OutOfCommission

Out Of Commission!

As a result of misunderstanding and failing to see the distinction between God's prophetic program with the nation Israel and the mystery concerning the church, dedicated people around the world today are going forth to fulfill the so-called "Great Commission." Religious groups and organizations spend and collect millions of dollars on a daily basis to promote what they call "the great commission."

It will probably come as a great surprise to many in the religious system to discover that the "commission" they have been promoting and collecting funds and people to support went "out of commission" even before Titus and the Romans came to Jerusalem in AD 70 and destroyed the Jewish temple and burned the city, plowing up the ruins.

In connection with this commission, preachers and teachers are supposedly proclaiming the "gospel of the kingdom." In other words, it is sad but true, that many, many people in religion today are supporting and claiming to promote a gospel that was never given to them and attempting to fulfill a commission that was never theirs in the first place.

The Gospel (of the kingdom) at first began to be proclaimed by John the Baptist, then the Lord Jesus Christ, and the apostles. This was the message proclaimed in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and on into the early part of the book of Acts.

God has a two-fold purpose in creation. Genesis 1:1 says that in the beginning God created two places, heaven and earth. All of the Old Testament and also all of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ were concerned with God"s earthly purpose and his earthly people in an earthly setting.

The earthly purpose of God is called PROPHECY. God revealed, through his servants, the prophets, the details of his plans to set up a visible, literal Kingdom of Heaven on the earth. Many times, in connection with prophecy, you see the phrase, "the mouth of all his holy prophets." For instance, Peter, preaching to the men of Israel, over and over referred to the prophets:

Acts 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

Acts 3:25 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.

Now I don"t know about you, but I know that none of my family could be called "children of the prophets." It would seem that what is said here should be obvious. Peter is referring to what God had said to Abraham back in the book of Genesis:

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

In the book of Genesis we learned that God chose one man, Abraham, and made certain promises to him. God then confirmed those promises to Isaac, his son, and to Jacob, his grandson. Jacob had twelve sons, his name was changed to Israel, and his descendents became "the children of Israel."

Through Abraham, and later through Moses, and then David, God made promises to the children of Israel. These are referred to in the bible as "the covenants of promise." In other words, the promises made by God to the patriarchs of the nation of Israel. They are called, "the fathers."

Suppose we just take the time to look at a few verses which show these covenants and these promises. They were all very specific and unconditional:

The Promise of the Land

The very first promise God made to Abraham is in Genesis, chapter 12:

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

These promises sound pretty general, but they get more specific:

Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Genesis 15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:.

In Genesis 17, God changes Abrams name to Abraham, saying that he was a "father of many nations." It was also here that God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision:

Genesis 17:11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Abraham was circumcised, Isaac his son was circumcised and Jacob, his grandson was circumcised and the covenants, made with Abraham were confirmed again to Isaac:

Genesis 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

Genesis 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

Later, the Lord confirmed again His covenant with Jacob:

Genesis 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Genesis 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

This is about as plain as it gets. All of these promises from God is about real estate. Many in religion today attempt to "spiritualize" this, but there is no getting around it. We are talking real estate here, land! If you would like to read the real estate description and locate the very survey markers of the land Israel will one day possess, take the time to read Ezekiel 47:13 through Ezekiel 48:29. It's unmistakable!

The promises made unto the fathers, which the Lord Jesus Christ came to planet Earth to confirm, were about the land, about the Kingdom and about the King. There are hundreds of verses throughout the "old testament" concerning both the Kingdom and the King. We will touch on just a few here:

Deuteronomy 11:21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
   There were numerous prophecies LITERALLY FULFILLED at the first coming of Jesus Christ. Apply the "law of compound probabilities" to the number and the chance becomes ONE IN BILLIONS that they would be fulfilled in one person. But they were!

Please note as you read through all the prophecies in scripture that there is NOT ONE SINGLE MENTION of the age in which we now live nor of the church, which is the Body of Christ. Why? It was a mystery which was kept secret since the foundation of the world. It was only revealed to Paul. (Romans 16:25)

There was a mystery!

