Dividing the Word
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2nd Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
The “word of truth” is Scripture, or the Bible. The word has always been in existence, because it is a part of God.
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The word was also part of Jesus Christ.
John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Jesus Christ was the word made into the form of a man, and He was also the truth.
John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Jesus was the word, and Jesus was the truth. It could be said that the “word of truth” is the story of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament points to the arrival of Jesus Christ. The New Testament begins with Jesus Christ and takes us through His death, burial, and resurrection. It then goes on to detail the purpose of what Jesus had done (He had created a means of eternal salvation), and finally in Revelation, we are shown the future return of Jesus Christ to the earth. From the first promise of His coming, to a glimpse of His powerful return, the Bible is the story of Jesus Christ.
Now, getting back to the verse at the top of this page: What does “rightly dividing the word of truth” mean? Let’s say that you want to learn how to bake a chocolate cake. You own a cookbook that contains recipes for many dishes and desserts. There is enough material contained in your cookbook, that in the right hands, a person could prepare a meal full of variety. You are not ready for that yet, but you are interested in baking a chocolate cake. You take your cookbook, and you open to the chapter which focuses on pastas. You select one recipe, you collect the ingredients needed, and you go about trying to make a chocolate cake based off of a recipe for a pasta dish.
What is wrong with the preceding illustration? I bet you already know. The recipe book can be viewed as a whole. Using it all together, you could create a well-rounded meal. However, if there is one item in specific that you are looking for instructions on, you need to look to the part of the book where that subject is being taught. Otherwise, you will end up using instructions for chicken teriyaki as a reference for making lemon bars.
Did you know that the Bible is a lot like a recipe book? The format is not nearly as simple, but the idea is there. The Bible contains many doctrines, and they are spread out through the books of the Bible. Now here is where many people go wrong: They don’t rightly divide the Bible. Many people do not pay attention to context when looking at the Bible, meaning they don’t notice who is being spoken to or what the circumstances were. Folks, this is why people cannot agree on how simple eternal salvation is to receive. Some people go to the places in the Bible dealing with salvation, and they find what God wants them to know about salvation. Others make the same mistake as the confused cook: They go looking for a tasty dessert recipe in the chapter dedicated to pasta.
Let’s take a look at two verses of Scripture.
Matthew 24:13: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Romans 10:9: “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.”
One verse says that enduring to the end is necessary. The other verse says that simple faith in Jesus Christ is all that is necessary. Is this a contradiction? Is this a joke played by God to make salvation confusing? No, let me tell you what this is. It’s a case of where rightly dividing the word of truth is needed. That first verse quoted above was spoken by Jesus Christ. Many people look to His teachings for doctrines on salvation. That can be a very dangerous thing to do. Don’t go running away and calling me a heretic just yet. There are some things to consider here.
Did you know that when Jesus Christ came to the earth, He directed his ministry exclusively at the Jews? The Jews were God’s chosen people, and so it was necessary for Jesus to present Himself to the Jewish nations first. The book of Matthew is going to be our main point of focus, because Matthew makes this connection between the earthly ministry of Jesus and the Jewish nations very clear. It begins in the very first verse of Matthew.
Matthew 1:1: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
The fact that Jesus Christ was of Jewish descent is stated here. This was placed front and center to connect Jesus to the people He would be dealing with, the Jews. We are going to be making a distinction between Jews and Gentiles (non Jews). Take a look at what Jesus said to His disciples.
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.”
Jesus told His disciples specifically not to go to the Gentiles. They were only to go to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”, which was referring to the Jews. The picture of Jesus as a shepherd was made numerous times in Scripture. Here are two:
Mark 6:34: “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”
Matthew 12:11-12: “And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”
The lost sheep that Jesus wanted His disciples to go to were His people, the Jews, who were in need of a shepherd. The disciples were to preach to the Jews that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This was what Jesus Himself had been teaching.
Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 9:35: “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”
Before we go any further, we have to get some foundational stuff out of the way. So sit back and get comfortable, because we have a lot of ground to cover. Don’t worry. At some point, it will all make sense, and we will return to the main point of this article.
The Two Kingdoms and the Two Gospels
There were two kingdoms at play in the ministry of Jesus. The “kingdom of heaven” and the “kingdom of God”. The kingdom of heaven is a literal kingdom that will one day be set up on earth.
Ezekiel 20:39-41: “As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.”
Micah 4:6-7: “In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.”
Daniel 7:27: “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
Jesus Christ will have a kingdom on earth after the Tribulation, and He will reign for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6). Jesus travelled the Jewish nations to tell His people that the kingdom was “at hand”. If the Jews had believed on Jesus and accepted Him as their king, Jesus could have set up the kingdom right then and there. However, God had other plans, and these plans were top secret. Jesus set Himself up for a fall by choosing Judas Iscariot as one of His disciples.
John 6:70: “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
Matthew 26:21-25: “And as they did eat, he (Jesus) said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.”
Jesus chose Judas from the very beginning knowing full well that Judas would later betray Him. There were religious priests, scribes, and elders who did not like Jesus. They thought Him to be a blasphemer, and they did not like the things that Jesus had to say about their outward religion and inner evil. They wanted to get a hold of Jesus, but they could not do so in public, because Jesus was constantly surrounded by His followers. The enemies of Jesus needed an insider who could tell them when Jesus was alone, and where He could be found. Judas sold this information for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus was then taken away and crucified.
Luke 22:2-6: “And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.”
Satan entered into Judas and gave him the idea to betray Jesus. Satan thought that killing Jesus would put an end to His plan, but the plan was always for Jesus to die for the sins of the world. This plan was a mystery known by God before He even formed the world.
