in italics had been added, but I have since discovered that is not the case.

The Cunning Royal Jester announced that Strong’s numbers are .... maybe not quite "unreliable" .... but, at least, "very abbreviated" .... which may just be "code words" indicating that we common folk who can’t read Greek, have no business investigating them. He also mocked that a person would dare to consult the Greek who could not recite the Greek alphabet. For years, he has signed correspondence with the Greek word ‘Maranatha’:

1 Cor 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ,
let him be (the next two words are Greek words):
Anathema Maranatha. (Maranatha means "our Lord cometh or will come". Well, I may not pronounce the Greek properly, but I believe "what saith the scripture" about WHEN the Lord will come, and I am not like the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ who are mixed up about it.)

The CRJ uses the Greek, and wants everyone else to trust him .... yet he scolds others who want to use it themselves.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Who Are the Lord's Saints?

2010-10-21T02:26:00.003-04:00

God chose and commissioned Paul to be the apostle of the Gentiles:

Rom 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

That is one of the basic teachings of ‘mid-Acts-ers.’ However, they disregard the words of the very man they claim to follow and they disrespect the Lord’s word. "My brethren, these things ought not so to be." ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ wrest the scriptures .... even those scriptures that PAUL wrote (2 Peter 3:16-17).

1 Thess 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ do not believe that. They say that the ONLY saints that will return with Christ when He comes .... are those who were saved through Paul’s ministry. Thus, they SEPARATE the SAINTS into different groups of saints, when the Bible makes no such division. Actually, the word of God teaches UNITY of the church, which is all believers of all ages.

Old testament prophecies said that all the LORD’s saints will judge the people:

Psa 149:4-9 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them (the saints) sing aloud upon their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their (the saints’) mouth, and a twoedged sword in their (the saints’) hand;
7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

Paul taught the same truth:

1 Cor 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

When the LORD said "all His saints" .... He meant "ALL" His saints.

• God meant what He said .... through Moses:

Deut 33:3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.

When the LORD said "all His saints" .... He meant "ALL" His saints.

• God meant what He said .... through Zechariah:

Zech 14:3-9 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

When the LORD said "all His saints" .... He meant "ALL" His saints.

• God meant what He said .... through Paul:

1 Thess 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

When the LORD comes .... He will bring all His saints with Him.
I will take GOD’s word -- instead of the ‘mid-Acts' stories and fables.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Faithful Ministers of the Mystery

2010-10-19T00:08:00.002-04:00

The ‘mid-Acts-ers’ spout about Paul being the ONLY ONE who had ‘the mystery’ .... well, not according to the scriptures! In this passage, we see that Paul, Apollos, and Cephas were ALL faithful stewards of the mystery:

1 Cor 3:21-23 Therefore let no man glory in men.
For all things are yours;
22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. (Keep reading on into the next verse in the passage.)
1 Cor 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us
(us, who? us in the context =Paul, Apollos, and Peter),
as of the ministers (Greek [huperetes] also translated ‘servants’) of Christ,
and stewards (Greek [oikonomos] like ‘dispensers’ from the same root word as [oikonomia] for ‘dispensation’)
of the mysteries (Greek [musterion] also translated in the singular, mystery) of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Do you listen to a FAITHFUL minister, who is TRUE to God’s Word (as found in the English language in the KJV), or do you hear an unfaithful servant?

Prov 20:6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness:
but a faithful man who can find?

If you’ve given your attention to ‘mid-Acts-ers’ .... you need to be looking around somewhere else.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Who Is Ashamed of the Words of God and Who Is a Liar?

2010-10-01T18:40:00.003-04:00

It is an absolute SHAME for men to CELEBRATE 400 Years of the King James Version of the Bible .... all the while REFUSING to ACCEPT the King James’ WORD for the OFFICE they hold.

Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

Men who CLAIM to believe that the KJV is GOD’s word .... are LIARS when they REJECT the TITLE of their office. They CLAIM to follow PAUL .... but in practice, they do NOT follow him.

1 Tim 3:1 This is a true (not a lie) saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

Paul did not magnify HIMSELF, but he did hold his OFFICE up in honor. These ‘fake KJV-ers’ acknowledge Paul’s APOSTLESHIP, but IGNORE his example concerning the dignity of his OFFICE.

Rom 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

The ‘mid-Acts’ dispensational preachers who identify themselves as PASTORS (metaphorical for ‘shepherds’ of ‘sheep’) strictly preach that ISRAEL is God’s sheep. How DECEITFUL! They say they are PASTORS, but they have NO SHEEP! Instead they try to be SHEPHERDS of a ‘BODY of Christ’ .... not of a FLOCK. Don’t let them ‘pull the wool’ over your eyes!

They made a big issue with the KJV word ‘dispensation’ .... how to USE it, PRESERVE it, not CHANGE it. But they do not handle the KJV word ‘bishop’ with the same RESPECT. That is a double standard.

‘Faithfulness’ is what God, through Paul, said He seeks:

1 Cor 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers ([huperetes] also translated ‘servants’) of Christ, and stewards ([oikonomos] a similar Greek word as [oikonomia] translated ‘dispensation’) of the mysteries ([musterion] also translated in the singular ‘mystery’) of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

The church bulletin of the Cunning Royal Jester has his title changed from ‘Pastor’ to ‘Elder’. Now he describes himself as a ‘teaching elder’. Why the change? An admission of guilt? Why not get right? Why not BE the bishop you ARE? When a man who IS a bishop AVOIDS the KJV word ‘bishop’ .... he is being UNFAITHFUL to the word of GOD.

Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:
and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

They DODGE the one KJV word ‘bishop’ .... and SUBSTITUTE other words, like ‘pastor, brother, minister, elder, preacher, etc.’. Thus, they are NOT ‘KJV’ as they PRETEND to be. For example:

1 Cor 5:6 Your glorying is not good.
Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

EVERY time the KJV uses ‘bishop’ .... The Living Bible uses ‘pastor’ in its place.
The bishops who EVADE the name of their office are TWO-FACED. On one face, they give lip service to the KJV; on the other face, they SPURN the KJV name of the OFFICE they hold.

None of them have any problem with the KJV word DEACON:

1 Tim 3:10, 13 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

A man who is a TRUE KJV Bible believer, who takes care of the church of God, will call himself what GOD calls him .... a BISHOP. He desires doing a good work for the Lord:

1 Tim 3:1-2 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop,
he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

The IMPOSTORS who claim to be KJV, but are not, are deceiving people.

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward ([oikonomos] like ‘dispenser’) of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

Paul addressed his epistle to the saints, BISHOPS, and deacons at Philippi:

Phil 1:1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

The KJV TRAITORS are having Bible conferences this year with the 400 Years of KJV theme. What a shameful MOCKERY of God’s HOLY Word! Do you really want to support liars?

They do not believe God, and they do not follow Paul.
Instead they follow the Cunning Royal Jester, as he follows Paul.

1 Cor 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

Repositioning on a Slippery Slope?

2010-10-01T01:17:00.003-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time on September 19, 2010, with the IL teaching elder, he mentioned, at least 3 times, that (to change his paradigm) you have to “redefine the day of the Lord”.

The Cunning Royal Jester makes a lot of statements, telling you how to ‘think like he thinks’ .... but he cannot prove his paradigm with scripture verses. Some of his quotes in the above mentioned message were as follows:

We call ourselves ‘pre-trib rapture believers’.
I study 50 things about it, but only teach 4 things.
The ‘gelling’ factor ....
Some things sort of formulate for you.
How strong and clear Paul is .... ‘when - then’ is the timing element.
But that’s a contrast - a progression of thought from chapter 4.
The day of the Lord will not overtake you,
.... the day of the Lord .... not ‘when the Lord comes’.
We know what we’re talking about.
There are 2 places where the prophecy and mystery programs intersect with each other. The timing is connected - but WE are NOT connected.
You can have similar events at the intersection but they’re not going to be the same.
The day of the Lord is during tribulation - not at the end,
.... understanding WHEN the day of the Lord is.
Rev 1:10 is the definition of the day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord is not Sunday.
I would make the whole book of Revelation fit into the day of the Lord. The rapture takes place before all that.
They (his 2 different programs theory of Israel’s program and the body of Christ program) share the moment in time, where they intersect momentarily, but we were careful to define what the day of the Lord is .... the 70th week of Daniel.
It’s a slippery slope. When they let go of pre-trib, they slide to the end.
We’re through before that prophetic program begins, that makes us ‘Pre’.

The ‘pre-tribulation rapture’ heresy can surely generate ridicule during the last days .... like, “What’s up? Ha! Ha! You thought you were supposed to be caught up outta here before all this!”

2 Peter 3:3-4 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Listening to the Cunning Royal Jester over the past few months, could make one think he may be losing his footing .... trying to prevent a slide. On August 22, 2010, talking about getting ‘the time’ (of the catching up) wrong -or right - he threw his arms up in the air and questioned, “So what if I’m wrong?” In the same message, he said of Jesus, “It’s the same Jesus.” For years, he and his jokers have taught that the ‘earthly Jesus’ was ‘another Jesus’. On August 10, 2010, he said, “The earth is in the heavens.” So is he now putting his ‘different destinies’ together in the same place? On September 5, 2010, he referred to Jesus as ‘our King’.

Have you noticed? The Cunning Royal Jester is repositioning several of his long-time teachings. Maybe he’s cushioning for a slide on the slippery slope, or at least, trying not to look so obviously disconnected with what the verses actually say.

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

Targeted Wrath and Reward?

2010-09-28T16:59:00.002-04:00

When Jesus’ disciples asked Him about the sign of His coming and of the end of the world (Matt 24:3), He taught them about events to recognize the beginning of sorrows (Matt 24:8), and what would happen after great tribulaton when Jesus will return from heaven. (We will read Matt 24:37-51):

Matt 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were,
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

The point here is, that people can be right beside each other, yet God’s wrath is pointed and precise:

Matt 24:40-41 Then shall two be in the field;
the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill;
the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Jesus gave the instruction is to WATCH and BE PREPARED for His coming:

Matt 24:42-44 Watch therefore:
for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Jesus’ coming will be a time of JUDGMENT .... a time for REWARD of His saints:

Matt 24:45-47 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Jesus’ coming will be a time of JUDGMENT .... a time for PUNISHMENT of His enemies:

Matt 24:48-51 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

According to PAUL also, writing by inspiration of God to the Thessalonians, when Jesus comes from heaven .... it will be a day of judgment for EVERYONE. (We will read 2 Thess 1:7-10):

On the LOST, Jesus’ coming will be a day of wrath and vengeance:

2 Thess 1:7-9 And to you who are troubled rest with us,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

On the SAVED, Jesus’ coming will be a glorious day:

2 Thess 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

According to PAUL also, writing by inspiration of God to the Romans, when Jesus comes from heaven .... it will be a day of judgment for EVERYONE. (We will read Rom 2:5-11):

Rom 2:5-6 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

On the SAVED, Jesus’ coming will be a glorious day of REWARD and everlasting life:

Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

On the LOST, Jesus’ coming will be a day of wrath and vengeance:

Rom 2:8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

Paul repeated it again .... on the LOST, Jesus’ coming will be a day of wrath and vengeance:

Rom 2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

Paul repeated it again .... on the SAVED, Jesus’ coming will be a glorious day of REWARD:

Rom 2:10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

NO ONE will be exempt from God’s righteous judgment:

Rom 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

NO ONE will escape the judgment of God .... which will be .... when Jesus comes the 2nd time:

Heb 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

God’s wrath is targeted against His enemies .... not toward His saints:

Nahum 1:2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth;
the LORD revengeth, and is furious;
the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries,
and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

Even back in MOSES’ day, God promised BOTH vengeance on His enemies and reward for His saints:

Deut 32:41-43 If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
42 I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.
43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people:
for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries,
and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

PETER also taught God’s judgment on BOTH the righteous and the unrighteous .... in the same day:

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how
to deliver the godly out of temptations,
and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

JOHN also taught God’s judgment on BOTH the righteous and the unrighteous .... in the same day:

Rev 11:15-18 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come;
because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come,
and the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great;
and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

In the CONTEXT of the day of the Lord, PAUL told the saints to watch and be sober:

1 Thess 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

In the CONTEXT of the day of the Lord at the end, PETER told the saints to watch and be sober:

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ are always focusing on Paul’s ‘program’ or Israel’s ‘program’ .... they better REPENT (change their mind) and get with GOD’S PROGRAM to see that when Jesus returns from heaven, in the end, at the last trump .... it will be HIS day!

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

An Instant Advantage?

2010-09-28T01:18:00.005-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time, on September 5, 2010, the IL teaching elder was talking about 1 Thess 4:16-17, and said, ‘The dead in Christ have an advantage over the alive because they get their glorified bodies an instant before we do.’ He mentioned this more than once. So what is his point in that? It seems like he is just filling up his story-time.

1 Thess 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The Cunning Royal Jester kept focusing on the ‘reunion with the Thessalonians’ loved ones’ as ‘the comfort factor’ .... yet he teaches that ONLY the saints that have believed through PAUL’s ministry will be in what-he-calls ‘the rapture’. Therefore, what about any of the Thessalonians’ relatives or friends who trusted Christ through some other minister, such as Apollos, Peter, or even Christ Himself? Saints alive during the time Paul wrote this epistle had certainly believed through other ministers besides him. The Cunning Royal Jester teaches that there will be NO gathering together with them. He puts them in a different program, and a different church, and a different resurrection, and a different destiny:

1 Cor 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith,
I am of Paul (that’s the ‘mid-Acts hyper-dispensationalist’ group who claim to ONLY follow Paul);
and I of Apollos (he is not really an issue for the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ today);
and I of Cephas (that’s Peter, who ‘mid-Acts-ers’ say taught a DIFFERENT gospel than Paul taught .... and therefore, they believe a person cannot be saved today through Peter’s writings);
and I of Christ (‘mid-Acts-ers’ teach that Jesus in His earthly ministry was ‘another Jesus’ and that a “right-divider” cannot follow Christ).

GOD’s word through Paul in the same epistle said that it is CARNAL to make an issue over WHICH preacher taught you the gospel. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ really need to pay attention to that:

1 Cor 3:4-5 For while one saith, I am of Paul;
and another, I am of Apollos;
are ye not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos,
but ministers by whom ye believed,
even as the Lord gave to every man?