Now, before we go on let me say that there is a mystery involved concerning Abraham. In the book of Romans we find out that Abraham was justified BY FAITH and that BEFORE he was circumcised. There is something very special about the JUSTIFICATION of Abraham.

We find out, through Paul, that Abraham is seen as righteous before God in a way that has nothing at all to do with the fact that he was circumcised, that he kept any kind of commandments, that he performed any religious duties of any kind. We find out that HIS FAITH was imputed to him for righteousness.

Several times, Paul refers to the justification of Abraham BEFORE he was circumcised, showing that salvation has always been by faith. For instance in Romans Paul says:

Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

Romans 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

In the book of Galatians, Paul says that the gospel of the UNCIRCUMCISION was committed to him:

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

This verse is making reference to the justification of Abraham BEFORE he was circumcised, as in Romans, where Paul poses the question as to WHEN Abraham was justified:

Romans 4:9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

Romans 4:10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

So Paul points out that Abraham was justified by FAITH ALONE, before he had performed any works or any religious activities of any kind. His FAITH was counted for righteousness. This, by the way, is the very first time that this fact has ever been brought out. It was a part of the mystery which the Lord revealed to Paul.

Paul was having trouble with "legalists" from the Jerusalem church, who were attempting to subvert the Galatians to put themselves back under the Law of Moses, telling them that unless they were circumcised and kept the law of Moses, that they could not be saved.

Paul, knowing that his gospel was by direct revelation from the Lord, went to Jerusalem at the time of Acts Chapter 15 and met with James, Cephas and John to put a stop to it, and to REVEAL TO THEM his grace message.

Now it turns out that the end result of this meeting, the meeting that Paul iwrites about in Galatians chapter two, between Peter and the other "great commission" Apostles, and Paul, is that the so-called "great commission" of Matthew 28, Mark 16 and Luke 24 is put "out of commission,"

Why did Paul go to Jerusalem at the time of Acts Chapter 15 anyway? It was because men had come down from Judea and demanded that the believers in Paul"s church at Antioch be circumcised. They were told that unless they were circumcised and kept the Law of Moses they could not be saved. Paul was irate. Let"s let Paul tell about it:

Galatians 2:1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.

Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

Two important points here; First of all, Paul went to Jerusalem because the Lord REVEALED to him that he should and when he arrived, he took James (the Lord"s brother), Cephas (Peter) and John aside PRIVATELY and shared, delivered, expounded...he PREACHED to them "that gospel which I preach." It was the gospel which Paul consistently refers to as "my gospel." Peter and the others had never heard it. If they had, and they had been preaching it, then this account is ridiculous. It makes no sense at all.

Peter learns why:

The fact is, it was ONLY at the time of Acts Chapter 15 that Peter learned that Christ had died for his sins. Not before. It is also significant that he learned this from Paul because Paul is the one to whom it was revealed. Anyone who has ever heard the message that Christ died for our sins, and anyone who has ever preached that message got it from Paul.
You will find that they "perceived the grace" that was given to Paul and that when they did, they did some "binding and loosing," as in:

Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

These were words spoken by the Lord to Peter and we can clearly see that Peter and the others "loose" themselves from the so-called great commission. Instead of "going into all the world" they agree NOT to go into all the world but to go only to the circumcision with the gospel of the circumcision.

Galatians 2:9 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 the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

Peter disappears from the pages of the book after the time of Acts Chapter Fifteen, and the only thing we know about Peter from that time forward is myth, religious tradition, and the two books in the bible called First and Second Peter.

Now, let"s find out how Paul preaches. Here is Paul, preaching in the synagogue of the Jews in Antioch, in Pisidia:

Acts 13:17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.

Acts 13:18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

Acts 13:19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.