1st Corinthians 2:7-8: “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.”
Once Jesus had been crucified and fulfilled His duty, He willingly died. Look at what He said just prior to His death:
John 19:30: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
What was finished? Jesus had come to earth. He had presented the gospel of the kingdom to His people, the Jews. Rejected by His own people, Jesus had been put to death. What happened next?
Matthew 27:51: “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”
In the Old Testament, the high priest would enter into the temple and offer up sacrifices to God for his sins and the sins of the people. The veil of the temple separated the room where this took place from the rest of the temple, and only the high priest could enter in. This veil was torn from top to bottom to represent that a new way for forgiveness of sins had been created.
Hebrews 7:23-27: “And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man (Jesus), because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”
Hebrews 10:12: “But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, look closely at what He said:
Matthew 26:27-28: “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Jesus came to earth to make a better covenant between God and the Jews, which would later extend to the Gentiles.
Hebrews 8:6-13: “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he (Jesus) is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 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: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
All of this was done in order to open up admission to the kingdom of God, which is Heaven. Heaven is open to all who believe on Jesus. The earthly Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of heaven, was promised to the Jews. When Jesus came to earth, He presented the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 9:35) to the Jews, and He died on the cross in order to institute the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). The first gospel, “the gospel of the kingdom”, was the good news about an earthly kingdom that God had prepared for the Jews. The second gospel, “the gospel of Christ”, came into effect after Jesus Christ had been resurrected. This new gospel was the good news that belief on Jesus Christ was enough to save a person’s soul. The old covenant was done away with. There was no more need for confessing sins to a priest and offering up sacrifices for sin. Belief in Jesus Christ was the sole requirement of the new covenant. Also, this gospel of Christ was made available to Gentiles, which came as a shock to the Jews, who had always had a special relationship with God. We will return to this idea later.
The gospel of Christ is defined in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 (Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins of the world, buried, and rose again after three days). The gospel of Christ must be defined for believers during the age of grace, because this gospel leads to eternal salvation. The gospel of the kingdom was meant for the Jews, during the ministry of Jesus Christ and in the future end times, and thus it is not a message directed at people in the age of grace. The following two verses define the gospel of the kingdom:
Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
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.”
The gospel of the kingdom was the good news that the kingdom of heaven, Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom, was near. The Jews were told to repent, or change their minds. The Jews needed only to believe on Jesus as their King, and then the kingdom of heaven could have been established. Instead, Jesus was crucified on a cross. Instead of a crown of glory, Jesus was given a crown of thorns, with a sign above His head that read “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS”. Mocked, beaten, and crucified, the King was rejected by His own people. One day, Jesus will return to take His rightful place as King, and He will set up His kingdom on earth. But let’s get back on topic.
Many people go totally off course by taking the teachings of Jesus, spoken during his teachings of the gospel of the kingdom, and placing those teachings as requirements to be saved. Since Jesus had not died on the cross yet, salvation by belief in Him was not yet instituted. Jesus had indeed come to die for the sins of the world (1st John 2:2), but first it was necessary for Him to present Himself to the Jews as the King that they had been promised would come. Consider the following:
Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
This was a prophecy given to the Jews, giving them a literal picture of how their King would come to them. This was fulfilled by Jesus in the following passage:
Matthew 21:1-11: “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the residents of the city asked “Who is this?” Did you catch the answer given by the multitude of Jews?
“This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
Had the Jews been paying attention to Scripture, they should have recognized that their King had arrived. Instead, they thought Jesus to be a mere prophet. In other words, the Jews did not believe on Jesus. They did not accept Him as their King, so therefore the kingdom of heaven could not be set up. The gospel of the kingdom was put on hold, and as you saw in Matthew 24:14, it will resume again in the end days. Rejected by His people, Jesus was crucified. What happened next?
The Gentiles
If you recall, when Jesus first sent His disciples out to preach, He told them not to go to the Gentiles.
Matthew 10:5-6: “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.”
Was Jesus being a jerk? Was Jesus showing favoritism? No. Jesus had to present Himself to the Jews first, because they had always been God’s chosen people. The Jews had been promised that a Messiah and King would come for them. Had Jesus presented Himself to both the Jews and the Gentiles, He would have been breaking the special covenant between God and the Jews. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there was a different message for the disciples. Previously, the disciples were told to only go to the Jews. Look at what happened the next time Jesus sent forth his disciples:
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:”
At the time, the disciples did not understand the true scope of this command. They would soon learn, but we will return to that. For now, let’s look at two special mentions of Gentiles during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 15:21-28: “Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a 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. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
In the book of Mark, the story is repeated, and the following is stated about the woman:
Mark 7:26: “The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.”
Now, looking at the story in Matthew, this woman approached Jesus, requesting that He take care of the devil in her daughter. Jesus refused to answer the woman. The disciples even told Jesus to send the woman away. What did Jesus say next?
“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Jesus was making it clear once again that His earthly ministry was directed at the Jews exclusively. Jesus then makes an interesting comment.
“It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.”
The Jews were being pictured here as children, while the Gentiles were seen as dogs. Jesus was saying that it was not proper to give to the dogs what was meant for the children. The woman persisted, and Jesus was impressed with her great faith. Jesus healed the woman’s daughter. Take another look at what the woman said that had caused Jesus to act.
“Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.”