Paul taught by inspiration of God .... that the MAN who brought you to faith in Christ did not matter. But to the ‘mid-Acts-ers’, it does. If you don’t claim to be ‘of Paul’ .... then they EXCLUDE you from being in ‘the church, the body of Christ’. They make you an OUTCAST, when the scripture says that you belonging to Christ is the issue:

1 Cor 3:21-23 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
22 Whether Paul,
or Apollos,
or Cephas,
or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

The Cunning Royal Jester leaves all those saints in the ground, that have not believed through PAUL, at his ‘rapture-resurrection’. The Thessalonian saints would have no hope of reuniting with them! The Jester and the Jokers who promote his paradigm needs to accept GOD's WORD:

1 Thess 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

The Cunning Royal Jester preaches doctrines that are contrary to plain verses of scripture .... even those written by Paul.

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

It’s Elementary, My Dear Watson

2010-09-27T02:42:00.003-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time on September 19, 2010, speaking of 1 Thess 5:2, the IL teaching elder asked, “Am I being clear enough with that? Here it’s called the day of the Lord. You and I are NOT going to experience the day of the Lord.”

Then he mentioned the references of 2 Thess 2:2 and Phil 1:6, and said, “We ARE going to experience the day of Christ.”

Then he said, “It’s elementary, my dear Watson.”

I would suggest he read the CONTEXT of 2 Thess 2:2 .... because it shows that the coming of the Lord and our gathering unto Him in the day of CHRIST .... CANNOT HAPPEN BEFORE a falling away and that man of sin is revealed when he sits in the temple and proclaims himself to be God.

The odd thing is .... the Cunning Royal Jester does not preach what the CONTEXT says about the day of Christ! He does not teach that the church will be on Planet Earth during the 70th week of Daniel. He says the church will be ‘raptured’ off the earth more than 7 years PRIOR to the time Daniel’s 70th week begins. During half-time is when that man of sin will be revealed for the imposter he will be.

2 Thess 2:1-4 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Since the Cunning Royal Jester says we will NOT be here for the day of the LORD .... but we WILL be here for the day of CHRIST .... (because he makes them SEPARATE DAYS, separated by 7+ years), then, I wonder, which day would he say is the day of our LORD JESUS CHRIST? Is it the day of the LORD or the day of CHRIST? Or is it yet ANOTHER day?

1 Cor 1:8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Which day would the Cunning Royal Jester say is the day of the LORD JESUS? Is it the day of the LORD or the day of CHRIST? Or is it yet ANOTHER day?

2 Cor 1:14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Which day would the Cunning Royal Jester say is the day of GOD? Is it the day of the LORD or the day of CHRIST? Or is it yet ANOTHER day?

2 Peter 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

The Cunning Royal Jester’s doctrine of DIVISION is outrageous and wrong!

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

The 2nd is NOT the 3rd

2010-09-24T22:26:00.001-04:00

The issue of Jesus coming back to earth from heaven flows throughout the scripture. There is no logical reason to DIVIDE “His (future) coming” into 2 SEPARATE future comings, and then, not count the first one in the DIVISION. But that’s what ‘mid-Acts-ers’ do who follow the Cunning Royal Jester, who has been teaching this regularly during his Sunday Evening Story-Time.

It is NOT right to ‘make-up’ another appearance (and call it a mystery, secret appearing) BEFORE the SECOND coming, and not count it:

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

When the SCRIPTURE tells of Christ’s SECOND appearance .... then we should BELIEVE what GOD says (not what the Cunning Royal Jester says). It is the SECOND time He will appear, not the THIRD.

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

Who Will Come .... on Who’s Day?

2010-09-24T00:10:00.004-04:00

The Cunning Royal Jester continually makes a DIVISION between the day of Christ and the day of the Lord, saying that they are completely separate events that will happen more than 7 years apart. He did it again this past weekend, September 19, 2010, in his weekly Sunday Evening Story-Time.

He says that the day of Christ, which he teaches is “our gathering unto Him”, begins with what-he-calls “the pre-tribulation rapture”.

Gal 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture?

The Cunning Royal Jester does NOT say what the SCRIPTURE says about the the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our gathering together unto Him, and the day of Christ .... the TIMING of it:

2 Thess 2:1-3 Now we beseech you, brethren,
by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (What day? the day of Christ) shall not come,
except there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Sunday night, September 19, 2010, the Cunning Royal Jester said, ‘Am I being clear enough with that? You and I are NOT going to experience the day of the LORD, but we ARE going to experience the day of CHRIST.’ According to the verses, he is wrong.

The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess 2:1) is the SAME as the coming of the Lord:

1 Thess 4:15-18, 5:1-11 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thess 5:1 But of the times and the seasons (stay in the context .... the times and seasons of what? the times and seasons what he has been talking about, the times and seasons of the coming of the Lord, when the dead are raised and the alive are caught up in the clouds with them to meet the Lord and live together with Him), brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (also see 2 Pet 3:10)
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them (2 Thess 1:7-10), as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day (what day? the day of the Lord) should overtake you as a thief. (Not because you have been 'raptured' more than 7 years earlier, but because God's wrath will be directed against His enemies, not against His saints - also see 2 Thess 1:7-10 and Rom 2:5-10)
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. (also see 1 Pet 4:7)
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep (these are the same people in verses 4:15-17), we should live together with him.
11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

The coming of the Lord (1 Thess 4:15) is the SAME as the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (also 2 Thess 2:1, that we read at the beginning of this ‘Thought of the Day’):

1 Cor 1:7-8 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
The day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:2) is the SAME as the day of our Lord Jesus Christ:
8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:2) is the SAME as the day of the Lord:

2 Peter 3:9-10 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise (the promise of His coming, 2 Pet 3:4 in the context), as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The Cunning Royal Jester said, 'If you don't want the rapture to be before .... then you need to REDEFINE the day of the Lord.”

Actually, GOD defined the day of the Lord in the Bible. We've been reading about it. But I will humor the Jester anyway, so here goes:

The day of the Lord = the day of our Lord Jesus Christ = the day of Christ.

The Jester is the one who needs to adjust his definition of the day of the Lord. He is the one who thinks there are 2 Jesus' .... he thinks the day of Christ is 7+ years before the day of the Lord.

Who will come on Who’s Day? The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Lord, Who is Christ .... will come on HIS day!

This is David Dowell saying, “Think about it!”

DIVIDING Jesus Again .... How Embarrassing!

2010-09-19T23:21:00.004-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time on September 19, 2010, the IL ‘teaching elder’ gave us another outrageous DIVISION!

The Cunning Royal Jester specifically said,
"You and I are NOT going to experience the Day of the LORD ....
but we ARE going to experience the Day of CHRIST."

When the birthday of Jesus was announced to the shepherds, as they kept watch over their flock by night .... the angel of the Lord clearly identified JESUS as Christ the Lord:

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Peter proclaimed that ‘that SAME Jesus’ .... (which was the ‘EARTHLY Jesus’ .... that was crucified .... that the Cunning Royal Jester teaches was ‘another Jesus’) .... was BOTH LORD and CHRIST:

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

PAUL, the very apostle ‘mid-Acts-ers’ claim to follow (but don’t), ALSO taught that CHRIST IS the LORD:

Rom 14:8-9 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived,
that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Every week the Cunning Royal Jester looks more and more outrageous as he DIVIDES the Lord Jesus Christ. He claims to have ‘studied this stuff’ for over 40 years. He should be embarrassed!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

When a Shout is a Whisper

2010-09-18T20:09:00.004-04:00

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ believe that ‘any moment’ Jesus will appear in the clouds, for a ‘mystery resurrection’ they call the ‘rapture’ .... several years before the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy begins .... for ONLY those saints that were saved through PAUL’s ministry. They think the rest of the world will be left behind to ‘wonder’ why these people are suddenly ‘missing’. They say that unbelievers will be completely unaware of the Lord’s coming .... even though it will be a 'NOISY event':

1 Thess 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
• with a shout,
• with the voice of the archangel,
• and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

During Sunday Evening Story-Time on June 27, 2010, with the IL teaching elder, he made a repeated point that the (so-called) ‘rapture’ will be a NOISY event. He said, "There’s this VOICE of a trumpet that God will sound. You’re going to have a shout, a voice coming from the archangel Michael, and then the trump of God - you’re going to have God’s voice. So it’s going to be a NOISY event, with 3 unique sounds."

So how in the world does the Cunning Royal Jester think that NOBODY else in the world, except the ‘few’ that trusted Christ through PAUL’s writings, will HEAR such loud NOISES?

Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds;
and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ DIVIDE-OUT everything that is not written by Paul, and they think the verse is talking about ANOTHER coming of the Lord .... years AFTER the (so-called) ‘secret rapture coming’.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ teach that just the folks who have believed ‘Jesus died for their sins, was buried, and rose again the 3rd day’ THROUGH PAUL’s epistles .... will be the only ones that to see Him or to hear all this noise.

According to his theology, a ‘SHOUT’ would have the effect of a ‘WHISPER’.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Waiting for the Casting?

2010-09-18T01:32:00.002-04:00

When Israel sees the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, they will have to flee to the mountains for God’s protection (Matt 24:15-16, Mark 13:14). This will happen in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy. Paul also prophesied of this same time (2 Thess 2:3-4), as did John in the Revelation:

Rev 12:6 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. (1,260 days = 43 months = 3-1/2 years .... the half-way point of the full 7 years)

Notice that the context places the casting out of the Devil and his angels from heaven, also in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week:

Rev 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Satan will persecute Israel as she flies to the wilderness for provision for a time, and times, and half a time (Rev 12:13-14).

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ wrongly teach such nonsense that means that 'raptured' saints (who-they-teach are ONLY those saved by what-they-call "Paul's UNIQUE gospel") will be WAITING for the CASTING out of the Devil and his angels in ‘mid-week’ .... before they can FILL the POSITIONS they were assigned YEARS earlier at the judgment.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Wanted Dead or Alive?

2010-09-17T01:08:00.003-04:00

I listened to a 'mid-Acts' preacher say, "If the quick and the dead are two different things .... and they are .... then so are "His appearing (the rapture) and His kingdom (the second coming)." That is NOT how the verse reads though:

2 Tim 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

Well, now, with that illogical 'mid-Acts' reasoning, I wonder .... Would he group the quick and the dead together, and have them judged at His appearing .... and then 'nothing' happen at His kingdom? Why even mention His kingdom, if 'nothing' in the verse has anything to do with it, since he believes it is an entirely separate event that will occur 7+ years later? Or would he group the 1st thing of the 1st section, with the 1st thing of the 2nd section .... and then group the 2nd thing of the 1st section, with the 2nd thing of the 2nd section? So then, the quick would be judged at His appearing .... and the dead would be judged at His kingdom? Or would he use BOTH things in the 1st section with EACH of the things in the 2nd section? So then, the quick and the dead will both be judged at His appearing .... and then quick and the dead will both be judged at His kingdom? This question presents two problems. Here are the two scenarios: If the quick and the dead will both be judged at His appearing .... will the SAME quick and the dead be judged AGAIN at His kingdom? ---- OR ---- If the quick and the dead will both be judged at His appearing .... will it be a DIFFERENT group of the quick and the dead judged at His kingdom?

I understand that the "quick" are those that are alive, and the dead are obviously those who have died. I also understand that 'when' Christ appears .... He will set up His kingdom. That's more than I can say for the preacher I heard. He is a typical 'mid-Acts-er' who divides nearly everything .... making 'when' He appears 7+ years earlier, than 'when' He comes and sets up His kingdom.

1 Tim 6:14-15 That thou keep this commandment without spot (Eph 5:27, 2 Pet 3:14), unrebukeable (the same Greek word is also translated "blameless"), until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

'When' He appears is 'when' He will show Himself as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, as Rev 17:14, 19:16.

1 Cor 15:23-24 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

'When' He comes .... is 'when' He will 'appear' .... and 'when' He will 'judge' .... and 'when' He will set up His kingdom .... at the end.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Another Admission .... Tooting His Own Horn

2010-09-16T03:13:00.001-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time on September 12, 2010, the IL ‘teaching elder’ gave us one more look at his superb estimation of himself. He told a personal story about the death of his father, and said that an elderly man came up to him (I think, at the funeral home), and quoted a passage in the Bible to bring hope and comfort in his time of great sorrow and loss. He said he thought to himself, ‘I forgot more in that passage than he knows.’ What a proud attitude! I hope that toot is ‘the last trump’ we hear from him!

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

In Each Other's Personal Presence .... But Not So, In Christ's?

2010-09-14T00:48:00.003-04:00

On September 12, 2010, during Sunday Evening Story-Time, the IL teaching elder emphasized again about the REUNION of the saints in the air. He said that is our HOPE, our confident expectation. He repeated, as he has done for several weeks, that Paul was comforting the brethren about the loss of their dead loves ones. A main point was that the saints will be forever reunited with other saints in the body of Christ who have died.

1 Thess 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The Cunning Royal Jester teaches that the ‘comfort factor’ is the happy reunion in the sky ‘with’ the saints in the body of Christ .... that they will be together forever, up in the heavenly places, as they reign with Christ.
That teaching has problems. If the body of Christ saints reign and stay in the heavenly places for eternity .... and Jesus Christ reigns forever in the kingdom on earth .... then they will not REALLY be WITH Him.

So the Cunning Royal Jester turns a FLIP and explains that to be ‘with’ the Lord .... does NOT mean to be in ‘His personal presence’ .... but it means, like, in spirit, not in person .... like, "Are you ‘with’ me?" "Yeah, I’m ‘with’ you."

That teaching also has problems. The Cunning Royal Jester teaches that the alive saints in the body of Christ will be reunited ‘with’ the dead saints in the body of Christ at the mystery-secret-resurrection-rapture .... when they are "caught up together ‘WITH’ them in the clouds" .... and that they will be together ‘with’ each other forever, as they reign in the heavenly places ‘with’ each other.

1 Thess 4:17-a "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (the dead in Christ) in the clouds,"

The Cunning Royal Jester makes the alive and the dead body-of-Christ-saints really be ‘with’ each other .... meaning in each other’s personal presence.

But then the Cunning Royal Jester CHANGES the meaning of ‘with’ when he applies it to the saints being ‘with’ Christ. He says to be ‘with’ Christ does NOT mean to be ‘with Him in His personal presence’.

So, the Cunning Royal Jester has the saints really being WITH EACH OTHER .... but they will not really be WITH THE LORD, the same way as they are WITH each other .... even though the VERSE says .... "SO SHALL WE EVER BE":

1 Thess 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The Cunning Royal Jester earned his name. Don’t let him FOOL you!

