TP, BN, and ATC?

Time Past, But Now, and Ages To Come

One of the main spring-boards for ‘mid-Acts-ers’ is Ephesians 2.
They start out with ‘Time Past’ (in verses 11-12) ....
followed by ‘But Now’ (in verse 13 and following).
But then they go backwards (to verse 7) to pick out their future phrase ‘Ages to Come’.

Under the OLD Covenant, which God made with Abraham and his family (physical descendants), Gentiles had no privilege. They were foreigners to Israel:

Eph 2:11-12 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past
Gentiles in the flesh,
who are called Uncircumcision
by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time (What time? Time Past)
ye were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope,
and without God in the world:

God made covenants with Israel to resurrect them unto eternal life:

Acts 26:6-8 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:
7 Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

In the ‘But Now’ a change occured in the Gentiles status.
How was it accomplished? By Christ’s blood .... the blood of the NEW Testament (Matt 26:28, 1 Cor 11:25, 2 Cor 3:6, Heb 9:15):

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

It is no longer the OLD Covenant of the law for Israel ....
now it is HOPE in the NEW Covenant of grace for all.
Now because of Christ, we all can be near to God:

Heb 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, (also see Rom 8:3,4; Acts 13:38-39; Gal 2:16)
but the bringing in of a better hope did; (also see Rom 8:23-25; 15:8-13; 1 Cor 15:19-26; Col 1:5; 1 Thess 4:13-14) by the which we draw nigh unto God.

Paul taught that Christ is the reason we (near or far) can have peace.
Because of His blood, now we Gentiles are no longer ‘separated’ from Israel --- now we are ‘one’ WITH them:

Eph 2:14 For he is our peace,
who hath made both one,
and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ really mess this up. They keep the ‘but now’ saints divided from the ‘time past’ saints that were ‘in Christ before Paul’ (Rom 16:7).

The OLD Testament Law was taken away by Christ’s death ....
that made the NEW Testament Grace ....
and brought ‘near saints’ (Jews) and ‘far off saints’ (Gentiles) peacefully together:

Eph 2:15-16 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself ("in Christ") of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

‘The gospel of peace’ was preached by Isaiah (Isa 52:7) ....
and by Paul (Rom 10:15, Eph 6:15) ....
and by Christ (Rom 15:8-13):

Eph 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off (the Gentiles), and to them that were nigh (the nation Israel - Deut 4:7).

God offered peace to those who were far away, and the near:

Isa 57:19-21 I create the fruit of the lips;
Peace, peace to him that is far off,
and to him that is near,
saith the LORD; and I will heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest,
whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

Saints of ‘time past’ and saints of ‘but now’ are UNITED by ONE Spirit:

Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ SEPARATE the saints in the dispensation of grace .... from the saints that were under the law. But the OLD Covenant saints that were under the law .... MOVED to faith in Christ:

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me.

The saints are NOT to be SEGREGATED by ‘time past’ and ‘but now’ as ‘mid-Acts-ers’ split them. God’s Spirit JOINED us ALL together:

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, Rom 12:4-5, 1 Cor 10:17),
and one Spirit (not ‘another Spirit’ - also see 2 Cor 11:4),
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (the resurrection of the dead for ALL believers - also see 1 Thess 3:13)
5 One Lord (the SAME Lord - Acts 1:11, 2:36; Heb 13:8 .... not ‘another Jesus’ as ‘mid-Acts-ers’ teach was Jesus in His earthly ministry),
one faith (also see Gal 1:23),
one baptism (also see 1 Cor 12:13),
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (no difference in Jew and Gentile - also see Acts 15:9, Rom 3:22, 10:12; Gal 3:28; Col 3:11)

Paul repeatedly taught this same principle:

1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free;
and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

We have the same spiritual drink with Israel .... not a different drink (also see 1 Cor 10:6,11):

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.