This remark seems to have been a picture of what was to come. Something given to the children was going to make its way to the dogs. Something rejected by the Jews was going to be discovered by the Gentiles. Look at what Jesus had to say regarding this matter while speaking to the Pharisees:
Matthew 21:33-44: “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”
God sent many prophets to the Jews, and finally, His own Son. Instead of receiving God’s Son, the Jews put the Son to death. God was going to put others in charge of His vineyard because of this. The vineyard is the world. The fruit is people. God was going to give another group the chance to bring more people to Him, not to the kingdom of heaven, but to the “kingdom of God”. However, this was still a mystery at the time. It wasn’t long after Jesus had spoken this parable that He was crucified. Three days later, He rose from the dead and showed Himself to His apostles. Jesus spent forty days with the eleven, and on the last day, the apostles had a question for Jesus.
Acts 1:6-7: “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”
The apostles assumed that Jesus Christ would still exclusively have the Jewish nations in mind. Jesus answered them by telling them that they did not know the timetable of God. Jesus went back to Heaven and left the apostles to carry on what He had started. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost came down and filled the apostles, and they began to speak in tongues, which meant they could be understood by people who spoke other languages. Who were they speaking to?
Acts 2:5: “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”
Speaking in tongues was used by God as a sign to reach these Jews.
1st Corinthians 1:22: “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”
1st Corinthians 14:22: “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.”
Speaking in tongues is not speaking gibberish, as many believe. Speaking in tongues is the ability to miraculously and randomly speak in other known languages, and this gift was given for a sign to convince Jews that the message of the apostles was from God. The message was simple: Jesus was the Son of God, but the Jews had not believed on Him. The Jews were told to repent, which means to rethink. The Jews had rejected Jesus, and now it was necessary for them to change their minds and believe on Him. On the day of Pentecost, about three thousand Jews believed the message and were saved.
Weren’t we talking about the Gentiles? Yes, but because of the special covenant between God and the Jews, it was necessary for Jews to be presented with the new gospel first.
Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Do you remember the “gospel of the kingdom”? That was a different gospel. Because the Jews had rejected that gospel, God moved on to a new gospel, “the gospel of Christ”. Notice that this gospel was “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Greek was another term for Gentile here. After the gospel had been presented to the Jews, it was time for it to be taken to the Gentiles. The apostle Peter was given a strange dream by God, and Peter was soon led to the house of a Gentile man named Cornelius. The message that Peter shared can be summed up in the following verse:
Acts 10:43: “To him (Jesus) give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
The Gentiles were presented with the same gospel that had been recently given to the Jews.
Acts 10:44-47: “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision (Jews) which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?”
There were some Jews, who had believed on Jesus Christ, who accompanied Peter to the house of Cornelius. These Jews were amazed to find that Gentiles were receiving the Holy Ghost just as they had. How were the Jews convinced that the Gentiles were indeed saved? The Holy Ghost entered the Gentiles and gave them the ability to speak in tongues. The Jews that were present could then hear their own language being spoken by these Gentiles. Once again, God used tongues as a sign meant for the Jews, as in this case, a sign was necessary to show the Jews that Gentiles had been accepted by God.
Now the believing Jews back in Judaea took issue with Peter and his journey to visit some Gentiles.
Acts 11:1-3: “And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.”
Peter told his fellow apostles and brethren how the Holy Ghost had fallen on the Gentiles when they heard the word of God and believed on Jesus Christ. Peter backed up his story by having the support of six Jewish brethren who had witnessed the event. This caused the believing Jews in Judaea to rethink things.
Acts 11:18: “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
God was working in a new way. Just two chapters back in the book of Acts, God had chosen somebody for a very special job. The man was Saul, who was also called Paul. Here is his description of who he once was:
Philippians 3:5-6: “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”
Saul was a proud Jew, describing himself as one of the Pharisees, who were a very strict and religious group. Saul had been of the belief that righteousness came by way of keeping the law, or the Ten Commandments, and he thought himself to be “blameless”, meaning he had done a perfect job of keeping the law. Saul had even been persecuting the church, that is, people who had been believed on Jesus Christ. Saul thought this to be blasphemy against God, and he was going as far as having believers put to death. Jesus Christ Himself put an end to all of this, while Saul was on his way to Damascus. A bright light from Heaven enveloped Saul and brought him to the ground. Saul was terrified and soon found that he was being visited by none other than Jesus, the very person Saul had been condemning people for believing in. Saul was instructed to continue on to Damascus, and his sight was taken from him. Jesus then spoke to a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, telling him to go and visit Saul. Ananias was reluctant to go because of the reputation of Saul, but look at what Jesus told the fearful disciple:
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:”
By the end of the book of Acts, Paul was ready to begin the ministry which Jesus had chosen him for.
Acts 28:28: “Be it known therefore unto you (Jews), that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”
Now let’s look at some verses where Paul mentions the special nature of his job as an apostle.
Romans 11:13: “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:”
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.”
Galatians 2:7-8: “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision (Gentiles) was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision (Jews) was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)”
Ephesians 3:1-8: “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;”
1st 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 (truth).”
2nd Timothy 1:11: “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.”
2nd Timothy 4:17: “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”
So why all this talk of the Gentiles? Stay tuned. And remember how we learned that the kingdom of God is different from the kingdom of heaven? Jesus preached in Matthew about the kingdom of heaven, the earthly kingdom which would be set up for the Jews. Since Paul was dealing with believers in the age of God’s grace, Paul spoke of the kingdom of God, or Heaven. It was not Paul’s place to teach about the kingdom of heaven, because he had been appointed to tell the Gentiles how to get to Heaven, or the kingdom of God.
Acts 28:28-31: “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”
Colossians 4:11: “And Jesus (not Jesus Christ), which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.”