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

400 Years and Sliding

2010-09-12T23:32:00.003-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time on September 12, 2010, with the IL teaching elder, he reminded everyone again about the year long ‘celebration’ of the 400th Year Anniversary of the KJV Bible. The various conferences, in which he will participate throughout the year, have joined the theme to give a concentrated focus on the authority of the KJV. The IL teaching elder announced their combined effort for the coming year at the IL conference this past July. They plan to culminate in IL next year in July.

In my humble opinion, it looks like the ‘mid-Acts’ PASTORS (as they refer to themselves and each other) are setting themselves up for EMBARRASSMENT with all their KJV hype, while at the same time, REFUSING the KJV title of the office (bishop) that most of them occupy in their local churches.

They boldly teach their congregations that as members of the ‘body of Christ’, they are NOT sheep; but that the nation Israel (more specifically the ‘Little Flock’) was ALWAYS God’s sheep. Then they call themselves (the leaders of the assemblies) PASTORS, which are SHEPHERDS over SHEEP! How disfunctional is that?!

When push came to shove over a year ago in TN, after he was repeatedly ‘beseeched’ from the pulpit, we have him on record publically admitting that ‘bishop’ is ‘technically correct’. However, sometime afterward he was recorded preaching that ‘bishop’, ‘pastor’, and ‘elder’ are all interchangable. That was the same message, when he was in Eph 4:11, teaching that the gifts were no longer ‘supernaturally-given’, he said that ‘we know the ‘work’ of each of them is functioning today. All the gifts are still in operation.’ Then he asked the question, ‘You want to know who the apostles and prophets are today?’ Then he answered, ‘I’ll tell you who the apostles and prophets are today .... they are your Bible!’ When I heard him say that I could have fallen out of my chair and rolled in the floor! We had to back-up the tape and listen to that part again, just to make sure we had not misunderstood his words.

At the IL July conference a year ago, the Cunning Royal Jester carefully avoided introducing the preachers as ‘Pastor’ ‘So-and-So’ (as he had always done for many years before). Instead, he called every one of them to the pulpit as ‘Brother’ ‘Whoever’.

Also, his church bulletin had been changed sometime before that conference because someone gave me a copy of both the old one and the new one. There was a total of five men’s names, with their positions listed after each of their names. The first two had both been shown as ‘Pastor’; they were changed to ‘Elder’. Then they had one ‘Elder’ which remained the same. Then they had two deacons that still retained their office as ‘Deacon’. They intentionally disregard 'bishop' and embrace 'deacon'.

Question #1) Why BOTHER to go to the trouble of changing the church bulletin from ‘Pastor’ to ‘Elder’ .... if ‘Pastor’ was not wrong?

Question #2) Is there no one serving the Lord in the office of ‘Bishop’ at that church? Evidently not! What a tragedy! PAUL, the apostle of the Gentiles they claim to follow (but really don’t follow), writing by inspiration of God, called being a ‘bishop’ .... ‘a good work’!

1 Tim 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop,
he desireth a good work.

The Cunning Royal Jester has straddled the fence on this issue. Given he is a primary promoter of the ‘400 Year Celebration of the KJV’ conference theme, he will likely do some more SLIDING in this ‘bishop/pastor’ area, because EVERY TIME the KJV uses the word ‘bishop’ .... The LIVING BIBLE writes the word ‘pastor’ instead. The Jester and his Jokers all claim the final authority of the KJV, while identifying themselves and each other’s office with The LIVING BIBLE’s term ‘pastor’. When I was among them, I repeatedly called their attention to it, but they dug in their heels instead of wiping the egg off their faces, correcting their vocabulary, and moving on with FAITHFULNESS to the KJV.

Prov 20:6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness:
but a faithful man who can find?

The Cunning Royal Jester and his Jokers do not treat the KJV word ‘dispensation’ like a hot potato the way they do ‘bishop’. They ADVERTISE and DISPLAY the KJV word ‘dispensation’ often, both verbally and in print. They would never allow The LIVING BIBLE’s substitution of ‘this sacred trust’ or ‘when the time is ripe’ or ‘this special work’ or ‘his secret plan’ .... in preference over the KJV’s ‘dispensation’. What hypocrisy! The Cunning Royal Jester and his Jokers pick and choose. They do not switch and call the ‘cross’ .... a ‘tree’ instead. They refuse the KJV’s ‘bishop’ because they say they do not want to be affiliated with ‘certain religious organizations’ for using the same terminology. Another of their excuses for not wanting to be called ‘bishops’ was because of ‘demographics’.

I pay close attention, and I have noticed that the Cunning Royal Jester is doing quite a bit of SLIDING lately on several issues, including this one. So, JOKERS that follow him, beware! He is a cunning royal jester, and he can SLIDE down on both sides of an issue quicker than you can tell ‘a funny’ at the beginning of your sermon!

Tonight, he used an example of ‘BISHOPS’ not being ‘given to wine’ compared to ‘DEACONS’ not ‘given to MUCH wine’. That was a SLIDER! He slid the KJV word ‘bishop’ into his story-telling! Now, if he ever needs to dodge an accusation, he can ‘honestly’ say that he has ‘used the word bishop’ while preaching. He certainly is a Cunning Royal Jester.

1 Cor 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards (same Greek root word as ‘dispensation’ uses) of the mysteries (same Greek word as translated 'mystery' singular) of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards (like ‘dispensers’), that a man be found faithful.

What a farce to celebrate 400 years of the KJV,
when the Cunning Royal Jester and his Jokers are NOT faithful to it!

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

The Winds of Change Are Blowing .... Jesus is OUR KING!

2010-09-10T01:31:00.006-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time, on September 5, 2010, the IL teaching elder was talking about inheritance and getting out from under the authority of Satan .... when, referring to Jesus, he said the phrase, "to OUR KING". I was absolutely shocked! In nearly 30 years of listening to the Cunning Royal Jester -- and his Jokers, too -- preach .... I NEVER heard him -- or any of them -- EVER say ANYTHING about Jesus being OUR KING! To my knowledge, not during any conferences or meetings; not on any recorded old 8-track tapes, cassettes, MP3’s, CD’s, DVD’s, or live webcasts; not in printed literature, tracts, or books .... no where .... no time .... was Jesus called OUR KING. I remember one time that a lady sang a song at a conference about Jesus being King and people rolled their eyes with facial expressions to indicate she just didn’t know ‘right-division’ yet! She wasn’t ‘in the know’ like WE were! Someone needed to straighten her out and teach her the scriptures!

To give credit where credit is due, ‘mid-Acts-ers’ do acknowledge Jesus is King -- but the problem is, that they see Him as only as King OF THE JEWS. They know He was born KING OF THE JEWS (Matt 2:2). They know He was crucified as KING OF THE JEWS (Matt 27:37, John 19:19). But ‘mid-Acts-ers’ believe the ‘earthly’ Jesus .... was ‘another Jesus’ .... a ‘different’ Jesus from Who-they-call the ‘risen, glorified Lord’ that appeared to Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus. Therefore, they do not accept or believe Jesus as their King, thinking that Jesus was "operating in Israel’s program" then.

Since I am no longer a ‘mid-Acts-er’ and I do not follow the Cunning Royal Jester’s stories anymore .... I have been presenting the fact that Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles (Rom 11:13) which ‘mid-Acts-ers’ CLAIM to follow (but don’t), by inspiration of God, TWICE named Jesus as KING .... once, obviously, Who He is NOW:

1 Tim 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

.... and again, Who He ‘IS’ now, and Who He will be shown to be at His appearing .... namely, the KING of kings:

1 Tim 6:14-15 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

How could anyone read that verse .... and then read this passage .... and still think that PAUL taught a SECRET, MYSTERY APPEARING of King Jesus that was a DIFFERENT APPEARING than the rest of the prophets wrote of? The Cunning Royal Jester has blown smoke:

Rev 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

John wrote of the revelation (the appearing) of Jesus Christ, as did Paul .... when He appears as King of kings .... one and the same coming!

Just for the record, I have been teaching for over a year now, that JESUS IS KING. The Cunning Royal Jester may be trying to make a change (by calling Jesus our King) without anyone drawing attention to it, so he can say he’s taught that before. Yes, the winds of change are blowing .... the Cunning Royal Jester called Jesus "our King". I’m pointing it out for you to notice, so you will not be blown away if he claims he preached it all along, when he didn’t.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Thinking Like He Thinks?

2010-09-08T01:41:00.001-04:00

During September 5, 2010, Sunday Evening Story-Time with the IL teaching elder .... he said, ‘You thinking like I’m thinking? You know how to do that!’ Whether intentional or not, the Cunning Royal Jester just slipped us a glimpse that he is accustomed to folks unquestionably following his teaching, trusting his judgment, and accepting his paradigm. He is aware that people give him their full confidence, so he can embellish his stories .... without fear of being embarrassed. He said of people who disagree with his pre-tribulation rapture doctrine in 1 Cor 15:51, that they are having a ‘hallucination, when the wish is father to the thought’ (7-25-10).

Rom 12:16-a Be of the same mind one toward another.

The Cunning Royal Jester takes pot-shots at people, calling them ‘Bible-thump-heads’ and ‘block-heads inexperienced at reading the Bible’ (8-4-10), ‘bums at the rescue mission’ and calling the Lord ‘the Big Cheese’ (8-22-10). He called some names and said they had great music, but they didn’t know what they were talking about (9-1-10).

Rom 12:16-b Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.

The Cunning Royal Jester said that without his wife he could go to ‘heretic churches’ that claimed to be ‘Spirit-filled’. He mocked people who used Greek, saying they can’t recite the Greek alphabet, but think they can teach Greek (9-5-10). But he reads the phone book and the dictionary and 5 books at one time.

Rom 12:16-c Be not wise in your own conceits.

The Cunning Royal Jester has certainly earned his own title by making fun of saints who have a different understanding than he has .... and his Jokers laugh right along. I heard one of them preach from the pulpit that ‘other’ churches were ‘whorehouses’ and their preachers, ‘altar pimps’.

1 Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

It seems the Cunning Royal Jester has a insatiable habit of putting others down and lifting himself up. I don’t ‘think like he thinks’ anymore!

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

The World of Angels?

2010-09-06T22:57:00.003-04:00

During September 5, 2010, Sunday Evening Story-Time with the teaching elder .... he assigned the meaning of ‘which’ world the saints will judge. He said, ‘The saints will judge the world. What world are they going to judge? The angelic world .... up here in the heavens. The saints will judge angels.'

1 Cor 6:1-8 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?
and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels?
how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Staying in the context of saints who were taking each other to civil court rather than settling matter between themselves in the church, and honestly using your OWN brain .... do YOU think that when verse 2 says the saints will judge the world .... that it means the angelic world? I don’t. But that is what the Cunning Royal Jester said it meant. It looks to me like he makes false assignments.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Physical Proximity (Nearness)?

2010-09-06T00:48:00.003-04:00

On September 5, 2010, during Sunday Evening Story-Time, the Cunning Royal Jester repeatedly said that 1 Thess 4:17 (when we meet the Lord in the air, to ever be with Him) was ‘obviously NOT talking about PHYSICAL PROXIMITY’ (nearness).

Question: Well .... why not?
Answer: Because HE said it wasn’t.

1 Thess 4:14-17 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with [sun] him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with [en] a shout,
with [en] the voice of the archangel,
and with [en] the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with [sun] them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with [sun] the Lord.

I don’t want to start a Greek war, especially since I am one of those who can’t even recite the Greek alphabet (that the Cunning Royal Jester mocked). But since I got away from him, I have learned and I am able to study the translation and meaning of Greek words.

The Cunning Royal Jester, with HIS vast, ‘unquestionable’ Greek knowledge, stated that there are 15 different Greek words that are translated ‘with’. OK. Then he mentioned 3 of them. He said,
[meta] means ‘physical proximity’,
[sun] means union, agreement .... like fellow, joint, and oneness,
and [en] means -- (He spoke so fast, I didn’t write this one down, but when I looked it up, it is written 2,800 times, and translated ‘in’ 1,902 of them and ‘with’ 140 times).

When I researched the Greek word [meta] .... using the Cunning Royal Jester’s ‘physical proximity’ meaning .... I found several verses where that meaning did not fit the context. Thus, for HIM to assign ‘physical proximity’ to the Greek word [meta] .... and thereby, EXCLUDE us being NEAR the Lord for ever (since [meta] is not used in 1 Thess 4:17) .... is his condescending way of intimidating people into trusting what HE says. I don’t fall for that scam anymore.

He has to eliminate ‘physical proximity’ from the way we will ‘ever be with the Lord’ .... because he teaches that who-he-identifies-as ‘the body of Christ’ (Paul’s converts only) will stay in heaven eternally .... while Jesus Christ and God the Father will be living on the new earth forever in the new Jerusalem (which PAUL, by inspiration of God, said is the mother of us all in Gal 4:26).

The Cunning Royal Jester spoke with a forked tongue, because he taught that the alive saints will have a great REUNION with the dead saints .... ‘WITH’ [sun] them in the clouds .... obviously IN their ‘physical proximity’ --- but then he CHANGED the use of the same Greek word [sun] about us ever being ‘WITH’ [sun] the Lord, stating that it was NOT talking about our ‘physical proximity’ with the Lord. The Cunning Royal Jester made the same word [sun] (‘with’) .... be different .... in the same verse! What a cunning royal jester he is!

Naturally reading the verse (1 Thess 4:17), when we "meet the Lord in the air" .... we will be in His ‘physical proximity’ .... near Him. ".... and so shall we ever be with the Lord" is in the same manner. I understand it like, ‘in the same way we meet Him, we will always be with Him’. We will be near Him when we meet Him, and we will be near Him when we are ever with Him. THEREFORE, when HE comes to earth to set up His kingdom .... WE will come to earth WITH Him. No joke! (But the Cunning Royal Jester and his Jokers are planning to stay in heaven. Fine with me! I wish they would, but I don’t want them to deceive others with their folly.)

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

One and the Same

2010-09-04T03:36:00.002-04:00

I have often heard the Cunning Royal Jester say, ‘Things that are different can’t be the same’.

Well, here’s ‘one’ for you, ‘Things that are the same are not different’.
When GOD says ‘ONE’ in the scripture .... then, we ought to accept ONE:

Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

It is clear from the verse that Paul preached ‘the one and the same’ faith that he was persecuting in times past:

Gal 1:22-23 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

In ‘the words of Pauline’ (What?) .... asking a Joker’s song, "Why do you divide?"

