Could you help me? I have several questions, regarding…
Is Hebrews thru Revelation for us?
Are we born again?
Why do gentile believers have a different set of instructions from the Jews?
Gentile believers who get saved in the end time?
Is there any "secondary" application in those books?
Was the Kingdom of Heaven offered in early Acts?
Is Hebrews thru Revelation for us?
I believe that ALL the epistles from Hebrews thru Revelation are written to Jewish people and not the Church, the Body of Christ. It is evident, that while all the bible is for us, not all of it was written directly to us, or about us today!
The books of God's Word that pertain and speak directly to us, and about us today as gentiles are Paul's 13 epistles, Romans thru Philemon.
Romans 11:13
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
All the other 53 books of the bible pertain to Israel—the Law and God's prophetic program to them. Paul's 13 letters teach us about the Grace message—the Mystery of Christ, which was kept secret until revealed to Paul.
Acts 9:15
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Romans 11:25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 16:25
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
1 Corinthians 2:6-8
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Ephesians 3:1-10
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 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; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 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. 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; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Colossians 1:25
Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
So yes, the Jews addressed in Hebrews thru Revelation are believers—although an unbelieving Jew could read them in that day and be saved, the same as an unbelieving Jew or gentile today can read Paul can be saved. But those Jews who had and will, in the future, read Hebrews-Revelation are believing members of the Jewish/Messianic/Earthly Kingdom/Pentecostal/Water Baptist church, and not the current Church, the Body of Christ!
The dispensation of the Grace of God, the dispensation that started with the salvation of Saul of Tarsus/our Apostle Paul [Acts 9; 1 Tim 1:15-16], every individual, lost Jew and Gentile who trust Christ's shed blood for their sins and that alone gets saved and becomes a member of His Body.
Therefore those Jews that Peter/James/John/Jude address in Hebrews thru Revelation are not part of the current body of Christ—which is made up of both Jew and gentile since Paul. That is why those books fit the future time period, after the rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ. After we are gone, God will commend those books (thru His two Tribulation Witnesses) to the Jewish world in order that they might trust Christ as Messiah to keep them strong thru the tribulation period and the opposition of the Anti-Christ.
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Are we born again?
In my study of the scriptures our Apostle Paul never used that term. In fact, that is a distinctly Jewish term in the bible. In John 3, the Lord tells Nicodemus that "ye [plural, referring to his Nation, Israel] must be born again." The Nation of Israel was God's firstborn [Exodus 4], and will be a Nation born in a day [Isaiah 66], when the Lord returns to them. So when Peter tells them that they are born again, it refers only to Israel. Gentiles where never born of God like Israel, so we were just lost, cast off sinners in need of salvation [Romans 1].
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Why do gentile believers have a different set of instructions from the Jews?
Because God is dealing with the gentiles today (even lost Jews today are considered gentiles in the eyes of God...Romans 11:31-32).
Romans 11:31-32
Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
But after God is finished with us today at the rapture, He will again start dealing with Israel as a nation, making a distinction between mankind based on whether they are Jews or not.
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Gentile believers who get saved in the end time?
Again, just like time past, when God wanted to deal with the gentiles, He did it thru the Nation of Israel. He spoke His Word to Israel, and then they took it out to the gentiles. Like Moses with Pharaoh. God spoke to Moses and Moses spoke to Pharaoh.
Psalm 147:19-20
He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.
Isaiah 2:3
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
So too will be the future. God wrote those books to the Jews, and they will then teach the gentiles who are saved into the kingdom the Word of God.
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
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Is there any "secondary" application in those books?
Yes, like all of God's Word, there are spiritual applications/inter-dispensational principles such as faith in God thru Christ, etc. [See Interpret or apply…] But we must be very careful to always rightly divide the Word of Truth, because there is much that does not translate from one dispensation to another (i.e., water baptism, sabbath observance, keeping the law, etc). So yes, in some things, spiritual application can be made, even from books not addressed to us directly, but never interpret the passage to be to you or about you unless it is from Paul's 13 epistles (Romans thru Philemon) rightly divided!
And yes, the circumstances that those Jews will be living under will be very different. Supernatural manifestations--even Satanic ones—will be prominent again.
2 Thessalonians 2
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
Destruction/persecution/tribulation will be upon the earth like we have never seen in our lifetimes.
Matthew 24:21
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
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Was the Kingdom of Heaven offered in early Acts?
Yes, the kingdom of heaven on earth was still being offered to Israel during early Acts, up until Stephen's stoning in Acts 7.
Hopefully this helps...Maranatha!
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