The biblical clock ticks…  As a continuation of my last post, let’s explore the many references to time found throughout the scriptures that I’ve been shown again and again are the key to understanding the bible. It’s pretty straight forward and makes perfect sense that time is a crucial factor when purposing to understand God as he explains the course of events culminating in the death, burial, and resurrection of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

The reason for doing this is twofold, 1) to illustrate how denominations like the Pentecostals, in my estimation, are stuck in time, and 2) to call attention to the timeline of events laid out by God leading to the dispensation of the Grace of God as preached by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. As I said in in my last post, the only way the various denominations are created and exist apart from the church, the body of Christ, is to ignore the biblical clock. Furthermore, the only way these denominations can thrive is because their congregants put their faith in the doctrine taught by the clergy and assume the role of a follower rather than being a student of the bible.

Allow me to demonstrate: let’s start again with the day of Pentecost.  Looking back in time, in Luke 3, John tells us Jesus is coming, and that he will baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire, future tense.  Fast forwarding to Acts 1, Jesus (now resurrected for forty days) reminds the apostles of what John said and that it was about to happen, not many days hence, again future tense.  Then, in Acts 2 we’re told of the very event of the apostles and disciples being filled with the holy Ghost and cloven tongues sitting on them. More importantly, Acts 2 tells us who was in the audience, which is to say, we’re told who witnessed the event and why; Jews, not gentiles. 

Now, let’s move forward in time, past the day of Pentecost, to understand what happens next.  And if this doesn’t convince you that these first several chapters in Acts are about the nation of Israel and fulfillment of prophecy foretold in the Old Testament, I don’t know what will. As I said, either you are ignorantly unaware or you willfully ignore the context of these passages and the passing of time described as you read them.

 

Acts 3:11-26

And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

And when Peter saw [it], he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let [him] go.

But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did [it], as [did] also your rulers.

But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

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.

For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

And it shall come to pass, [that] every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

 

I should have copied the whole chapter here.  This is the account of Peter and John accomplishing signs and wonders before the untoward generation of the Jews, again, as foretold. At this point in time, which was after the day of Pentecost, this was between the believing Jews (Peter, John and the rest of the Apostles and disciples) and the unbelieving Jews. You can’t miss it. I mean, I guess you can, but you would have to try really hard to “interpret” the chapter any other way than what it plainly states.  Notice the last passage in particular. Unto you first… You who?  …the children of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers…

Timewise, we are still at a point where the untoward generation of the nation of Israel is witnessing the prophetic fulfillment of the day of Pentecost. This is an offering from God to them in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. I’m trying to stress this point really hard hoping that you will realize that by looking so closely at the timeline, it will dawn on you that all other Gentile nations aren’t even in the picture yet.  More specifically, at this point in the biblical clock, the Gentiles were in the following state of being:

 

Ephesians 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;

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:

 

Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, which was our state of being as the events described through this period in Acts took place. Strong’s concordance offers the following definition for being aliens:

Strong’s G526 – apallotrioō: to be shut out from one’s fellowship and intimacy

Knowing this, how can anyone think that the day of Pentecost and all of the supernatural signs and wonders occurring in front of the untoward generation of unbelieving Jews had anything to do with the Gentiles and more specifically the dispensation of the Grace of God to all other nations?

Thus, we come to the point of this post and frankly, the overarching point of everything I purpose to write about. To be filled with faith i.e., to abound in faith is to believe in that part of the bible that can be found to apply to our genealogical identity. In other words, we must hear God when he is speaking to the Jews and not the Gentiles. Likewise, we must hear God when he is speaking to the Gentiles and not the Jews. It’s just that simple. And at the same time, we must hear God when he says things like “in time past”, “But now”, and “ages to come”; clear references to time and circumstances that help us and guide us to understanding and knowledge.

To do anything less is to mishandle the word of God, leading us to destruction, and pain and suffering, simply because, again, we try to appropriate something said by God in his bible that is not intended for us.  It’s so easy to get it wrong.  It’s so easy to miss the mark. It’s so easy to abound in faith in something that does not belong to us, is not intended for us to live by.  It is so easy to be built up and convicted by something that drives us to want to draw others in, in the name of doing something for God almighty, yet be so totally filled with the wrong thing. And if you’re passionate enough, if you’re convicted enough, if you’re driven enough, and abound in faith in the wrong thing, you can start what appears to be a “good” work and find people who will follow…  What a slippery slope…

 

II Peter 2:1-3

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

 

II Peter 3:16-18

As also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as [they do] also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know [these things] before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 

Matthew 7:13-14

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.