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Count Me Out

2010-09-02T02:02:00.003-04:00

On August 22, 2010, during Sunday Evening Story-Time, the ‘teaching elder’ told a tale of a man who was ‘padding his numbers on his internet site with a program that would force his visitor counter continually upward’. The Cunning Royal Jester made the statement that ‘anybody in advertising knows how to do that’. Well, I am ‘in advertising’ and I never heard of it. But since he brought it up, will say that I’m not surprised that there are programs available to jump up numbers, even though I was unaware of them before.

Some preachers frequently pull verses and portions of them out of context, with which they teach incorrect doctrine. Here is an example of how they could mis-use scriptures and mis-apply them to a particular situation:

2 Sam 18:1-a And David numbered the people that were with him,

2 Sam 24:10-a And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people.

Personally, I don’t feel bad about having had a visitor counter on my website for over 10 years. It was a common feature at the time it was initially set up. I never realized it could be suggested of number inflating.

1 Cor 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

Many factors, even desperation or fear, can motivate a person to make false accusations in an effort to lessen the credibility of an opposing position. I just had my visitor counter removed, so now, no one can see how MANY people hit my website daily. Actually, after I ‘thought about it’ .... no one should follow a crowd anyway. The website is maintained because of my desire to provide informative studies and sensible messages, that do not isolate and disregard 80% of God’s word of truth. The number of folks who view and study with www.magnifiedword.com should not be influenced by what others do or don’t do, nor of what a jester may say or not say. I don’t need to know the numbers because I go with the verses. The VERSES speak for themselves and I am pointing them out.

Psa 107:8-9 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

If you’re hungry, the table is set and ready. The food is plenteous, good, and free, so eat all you want.

Matt 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

As for counting the number of guests, it is unnecessary. All are welcome.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

The Bride of Christ, not a Biblical Term?

2010-09-01T00:26:00.003-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time on August 29, 2010, the Cunning Royal Jester made, what seemed to me to be a negative issue, out of the phrase ‘the bride of Christ’ not being in the Bible. He stated that it is purely a Roman Catholic term, all over their literature in their churches. He said, as if it was a stretch, the closest you’ll come to ‘the bride of Christ’ in scripture is in:

Rev 21:9-10 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,

It looks to me like ‘the bride of Christ’ and ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife’ are more accurate, related phrases .... than ‘rapture’ and ‘caught up’. So why fault ‘the bride of Christ’ users?

Rev 21:2-3 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
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.

Even being careful with the words, I believe you could rightly say that ‘Christ, the bridegroom, hath the bride’. Is that not ‘the bride of Christ’?:

John 3:28-29 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said,
I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Paul wrote to ‘the church of God’ (at Corinth), ‘with all the saints’ (in Achaia) .... that they were espoused as a chaste virgin to Christ, their husband:

2 Cor 11:2 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.

Paul taught the same principle John taught concerning Christ and the church, as a man joined unto His wife:

Eph 5:31-32 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.

The prophet Isaiah wrote to Israel about them being a virgin, a bride, and a wife .... and the LORD being a man, their husband and their bridegroom:

Isa 54:5 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.

Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Isa 62:5 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.

The prophet Jeremiah also spoke of Israel as the LORD’s wife:

Jer 3:20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.

Jer 31:31-33 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:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (like Rev 21:2-3 and 2 Cor 6:16)

Paul also applied the promise to the church of God .... that was originally given to Israel:

2 Cor 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.

Since John taught it in his gospel and in the Revelation ....
since Paul taught it to the church of God in 2 Corinthians and Ephesians ....
obviously, WE, the church of God, are the bride, the Lamb’s wife!

According to Paul, we will all be in our mother, new Jerusalem:

Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face,
There to sing forever of His saving grace,
On the streets of glory, let me life my voice,
Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice.

This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"

Ready to Walk in Jerusalem?

2010-08-30T00:56:00.004-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time with the ‘teaching elder’ on August 29, 2010, he surprised me again with another change of doctrine! He said, ‘One day you will be walking in new Jerusalem .... and Obediah will come up to you and ask you what you thought of his book in the Bible.’ What?! Now, he’s sliding the ‘body of Christ’ saints INSIDE new Jerusalem?! He also said, ‘Hey, Moses, Aaron, Solomon, etc. You’re going to know them.’

Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles (Rom 11:13), taught the churches (Gal 1:2), that we all have new Jerusalem as our mother:

Gal 4:21-31 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. (This truth was prophesied in the scriptures:)
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: (physical Israel under the OLD testament - the ministration of death and condemnation - 2 Cor 3:5-17) for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. (spiritual Israel made up of Jew and Gentile as ‘one body’ under the NEW testament - the ministration of the Spirit and righteousness, of which we are able ministers)
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Since my break away from the Cunning Royal Jester, I learned ALL God’s saints will be in new Jerusalem, but I never heard HIM admit it before.

I wanna be ready
I wanna be ready
I wanna be ready
To walk in Jerusalem just like John.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

5 Golden Mice and the Big Cheese

2010-08-27T04:12:00.003-04:00

There is an account of 5 golden mice ....
but I’ve never seen any verses about ‘the Big Cheese’:

1 Sam 6:1-5 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.
3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.
4 Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

The reason I mentioned about ‘the Big Cheese’ .... is because that is what the IL ‘teaching elder’ called the Lord .... during this past Sunday Evening Story-Time on August 22, 2010. He said, "We’re going to go meet the Lord .... He’s the Big Cheese!" His comment was extremely disrespectful to our Saviour.

The IL ‘teaching elder’ also talked about "the bums at the rescue mission". Evidently, the Cunning Royal Jester doesn’t like to be called names .... but he sure doesn’t mind himself calling other people names! Would that be a hypocrite?

Mark 7:6-7 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Sealed WITH, not BY?

2010-08-25T22:50:00.005-04:00

On June 27, 2010, during the Sunday Evening Story-Time with the ‘teaching elder’ from Illinois, he made a point to say that, "We are sealed ‘WITH’ .... not ‘BY’ .... the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, which is the day of resurrection."

Eph 1:13 is the verse that says we were sealed ‘WITH’ the Holy Spirit, as the ‘teaching elder’ said. However, we will see that for him to exclude the word ‘BY’ was wrong.

We should be aware that in Eph 1:13, the Greek word [sphragizo] was translated into 4 English words, namely, "ye were sealed with".

There is NO problem with the translation, even though the word ‘with’ does not have an actual, separate Greek word from which it was translated. This reason, alone, is enough to NOT invent a teaching on it. But it is really no surprise that the ‘teaching elder’ does it, because he does the same thing with the English word ‘of’ in Gal 2:7. There, too, he creates 2 different gospels (one for Paul and a different one for Peter), based on the word ‘of’ that does not have a distinct word in the Greek.

The problem is with the ‘teaching elder’ .... building a doctrine .... making a statement, "We are sealed ‘WITH’ .... not ‘BY’ .... the Holy Spirit," when other scriptures contradict him:

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed,
ye were sealed with [sphragizo] that holy Spirit of promise,

Later in Eph 4:30, in the same epistle, Paul (by inspiration of God) teaches we are sealed ‘BY’ the Holy Spirit. Let’s be aware of the Greek in that verse also.

The same Greek word [sphragizo] was translated into 3 English words, namely, "ye are sealed" (the word 'with' was not translated, although the Greek was the same as in Eph 1:13).

There are 2 Greek words [en] [hos] translated ‘whereby’. The preposition [en] is in the scriptures 2,800 times. It was translated ‘in’ 1,902 times, ‘BY’ 163 times, ‘WITH’ 140 times, ‘among’ 117 times, ‘at’ 113 times, ‘on’ 62 times, ‘through’ 39 times, and miscellaneous 264 times. It is unreasonable to manufacture a contrast, since the same Greek word was translated both 'by' and 'with'.

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby [en] [hos]
ye are sealed [sphragizo] unto the day of redemption.

For the ‘teaching elder’ to create a big distinction between the English prepositions ‘with’ and ‘by’ .... about ‘how’ we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, is yet another example of excessive DIVIDING.

PAUL wrote scripture that says God sealed those who are in Christ:

2 Cor 1:21-22 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ,
and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath [sphragizo] also sealed [sphragizo] us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Oh, no! JOHN also wrote scripture that quoted Jesus saying that God sealed those who have everlasting life:

John 6:26-27 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed [sphragizo].

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ have 2 different ‘sealings’.
What will they divide next?

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

A Noisy Event Remains Secret?

2010-08-24T22:10:00.009-04:00

During a recent Sunday Evening Story-Time, the ‘teaching elder’ of Illinois described what-he-calls ‘the rapture’. He said, ‘It’s going to be a NOISY event.’

1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
(The ‘teaching elder’ said there’s this voice of a trumpet that God will sound.)
with a shout, (The ‘teaching elder’ said that during the dispensation of grace, the heavens are silent, and the shout is an audible voice that ENDS the dispensation of grace.)
with the voice of the archangel, (The ‘teaching elder’ said this is another voice coming from the archangel Michael .... and that this voice is the signal to restart the prophetic program and the restoration of Israel.)
and with the trump of God: (The ‘teaching elder’ said then you’re going to have God’s voice. He said the trump of God is the voice of God associated with resurrection.)
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

The ‘teaching elder’ repeated, "So it’s going to be NOISY!" Now I’m wondering how the ‘teaching elder’ thinks no one in the world will notice the 3 loud sounds?! (He is constantly trying to protect his 'mystery' paradigm.) Even ‘the dead’ will hear. But .... at Christ’s supposed ‘mystery-secret-but-NOISY’ coming .... no one on earth will hear, except just those who have been saved through the writings of PAUL?!

The scripture even says that ALL the dead will hear His voice:

John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

The ‘teaching elder’ teaches that the ONLY dead that will hear and rise .... are those dead that were saved through PAUL’s ministry. But the scripture says ‘the dead in Christ will rise first’:

1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

What about those dead relatives of Paul .... who were in Christ BEFORE he was?

Rom 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles,
who also were in Christ before me.

The verse indicates there were OTHERS who 'also' were in Christ before Paul. But, according to the teaching of the 'teaching elder', they don’t get to rise then .... even though
1) they are dead and 2) they are in Christ.

It looks to me like they qualify.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

2 Sets of Light?

2010-08-22T20:18:00.002-04:00

Jesus taught that believers are the children of light:

John 12:35-36 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Paul, by inspiration of God, also taught that believers are the children of light:

1 Thess 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Oh, no! ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ will have to have 2 sets of the children of light to put those verses out!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Have You Called on the Name of the Lord?

2010-08-19T02:13:00.006-04:00

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ have pre-assigned Romans chapters 9-11 as being about Israel .... so they boycott all those verses having to do with salvation, even though ‘their apostle’ Paul specifically said this was the message ‘we’ preach when he gave the details of the gospel. They won’t ‘use’ verses about ‘calling’ on the Lord’s name, or about ‘the mouth’. They attach them to Israel.

Rom 10:8 But what saith it (What saith ‘the righteousness which is of faith’ - from Rom 10:6)? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart:
that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

The first of that verse came way back in the scriptures from Moses, so ‘mid-Acts-ers’ reject it:

Deut 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee,
in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

Paul showed that ‘what Moses said’ is the SAME word of faith that he and others (we) preached, so the last part of Rom 10:8, presents a problem for ‘mid-Acts-ers’. Even though Paul also said there is ‘one faith’ (Eph 4:5), ‘mid-Acts-ers’ deny that Moses and Paul shared in the SAME faith.

Neither will ‘mid-Acts-ers’ preach the clear gospel from these next 2 verses in the Romans 10 passage. Even though Paul wrote it, and even though it has the SAME elements of trusting the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, ‘mid-Acts-ers’ still ignore the gospel here, because of its ‘confession with the mouth’ factor:

Rom 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Then the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ separate themselves further by discarding the next verse since it quotes the OLD testament (even though it teaches simple faith in Christ):

Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Paul used the same OLD testament reference in the previous chapter:
Rom 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence:
and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

The prophets taught the saints to have a calm assurance and to patiently wait .... knowing that God would provide their deliverance .... not from physical pain and death .... but to eternal life.

Isa 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation:
he that believeth shall not make haste.

Isa 49:23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD:
for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Jer 17:7, 13 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

'Mid-Acts-ers' teach that the 'earthly' Jesus was 'another Jesus' from the 'risen, glorified Lord' that 'CALLED' Saul on the road to Damascus. What about the 'risen, glorified Lord' that appeared to His disciples after He rose from the grave? Were there 2 different 'risen, glorified LordS' (one that commissioned the disciples, and another that commissioned Saul)? No! The scriptures teach that it was the SAME Lord!

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ just choose one phrase out of this Romans 10 passage ("there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek"), and then they leave the rest for Israel:

Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ opt themselves out of the ‘calling’ terminology, even though ‘their apostle’ Paul wrote it. Since it is located in Romans chapters 9-11, which they deem for Israel, they chuck it:

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ scorn PAUL’s use of the ‘calling’ because PETER taught it in Acts 2, and they say Paul and Peter preached 2 DIFFERENT gospels:

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Keep on backing up, and see that Peter brought the ‘calling’ forward from JOEL’s OLD testament prophecy:

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

A lot of times ‘mid-Acts-ers’ try to squeak by .... explaining their ‘dividing Paul’ doctrine (dividing ‘early’ Paul from ‘late’ Paul) for an excuse. But that won’t work with this ‘calling’ issue either:

1 Cor 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth,
to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

2 Tim 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

There are SO many verses that prove ‘mid-Acts’ doctrines wrong. It is personally embarrassing that I used to be in that mess. I respected a man with a chart and I accepted his paradigm. But, no more!

Psa 118:5, 8 I called upon the LORD in distress:
the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.
8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

I called on the Lord .... His word .... in my heart and in my mouth!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ Have Difficulty in Math

2010-08-18T01:00:00.002-04:00

God repeated the promise He made to Abraham. Abraham’s seed would be multiplied, and every nation would be blessed through it:

Gen 22:15-18 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee,
and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven,
and as the sand which is upon the sea shore;
and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Paul showed that this time of Gentile salvation was prophesied.
Therefore, it could not have been a mystery:

Gal 3:6-9 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Peter also presentated the dispensation of grace, and the death and resurrection of Christ, as prophesied .... not mystery. (But ‘mid-Acts-ers’ wrongly divide grace .... to say that Paul preached a ‘mystery-grace’ but Peter had a different grace called ‘prophesied-grace’.)