2nd Thessalonians 1:5: “Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:”
Why Didn’t the Jews Recognize Their King?
Did you know that Jesus Christ knew full well that He would be rejected by His own people? Did you know that the Jews’ rejection of Jesus was all a part of God’s plan?
Romans 11:8-11: “(According as it is written, God hath given them (the Jews) the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 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.”
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 (the Jews), until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Romans 11:28-32: “As concerning the gospel, they (the Jews) are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 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.”
Because of the unbelief of the Jews, God was able to have mercy upon everyone, Jew or Gentile. God put His covenant with the Jews on hold in order to make way for a new covenant.
Matthew 26:28: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” – Jesus
Hebrews 7:22: “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”
Because of the unbelief of the Jews, all have equal access to God now.
Romans 10:12: “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.”
Romans 3:29-30: “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision (Jews) by faith, and uncircumcision (Gentiles) through faith.”
1st Corinthians 1:24: “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
1st 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.”
Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Did Jesus Speak of Eternal Salvation?
Although the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ was directed at spreading the gospel of the kingdom and presenting Himself as the prophesied King of the Jews, Jesus did indeed speak of eternal salvation which would be by faith in Him. This most notably occurred in the book of John. This is not surprising, when we consider the purpose of the book.
John 20:30-31: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
If you recall, the book of Matthew started out the following way:
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Matthew was written with the Jewish aspect of the ministry of Jesus Christ at its core. John was written for an entirely different purpose, and that purpose was to cause the reader to believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved. The most famous verse of Scripture is taken from the third chapter of John, a passage where Jesus taught about eternal salvation. Here, Jesus talks about the kingdom of God, which is Heaven, and which must be distinguished from the kingdom of heaven.
John 3:1-18: “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Being born of the Spirit was referring to the second birth that takes place when a person believes on Jesus Christ, though it was not understood at the time. The Holy Spirit enters a person when they are saved.
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
This Holy Spirit is the seed of God.
1st John 3:9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
To experience this second birth, a person simply has to believe in Jesus Christ.
1st John 5:1: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.”
Galatians 3:26: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Let’s look at some more verses in John where Jesus spoke of eternal salvation.
John 6:40: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
John 7:38-39: “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
Take note of that last verse. Jesus was foretelling the Jews about the eternal salvation that would soon be available by faith in Him. That way was not yet available, because Jesus had not died for the sins of the world.
Hebrews 10:22: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission (of sins).”
Hebrews 10:12: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his (Jesus’) own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
After Jesus died on the cross, His blood was used to satisfy God’s penalty for sin.
Colossians 1:14: “In whom (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
Romans 3:24-26: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
When Jesus spoke of faith in Him resulting in everlasting life, it was not understood by people because the time had not yet come. This would be available once the blood of Jesus had been shed, and the Holy Spirit would be sent to live inside believers.
John 16:7: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (Holy Spirit) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” – Jesus
The Holy Spirit was sent down on the day of Pentecost. It filled the apostles and was then given to everyone who believes on Jesus Christ, first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles.
So Jesus did indeed mention eternal salvation by faith in Him. However, don’t go looking for these teachings in places where Jesus was discussing the gospel of the kingdom. That was a different gospel, meant for the Jews, and it will be returned to in the end times.
One more thing that must be noted here is the wording of Jesus when He stated the following:
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Remember the two different kingdoms? In Matthew, Jesus talked a lot about the kingdom of heaven, which is the earthly kingdom He will set up one day. But in this quote from John, where Jesus was addressing eternal salvation, He mentions the kingdom of God, which as stated before, is Heaven. Jesus knew the difference between these two kingdoms, and it will help you if you know the difference also. But wait…. Doesn’t Jesus mention the kingdom of God throughout the books of Mark and Luke?
Are There Inconsistencies?
In some of the teachings of Jesus Christ, there seems to be an inconsistency. A story in Matthew will have Jesus speaking of the kingdom of heaven, and then when the story is repeated in Mark or Luke, Jesus will mention the kingdom of God instead. Are these two kingdoms the same? Or was a mistake made?
Many truths that apply to the kingdom of heaven apply to the kingdom of God as well, and thus the two are interchangeable at times. However, some truths are unique to the kingdom of heaven. The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 is repeated in Mark 4 and Luke 8. This is because this particular parable can be applied to both kingdoms. In both cases, people have a choice to either believe the gospel or not, or to be fruitful or unfruitful. The difference is that in the age of grace, being unfruitful will cost a person rewards in Heaven (1st Corinthians 3:11-15), while during the Tribulation, being unfruitful will cost a person their place in the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:14-30).
While the parable of the sower is an example of a truth being shared by both the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30) and the parable of the fishing net (Matthew 13:47-50) are exclusive to the book of Matthew because they deal with the kingdom of heaven. These parables were referring to events at the end of the world, which Jesus makes clear about the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:40) and the parable of the fishing net (Matthew 13:49). Meanwhile, there is no mention of the parable of the sower having a connection to the end of the world, because the parable applies to both the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God.