And then Paul reminds them of the PROMISE made to David, King of Israel:

Acts 13:23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

In Paul"s preaching, he just totally leaves out the events surrounding the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. and did you notice that he also leaves out any reference to the CIRCUMCISION of Abraham? Instead look at what he says:

Acts 13:26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

Like I said before, we are on MYSTERY GROUND here! Paul is preaching a message that was never before known. It was never spoken by the mouth of ANY prophet to Israel:

Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

You can never find Peter saying any such thing! In the book of Acts you find Peter speaking of a future "day of atonement" for the nation of Israel. A day in which their sins, Israel"s sins, will be blotted out. In Acts chapter three, verses 19-21 Peter clearly says it"s the second coming of Christ.

The mystery revealed:

Paul is preaching a totally different message here than Peter had preached in Acts two, three four, five and so on. Where did Paul get his gospel? Well, let"s see:

Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Question: Do you believe your bible? Or, are you willing to just be led along by a blinded denominational religious system which is much more concerned with money and merchandise and buildings and programs and rituals and tradition than they are with the truth?

So here is Paul, in Acts 13, in Antioch in Pisidia and he DOESN"T EVEN MENTION the circumcision. Not of Abraham or anybody else.

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

Now if you don"t get anything else from this study I want you to see this and to understand this and I want to show this to you so that it is unmistakable. Please look at this:

Romans 15:8 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:

Remember the covenant God made with Abraham:

Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Genesis 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

Christ"s earthly ministry:

Did Jesus Christ have a ministry? Yes he did. Who was it to? It was to the circumcision. What was it about? It was confirming the promises made to the fathers. Where do you and I fit in? We don"t! The gospel of the Kingdom preached in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John was to those to whom the Kingdom pertains. It was to Israel and to those who had blessed Israel.

Can you bless Israel today? No! Why? Because Israel is loammi (as in Hosea 1:9). They are not God"s people, nationally speaking. Today there is no particular advantage of being an Israelite or NOT being an Israelite. Today it makes no difference who you are.

God does not recognize national Israel today. The nation of Israel has been set aside as a favored nation. The preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom was to Israel. It was about Israel. It was for Israel. But Israel rejected their King and their Kingdom and the covenants of promise have been put on hold for a future date.

There is yet a FUTURE covenant to be made with the house of Judah and the house of Israel, the same people the old covenant (the Law of Moses) was made with. (As in Jeremiah 31:31 and Hebrews 8:8.) Please notice that the covenant referred to is YET FUTURE at the time the book of Hebrews was written, which OBVIOUSLY is well after the Day of Pentecost in Acts Chapter Two:

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

The Apostle Paul makes this plain in Romans:

Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Romans 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Paul is confirming the same message that Peter had preached to the men of Israel on the Day of Pentecost when he told them to repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out:

Acts 3:19 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.

Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Peter had told the men of Israel, "repent and be baptized every one of you"" but, unfortunately for them, every one of them did not. Instead they rejected their Messiah. They said, away with this man, we will not have him to rule over us. They said, we have no king but Caesar. Let his blood be upon us and on our children. And so it was.

Within a generation, Israel had stumbled, had fallen, and had been cast away. The last straw for Israel was the stoning of Stephen in Acts Chapter Seven. Never again, not yet, has national repentance been offered to the nation of Israel.
If an Israelite is to be saved today it is not through ANY KIND of Messianic message. It is through the preaching committed to the church through the Apostle Paul and it"s called the gospel of the grace of God and has nothing at all to do with the covenants of promise made to Israel.

Seeking the kingdom:

There are people by the thousands, and even millions, around the world today, who have been blinded by a religious system which has taught them to seek a kingdom, further a kingdom, or pray for one to come, which has absolutely NOTHING to do with what God is doing today.

We need to understand that Israel fell, and they were cast away, and with them went the Gospel of the Kingdom and with that went also the so-called "Great Commission," and for that matter, the "signs and wonders, " the speaking in tongues, and the Jewish rite of water baptism.