1 Peter 1:9-12 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

God also restated the promise He made to Abraham .... to Abraham’s son Isaac in Gen 26:1-5.

Paul demonstrated that, because of faith in Jesus Christ, WE are Abraham’s seed, and thus, also his heirs:

Gal 3:28-29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Jesus taught on ‘division’:

Mark 3:24-25 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Ephesians 2 is one of ‘mid-Acts-ers’ frequent chapters, but they fail to listen to it because there God JOINS us believing Gentiles WITH believing Israel. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ invent an entire NEW entity, and discriminate against those ‘in Christ’ before Paul (Rom 16:7) by leaving them out, and assigning them to a different ‘program’ and a separate inheritance:

Eph 2:19-22 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.

Paul scolded the carnal saints for dividing because of which man’s message they believed. He named himself, Apollos, Peter, and Jesus. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ are guilty of the same fleshly divisions because they reject anyone other than PAUL’s converts .... even and including saints who follow Jesus:

1 Cor 1:10-13 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

God said we are Christ’s house:

Heb 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ claim to rightly divide God’s word (2 Tim 2:15) .... but they don’t RIGHTLY divide it. Instead, they WRONGLY divide it.
They also divide God’s PEOPLE, instead of uniting them:

Eph 4:3-6 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ have difficulty in math with the number 1. There is 1 people of God, not 2. Anyone who is ‘of faith’ is in God’s household:

Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ don’t understand values .... like ‘greater than’ or ‘less than’ .... neither do they ‘multiply’ nor ‘divide’ correctly.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Greater Than .... Less Than

2010-08-17T00:20:00.003-04:00

Jesus is greater than:

Matt 12:38-42 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas;
and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

Paul is less than:

Eph 3:1-8 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:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

John the Baptist had the proper understanding of Jesus:

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ claim to follow Paul, while they call Jesus Who came to earth ‘another Jesus’.

Jesus is greater than .... Paul is less than.
‘Mid-Acts-ers’ need to learn
Jesus > Paul.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Sons of God that Overcome and Inherit

2010-08-15T22:55:00.002-04:00

In the end, our mother, the heavenly city Jerusalem will come to earth with men:

Rev 21:2-4 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.

The heavenly city, new Jerusalem is our mother:

Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

4 points to think about:
We will overcome ....
we will inherit all things ....
God will be our God ....
we will be His sons:

Rev 21:7 He that overcometh
shall inherit all things;
and I will be his God,
and he shall be my son.

God, through Paul, wrote for us to overcome:

Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar;
as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings,
and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

God, through Paul, wrote for us to inherit all things because we are in Christ:

Eph 1:10-11 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:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

God, through Paul, wrote that He will be our God
and we will be His sons:

2 Cor 6:16-18 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.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ teach that we have nothing to do with any verse in the Revelation (the revealing) of Jesus Christ .... but the verses we just read where Paul taught 4 of the same things, proved 'mid-Acts-ers' wrong.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

The Earth in the Heavens?

2010-08-14T00:27:00.006-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time this past week, with the ‘teaching elder’ .... about 1 Thess 4:16-18, when he was talking about the transformed body we will have in the resurrection .... he referenced:

1 Cor 15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

Then he went to Mary in the garden with Jesus after His resurrection, who was not allowed to touch Him .... and then he said that 2 hours later the women in the garden touched His feet. The ‘teaching elder’ related how Jesus appeared in the upper room with His disciples and let them touch His nail prints from the crucifixion. He ate food with them, and then He disappeared suddenly from their midst. Then the ‘teaching elder’ likened our resurrection body to a body like the Lord Jesus Christ. He said we were literally going to be reshaped, not connected with Adam, and that we would be a new kind of humanity.

Did the ‘Cunning Royal Jester’ forget that ‘mid-Acts-ers’ teach that ‘earthly Jesus’ was ‘another Jesus’ from the ‘risen, glorified Lord’ that appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus? ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ make 2 different Jesus’: ‘one Jesus’ in His earthly ministry BEFORE His crucifixion, and ‘another Jesus’ AFTER His resurrection and ascension, they call ‘His heavenly ministry’ (which they teach is ‘unique’ to Paul). But in the end of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, it is the SAME ‘risen, glorified Lord’ Who appeared to His disciples after His resurrection and commissioned them .... as Who called Saul on the Damascus Road. Woops! That messes up the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ .... ‘Paul is unique’ paradigm!

The ‘teaching elder’ made some very surprising statments that I NEVER heard before during all my nearly 30 years of being a ‘mid-Acts-er’. I can’t help but wonder what caused the turn-around. He said,
‘When we talk about being in the heavens ....
the earth is in the heavens ....
the earth is the command center ....
earth will be in the realm of where we are.’
How odd! Could his comments be an intentional effort to BLEND what he has been teaching (for many years) as separate, distinct locations (heaven and earth) for separate, distinct entities (Israel and the body of Christ)?

A double dose of VERSES .... from both JOHN and PAUL .... would cure his divisions .... if he would swallow them:

John 11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should
gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

Paul showed that ‘those things in heaven’ .... will be UNITED together .... with ‘those things on earth’ in the end:

Eph 1:10 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:

Further, Paul explained that the saints will be assembled together when the Lord comes (also see 2 Thess 1:4-10):

2 Thess 2:1-4 Now we beseech you, brethren,
by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (what day? the day of Christ, the day Christ comes to gather us together in one) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Jesus also taught the gathering at the harvest, which is the end of the world, at the trumpet sound:

Matt 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Matt 24:30-31 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Maybe the ‘Cunning Royal Jester’ is beginning to peddle backwards. He certainly ought to. As of this week's Sunday Evening Story-Time, he now has the earth in the heavens! How convenient .... to adjust his 2 distinct places!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

WHEN The Conquering Hero Comes .... He Will Subdue All Things Unto Himself

2010-08-13T00:46:00.005-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time with the ‘teaching elder’ .... about 1 Thess 4:16-18, he talked about "the idea of a shout being a Conqueror shouting orders, to take up reign of His universe, and announce His presence." He referenced Exodus 32:18, Numbers 23:20, and Joshua 6:5. Then he said, ‘Paul is "using a term" .... a concept of a shout is often times of a conquering hero .... a shout of victory, a shout of joy.’

Question: WHY would PAUL be "using a term" if that term was not "applicable" to us?
Answer: He wouldn’t!

Yet ‘mid-Acts-ers’ claim it had no relation. But if it were not relative, then Paul would not use it! But, the fact is, Paul DID use it, and it DOES apply! That’s WHY he used it! Also, that’s WHY Paul used SO MANY ‘OLD’ testament scriptures .... because he was applying them to the church, the body of Christ, yes, the ‘NEW’ testament saints.

On the subject of Christ returning, with a shout, as the Conquering Hero, to change our bodies (1 Thess 4:16-18, 1 Cor 15:51-52), the ‘teaching elder’ said that He will subdue all things unto Himself. Yes, He will:

Phil 3:20-21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

But, interestingly, the ‘Cunning Royal Jester’ did not use these other verses about WHEN Christ will subdue all things unto Himself.
Was it because he did not want to mention that it will be at the END?

1 Cor 15:23-28 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end,
when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;
when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet.
But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Clearly and simply, according to those verses written by inspiration of God through the apostle PAUL .... when Christ comes, then it will be the END. That is EXACTLY the SAME issue that Jesus’ disciples asked Him about:

Matt 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Yet ‘mid-Acts-ers’ deny that it is the same thing. They teach that it is 2 different ‘comings’ separated by ‘more than 7 years’ of time (several years of what-they-call ‘a prophesied GAP’ and then the 70th week of Daniel).

Nestled in Paul’s record in 1 Cor 15:23-28, at Christ’s coming, ‘then cometh the end’ .... is the issue that .... death (the last enemy) will be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26). That is the SAME point he made in a companion passage later in the SAME chapter about when Christ comes (at the SAME coming):

1 Cor 15:51-54 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Not only the prophet Paul, but other prophets also testified (see Hos 13:14), that death will be destroyed at the END:

Isa 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Death (and hell) will be cast into the lake of fire at the 2nd death (Rev 20:14):

Rev 21:4 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.

When Christ returns as the Conquering Hero .... He will raise the dead and subdue all things unto Himself. And that’s ‘The End’.

(Next time we will look at a 'new' teaching from the Cunning Royal Jester about "the earth is in the heavens".)

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Searching for The Lost Brethren?

2010-08-11T00:10:00.005-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time with the ‘teaching elder’ ....
he spoke of Christ being the firstborn .... from the dead:

Col 1:18 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.

OK.

He also spoke of Christ being the firstborn .... among many brethren:

Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

OK.

Then he said of these .... ‘They were a whole line of people that were going to come in resurrection .... That’s who the ‘body of Christ’ is .... God doesn’t need the ‘body of Christ’ to be in the earthly government .... He has the agency of Israel to do that.’

Not OK.

We must not allow the Cunning Royal Jester to define Christ’s brethren as who-he-calls the ‘body of Christ’ .... which-he-defines as ONLY those saints that have been saved through what-he-calls ‘Paul’s gospel’.
Jesus Himself identified His brethren:

Matt 12:46-50 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

For those who have Jesus as their Master, they are all brethren:

Matt 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi:
for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

Jesus taught that ‘whatever is done to the brethren, is done to Him’:

Matt 25:31-40 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Paul taught the same principle "to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord," (1 Cor 1:2) that Jesus taught .... ‘whatever is done to the brethren, is done to Him’.

1 Cor 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

God said Jesus and His brethren are all ONE. That’s how Jesus and Paul both taught ‘whatever is done to the brethren, is done to Christ’. Everyone who is sanctified is 'brethren' with Christ:

Heb 2:11-12 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one:
for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren,
in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

Here is that same verse in the old testament. Here the church is called the congregation:

Psa 22:22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren:
in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

The apostles, elders, and the entire church at Jerusalem chose Judas and Silas from the brethren .... to accompany Paul and Barnabas to the church at Antioch .... and say hello to the Gentile brethren. Although ‘mid-Acts-ers’ teach they are 2 SEPARATE sets of brethren .... in the scriptures, there is NO indication that ‘these brethren’ are DIFFERENT than ‘those brethren’:

Acts 15:22-23 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church (at Jerusalem), to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner;
The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:

When Judas and Silas met with the Antioch church, they exhorted and confirmed the brethren there:

Acts 15:30-32 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:
31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.
32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.

When Paul wrote to the brethren at Corinth, he made NO distinction between them and the brethren who saw Jesus after His resurrection. No matter who the brethren were .... they were ALL classified as ‘brethren’:

1 Cor 15:1-8,11 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me (Paul) also, as of one born out of due time. .
11 Therefore whether it were I or they,
so we preach, and so ye believed.

Paul said that the brethren in the church in Thessalonica (who suffered of the Gentiles) followed the example of the brethren in the church in Judaea (who suffered of the Jews):

1 Thess 2:14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

Paul repeatedly called the Thessalonians ‘brethren’ when giving them information about the coming of the Lord (1 Thess 4:15) in the day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:2). There is NO hint, expression, nor signal .... that these events are DIVIDED by years of time, as the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ teach:

1 Thess 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1 Thess 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1 Thess 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

The church of the firstborn are ‘written in heaven’. Who do you suppose ‘mid-Acts-ers’ think that is?

Heb 12:22-24 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (which is the mother of us all - Gal 4:26), and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all (also see John 12:48; Acts 17:31, 10:42; Rom 2:16; 2 Tim 4:1,8; 1 Pet 4:5), and to the spirits of just men made perfect (also see 1 Cor 2:6, Eph 4:13, 2 Tim 3:17, Heb 7:19),
24 And to Jesus the mediator (also see 1 Tim 2:5) of the new covenant (of which WE are able ministers - 2 Cor 3:6), and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Would ‘mid-Acts-ers’ say the ‘church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven’ is the ‘body of Christ’? Oh, no! They would not say that .... because this verse is in Hebrews. They deny that, yet they claim this:

Col 1:18 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.

Don't forget that these (Col 1:18, Rom 8:29) are the 2 verses we began with .... and look how they matched up with so many other scriptures:

Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

The teaching elder is a Cunning Royal Jester, in that, he has convinced a group of people who identify themselves as ‘mid-Acts-ers’ .... that they have NO relation with any brethren "outside of PAUL" .... even though they are ONE in CHRIST. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ have lost their brethren. They need to wake up and find them!

Come back for the next 2 thoughts of the day, when we consider 2 other issues the teaching elder brought up during Sunday Evening Story-Time.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Searching for The Lost Trump?

2010-08-09T23:29:00.008-04:00

During Sunday Evening Story-Time with the ‘teaching elder’ .... he told the tale of 2 trump blasts. For the past several years, the ‘teaching elder’ preached that ‘the last trump’ was the 3rd trump. He taught that God established ‘patterns of 3’ such as, ‘body, soul, and spirit’, ‘solid, liquid, and gas’, ‘space, time, and matter’, ‘past, present, and future’, etc. He said we even play a game with 3 strikes, then you’re out! Thus, the 3 (invented) trumps! According to the ‘teaching elder’
.... the 1st trump would sound when the Lord descended,
.... the 2nd trump would sound when the dead are raised,
and the 3rd - the last - trump would sound when the alive are changed.
He preached this and went, "Toot, toot, toot .... peanut butter!"

Well, that was then .... this is now! Here lately, at least as of July 26, 2010, and again August 8, 2010, when I heard his message, he’s changed to only 2 trumps! What happened to 3 trumps? What about the groups of 3? Where’s the LOST trump? Maybe his ‘invented’ 3 trumps became so embarrassing (since they are not in scripture), that he’s dropped off one of them. Now he’s preaching only 2 trumps .... 2 separate blasts!

He said "the term ‘last’ is determined as ‘2nd’ .... and there are 2 sounds of the trump .... the trump will sound twice .... 1 trump has 2 blasts that ROAR." Here’s how he lost the 3rd trump and derived his recent ‘2 blasts’ doctrine, claiming the ‘last’ means the ‘2nd’. He manufactured it from another use of ‘last’ in the same chapter:

1 Cor 15:45-47 And so it is written,
The first man Adam was made a living soul;
the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy:
the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Here is the problem with his rationale. If we stay in the context, and stay in the same chapter, a few verses earlier .... will he apply his ‘last means 2nd’ theory here?