Remember, the book of Matthew focuses on the Jewish aspect of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. That is why the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” is unique to the book of Matthew. This phrase is not mentioned in the books of Mark or Luke, where you will instead find “the kingdom of God.” The “gospel of the kingdom” from Matthew 4:23, 9:35, and 24:14 is not mentioned in Mark or Luke, where it is only called “the gospel.” The one exception is Mark 1:14, where Jesus is said to have been preaching “the gospel of the kingdom of God.” Another thing exclusive to the book of Matthew is the fact that Jesus told His disciples not to go to the Gentiles. You will not find this instruction in the books of Mark or Luke, when Jesus sent His disciples to preach the gospel. Likewise, when the Gentile woman requested that Jesus cast out the demon from her daughter (Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus Christ made the following statement: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This statement is omitted in the version of the story contained in the book of Mark (7:24-30). The book of Matthew pays special attention to this very important facet of the ministry of Jesus Christ: He offered Himself to the Jews first. Because the book of Matthew has this Jewish theme, it makes sense that Matthew would be the book where we would find the teachings on the kingdom of heaven, because the kingdom of heaven was meant for the Jews. Mark and Luke were not written with a Jewish theme, and so in those books, the kingdom of God is spoken of.
Please note the following two verses of Scripture:
Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Mark 1:14-15: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Both of these kingdoms were “at hand,” or near. In Matthew, the kingdom of heaven was near in the sense that all the Jews had to do was believe on Jesus as their prophesied King, and then Jesus could have set up His earthly kingdom. In Mark, the kingdom of God was near because Jesus Christ would soon die for the sins of the world, making the way to Heaven open for all who would believe on Him. Both of these kingdoms were near. However, the Jews’ unbelief put one kingdom on hold in order to make the other kingdom available to a broader audience.
So keep in mind that the kingdom of heaven is different from the kingdom of God, but they have some things in common. The kingdom of heaven is exclusive to the book of Matthew because that kingdom was meant for Jews, and Matthew was written with a strong Jewish theme. Matthew is a very important book, because it is in Matthew where we see that a large part of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry was directed specifically at the Jews.
Take a moment to note the following two verses of Scripture, where Jesus spoke to His disciples:
Matthew 13:11: “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”
Luke 8:10: “And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.”
The main mystery of the kingdom of God would eventually be revealed to the disciples to be that simple faith in Jesus Christ would result in salvation. Other mysteries of the kingdom of God would later be revealed through the apostle Paul. Meanwhile, the kingdom of heaven has its own mysteries. Believers will have to endure until the end (Matthew 24:13), either of their lives or of the world. The second coming of Jesus will be witnessed by the world (Matthew 24:30). Angels will gather together the elect of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:31). The wicked will be taken out of Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom (Matthew 13:41, 49). Satan will be bound, and those believers killed during the Tribulation will reign with Jesus for one thousand years (Revelation 20:1-4). Satan will then be loosed and given a chance to deceive once more (Revelation 20:7-8). Satan will be cast into Hell (Revelation 20:10). Finally, the kingdom of heaven, the new Jerusalem, will come down from Heaven and be set up on earth (Revelation 21:2, 10). That is my current interpretation of future events based on Scripture, though I would not stubbornly say it is entirely accurate in all the details. These end times matters are difficult to follow and understand, and I doubt they will be fully understood until the time is right. These matters simply do not concern believers in the present age. God has a way of revealing truths in their proper times, and when the end days arrive, God will raise up two prophets who will be given great power (Revelation 11:3-7). I believe these two will play a major part in spreading the gospel of the kingdom to the whole world (Matthew 24:14). Some people believe that Jesus cannot return until the gospel of Christ is preached to the entire world, but Matthew 24:14 clearly says it is the “gospel of the kingdom” which must reach everyone in the end days.
Why “Kingdom of Heaven”?
I’m not sure why the phrase “kingdom of heaven” was chosen, but I will give you my theory. The word “of” can be used to show possession. The word “of” can also be used to indicate the source or origin of something. The phrase “the kingdom of God” tells you that God owns a kingdom. Heaven is where God resides, and Heaven is the kingdom that God presides over. Jesus Christ will have His own kingdom, and it will not be the same as the one God owns. The kingdom of Jesus Christ will be a literal kingdom on earth inhabited by people. Where does this kingdom originate?
Revelation 21:2: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Revelation 21:10: “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,”
The kingdom of Jesus Christ originates in and will come out of Heaven. Heaven is the source of this kingdom, which makes the kingdom “of Heaven.” That’s my theory. Take it for what you will.
How to View the New Testament
The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written in order to convey different perspectives of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. The book of Acts was a transitional book which dealt with the aftermath of Jesus’ departure. The Holy Spirit came down and eternal salvation was made available by simple faith in Jesus Christ to all, both Jew and Gentile. The books written by Paul had Gentile believers in mind, but they can also speak to Jewish believers in this age. The later books seem to have Jewish believers or all believers in mind for their audiences. Finally, Revelation brings everything full circle by taking us to a future time when the gospel of the kingdom, which was preached by Jesus, will be back in effect, leading up to the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.
As believers in Jesus Christ during this age of grace, the books which speak the most directly to us are the books written by Paul. Remember that Paul identified himself as such: “I am the apostle of the Gentiles”. Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that the rest of Scripture is useless. Look at what the man himself, Paul, wrote regarding this topic:
2nd Timothy 3:16-17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
A lot can be learned from reading Scripture. Knowing Scripture is a good thing for the believer. It teaches the believer how to live the right kind of life through exhortations, and by giving examples of those who did so themselves, as well as stories of people who serve as bad examples for the rest of us. Keep in mind that all of those rules and regulations that you find in Scripture are not there to be obeyed in order to be saved. In fact, many of the rules in the Bible were not meant for believers in this age of God’s grace. The books written by Paul contain the bulk of the instructions for believers in this age, but there is profit that can be taken from all Scripture. When it comes to salvation, there is only one thing you must do to be saved, and that is the most important thing for you to take from the Scriptures.