In order to show you the truth of this statement, let"s just examine what is commonly known in the churches today as the "Great Commission." Generally, when people talk about the great commission, they are referring to the last verses of Matthew 28, Mark 16 and Luke 24. The ones in the gospel of John are generally ignored due to the fact that not many in the religious system want to claim the power to remit and retain sins. (Although there are some who do)

Let"s just take for an example, the ending of the book of Matthew:

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

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:

Matthew 28:20 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.

I think that you will agree that this passage, and the other ones like it in Mark 16 and Luke 24 are generally known in the churches today as the so-called great commission, and people, in one way or another, presume themselves to be fulfilling it or involved in it. But let"s just look at the facts.

Number one, did you notice that in verse 18, that the Lord says "all power if given unto me in heaven and in earth," and then he says, "go ye therefore." What for? Any time you see the word therefore in scripture, you should try to understand what the "therefore" is THERE FOR!

Think about it. Is Jesus Christ NOW exercising all power? Of course he is not! There is a very powerful individual in this world today who is operating at FULL POWER! He is called "the god of this world" and his express purpose today is to blind the minds of people. Look at this:

2 Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Please observe here that Paul has referred to the "gospel of Christ." We will soon see that this is not the same message as the "gospel of the kingdom." But our point here is that Satan, the devil, is called the "god of this world" and he is in full power today.

Jesus Christ is not exercising the ALL POWER he spoke of in Matthew 28:18. Instead, rather than pour out God"s wrath upon an unbelieving world, the throne of God in Heaven has been turned into a throne of mercy and of grace and today "God would have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4)

Heavy on the "lo" and "go"

Men today who claim to be fulfilling the great commission are careful to "teach all nations" and most of them are very careful to "baptize them," (in as many as 20-odd different ways) but what about the rest of the commission? Men love the "Lo" and "Go" and "with you alway" but WHAT ABOUT THE INSTRUCTIONS The Lord gave them? Specific instructions to be followed, and the religious system today just totally ignores that part of the commission:

Matthew 28:20 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.

Are bible teachers and preachers today teaching people to observe all things the Lord had commanded THESE JEWISH MEN who stood on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem on the day the Lord ascended into Heaven and heard him say these words? NO! They are not. Check this:

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Now if you put money in the bank and have savings accounts or retirement funds and so on, then that's LAYING UP.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment"

Let"s do a reality check. Do you TAKE THOUGHT for what you will eat, what you will drink, what you will wear? Do you take thought for how you will pay your bills and make provision for your needs and the needs of your family?

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Taking some thought:

The gospel of the kingdom was given to Israel in a tribulation context. The Lord prepared them for the coming tribulation, the coming of the antichrist, because that was the very next event on Israel"s timetable The "Kingdom" was offered, the kingdom was "at hand" and the "time of Jacob"s trouble" was the next event to come:

Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.

The message, the preaching of the "gospel of the kingdom" was that Israel needed to repent, receive their Messiah, and take their position as a "kingdom of priests and an holy nation" Peter says as much in First Peter:

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

So Jesus Christ, in his earthly ministry, taught the disciples about the coming tribulation. He referred to the great tribulation and even referred to the prophecy by Daniel of the "abomination of desolation."

When the antichrist takes power, nobody will be able to by or sell without the mark of the beast. So the Lord told the disciples to sell out everything, and to trust the Lord for their provision. He even taught them to pray for their daily bread and to be delivered from evil and to pray for the KINGDOM TO COME, as in the so-called "Lord"s prayer." Instead of the "Lord"s prayer" being a "model prayer," in reality it"s a tribulation prayer for the people of Israel. The Lord told those people:

Luke 12:29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

Luke 12:33 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.

Some people try to claim that the Lord meant this in a figurative way, and they "spiritualize" it, but how did these people understand it?

Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

Acts 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

The very reason for them selling all their possessions and goods was in order that they not be tempted by greed and so could resist the mark of the beast. Look at the case of a man who evidently just couldn't let go:

Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

Acts 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

The Lord had told them to sell out, sell all that they owned. This man disobeyed. Look what happened:

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

Acts 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Acts 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

Annanias had a choice. He could have kept the land or kept the money. Either way, he would have taken his chances with the antichrist. But he didn"t. He lied about it. Do you think that would work in your church today?
Has your preacher taught you to sell all that you own. Did he do it? Why not? People who claim to be following the great commission are NOT following the Lord"s instructions. Why do they pretend that they are? It"s called the numbers game. The more heads to count, the bigger the religious denomination.