1 Cor 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Is death just the 2nd enemy? Oh, no!

We could still keep in the context, and remain in the same chapter, but back up several more verses .... will the ‘teaching elder’ apply his ‘last means 2nd’ scheme here?

1 Cor 15:3-4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, (Peter is named 1st)
then of the twelve: (1 + 12 = 13)
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. (13 + over 500 = 513+ so far)
7 After that, he was seen of James; (513+? + 1 more = 514+)
then of all the apostles. (514 plus ? + at least 12 apostles = 526+)
8 And last of all he was seen of me (Paul) also, as of one born out of due time.

Was Paul only the 2nd person to see the Lord? No, being the last in the verses .... Paul was more than 527 in the list. So ‘last’ here means ‘above 527’.

The word ‘last’ was used 4 times in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Because ‘last’ was ‘2nd’ 1 of those 4 times .... does not warrant assuming that ‘last’ is ‘2nd’ EVERY time.

The Cunning Royal Jester should just admit, "Got me!" and let it go.

The last trump is the 7th trump, when the mystery of God (also see Col 2:2, 1 Cor 4:1, and Luke 8:10 with Acts 28:25-28, Rom 11:5-11) will be finished, and He will resurrect ALL His saints, and bring His kingdom to earth:

Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Saul/Paul was a prophet - Acts 13:1, "saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come" - Acts 26:22, and "he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets" - Acts 28:23.)

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

More to come about Sunday Story-Time on the next Thought of the Day.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Sunday Evening Story-Time With the Teaching Elder

2010-08-08T23:15:00.002-04:00

It was the old, familiar path .... understanding the plot .... getting "the story-line of the Bible" .... tracking some chart-spun trails .... but, for the most part, being careful to stay on the same Cunning tracks with the Royal Jester. Story-telling is the conveying of events in words, images, and sounds often by improvisation or embellishment. It includes plot, characters, and the narrative point of view.

Just read an introduction passage like 1 Thes 4:15-17, and take off! "We’re told to rightly divide. That begins in the first verse in the Bible, with heaven and earth. Now that we have two places, we need two entities. Gen 1:2 through Acts 9 is identified as prophecy about Christ coming back to earth invested in Israel. In Acts 9, through Paul’s ministry another agency is invented .... a different group of people, with a different destiny, a heavenly hope. The dispensation of grace began with an appearing of Christ, and the event that concludes the dispensation of grace will be the rapture. When the rapture takes place, there will be a re-ordering." On and on and on .... tip-toe through the verses, picking out phrases along the way. The Brother Jokers and the naive follow each leap of the Cunning Royal Jester through the garden with unquestioning loyalty, as they scramble in the maze of false, pre-tribulation rapture-hope. At the end of their course, for the unsuspecting and unprepared, awaits bewilderment and shame.

2 Tim 2:15-18 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Traditionally, oral story-telling was committed to memory and then passed from generation to generation. KJV scripture verses convinced me to back-track out of the ‘mid-Acts’ position and earnestly try to prevent the transfer of their divisional myths.

2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

Tune in for the next few days, as we run down four rabbit trails from the Sunday Evening Story-Time with the Teaching Elder. We will search for The Lost Trump, The Lost Brethren, The Conquering Hero, and The Earth in the Heavens.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.

A Family Turned by the Word of the Lord

2010-08-06T01:43:00.002-04:00

I’ve never heard any ‘mid-Acts-er’ comment on Paul and Silas ministering the gospel to the entire household of the prison keeper:

Acts 16:25-34 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

Since ‘mid-Acts-ers’ don’t refer to it, they must not like the salvation message contained in the verses:

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ make a big issue out of Paul’s words "by the word of the Lord" in
1 Thess 4:15. They say that phrase, proved that it was Paul’s ‘mystery’ message given only and directly to him by the Lord. Well, wonder why they don’t apply that same principle to what Paul (and Silas) spoke to the jailer and his relatives? Would ‘mid-Acts-ers’ call THIS ‘word of the Lord’ part of Paul’s special revelation? No, they don’t!

32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ decide which ‘word of the Lord’ they want from Paul and which ‘word of the Lord’ they don’t want from Paul. They pick-and-choose.
When you come out from all that ‘mid-Acts’ mess, then you can appreciate the joy when a whole family hears the truth and believes it together!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.

All Thunder, No Rain .... All Hearsay, No Brain?

2010-08-05T01:49:00.008-04:00

Sadly, it is common error for ‘mid-Acts-ers’ to HEAR each other SAY something ....
and then REPEAT it, without a questioning thought in their brain ....
especially if it comes from the Cunning Royal Jester, the ‘teaching elder’!

I just heard a typical example of ‘mid-Acts’ trashing of the word of God -- outside of Paul. A ‘mid-Acts’ preacher said tonight, speaking of a funeral bulletin .... that if John 14:2-3, or John 3:16, or Psalms 23, was printed "on the back of my card", he would (his words:) "throw it in the garbage can." He wants 1 Thess 4:16-18 printed on his card.

We should NOT treat God’s holy word -- outside of Paul --
as REFUSE!

Psa 119:140 Thy word is very pure:
therefore thy servant loveth it.

Prov 30:5 Every word of God is pure:
he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof,
for correction,
for instruction in righteousness:

NONE of the word of God is for the dumpster ....
but ‘mid-Acts’ heresy is!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

‘Verse Testing’ Jesus Christ, the Man

2010-08-03T23:08:00.005-04:00

Did you know that ‘mid-Acts-ers’ DIVIDE Jesus and make 2 of Him?
They say that the ‘earthly’ Jesus (in His earthly ministry)
was ‘another Jesus’ (2 Cor 11:4)
than the ‘risen, glorified Lord’ Jesus (in His heavenly ministry)
that appeared to Paul (Saul) on the road to Damascus:

The woman of Samaria (John 4:9) realized the supernatural knowledge the Messiah would have and give:

John 4:25-26 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

She believed Jesus, the MAN with Whom she spoke, was the Messiah (Hebrew), the Christ (Greek):

John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ acknowledge that Peter identified the MAN, Jesus Christ OF NAZARETH, the One that was crucified and resurrected, that is the head of the corner .... as the only way of salvation .... but they think He was ‘another Jesus’ for ‘Israel’s prophecy program’:

Acts 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom ye crucified,
whom God raised from the dead,
even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders,
which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Paul also showed Jesus Christ as the MAN Who brought the free gift of God’s grace:

Rom 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace,
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Paul also named Jesus Christ the MAN as the sole intervener:

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus;

Do ‘mid-Acts-ers’ think Paul was writing about the ‘earthly’ Jesus by calling Him ‘the MAN’? They say Paul taught about the ‘risen, glorified’ Lord Jesus .... not the ‘earthly’ One. If they were rational, they would realize that their ‘2 Jesus’ heresy does not meet ‘the verse test’!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.

The Thread of the Head

2010-08-03T00:45:00.004-04:00

We can see the thread running through the scriptures.

David said that the LORD is HEAD above ALL:

1 Chron 29:10-11 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
11 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.

The psalmist wrote that the LORD is HEAD of the CORNER:

Psa 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke - all 3 - record Jesus quoting that verse in Psalms:

Matt 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures,
The stone which the builders rejected,
the same [houtos] is become [ginomai] [eis] the head of the corner:
this [houtos] is [para] the Lord's doing,
and it is marvellous in our eyes?

Mark 12:10-11 And have ye not read this scripture;
The stone which the builders rejected is [houtos] [ginomai] become [eis] the head of the corner:
11 This [houtos] was [ginomai] the Lord's doing,
and it is marvellous in our eyes?

Luke 20:17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written,
The stone which the builders rejected,
the same [houtos] is become [ginomai] the head of the corner?

Peter referred to the same place in the Psalms, PERSONIFIED and NAMED that CHRIST is the HEAD:

Acts 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders,
which is become [ginomai] the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Paul wrote that CHRIST is the HEAD of ALL men:

1 Cor 11:3 But I would have you know, that
the head of every [pas] man is Christ;
and the head of the woman is the man;
and the head of Christ is God.

Paul wrote that CHRIST (from Eph 1:20) is HEAD over ALL:

Eph 1:22 And hath put all [pas] things under his feet,
and gave him to be the head over all [pas] things to the church,

Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him
in all things [pas], which is the head, even Christ:

Paul wrote that CHRIST is HEAD of the CHURCH:

Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife,
even as Christ is the head of the church:
and he is the saviour of the body.

Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all [pas] things he might have the preeminence.

Paul wrote that CHRIST is HEAD of ALL principality and power:

Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him,
which is the head of all [pas] principality and power:

Paul was not the only one who taught that CHRIST was the HEAD.
Pull the thread and see what happens.
Notice if a doctrine unravels or weaves all through the scriptures.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.

One Thing?

2010-08-01T18:02:00.004-04:00

The one thing the psalmist desired .... was to live in God’s house forever ....
and that, he will:

Psa 27:4-5 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

The one thing lacking in a man’s life .... was to sell out for God.
Jesus called him to leave it all behind:

Mark 10:17-23 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him,
One thing [heis] thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

Mary made the good choice .... for the one thing.
She dropped everything to make time to sit at Jesus’ feet:

Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing [heis] is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Just one thing of breaking God’s law .... makes you guilty of the whole thing:

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law,
and yet offend in one point [heis], he is guilty of all.

Those of us who have experienced the forgiveness of God .... should be focused on one thing: Don’t look back, and look forward to the goal:

Phil 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:
but this one thing [heis] I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

You are either 100% guilty (the natural state of man) .... OR ....
you are 100% righteous (a free gift to us .... from Christ, who gave His life.

Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Leave the past in the past .... and work for the future in the present!

2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one [heis] thing,
that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Get busy doing as much as we can for Christ, because the time is short:

1 Cor 7:29-31 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
30 And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.

Noble ‘Unsaved’ Bereans?

2010-07-30T22:37:00.005-04:00

I recently received a letter from a brother (who, BTW, "enjoys the website") that brought up another point about the ‘noble Bereans’ in response to my thought of the day about the ‘mid-Acts’ preacher who prayed for "that Berean spirit". Let’s revisit Acts 17:11, from where the conference speaker based his prayer request for "that Berean spirit".

In the CONTEXT, when you read on into verse 12,
you realize that the ‘noble Bereans’ in verse 11 were not yet saved!
They were NOT believers having a Bible study .... as ‘mid-Acts-ers’ imply!
They were JEWS,
of the synagogue,
who BECAME believers,
AFTER they VERIFIED what Paul was preaching in the OLD testament record.

Acts 17:10-13 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These (Jews in Berea) were more noble than those (Jews) in Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12 Therefore many of them (Berean Jews) believed;
also of honourable women which were Greeks (honourable Greek women), and of men, not a few (many Greek men).
13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.

The Berean Jews (vs. 11)
were more noble than those Thessalonian Jews (vs. 11a, 13)
because every day they checked out Paul’s messages IN THE SCRIPTURES
to make sure that what he was preaching WAS IN ONE ACCORD
with what God’s word already said.

Luke recorded that by Paul’s own mouth, he declared that everything he said was in the Bible:

Acts 26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ ought to be CAREFUL with the holy writ (for English speaking people -- the KJV), instead of picking out certain phrases and spinning them to make their own paradigm. (This only applies to those 'mid-Acts-ers' who claim to be KJV .... not those 'mid-Acts-ers' who do not claim to be KJV, nor to mainstream denominations who accept the verses that they are a flock of sheep with pastors, even though I do not agree with them. I am KJV, and I can see when someone AVOIDS the KJV words.)

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
.

Anger Management Through Paul?

2010-07-28T23:56:00.004-04:00

A teaching elder made a few comments in a message earlier this week about how he regretted making friends with an angry man (Prov 22:24). Wonder why a ‘mid-Acts-er’ would be applying a proverb not written by Paul? They tell YOU not to go 'outside of Paul' for instruction, but THEY do when THEY want to.

Paul did not instruct believers not to BE angry .... but not to sin with it, and not to mull in it:

Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

A bishop was not told not to BE angry .... but not to be hasty in anger nor quick-tempered:

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

We are not to hold on to anger or nurse it .... quite the contrary:

Eph 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

We should make the choice to lay aside anger and not clothe ourselves with it:

Col 3:8-11 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

The same Greek word translated ‘anger’ 3 times, is also translated ‘wrath’ 31 times, and ‘vengeance’ 1 time, and ‘indignation’ 1 time. James wrote about anger like Paul. He did not teach that it is wrong to be angry .... but that anger ought not be thoughtless or speedy:

James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

The same anger management principle shows throughout the scripture:

Ecc 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

Jesus spoke of God’s judgment toward one who is angry with his brother ‘without a cause’ (Matt 5:22).

The teaching elder said, "If a brother is a railer -- someone that speaks harshly" .... that you should not eat with him .... then he admitted that he was guilty of not obeying that. Let’s compare what HE said with what THE VERSE actually says. He said, "If a brother IS a railer," .... but the scripture reads .... "if any man that is called a brother":

1 Cor 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

Well, I will also make a confession. I was guilty of putting ‘confidence in an unfaithful man’ (Prov 25:19).

Of himself, or Apollos, or Cephas (Peter), Paul wrote:

1 Cor 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us,
as of the ministers of Christ,
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

For preachers to make a big issue of being KJV .... and even further, ‘Pauline’ .... and then DENY the KJV word of the office they hold, which God through Paul said was ‘a good work’ .... I speak this to their shame:

1 Tim 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

Earlier we read to, ‘Be angry, and sin not,’ .... here we should ‘Awake to righteousness, and sin not.’ God spoke to the shame of saints:

1 Cor 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

God has reason and direction for His holy anger:

Psa 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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Moses Led a BODY?

2010-07-26T22:28:00.010-04:00

‘Moses’ seems to be the buzz of some ‘mid-Acts-ers’ lately. Wonder why all the Moses commotion? Could it be because of the various scriptures posted on this website that show how Moses wrote of Christ (John 5:46)? I heard several ‘Moses’ comments during the past week’s conference, such as, "I’m not in that church in the wilderness (Acts 7:38). To be in that church you had to be baptized unto Moses." Last night a teaching elder referenced that they were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and the sea: (I show the verse below, and, my note: the baptism is dry --- no wet water involved!)

1 Cor 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

.... and he said that ‘Moses led a BODY of people out of Egypt’. Now, how about that? .... using what-they-have-always-called PAUL’s ‘unique’ reference to a ‘BODY’ and applying it to MOSES’ followers!