Gentiles that believe are GRAFFED in AMONG believing Israel (Rom 11:17):

Eph 2:19-22 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellowcitizens with the saints, (also see Rom 11:17-24, fellowheirs as Eph 3:6)
and of the household of God; (also see 1 Cor 3:9, 2 Cor 6:16, Rev 21:3,7)
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; ('the SAME foundation' --- just where Christ had not been named - Rom 15:20-21 --- also see Psa 118:22, Isa 28:16, Matt 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Pet 2:4-6)
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together (not separated) groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: (also see 1 Cor 3:16-19)
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Then ‘mid-Acts-ers’ get out-of-order in Ephesians 2, by reversing direction to get their ‘Ages To Come’ expression .... rather than going forward in the scriptures, like ‘Past, Present, and Future’.

The Greek word used 128 times, translated ‘the ages’ 1 time, and translated ‘world’ 38 times:

Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

‘The ages to come’ .... is like ‘the world to come’:

Isa 45:17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

Eph 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
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WHO is the Church?

God gave the ‘lively oracles’ (the living Word of God) in the OLD testament to Israel through Moses on Mt. Sinai. The earliest church on record .... is the church in the wilderness, to whom God gave His law:

Acts 7:37-38 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

The OLD testament was sealed with the blood of animals (Heb 9:18-20) ....

the NEW testament was of force with the blood of Christ (Heb 9:14-17).

To be in the NEW testament church .... one had to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ (‘Messias’ is the Hebrew equivalent for ‘Christ’ in the Greek - John 1:41, 4:25). Jesus asked His disciples who men thought He was, then He questioned Peter personally:

Matt 16:16-18 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Jesus, the Son of the living God, is the ROCK upon Whom the NEW testament church is built:
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

A few chapters earlier, Jesus taught the people building on the foundation rock:

Matt 7:24-25 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

There was a church functioning in Jesus’ earthly ministry. It was the same church .... made up of believers in Christ.... saints of God:

Matt 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

We can see "the church" ACTIVE .... all the way through the book of Acts.

In Acts 2, there was still a church in operation after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, during Pentecost. It was the same church. God "added to" it:

Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people.
And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

In Acts 8, there was a church at Jerusalem .... that Saul persecuted (Phil 3:6):

Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

After his salvation, Paul addressed epistles to "the church of God" (1 Cor 1:2, 2 Cor 1:1).
There is no reason to think (as ‘mid-Acts-ers’ do -- without a verse)
that this "church of God"
is a different "church of God"
than the "church of God" Paul persecuted in time past:

Gal 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

In Acts 11:22-26, Saul joined the assembly at Antioch, called "the church" .... where the disciples were first called "Christians".

In Acts 12:5, "the church" was praying for Peter to be released from prison.

"The church" is also found in Acts 13:1; 14:23,27; 15:3,4,22; 18:22.

Paul told the elders and bishops of Ephesus to feed "the church of God" ....
which he also referred to as "the flock".

FYI, in a strenuous effort to keep calling the preacher a ‘pastor’ (instead of a ‘bishop’ as 1 Tim 3:1,2) .... ‘mid-Acts-ers’ (which I used to be, but no longer am) make a division between the flock and the body. They have difficulty with this passage, because they always make ‘only Israel’ to be ‘God’s sheep’ .... yet here Paul preached ‘the kingdom of God’ and called the Ephesian church ‘the flock’. How’s that for mixing it up?

Acts 20:24-28 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Paul refers to "the church" as Christ’s body.

‘Mid-Acts-ers’ are notorious for making ‘the church, which is His body’ a completely different church from those saints ‘in Christ before Paul’ (Rom 16:7):

Eph 1:22-23 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

If Paul was talking about ‘the church, the body of Christ’ .... as DISTINCT from ‘Israel’s kingdom church’ (as the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ call it) .... then WHICH church did Christ love and die for?