2nd Timothy 2:15: “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Always take note of who Scripture is speaking to. Some was directed at us, while some was not, but was included for our learning. This brings us back to the verse that opened this article.
2nd Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
We have a serious problem in the “Christian” community these days. Many false teachers are spreading false doctrines by pulling “evidence” from Scriptures that do not teach the doctrines these false teachers would have you to believe. One reason for this is because many false teachers do not understand that things said to the Jews were not meant for the Gentiles. Do you recall the conundrum presented towards the beginning of this article?
Matthew 24:13: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Romans 10:9: “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.”
Which of these methods of being saved is true? They both are. Do you know why? Because they are dealing with different time periods. Let’s break this down, which requires looking at the context of that first verse.
Matthew 24:3: “And as he (Jesus) 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?”
The disciples desired to know what would be the signs of the second coming of Jesus, and of the end of the world. Jesus begins telling the disciples of things that will come to pass, taking us down to the verse in question. Let’s look again at that verse, as well as the one that follows.
Matthew 24:13-14: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 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.”
Remember how we discussed that there were two different gospels at play in the New Testament? Jesus said that the “gospel of the kingdom”, which is the good news about the earthly kingdom He will set up, would be preached to the whole world in the end times. This is very telling. The gospel of the kingdom was taught before Jesus Christ died to make the “gospel of Christ” available. The gospel of the kingdom was for the Jews, and the fact that it will be returned to at a later date shows that God will once again be dealing with the Jews in the future. Remember what Jesus said to the disciples?
Acts 1:6-7: “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”
The gospel of the kingdom has been put on hold until the world is approaching its end. When will this happen?
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.”
God’s direct dealing with the Jews will recommence once the time has come that the number of Gentiles to be saved during this period of grace has been reached.
Having established that Jesus was telling His disciples of a time just preceding the end of the world, we can now understand what Jesus meant when He said the following: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
During the age of grace we are in, salvation is by simple faith in Jesus Christ. That will change in the end days. There will be two groups of people. The first group will have trusted God and endured to the end, whether that means they were faithful until the second coming of Jesus or until they were killed for their faith. The second group did not endure, and instead they fell for the lies of Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet. Let’s contrast the two groups.
Revelation 20:4: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
Revelation 19:20: “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
During the end times, a person cannot be saved by mere faith alone. That person will have to act on that faith. That person will have to endure to the end and not buy into the lies of Satan, which will be accompanied by great power and miracles. A person cannot receive the mark of the beast, or that person will be rejected by God. During the age of grace, which is the current age when people are saved by mere faith in Jesus Christ, a believer can choose whether to live a good life or a bad one. A believer’s actions will not cause him or her to lose out on Heaven, if that believer has truly believed on Jesus Christ. This is why carnal Christians are mentioned by Paul in 1st Corinthians 3:1-4. “Carnal” here means worldly, so carnal Christians are those believers who are not living in a way pleasing to God. They are acting like the rest of the world, but because of God’s grace, these believers are still saved. Look at the following:
1st Corinthians 5:1: “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.”
1st Corinthians 5:5: “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
Paul had learned of a situation of fornication going on at the church in Corinth. This fornication was especially rotten, as it was not even something that would have been carried out by Gentiles, which was to say the unbelieving world. A man was having relations with his father’s wife, and it was openly known in the church. This man was so deep in sin that he was not even trying to hide it apparently. Paul says that this man may as well be delivered to “Satan for the destruction of the flesh”, or the body. But even though Satan has the power to destroy the body, note that this man’s spirit will still be safe. Because this man had believed on Jesus Christ, his sin could not separate him from his eternal salvation. How is this possible?
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Eternal salvation is a simple equation that looks like this:
A believer’s faith in Jesus Christ + God’s grace = eternal salvation
If a person’s bad lifestyle can cause them to lose their salvation, then that salvation is dependent on works, which makes God a liar. Whenever the security of eternal salvation is taught, you can bet that some religious person will come out to scream “Heresy!” Living in sin has consequences, such as loss of fellowship with God (1st John 1:6), loss of rewards in Heaven (1st Corinthians 3:11-15), loss of a good testimony to win others to Jesus (1st Corinthians 15:34), etc. Living in sin hurts the believer presently and in the life to come. However, living in sin does not take away a believer’s salvation. Religious people like to add requirements to being saved.
Galatians 4:9: “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”
Religious people who add requirements to salvation many times cannot rightly divide Scripture. Once you understand that faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient to save your soul, you are free from anything that attempts to bring you into bondage and make you work for your salvation. Let me say it again: In the age of grace, faith in Jesus Christ results in eternal salvation. Once this age is over, and the end days of the tribulation period have arrived, a person will have to work for their salvation by refusing to worship the image of the beast or to take his mark. So you see that when Jesus said that enduring to the end was necessary to be saved, this was in relation to the period of time right before the end of the world. Folks, as I am writing this, we are not there. The antichrist and his false prophet have not risen to power yet. God’s timetable for the Jews is still on pause until the full number of Gentiles is brought in. There are false teachers out there who teach that simple faith in Jesus Christ does not save a person’s soul, and that you must “endure to the end” to be saved. They will say that you must live a holy life and earn your righteousness, which they believe is what enduring to the end must mean. These false teachers are wrong, and they have not rightly divided the word of truth. When Scripture is divided correctly, we can clearly see that there are two ways to achieve salvation: Faith in Jesus Christ, which is in effect as of this writing, and enduring until the end, which will take over when the time is right, and the gospel of the kingdom is preached to the world.
