Your website has a lot to take in and comprehend! I just need to ask a simple question… You refer to Genesis-to-Acts as past, Romans-through-Philemon as present and Hebrews-to-Revelation as future. Yet there are references to the past and future portions of the Bible in your website. What is the significance and importance of the non-Pauline portions?
Yes, we talk about the different portions of scripture (i.e., outside Paul's epistles, Romans through Philemon) because that is what God himself commands us to do! God, through our Apostle Paul tells us how to study his word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15-18
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred...
God says to "rightly divide" his word of truth.
What does it mean to rightly divide? Well, in the context, there were teachers in Ephesus who were biblical (meaning, they used the bible), but they were not dispensational. That is, they did not separate the different ages and programs of God, therefore mixing the issue of the resurrection of the church the Body of Christ with another resurrection. They did not faithfully preach the difference between God's prophetic plan and purpose for the nation of Israel in the earth, and rightly divide it from God's mystery plan and purpose for his people for today, the church, the body of Christ!
And while it is true that God has—and will again—use the people of Israel for his purposes in the earth, that is not what he is doing today! Today, God is using a one new man, the church, the body of Christ to fulfill his purpose of reconciling the heavenly places back to himself! Those teachers in Ephesus erred by saying that our resurrection had "past already" (v. 18) thereby confusing people and "overthrowing" the faith of some! They did not rightly divide truth from truth like God commanded!
And while it is true that God has—and will again—use the people of Israel for his purposes in the earth, that is not what he is doing today! Today, God is using a one new man, the church, the body of Christ to fulfill his purpose of reconciling the heavenly places back to himself! Those teachers in Ephesus erred by saying that our resurrection had "past already" (v. 18) thereby confusing people and "overthrowing" the faith of some! They did not rightly divide truth from truth like God commanded!
Romans 11:11, 25
I say then, Have they [Israel] stumbled that they should fall ? God forbid: but rather through their [Israel] fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
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.
He also calls it the dispensation of grace....
Ephesians 3:1-5
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;
Unlike Peter's preaching of Christ, Paul's preaching of Christ was kept secret until revealed to our apostle Paul!
Acts 3:19-21
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Paul defines this mystery later on in chapter 16....
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,
Now since it is Paul who tells us to divide truth from truth in order to make sense of the bible, then reason would dictate that Paul himself will tell us how; and, that he already did way back in the book of Ephesians. In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul tells us how God himself divides his word. God divides his word up based on whether or not he is dealing with Israel as a favoured people or not. Those books of the bible where God is dealing with Israel as a favoured people are all located outside of Paul's 13 epistles.
Ephesians 2:11-13
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; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Here we see that in time past or the past, we gentiles had no claim on God, Israel's covenants, nor even on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 15:22-24
And, behold, a [gentile] woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away ; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
During his earthly ministry, our Lord did NOT minister to gentiles (nor did his Jewish disciples), but to the Jews! And any blessing a gentile "dog" received, came only after Israel had first been blessed first (and, that 'blessing' had to be based on the Abrahamic covenant of Genesis 12)!
Today, under God's dispensation of grace, we gentiles are no longer dogs. Conversely, we have equal status before God as did the Jew! But in the past (the books of Genesis through Acts), God put the Jew on a pedestal and placed us gentiles beneath them and blessed them accordingly.
Deuteronomy 14:2
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee [Israel] to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
Deuteronomy 26:19
And to make thee [Israel] high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.
Deuteronomy 28:1
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee [Israel] on high above all nations of the earth:
Look at why he would not talk to that gentile woman at first...
Matthew 10:5-7
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Notice that the Lord did not send his disciples to the gentiles (and he won't until he comes back and sets up the kingdom.). The so-called "Great Commission" will not even get out of the cities of Israel before the Lord returns...
Matthew 10:23
But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come
Now, since in the books of Genesis through Acts God is making a distinction between Jew and gentile, then those books are about the past. And since the 13 letters of Paul speak to you and I today who live in the present dispensation of the grace of God, then the 13 letters of Paul are for now, this present age of God's grace. It is Paul who speaks with God’s word to us today! And, it was the Lord Jesus, himself, who chose him.
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 11:13
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
1 Corinthians 14:37
If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
The Lord and those Jews of time past during his earthly ministry were under the Law of Moses and spoke to Israel only! But Paul says that we living today are under grace and not law!
Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Romans 6:14; 15:8
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
John 4:22
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Lastly, in the books of the bible that God put after Paul's 13 books (Romans through Philemon), the Hebrew books of Hebrews (the race/language of the Jewish people) through Revelation, God again makes a distinction between mankind, between Jew and gentile. Therefore those books after the book of Philemon are written to and about the Jews again (future from us) and will apply in the future Tribulation period, the time of Jacob's Trouble. Being a Jew or not (after the church, the body of Christ is caught away), will once again be the issue with God, but praise the Lord, not today!
Then, in the future…
Revelation 2:9
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 3:9
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
But now, today…
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh [in His earthly ministry], yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Hopefully this
helps!
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