Instead of obeying the commandments of the Lord today, men are preaching a health, wealth, kingdom now, prosperity gospel which was NEVER a part of the great commission. The Lord also had some words about that:

Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Instead of selling all that you own and laying it at somebody's feet and taking no thought for what you will eat, drink or wear, these are your instructions for today: Look at what Paul wrote:

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat

The Kingdom didn"t come.

Well, you ask, what happened to all those people, and why didn"t the tribulation come at that time? The answer is that although the kingdom had been prepared "from the foundation of the world," and that the great tribulation was the next event on the prophetic timetable, Israel did not repent. Peter had said "repent and be baptized EVERY ONE of you. Peter"s message was for ISRAEL to repent. But they did not, and Israel FELL, and salvation came to the likes of you and me.

God had a secret:

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,

According to the prophetic timetable, what should have happened, and evidently what Peter fully expected to happen was the great tribulation, the time of Jacob"s trouble. After all, Peter quotes from the prophecy of Joel and preaches about signs and wonders and blood, fire and vapors of smoke before the great and notable day of the Lord.

Acts 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

But, God interrupted all of that! It was postponed. God had decided, BEFORE the foundation of the world, to do a work in which HE and HE ALONE would get the glory for it. When the people who heard Peter"s message did not repent, but instead stoned the messenger, as in the stoning of Stephen in Acts Chapter Seven, the KINGDOM timetable was interrupted and the Lord"s worst enemy, Saul of Tarsus was saved, and THE MYSTERY began to be revealed.
God worked a work through Christ on the cross that was revealed to Paul. The work that he did is the FINISHED work of the Lord Jesus Christ. God"s plan, which he decided on BEFORE the world began, but KEPT SECRET since the world began, has to do with you and I today.

The Revelation of the Mystery

The three most important truths about the "revelation of the mystery" committed to the Apostle Paul are these:

1. CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS (all of them, past present and future)

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The fact that Christ was even going to die, let alone die for ANYONE"S sins, was totally unknown during his earthly ministry. This can easily be verified from such passages as Matthew 16:21-22, Luke 18:31-34 and John 20:1-9.

2. SALVATION APART FROM ISRAEL (not through their rise but through their fall)

Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

By the way, it"s in the book of Romans that Paul makes it plain WHO IS the Apostle of the Gentiles:

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

3. THE BODY OF CHRIST (a joint body of believers, all equal and all partakers of eternal life in Christ by the gospel)

1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

1 Corinthians 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.

Search as you will, and you will not find ONE SINGLE reference to the BODY OF CHRIST anywhere in Peter"s preaching, not in the book of Acts, not in First or Second Peter, nor anywhere, for that matter, in the other HEBREW scriptures, Hebrews through Revelation. All of those scriptures are obviously in a tribulation context. They teach a future salvation, and enduring to the end in order to be saved. The message of Hebrews through Revelation is to Israel. It"s about salvation at the END, just as the Lord said:

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Compare the Lord"s instructions with what Peter, the man to whom the Lord had said, "feed my sheep," wrote:

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Israel"s 12 thrones OR The One New Man?

Israel has twelve tribes. It had twelve Apostles. There are 12 thrones in the Kingdom that those 12 Apostles will sit on judging the twelve tribes of Israel, just as Jesus Christ promised them:

Matthew 19:28 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.

The twelve were called by Christ on earth and only knew the Lord on the earth. Their ministry was about the Lord"s earthly purpose and Kingdom. They were sent to proclaim God"s prophesied program which goes back into effect at the rapture of the church. Repentance to Israel and the restoring of the Kingdom is exactly what Peter preached in the book of Acts. He refers to Jesus Christ, and says:

Acts 3:21 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.