Either the Bible contradicts itself, or it works when looked at as pieces of a whole. When you keep in mind that things in the New Testament were shifting because God was in the process of making a new covenant, then you will understand that something special was unfolding and you must pay attention to who was being spoken to or what was being spoken of. The “enduring to the end to be saved” idea is a truth taken out of context by religious people and used as a method to cause people to trust in their own works to save them. By abusing Scripture this way, religious people keep others from believing on Jesus Christ alone for salvation. You see, Satan doesn’t care if you live a holy life, as long as you don’t go to Heaven when you die. If Satan can blind you to the truth of Jesus Christ and keep you from believing on Him, it works the same way whether you simply think Jesus Christ was a fictional character or if you think He can’t save you without works of your own. Both of these ways result in the same thing: You don’t believe, and so you have rejected the gift of God. Do you see how important it is to rightly divide Scripture? In this case, it can mean the difference between Heaven and Hell.
Would you like to see another example of how religious people cannot rightly divide the word of truth? If you’re still with me at this point, we may as well keep it going. Let’s look at the last words spoken by Jesus in the book of Mark, right before He ascended back to Heaven.
Mark 16:15-18: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
Jesus told the disciples to go and tell all nations about Him. There would be signs that would be carried out by those that believed, and we have already discussed the purpose of signs. The Jews require a sign, and the signs were given in order to convince the Jews to believe on Jesus, as well as to convince the Jews that Gentiles could be saved. Speaking in tongues was a sign that would follow, and this was accomplished in the book of Acts. Speaking in tongues was simply the miracle of someone automatically being able to speak in a language which was foreign to them. This is made clear in the book of Acts.
Acts 2:4-8: “And they (the apostles) were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”
Pentecostals are of the belief that speaking in tongues is proof that they are saved. First of all, Pentecostals are ignorant of the fact that speaking in tongues is not speaking gibberish, as they are famous for doing. Speaking in tongues is speaking a known language. Secondly, speaking in tongues was never meant for the benefit of the person doing it. Speaking in tongues was for the benefit of the Jews, whether it was for persuading Jews to believe that the message of the apostles was from God (Acts 2:1-8), or for convincing Jews to change their beliefs regarding God’s acceptance of the Gentiles by giving them a sign (Acts 10:45-46).
1st Corinthians 14:22: “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.”
Pentecostals think that speaking gibberish is proof that the Holy Spirit is inside of them, but what they are doing has no Biblical precedent. Pentecostals look to the passage of Scripture from Mark chapter 16, and they say “The Bible says that people who have believed on Christ will speak with new tongues.” There are some things to consider here.
1. Who was Jesus speaking to in this passage from Mark? The disciples. While Jesus did not give a deadline as to how long these signs would continue to manifest themselves, He never said they would occur after the time of the disciples. Jesus was talking directly to His eleven disciples, so His words were not spoken to all believers of future generations.
2. What was the purpose of these signs? These signs were meant to convince the unbelieving Jews that Jesus Christ had indeed been their Messiah, or King. The Jews require a sign, and the Jews had rejected Jesus. The Jews were going to need something miraculous to cause them to change their minds. Not only that, the Jews looked at the Gentiles as being unclean dogs. It would require a miracle to convince the Jews that God had accepted the Gentiles.
3. Signs get in the way of faith. Notice that in the book of Acts and going forward, faith is continuously mentioned in regards to being saved. If miracles were constantly being performed in the name of Jesus, it would be easier to convince people to believe in Jesus. However, it is faith that God is looking for, so for people to believe in Jesus without having miracles (signs) performed for them requires more faith, and thus it pleases God more.
Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
4. Why can’t Pentecostals perform all of the sign gifts? In Mark 16:18, did you notice the phrase “if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them”? Why don’t Pentecostals drink poison at their services and see if there is no effect? What about the phrase “they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover”? Why don’t Pentecostals go to hospitals, lay hands on the sick, and heal everyone? Why is it only speaking in tongues that they so desire? As stated before, Pentecostals bastardize the idea of speaking in tongues, and they do so in order to convince themselves of their own salvation. Where is the faith in Jesus Christ?
Mark 16:18 also says “They shall take up serpents”. Did you ever hear of a man named George Went Hensley? The following excerpts were taken from Wikipedia.com:
“George Went Hensley (c. 1880 – July 25, 1955) was an American Pentecostal minister best known for popularizing the practice of snake handling. A native of rural Appalachia, Hensley experienced a religious conversion around 1910: on the basis of a literal interpretation of scripture, he came to believe that the New Testament commanded all Christians to handle venomous snakes.
In a 1947 newspaper interview, he claimed to have seen a snake while walking on the hill. He said that he knelt in prayer, took hold of it, then brought it to his church and told the congregation to also prove their salvation by holding the snake.
In early July 1955, Hensley began a series of meetings near Altha, Florida. He conducted the meetings without snakes for three weeks, before procuring a 5-foot (1.5 m) snake and bringing it to a Sunday afternoon service on July 24. Several dozen people gathered at an abandoned blacksmith shop for the observance. During the service, Hensley loudly delivered a sermon on the topic of faith. He removed the snake from the lard can in which it was stored, wrapped it around his neck, and rubbed it on his face. He walked around the audience while preaching and then returned the snake to the can. As he placed the snake into the can, it bit him on his wrist. After a few minutes, Hensley became visibly ill, experiencing severe pain, a discolored arm, and hematemesis. He refused medical attention, although he remained in pain and was urged to seek treatment both by congregants and the Calhoun County Sheriff. One eyewitness claimed that Hensley attributed his suffering to the congregation's lack of faith, although his wife Sally stated that she believed it was the will of God. Hensley died early the next morning. The Calhoun County Sheriff ruled his death a suicide.”