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as

Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

When Hebrews quoted the Psalms, the word ‘congregation’ is the same as ‘church’ .... yet, without a verse, ‘mid-Acts-ers’ make this a SEPARATE church from ‘what-they-call’ ‘the church, the body of Christ’:

Heb 2:12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren,
in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

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

If a man know not WHO the church of God is .... how shall he rule it?

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A Higher Plane?

Not long ago when I was talking with a ‘mid-Acts’ preacher, who had graduated from a 'mid-Acts' school, he tried to convince me there were two separate eternal destinations for God’s saints. He repeatedly told me that ‘the church, the body of Christ’ (meaning people who have been saved ONLY during the dispensation of grace, through Paul’s ministry) will go ‘far up above all heavens’ .... and that ‘Israel’s kingdom program saints’ (though in heaven now) will come down to earth to reign with Jesus for 1,000 years, and then in eternity. The passage he continually referred to was:

Eph 4:8-10 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high,
he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? (My friend thought this verse was about when Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, but according to Rom 10:7, when Christ descended into the deep was when he was dead.)
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Before I addressed his conclusion .... of two different locations:

1) ‘up far above all heavens’ for the saints saved through Paul

and 2) ‘Israel’s earthly kingdom’ for saints outside of Paul’s ministry ....

I attempted to establish some common ground. I asked him several questions.

Question #1: Where is Jesus NOW?

He answered, “Far up above all heavens,” but I somehow managed to get him to agree that Jesus was presently sitting at the right hand of God the Father in heaven:

Eph 1:20-23 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet,
and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, and after He showed Himself alive for 40 days (Acts 1:3) .... Jesus was taken up to heaven (Acts 1:2,9) where He sat down at His Father’s right hand (also Acts 2:31-33; Heb 1:3,13, 8:1 10:12, 12:2; 1 Pet 3:22):

Mark 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them,
he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Question #2: Where are the dead saints NOW in ‘what-he-calls’ Israel’s kingdom program?

He answered, “They are in heaven now .... with the Lord .... waiting to come to earth in His kingdom.”

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high,
he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (also Psa 68:18)

When Jesus died, He went DOWN into the middle of the earth:

Matt 12:40 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.

In time past, the center of the earth was the location of paradise:

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (also Luke 16:19-31)

We know that paradise was moved UP to the 3rd heaven .... because Paul was caught UP into paradise:

2 Cor 12:2,4 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Here is my point: Paradise is in the 3rd heaven.
That means that it is ABOVE the 1st heaven ....
and ABOVE the 2nd heaven.

God fixed His glory ABOVE the heavens:

Psa 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

God’s mercy is ABOVE the heavens.
God is exalted ABOVE the heavens:

Psa 108:4-5 For thy mercy is great above the heavens:
and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth; (also Psa 57:5,11; Psa 113:4-6)

Question #3: God is above WHICH heavens?

The logical answer is, since God is in the 3rd heaven in paradise .... then He must be ABOVE the 1st and 2nd heavens. To me, that is not hard to get.

Question #4: Where are ‘what-he-calls’ the church, the body of Christ saints NOW that have died?

The ‘mid-Acts’ preacher, told me (without a verse) they are on ‘a higher plane’ that he says is located “far above all heavens.” I asked him if he meant there is a 4th heaven. He would not comment yes or no, but he made his story go like this: The saints who have died in Israel’s kingdom program are now in the 3rd heaven, in their mansions in the holy city, new Jerusalem, with God. They can look out their windows, into like ‘the sky of heaven’ and see the body of Christ saints ‘up there’ .... on ‘a higher plane’ .... from where they are.

I told him that God broke down the middle wall of partition here on earth (Eph 2:14); but did he think God erected a middle wall of partition up in heaven --- so He could keep the ‘body of Christ saints’ separated from ‘Israel’s kingdom program saints’? Did God keep the gates to the city shut, with its high walls, in order to keep the body of Christ saints OUT of it? What if the two separate groups got mixed in together while they are presently ALL up in heaven? “They won’t,” he said, “That’s why the body of Christ saints are on a higher plane.”