The Body of Christ has one Apostle. He was both a Hebrew and Roman. He was called by Christ from Heaven and only knew the Lord from Heaven. His ministry is about the reconciliation of ALL and was sent to all men everywhere. Paul superseded the 12 when Israel rejected their Kingdom and was sent to proclaim God"s secret purpose:

1 Timothy 2:7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

Ephesians 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Only two men in your bible refer to themselves as Apostles. One is Peter, the other is Paul. Which one is your apostle?

Facts to Consider

Peter in the book of Acts does not say that Christ died for our sins. Instead he preaches a murder indictment against Israel and a future day of Atonement when Israel"s sins will be blotted out. (Acts 3:19-21)

Paul says that he delivered what he received, the fact that Christ died for our sins. Paul communicated this fact to Peter at the time of Acts 15. (Galations 2:2)

Peter never once mentions the Body of Christ. Instead he addresses a royal priesthood, a holy nation. (Compare Exodus 19:5-6 and 1 Peter 2:9)

Paul refers to a joint body of believers made up of both Jews and Gentiles, the Body of Christ, numerous times in his 13 epistles, Romans thru Philemon.

Peter never uses the term "justification" in his Acts preaching or in 1 or 2 Peter. Instead Peter refers to the end of their faith being salvation. (1 Peter 1:9)

Paul"s very first recorded sermon (Acts 13:39) teaches justification apart from the Law of Moses. Total justification by grace through faith is Paul"s constant theme.

The terms Gospel of Christ and The Body of Christ are foreign to all of the Hebrew epistles, Hebrews through Revelation.

Paul constantly refers to the Gospel of Christ, and to the Church, the Body of Christ throughout his epistles, Romans through Philemon.

1 Timothy 1:16 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.

The conclusion of all this is that a special ministry and a special message was committed to the apostle Paul that was totally different than the message and ministry committed to Peter and the others of the Twelve.

The good news committed to Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, is that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. Instead God imputed out trespasses to Christ on the cross at Calvary and made "him to be sin for us." (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

The only thing required for salvation today is faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. God would have all men to be saved. That includes you and I. It is not necessary to go anywhere, do anything or even say anything, but you must believe. Simply trust the Lord. Trust the Lord and rest in the finished work of Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

(During the time period of the book of Acts, Paul had a provoking ministry amongst the commonwealth of Israel. It was a systematic setting aside and casting away of the nation of Israel. Paul, during this period, preached the Gospel of Christ, TO THE JEW FIRST, and also to the Greek. During this time water baptism can still be seen, along with speaking in tongues, and other signs. The Jews were a sign people. Their legacy was signs. No Israel, no signs. In AD 70 Titus and the Roman Legions destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and Israel was scattered abroad. The present day State of Israel which we see today in the middle east was created by a political action of the United Nations in 1948. Israel will not be recognized as the Israel of God by Almighty God until Israel recognizes their Messiah. Hosea the prophet said that "in their affliction (the tribulation) they will seek me early.")

God"s plan for the ages obviously includes all of creation. Genesis 1:1 refers to both Heaven and Earth. All of God"s prophetic program, from the time of Abraham onward, is about planet Earth, and how God plans for all the people of the earth to be blessed through His chosen nation, the nation of Israel.

Everything in your bible from Genesis to the book of Malachi, the last book in the "old testament" concerns prophecies made to, and through, the nation of Israel. The so-called "new testament" opens with what would have been the fulfillment of Malachi"s prophecy:

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Malachi 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

When John the Baptist came on the scene, preaching "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," the Lord said of John:

Matthew 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

In other words, if the people of Israel WOULD HAVE received their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Kingdom WOULD HAVE COME at that time. But God, in his foreknowledge, knew that Israel would not repent, so instead of Elijah, he sent John in the SPIRIT AND POWER of Elijah.

However, prior to the SECOND COMING, the Lord said:

Matthew 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

The words, "restore all things" should remind you of Peter"s preaching to Israel when he preached the second coming of Christ:

Acts 3:21 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.