That’s not all! He also stated that the voice of the archangel was recorded in scripture when he stood up for the ‘BODY’ of Moses in Jude 1:9: (I show the verse below.)

Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Then the teaching elder asked the question, "What is the BODY of Moses?" He gave his personal opinion that he thinks his contending is with the nation of Israel. He also made reference to ‘the end of Deutronomy’ (I show the verse below.)

Deut 34:4-6 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

So now we have on tape/record, a ‘mid-Acts’ teaching elder stating that ‘Moses led a BODY of people out of Egypt’. Hummmm, wonder what will be admitted next?

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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Is It Just My Imagination?

2010-07-26T00:37:00.012-04:00

In his message tonight on 1 Thess 4:16, a teaching elder (who converted from being a pastor) just preached that "thinking ‘the last trump’ of 1 Cor 15:52 is the last trump of the 7 trumpets to blow in Revelation" is "a hallucination .... when the WISH is father to the THOUGHT." The dictionary defines hallucination as ‘the apparent perception of sights, sounds, etc. that are not actually present: it may occur in certain mental disorders.’ WHO would ever WISH to go through a world-wide day of slaughter for refusing to worship the beast? Not me! The THOUGHT of ‘the last trump’ really BEING ‘the last trump’ was certainly not my WISH! But I would rather believe the VERSES and be prepared, instead of turn a blind eye:

Jeremiah wrote:
Jer 12:3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and prepare them for the day of slaughter.

Paul wrote:
Rom 8:36 As it is written, (see Psa 44:22) For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

James wrote:
James 5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

John wrote:
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Better to be ready for the day of slaughter .... than to be ashamed for not rightly dividing, thinking that the ‘rapture’ (?), actually, the RESURRECTION, had past already, and have one’s faith overthrown:

2 Tim 2:15-18 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

The phrase in question here is ‘the last trump’:

1 Cor 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The fabricated 3 toots (which has been the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ previous stand) must have been a real embarrassment, because the presentation has just changed, and now their teaching elder has instructed them that there are only 2 toots .... but they both come from the same trump! "One instrument that sounds twice! Why? Because there are 2 groups of people. The dead come up at the 1st trump, and the alive are changed at the 2nd (or last) trump."

The teaching elder’s explanation was to "first look in the CONTEXT of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 to find out what ‘last’ means." What a great idea! Watch how he did it.

He went to:
1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written (Paul referring to ‘prophecy’ in Gen 2:7),
The first man Adam was made a living soul;
the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

.... and he used it with:
1 Cor 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy:
the second man is the Lord from heaven.

.... to say that the ‘last’ Adam is equivalent to the ‘second’ man .... which, to him, established that ‘last’ meant ‘second’. Therefore, he made 2 trumps .... which he said was "one instrument that sounds twice"!

He referenced the CHAPTER of 1 Corinthians 15, but he only backed up a few verses. What if we started at the beginning of the chapter "to find out what ‘last’ means"? What would happen then .... using HIS method?

1 Cor 15:1-8 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (Note: We will have to start counting in the next verse, because in verse 8, we get to the ‘last’ .... so count with me):
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, (Peter is the first 1)
then of the twelve: (1 + 12 = 13 so far)
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; (13 + over 500 = over 513)
of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; (over 513 + 1 = over 514)
then of all the apostles. (We don’t know how many apostles there were, and we know ‘the twelve’ were already counted in vs. 5b .... so we will just have to say that there were ‘more’ than 514.)
(Here comes the word ‘last’ in the count of all the people that SAW Jesus Christ, beginning in vs. 5a. FYI, it is the SAME Greek word as used in 1 Cor 15:52 and 45 .... so, get ready):
8 And last of all he was seen of me (Paul) also, as of one born out of due time.

So, using the teaching elder’s formula for finding out the correct number of the word ‘last’ by using the context, still in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 .... ‘last’ would be ‘some number’ that is MORE THAN 514!

Oh, but there’s yet another ‘last’ in the chapter! If we allowed the teaching elder to have his way .... to say that the ‘last’ means the ‘second’ .... then DEATH would only be the SECOND, but the 'last' of ALL His enemies?

1 Cor 15:22-26 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

The teaching elder’s recipe for counting the last ‘whatever’ would not even work in 1 Cor 15:25-26, because the verse does not say HOW MANY ENEMIES Christ has, so that we could know WHICH NUMBER of His enemies that ‘death’ is, and thereby assign the number of 'the last enemy'.

The point is, ‘the last trump’ is not talking about ‘the last MAN’ .... nor about ‘the last ENEMY’ .... it is ‘the last TRUMP’ .... so rather than wresting what the verse actually says .... let’s just let ‘the last trump’ be ‘the last TRUMP’. I thought ‘mid-Acts-ers’ preached to always allow the natural meaning of the verse! Evidently, they just SAY that and only DO it when they WISH to, for their paradigm!

Is it just my imagination or is the teaching elder WISHING? It seems to me that the people who are hallucinating .... when the WISH is father to the THOUGHT ... are those who WISH to escape from Planet Earth 7 + years before Daniel’s 70th week (which-they-call TRIBULATION) ever begins?!

Stay tuned to the daily thoughts for continued examinations of the teaching elder's messages in 1 Thessalonians 3-4.

This is David Dowell, (speaking Greek) saying, "Maranatha!" (1 Cor 16:22)
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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I, Me, and My

2010-07-24T17:14:00.006-04:00

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ often focus on ‘who I am in Christ’ .... ‘what being in Christ did for ME’ .... and ‘MY identity in Christ’. Though we certainly need to understand these things, it seems that ‘mid-Acts-ers’ are concentrating their attention selfishly on themselves (or on PAUL, the least of the apostles, as 1 Cor 15:9), instead of giving Christ the first place. Our emphasis ought to be on HIM:

Col 1:16-18 For by him 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 (CHRIST .... not I, not Paul) might have the preeminence.

Even John the Baptist testified to the same:

John 3:30-31 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

Have you ever noticed how many times a person says, "I, me, or my" in public speaking?

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ recently had a conference with 3 seminars about "Why I am Not a ...." (this, that, or the other, of different doctrinal sects). It gave me the idea to make a presentation for next Sunday’s message about why ‘Mid-Acts-Hyper-Dispensationalists’ are wrong.

Conf. Thurs. Message # 5 on 7-22-10 Final

2010-07-23T04:02:00.003-04:00

This was the final message of the conference. I had no internet reception for 3/4 of it, and therefore have no comments about it.

However, I will share a disappointment about the speaker’s unfaithfulness to the KJV he claims is the final authority. A few years ago, I talked to him about the over-sight among ‘mid-Acts-ers’ who called the leaders / main preachers in their churches by The Living Bible’s term ‘pastors’ .... rather than following PAUL’s word in the KJV of the office of a ‘bishop’. After I brought up the verses to his attention, he told me that he did not like titles of any kind, and that the scripture never referred to Paul as ‘the apostle Paul’ but as ‘Paul the apostle’. That afternoon, when he was called to the podium to give an updated report on the television ministry, I began counting after I heard him several times refer to the preacher as "Pastor ___". I counted over a dozen times in the few minutes of his presentation. Not only did he use ‘Pastor’ for a title repeatedly, but he also created several verb forms of pastor, like, "He pastors .... He was pastoring .... He pastored," etc. Are there no men among the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ that desire a GOOD WORK? They are ashamed of the word ‘bishop’ and they boycott it .... rather than defend it with rigor the way they do with the word ‘dispensation’!

I did not see the afternoon seminars, but their theme gave me an idea for a message entitled, "Why I am not a Mid-Acts-er."

The piano playing and the band were the good parts of the conference.

Since I was corrected for my incorrect spelling of the word ‘paradigm’ .... I felt obliged to return the favor. When you form a contraction from two words, the apostrophe goes in the place where the letters are left out. So the Southern slang for "you all" is y’all .... not ya’ll.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Conf. Thurs. Message # 4 on 7-22-10

2010-07-23T01:59:00.006-04:00

The message title made me think the speaker would discuss ‘mid-Acts’ doctrine about what-they-believe will be the activities of ‘the body of Christ’ (who they limit to be only Paul’s converts) for eternity in the heavens. He even began by stating that he was putting 20 years of study into one hour, about "what’s going to happen, the eternal glory we will have in the future." (Boy, were we in for a surprise!) Then he said something like, ".... and how John wrote his epistle about ‘that which was in the beginning’ and then John wrote about ‘the beginning’ again at the end." I have no idea what he meant by that. Next he told us that some of the verses he would be using would make us think that he was going down the wrong way, but his conclusion would clear it all up. During his message, he ran so many rabbit trails, it caused me to remember his warning.

The speaker made this statement, "If you disagree with me -- bring me a verse -- or don’t tell me I’m wrong." The longer I listened to his sermon, the more I thought he set us up. HE is the one who needed verses to make his points .... which MANY times, he did not have. Thus, when the scripture said nothing of the sort, there are no verses to prove him wrong, and he evidently thinks he is right. That is not a good way to ‘come up’ with doctrine.

He read

Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

.... and said, "If you have an open firmament, then you have to have a closed firmament of heaven." What?!

He read

Rom 1:19-20 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

.... and said, "Can you see the government? It is a piece of paper. The government is a person, it’s people. There are governments in His creation." What?!

He referenced Job 38:1-7, and said, "Job knew these 3 men as his friends, so he would be in the center. If Job is the one we think he is, Moses would have been 55 years of age - he’s in the land of promise." What?!

The speaker read Ezek 1:27 and said, "God told Ezekiel what heaven looked like.
He saw someone seated on a throne in heaven surrounded by a rainbow, like the glory of God. That made Lucifer, in his original state, like a rainbow. He wanted to overthrow God." What?!

The speaker asked this question about Lucifer, "What did he cover?" Then he answered, "He covered all of creation. He covered the heavens and the earth." Here are the verses that tell that he covered, but they do not say WHAT he covered:

Ezek 28:14-16 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

So the speaker was wrong, because HE had NO verses to make his claim in the first place.

He had a whopper of a story about 1/3 of the stars in the sky being cast out (Rev 12:4) and when Moses came, the heavens could not be ‘read’ anymore .... like if you took every third word out of the Bible, you can’t read it. They could not read the word of God because it was gone. Angels didn’t take care of it. 1/3 left and it couldn’t be read anymore. What?!

He read Romans 16:25-26, and said that prophecy was fulfilled in those stars and they could see how it was going to work out from Adam to the cross. But what was "kept secret" meant that nothing was written in the stars about that. What?!

When he said, "I’ve taken out all the verses that I can," I just shook my head.
The internet connection was later lost and I did not hear his entire message. But by then, I had already heard way too much.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Conf. Thurs. Message # 3 on 7-22-10

2010-07-23T01:55:00.004-04:00

I was surprised when the speaker brought a water bottle and set it right up front on the podium. I don’t have a problem with that, but his ‘teaching elder’ made an issue about it bothering him during the IL meeting this past April.

In his first verse, the speaker quoted "Satan hindered us" and said "not physically" .... but "the Jews were." So he made ‘Satan’ be ‘the Jews’. He said it’s the spirit of disobedience:

1 Thess 2:18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

By what standard does the speaker take the liberty to CHANGE who Satan is in a verse? Wonder why he didn’t equate Satan with the Jews in this next passage?

2 Cor 2:10-11 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

The speaker indicated that Jesus Christ would not be accepted in most churches today. Even though many of their doctrines are not correct, they are worshipping the true God and Jesus Christ, His Son, Who died on the cross and rose again. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ are negative toward and very judgmental of other saints in the body of Christ who-they-think do not what-they-call ‘rightly divide’:

Phil 1:18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

The speaker spoke way too fast for me to write many notes. Then internet lost connection and I was unable to listen to the rest of his message.

Conf. Thurs. Message # 2 on 7-22-10

2010-07-23T01:11:00.004-04:00

The speaker began by saying, if you need a verse about your heavenly home, to prove you’ll be there for eternity, it is 2 Cor 5:1. We will look at that, but let’s back up to get the context of resurrection:

2 Cor 4:14-18 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal; (our earthly house)
but the things which are not seen are eternal. (our heavenly house)

2 Cor 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Actually, the verse does NOT say that we will live eternally in the heavens (as the speaker said). The word ‘eternal’ describes the KIND of house we have, which, until the resurrection, is stored in the heavens. We have ‘an eternal house’ that is waiting for us in the heavens .... as can be further seen by the next verse:

2 Cor 5:2 For in this (our temporal house) we groan (also see Rom 8:23), earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our (eternal) house which is from heaven:

When Jesus comes FROM heaven (1 Thess 1:10, 4:16-17; 2 Thess 1:10), He will bring ‘our eternal house’ to us, when we meet Him in the air .... and He changes our mortal bodies .... to be eternal, immortal bodies .... like His:

Phil 3:20-21 For our conversation (a commonwealth of citizens) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

The souls of ALL the dead saints in Christ are in heaven (Rev 6:9) ‘unclad’, without a garment of a body .... waiting for the resurrection .... when they will get an eternal body, that is incorruptible. Then, also, saints that are still alive will be clothed immortal:

2 Cor 5:3-9 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
4 For we that are in this (temporal) tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed (soul without a body house), but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (also see 1 Cor 15:49-54)
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (".... to die is gain" Phil 1:21)
9 Wherefore we labour (work is going on in heaven, as well as on earth), that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

The speaker called Christ, in His earthly ministry, "another Jesus" (which is ‘mid-Acts’ doctrine). We sing we are saved by the blood of The Crucified One .... and the SCRIPTURES testify that He was the SAME Jesus -- the risen, glorified Lord -- that God raised and took up to heaven:

Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

He is the SAME Jesus (NOT another Jesus) that Saul (Paul) preached just after his Damascus road encounter with Him:

Acts 9:20-22 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?
22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

The other apostles did not preach ‘another Jesus’ than Paul preached. Paul himself repeatedly made the point clear, there is only ONE TRUE Lord Jesus -- not 2:

Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

1 Cor 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

The speaker said, "We got people preaching they’re in the church in the wilderness. I’m not in that church." Well, that ‘wilderness church’ (Acts 7:38) drank of the SAME Jesus Christ, the Rock, OUR foundation stone (1 Cor 3:11, Eph 2:20):

1 Cor 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

The speaker’s message title was about our greatest treasure, but he didn’t mention that Moses (Heb 11:24-25), the leader of the wilderness church (Acts 7:37), chose the reproach of the SAME Christ over Egypt’s treasures?

Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

The speaker’s topic was supposed to be about treasure, but he made no reference to when ‘another’ Jesus (not really!) spoke to the little flock (also see Acts 20:28-29), whose treasure and heart is in the heavens:

Luke 12:32-34 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. (also see Matt 5:12, 6:20)
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The speaker also failed to show where Peter wrote about the eternal inheritance .... stored in heaven .... for those who believe (1 Pet 1:21) in the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet 1:19) and His resurrection (1 Pet 1:21).

If the speaker handled 1 Pet 1:4 the same way he did 2 Cor 5:1, then he would have to say that Peter also wrote of an eternal inheritance in heaven. He sure would not want to say that .... because he makes the eternal inheritance PETER wrote about .... be a DIFFERENT inheritance than PAUL wrote about (Eph 1:3) .... even though BOTH writers said they were IN HEAVEN. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ DIVIDE everything, but not ‘rightly’ as they claim:

1 Peter 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope (also see Rom 8:24-25) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

The speaker said we are members of the church, the body of Christ, and that is the church today. The church that is called out ‘a new creature’:

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

What about those Jewish saints that were ‘in Christ’ BEFORE Paul?
They were new creatures, too:

Rom 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

The speaker read

2 Cor 6:1-2 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2 (For he saith (Isa 49:8), I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

.... but the speaker did not get the CONNECTION between the GRACE of God AND the PROPHECY of the day of salvation that was LINKED to it from the OLD testament.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Conf. Thurs. Message # 1 on 7-22-10

2010-07-22T20:16:00.003-04:00

The speaker said he was happy to share the platform with men of God who understand the word of God rightly divided and are not ashamed to preach it. He presented a ‘generic’ message, which was okay, except for the expected remarks about right division peppered through it. It was classic ‘mid-Acts’ preaching, using mostly all PAUL’s writings, but selecting other scriptures to use or disregard at will.

He used Adam (Gen 2:9,15) and Cain (Gen 4:1) and Able (Heb 11:4) for examples.

He read

Psa 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

.... and commented, “Only what’s done for Christ will last.” I agree with that, but are ‘mid-Acts-ers’ allowed to go ‘outside of Paul’ for application? They preach that you can’t, but then they do, when they want to!

The speaker quoted James for “life is a vapour”:

James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Then later, he read but dismissed this next verse in James, saying that it “doesn’t work today”, because James was written to the 12 tribes (James 1:1):

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

He took one verse and rejected another from the same epistle. Then he asked, “Where’s your wisdom at?” He said we needed to be obedient to the body of information that’s written to us today, which ‘mid-Acts-dispensationalists’ believe is only in the epistles of Paul, regardless that PAUL wrote:

2 Tim 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

This is David Dowell, saying, “Think about it!”

Conf. Thurs. Meeting # 1 on 7-22-10

2010-07-22T12:26:00.001-04:00

I was unable to hear this message.

Conf. Wed. Message # 5 on 7-21-10

2010-07-22T03:22:00.005-04:00

The speaker said that "A person is justified based upon the faith of Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ trusted the Father." This is a common ‘mid-Acts’ doctrine, built upon the preposition ‘of’ which does not even appear in the Greek text. The KJV is not wrong. The KJV is right, as the word is needed to make a complete sentence. However, for ‘mid-Acts-ers’ to build a doctrine about ‘the faith OF Christ’ in this verse, is not correct. I am not educated in Greek, neither was I a good student in English class, but I do know how to look at words and compare them. I am certainly NOT trying to change the English, nor the meaning of anything. When I was a ‘mid-Acts-er’ I was taught I never needed to "go to the Greek", but now that I am no longer a ‘mid-Acts-er’, I find it interesting to observe it.

Shown below is Gal 2:16, with the Greek words directly AFTER the English translation.
Notice that the 2 places the word ‘OF’ appears directly in front of ‘Jesus’, only His name is in the Greek.
Also notice that when the verse is talking about our ‘belief’ (faith) ‘IN’ Jesus Christ, there IS a Greek word for the preposition ‘in’.
Also notice the 5 times the Greek word [dikaioo] appears and how it was translated:

Gal 2:16 Knowing [eido] that [hoti] a man [anthropos] is [dikaioo] not [ou] justified [dikaioo] by [ek] the works [ergon] of the law [nomos], but [ean me] by [dia] the faith [pistis] of Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos], even [kai] we [hemeis] have believed [pisteuo] in [eis] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos], that [hina] we might be justified [dikaioo] by [ek] the faith [pistis] of Christ [Christos], and [kai] not [ou] by [ek] the works [ergon] of the law [nomos]: for [dioti] by [ek] the works [ergon] of the law [nomos] shall [dikaioo] no [ou] [pas] flesh [sarx] be justified [dikaioo].

I thought it was unusual for the speaker to use an example from Jer 2:11-13, to show that Christ is our life.

If I heard the speaker correctly, I think he said that "Jesus Christ didn’t see the records in heaven. Jesus Christ went to the cross trusting the Father, that He would accept His sacrifice and would raise Him from the dead. He trusted -- but He didn’t know for sure -- IF there was a mark (sin) against Him." The Son of God being unsure of His pure, sinless life, that guaranteed His resurrection? This could not possibly be true! Jesus absolutely knew that He would rise again:

John 2:19-22 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

I expect this concept the speaker presented goes along with their doctrine that Jesus -- while He was on earth -- was "another Jesus" (2 Cor 11:4) from the "risen, glorified Lord" that appeared to Saul in Acts 9. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ DIVIDING Jesus into 2 Jesus’. THAT is also outrageous!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Conf. Wed. Message # 4 on 7-21-10

2010-07-22T02:18:00.003-04:00

The speaker said that "because of the world we live in, being a Christian comes with great cost." I suppose it does in other parts of the world, but in the country in which we live, we enjoy ‘freedom of religion’ (dare I call it that?), and we are not persecuted with physical harm for our faith. Surely the prophets predicted that there will come a time when believers will be put to death for their faith.

Jesus said:

John 16:1-4 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

Mark 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

The speaker said that "most preaching and teaching is all over the word of God." He said that only Paul says there is a single standard, the gospel of grace, the due-time gospel that has not always been preached or taught.

The speaker said that "a common problem is their prayer life, when one comes to the gospel of Christ. They stop praying." Does that give you any indication of the damage ‘mid-Acts’ doctrine causes? They even admit it on the issue of prayer! Then speaker said, "You’re to pray consistent with right division."

The speaker read

Lev 11:44-45 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

.... and used it as an example for us, by saying that "One thing the gospel does is separate you out to God."

The speaker, talking about Paul’s "in me first" statement, said, "Paul is saying I am the first to be saved. He is a prototype of a pattern. The only context is that God concluded the world in unbelief and by that act alone He was signaling a new program, dispensation."

1 Tim 1:15-16 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Talking about what God said to Paul, the speaker said, "Clearly the preaching of Christ is fundamentally different than before." But what does the SCRIPTURE say about that?

Acts 26:22-23 Having therefore obtained help of God, I (Paul) continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

The speaker said to set your affection on things above, prize those things, treasure them. Then he used Jesus for an example from the gospels (Matt 6:19-21). He said this is what we call "grace motivation". Then he used the example of Moses from Heb 11:24-26. What was a ‘mid-Acts-er’ doing using Jesus and Moses for examples of "grace motivation"? Unheard of!

Several weeks ago I preached a message on Separation, which is posted both audio and text (available to download) on my website.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Conf. Wed. Message # 3 on 7-21-10

2010-07-22T01:01:00.004-04:00

The speaker opened by saying that Romans is the foundational truth of the new testament books, and that Romans is the first new testament epistle found in the Bible. He also made another statement about when we get to the new testament and find grace and the love of God, that separation is not extinct there. For him to make these references to the new testament is odd, because, generally, ‘mid-Acts-ers’ do not believe that ‘the church, the body of Christ’ has anything to do with the new testament. They believe it is strictly for Israel (Jer 31:31).

The speaker’s text was:

Rom 16:17-18 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

This speaker (as the one before him) also made ‘the religious system’ be the problem .... and focused on explaining about "carnal," "erring brethren within a local assembly" as those who should be marked and visibly identified for "departing from following Paul and the grace of God." He also taught that "things of the world" were also a source of attack. ‘Mid-Acts-ers’ consider anyone who does not agree with them to be teaching false doctrine.

Several weeks ago I preached a message on Separation, which is posted both audio and text (available to download) on my website.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Conf. Wed. Message # 1 on 7-21-10

2010-07-21T23:43:00.008-04:00

I did not hear this message.

Conf. Wed. Message # 2 on 7-21-10

2010-07-21T23:43:00.007-04:00

Before the speaker began his message, he held up ‘the school’ as "the pinnacle of truth on the planet." Since he regards the school with such high esteem, don’t you think his message will adhere to that school’s doctrines?

The speaker made the statement, "I don’t need a verse to tell me not to marry unbelievers. You don’t need a verse to tell you cigarettes are not good for you. If you need verses, I’ve got them .... but you should not need a verse if you have the mind of Christ." He never gave any explanation of how a person would discern if the thoughts in his mind were coming from 1) the mind of Christ, or 2) his own fleshly mind (Col 2:18), or 3) the fiery darts of the wicked (Eph 6:16). I will tell you how to know the source of your thoughts .... YOU NEED A VERSE!

Since the speaker believes "you don’t need a verse" .... don’t you think his message will reflect that notion?

His text was 2 Cor 6:14-7:1. He said, "The context of the chapter is not about Christians marrying unbelievers. It is about the religious system." Even though his premise is that "you don’t need a verse" .... let’s go ahead and read them anyway, just for the sake of it being God’s word.

The context begins with a contrast between believers and unbelievers .... not with a difference between ‘grace believers’ and ‘the religious system’:

2 Cor 6:14-7:1 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:

The same comparison made yet again, following the colon (which is a mark of punctuation used before an extended quotation, explanation, example, or series):

for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
We are made righteous (Rom 5:19).
The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9).

and what communion hath light with darkness?

We were darkness, but now are children of light (Eph 5:8, 1 Thes 5:5, Acts 26:18, John 12:48).

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial?

Belial is another name for Satan.

or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

An infidel is one who is unfaithful and unbelieving.

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?

We are to guard ourselves from all manner of fellowship with heathen worship, including any image of any false god.

We should be separate from unbelievers, the unrighteous, darkness, Belial, an
infidel, and idols? Why? Because we are God’s building (1 Cor 3:9, Eph 2:22):

for ye are the temple of the living God; (also see Acts 7:48, 17:24)

Then Paul quoted the OLD testament and APPLIED it to saints in the dispensation of grace:

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. (MANY references)

This passage is not teaching us to be separated ‘from Adam into Christ’. The text says nothing about separating ourselves unto the grace of God:

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2 Cor 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The speaker said we should be "learning ‘the grace message’ and not going back into the religious system. That’s what we’re saved from."

The speaker was intent upon forcing a separation between the saints who attend churches where they are not ‘mid-Acts, rightly-dividing, grace believers.’ He said, "Sometimes they may be justified, but it gets cloudy after that."

The speaker read

Gal 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

The speaker said, "Paul was separated from his mother’s womb." He also said Paul was separated from the commonwealth of Israel and from the law.

The speaker said, "When anyone goes to the Greek to try to explain a verse, 99.9" of the time they’re trying to get around what it says." Since the KJV was translated from the Greek, why would the speaker make such a rash judgment on a person who sought a fuller, composite understanding?

The speaker also said, "God thinks less of the religious person who goes to church. It’s more dangerous." He said, "God gave the only religion. What we’re into isn’t a religion. We’re not religious. God hates religion. It’s not okay to be in the religious system." Verses, please? Oh yeah, he doesn’t need them! Well, how about this one anyway?

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

I think the speaker’s life experiences were amusing. It is just sad that he is so captivated and blinded by ‘mid-Acts’ doctrine .... and that he thinks he doesn’t need a verse.

FYI, several weeks ago I preached a message on Separation, which is posted both audio and text (available to download) on my website.

A couple of years ago, I talked with the speaker about being faithful to the KJV, and Pauline authority, about office of a ‘bishop’, and he agreed with the verse. Last year, he showed me his new business cards with the correct ‘office’ title printed on them:

1 Tim 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

Today, he repeatedly used the term ‘pastor’ instead, which is The Living Bible’s substitute word for ‘bishop’. Maybe he has been influenced by the ‘mid-Acts’ bishops who refuse to be called such, who don’t ‘follow Paul’, and who claim to be KJV but are not true to it on this issue.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"

Conf. Tuesday Message # 5 on 7-20-10

2010-07-21T03:52:00.004-04:00

It is quite odd, that ‘mid-Acts-ers’ boldly claim PAUL, PAUL, PAUL, preached the cross in a unique way and that PAUL had ‘new information, never before revealed’ .... yet when 3 of the evening preachers have had message titles focused on the cross, they have all 3 preached the cross almost entirely OUTSIDE of PAUL. Again tonight, I was astonished to see yet another ‘mid-Acts-er’ venture so far away from Paul.

The speaker made the statement (without a verse) that "Satan lost the title deed to the universe." Then he proceeded to divide the saints of Israel from the saints of the Gentiles. Thus, in regular ‘mid-Acts’ tradition, he divided to create separate destinies for the 2 different groups of saints .... even though the apostle PAUL put them TOGETHER:

Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

God did not start an entire NEW TREE comprised of both Jew and Gentile. He MERGED the Gentiles into ISRAEL’s tree:

Rom 11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

That is what the mystery was, that Jew and Gentiles would be ONE, not 2:

Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs,
and of the same body,
and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

Gentiles used to be excluded in time past .... but now, we are included WITH Israel, who were already ‘in Christ before Paul’ (Rom 16:7):

Eph 2:19-22 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: (also see 2 Cor 6:16)
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Gal 3:28-29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

A few years ago, when I talked with this speaker about using the KJV word 'bishop', instead of using The Living Bible's word 'pastor' .... he gave me the lame excuse that he did not want to be called a 'bishop' because he did not want to be associated with a certain other religious group in his local area. I know of no other KJV word that 'mid-Acts-ers' boycott with such stubbornness. They firmly defend the KJV word 'dispensation' and often preach about preserving it, and not changing it.

The speaker followed the leader, the ‘mid-Acts’ paradigm, the school, and the chart .... saying what they say. The problem is that there are many verses that prove they are wrong.

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"