Inventing ‘a higher plane’ in the name of right division. How absurd!
The truth is, we share a joint inheritance WITH Israel:

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

That’s the fellowship of the mystery, according to Paul.
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The Book of Life? Written In or Blotted Out?

Moses knew that God had a book with individuals’ names written in it, and that his own name was in that book. Interestingly, whoever broke God’s 1st and 2nd commandments .... to have no other gods before Him, and to not make any idol (Exo 20:1-6) .... would be blotted out of His book:

Exod 32:31-33 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said,
Oh, this people have sinned a great sin,
and have made them gods of gold.
32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--;
and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me,
him will I blot out of my book.

Daniel also knew of God’s book with peoples’ names written in it:

Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Paul was the 1st person to actually tell the ‘title’ of God’s book that has names written in it.
It is called "the book of life":

Phil 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

John recorded the words Christ (Rev 1:18) told him to write ....
to the angel of the church in Sardis (Rev 3:1),
about keeping the names of the overcomers in the book of life:

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life,
but I will confess his name before my Father (Matt 10:32-33),
and before his angels (Luke 12:8-9).

Matt 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Luke 12:8-9 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

PAUL prophesied about the same principals:

2 Tim 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him:
if we deny him, he also will deny us:

1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (also see Heb 3:12, 10:38-39, 2 Thess 2:3, Luke 8:13)

1 Tim 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

John testified that when Jesus was alive on earth, the Jews would excommunicate anybody from the assembly who confessed Him as Christ:

John 9:22 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God,
God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

Paul wrote about salvation by confessing Christ also.
The righteousness which is of faith (from Rom 10:6) speaketh:

Rom 10:8-10 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; (Deut 30:14, Isa 57:19)
9 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.

During the last half of Daniel’s 70th week (Dan 9:24), the beast will persecute and kill the saints for 3-1/2 years (Rev 13:5-7). Everyone whose name is not written in the Lamb’s book of life .... will worship him:

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

The book of life will be opened, after the 1,000 years at the 2nd resurrection (Rev 20:5), when the dead are judged. Anyone whose name is NOT written in it .... will suffer the 2nd death:

Rev 20:12,14-15 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

No one will enter that great city, the holy Jerusalem, that will descend out of heaven from God (Rev 21:10) .... unless their name is written in the book of life, which John personalized again, as belonging to the Lamb:

Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie:
but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

The very last words in the Bible .... have to do with
• the book of life
• the coming of the Lord Jesus, and
• the grace of the Lord Jesus:

Rev 22:18-21 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
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.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Is YOUR name written there?
On the page white and fair?
In the book of God’s kingdom?
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Standing on the Shoulders .... or the Promises?

Many times during my nearly 30 years as a ‘mid-Acts-er’ I heard it preached from the pulpit, "We are standing on the shoulders .... of dispensational men before us .... who did not see as far as we see." (How could 'mid-Acts-ers' make that statement, and then gripe about being labeled 'hyper' and 'ultra'?) In a recent message, we were informed that, "They didn’t have time to think through these things." Frankly, I was surprised at that comment. Were their schedules as busy as ours? Did they ever sit in ‘rush hour’ traffic? Could their calendars have been as hurried as ours in the instant-information age in which we live?