Peter was referring to EVRYTHING that all of God"s prophets had prophesied, kingdom promises. Promises about the land, the King, and the Kingdom. Peter"s Commission was to convert ISRAEL FIRST. The reason is, so that Israel can assume their prophesied role as a KINGDOM OF PRIESTS, a holy nation, so that they can TEACH ALL NATIONS WHATSOEVER THINGS THE LORD HAD COMMANDED THEM. That will fulfill the "great commission."

But please remember that THAT GOOD NEWS was NEVER a part of Paul"s message, except by way of confirming it, as he did in Romans:

Romans 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

In Romans chapter 11, Paul points out that Israel has fallen, that God has concluded them all in unbelief, and that through their fall, salvation is come to the Gentiles. But he also points out that the "blindness" of Israel will only last until the "fullness of the Gentiles be come in," as in Romans 11:25. It is sad but significant that Paul wrote this very verse to inform some "ignorant brethren." Many, too many, in the religious system today, insist on remaining ignorant.

The whole HISTORY and FUTURE of the human race is spelled out in three simple verses in the book of Ephesians and can be understood pertaining to God"s purposes like this:

Time Past

Ephesians 2:11 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;

Ephesians 2:12 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
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Ages To Come

Ephesians 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.

We would certainly have to know that the "time past" which Paul refers to in Ephesians 2:11-12 would include the time of the Lord"s earthly ministry, the time of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. (As to the Ephesians, and people like you and I, it would also include the time period of the book of Acts. The Ephesians to whom Paul wrote the Ephesian letter were not there, they did not get the message, during that period. Paul's ministry during the book of Acts was focused on people who were IN the promises rather than strangers from them.)

We would know this for a number of reasons, but especially in view of what the Lord said at that time. In Matthew, notice the instructions he gives to the 12 when he sends them out to preach the "gospel of the kingdom:"

Matthew 10:5 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:

When the Lord tells them to GO NOT to the Gentiles, would you get a little uneasy if some preacher tries to teach you the doctrine of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as a pattern for you to live by? Why is it that a religious leader would teach such a thing, especially in view of this verse:

Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

For a preacher or bible teacher to claim that the Lord was sent to Gentiles during that time is to make the Lord a liar. So, "time past" MUST include the Lord's earthly ministry, and Peter"s ministry in the book of Acts, since Peter is preaching exactly the same thing to the same people.

We also know, from scripture, that in the future, "all Israel shall be saved, as it is written." Paul said so here:

Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Romans 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

The message Peter preached in the book of Acts, then, carries right over to the Hebrew scriptures, the books of Hebrews through Revelation. We know that God has a covenant with Israel IN THE FUTURE when he will take away their sins. Hebrews says the same thing:

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

Since that covenant was NEVER in effect during the time of the book of Acts, it must be at some future date, as in the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. That would agree fully with the mouth of the holy prophets:

Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

So we have identified TIME PAST in which people such as you and I had no hope and were without God in the world, and we have seen that the EARTHLY future to come is about God"s NEW COVENANT with the nation of Israel, what remains on the line of time is:

BUT NOW!

Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

Ephesians 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

Ephesians 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Ephesians 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

Ephesians 3:5 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;

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

Ephesians 3:8 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;

Notice that Paul says that he is the "prisoner" of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. He means that literally. There was such hostility to the message of grace which the Lord revealed to the Apostle Paul that even believers in the Jerusalem church wanted to kill Paul when he told them that the Lord had sent him "far hence" to the Gentiles.

Paul was a literal prisoner, in prison in Rome, when he wrote the seven books of the bible we refer to as the "prison epistles." But it is in those very books, the books of 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, along with Ephesians, Phillipians and Collosians that Paul writes and records the full revelation of the mystery. The mystery of Christ AND OF THE GOSPEL, which now includes ALIENS such as you and I.

The grace of God which bringeth salvation has appeared to all men. That"s all without distinction. God would have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. Christ died for our sins and he was raised for our justification. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.