The internet provides plenty of information about the origin of the ‘secret rapture theory’ .... and how it came into being around 1830. It was promoted by the man who is considered in the theological world to be the ‘father of modern dispensationalism,’ and later it was advanced in America through a man whose best-selling annotated Bible popularized premillennialism (pre-tribulationalism) among fundamentalist Christians. 'Mid-Acts-ers' invented a 'mystery-rapture', and isolated it as an 'uncounted' resurrection -- BEFORE what-scripture-said is the FIRST resurrection (Rev 20:4-5). Their 'pre-tribulation mystery-rapture' is said-to-be part of Paul's unique revelation, and ONLY for the saints saved through Paul's ministry during the dispensation of grace .... no one who was 'in Christ' BEFORE Paul (Rom 16:7). 'Mid-Acts-ers' refuse to accept the last trump as the timing for the FIRST resurrection, even though the verse specifically states so:

1 Cor 15:52 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.

Rather than standing on the shoulders ....
to further divide the Bible,
and the saints,
and the inheritance,
and the coming of the Lord,
and the resurrection, etc. ....
by splitting them all into two different things,
I choose to stand on the promises of God (2 Cor 6:16-18, 7:1):

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.

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,

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

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

I sing, "Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, my Saviour."

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.
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To Use or Not to Use?

When I began to listen to the scriptures that conflicted with ‘mid-Acts’ doctrine, I did the ‘unthinkable’ .... I looked at the Greek! I admit that I am no master of the English language nor grammar, but I do have some sense and understand a thing or two. I am able to compare Greek words and their translation in different verses. Following are a couple of interesting verses I found .... to my surprise:

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.)
It made a difference to realize that ‘mid-Acts-ers’ had built a doctrine of Peter and Paul preaching 2 different gospels on the word ‘of’ (Gal 2:7), that was not even in the Greek.
[was] unto Peter [Petros]; ( [Petros] is just Peter’s name .... with no preposition)

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]
to [eis] (This same Greek word is translated later in this same verse as "toward".)
the apostleship [apostole]
of the circumcision [peritome],
the same [kai]
was mighty [energeo] (See comment on same word above.)
in me [emoi]
toward [eis] (See comment on same word above.)
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 know before. When I was in a ‘mid-Acts’ Bible school class, I was taught that the KJV is a word-for-word translation, and thus, there was never any reason to consult the Greek. I trusted my teacher, who told me that only the words in italics had been added, but I discovered that is not the case.

Now we have recently been told 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.

We have been told that we don’t need ‘the Greek’ ....
by someone who uses (even reads) the Greek himself:

1 Cor 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ,
let him be (the next two words are Greek words --
not translated into English, but left in the Greek):
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.
.

Good Words?

This week I heard a particular ‘mid-Acts’ preacher boast about using "good words." He said ‘rapture’ is a good word. By his demeanor, I think he is closer to ‘rupture’ than ‘rapture’.

2 Tim 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

The one and only time the phrase "good words" is used in the entire New Testament, was by Paul. He warned of "good words" .... used in fraud:

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.

God has provided an escape from being gullible:

Psa 19:7-11 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul:
the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart:
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever:
the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned:
and in keeping of them there is great reward.

During my nearly 30 years as a ‘mid-Acts-er’ I would have never applied those scriptures. But I am no longer a deceived ‘mid-Acts-er’ .... so now I enjoy the instruction in righteousness:

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:

The light of God’s word shines to deliver the naive:

Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Jesus’ disciples questioned about His coming and the world’s end .... and He responded for them to be careful and not listen to a deceptive man:

Matt 24:3, 4, 11 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?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them,
Take heed that no man deceive you.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

In the context of when the Lord will come (2 Thess 1:7-10), Paul gave the same warning .... against believing a man who would mislead them, just as Jesus had given His apostles about the very same issue:

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, (when He comes, we will be gathered to 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 - from verse 2) 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.

To build up a false hope by wrong doctrine is not security.
Putting the resurrection in the wrong place will overthrow a person’s faith (2 Tim 2:15-18).
I will not let a man deceive me with "good words" .... like (pre-tribulation) ‘rapture’.

Prov 14:15 The simple believeth every word:
but the prudent man looketh well to his going.

I know when I’m going up (1 Thess 4:16-17) ....
just when God (no man) says I am ....
at the last trump (1 Cor 15:51-52; Rev 10:7, 11:15,18).
Call me prudent.