George Went Hensley did not rightly divide Scripture. This led him to devise a method to test the salvation of others, a method which he thought to be Biblical. If a person could safely handle a snake, then that person must indeed be saved. Pardon me as I go off on a slight tangent here, but did you ever read the story of the eunuch from Acts 8?
Acts 8:30-38: “And Philip ran thither to him (the eunuch), and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”
Imagine if Philip had said the following to this man: “So you say that you believe in Jesus Christ? Ok then. Let me see you handle a snake. Then I will believe you.” No, the eunuch’s simple statement of faith in Jesus Christ was enough to convince Philip, one of the original disciples of Jesus, to baptize the man, symbolizing the man’s birth into the family of God. Afterwards, Philip and the eunuch parted ways. Did Philip slap the eunuch on the forehead and knock him to the ground? Did the eunuch start screaming out gibberish? Did the eunuch drink a bottle of poison in the name of Jesus Christ? No. Actually, no signs followed this man. According to Pentecostals, this man probably wasn’t saved.
Getting back to George Went Hensley, here was a man who, like many phony religious people, demanded more than mere faith in Jesus Christ to prove one’s salvation. This is a trap from Satan, meant to cause people to trust in themselves and their own abilities rather than in the simple gift of God, which is given freely in exchange for faith in His Son. Whether the requirements are keeping the Ten Commandments, “repenting of sins,” speaking in tongues, or wrasslin’ some snakes, religious people love to add to God’s simple plan by giving us extra things to do to be saved, or to prove our salvation. And did you notice how George Went Hensley died? He died from a snake bite. The same man who required snake handling to prove the salvation of others died from handling a snake. And instead of the man’s wife doing the logical thing and questioning the salvation of her deceased husband, she copped out and called it the will of God.
Mark 16:15-18 was spoken by Jesus Christ directly to His disciples, but some people cannot grasp that concept and attempt to include themselves in the conversation, though they only seem to want to claim one of the sign gifts for themselves. This is another example of why rightly dividing the word of truth is so important. This example has something in common with the “enduring to the end to be saved” teaching. Both of these ideas cause people to have a faulty view of salvation. The endurance teaching tells people they must live a holy life to be saved. The speaking in tongues for proof of salvation idea causes people to question their salvation if they are unable to speak in tongues. If people do indeed speak gibberish, then they trust that it is a sign that they are saved, and so they are trusting in what they can do as proof of salvation. I don’t speak gibberish, and I don’t plan to start anytime soon. I’m saved because I did exactly what the Bible calls for.
Romans 10:9: “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.” –written by Paul to believers in the present age of grace
So do you see how big of a problem it is when people don’t understand that context is crucial to understanding the Bible? Lots of people just randomly pick out verses of Scripture that seem, on the surface, to support their false teachings. What these people don’t do, however, is keep in mind the context of the Scripture they are using. Let’s stop trying to find recipes for desserts in the chapter about pasta. Let’s start rightly dividing the word of truth.
I have one more thought that I would like to leave you with. It’s an afterthought, and it fits in with some things that have been discussed here. Remember how the Jews require a sign to believe that something is from God? In the age of grace we are currently living in, signs are not used by God, because God desires for people to have faith in Him even though they cannot see Him.
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
If God was still using signs to show Himself, then those signs would be the “evidence of things not seen.” Instead, for the time being, the faith of believers is that evidence. As stated before, when the age of grace ends with the last of the Gentiles to be saved during its course, God will revert back to His old system. Not only will people have to “endure to the end” to be saved, God will also go back to using signs. Do you recall the two prophets that God will raise up during the Tribulation?
Revelation 11:3-6: “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
And that’s only a little bit of what God will do when the gospel of the kingdom becomes the main focus again. There are Jews still waiting for a sign from God, and God just happens to have some doozies up His sleeve.
The “word of truth” is Scripture, or the Bible. The word has always been in existence, because it is a part of God.
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The word was also part of Jesus Christ.
John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Jesus Christ was the word made into the form of a man, and He was also the truth.
John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Jesus was the word, and Jesus was the truth. It could be said that the “word of truth” is the story of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament points to the arrival of Jesus Christ. The New Testament begins with Jesus Christ and takes us through His death, burial, and resurrection. It then goes on to detail the purpose of what Jesus had done (He had created a means of eternal salvation), and finally in Revelation, we are shown the future return of Jesus Christ to the earth. From the first promise of His coming, to a glimpse of His powerful return, the Bible is the story of Jesus Christ.
Now, getting back to the verse at the top of this page: What does “rightly dividing the word of truth” mean? Let’s say that you want to learn how to bake a chocolate cake. You own a cookbook that contains recipes for many dishes and desserts. There is enough material contained in your cookbook, that in the right hands, a person could prepare a meal full of variety. You are not ready for that yet, but you are interested in baking a chocolate cake. You take your cookbook, and you open to the chapter which focuses on pastas. You select one recipe, you collect the ingredients needed, and you go about trying to make a chocolate cake based off of a recipe for a pasta dish.
What is wrong with the preceding illustration? I bet you already know. The recipe book can be viewed as a whole. Using it all together, you could create a well-rounded meal. However, if there is one item in specific that you are looking for instructions on, you need to look to the part of the book where that subject is being taught. Otherwise, you will end up using instructions for chicken teriyaki as a reference for making lemon bars.
Did you know that the Bible is a lot like a recipe book? The format is not nearly as simple, but the idea is there. The Bible contains many doctrines, and they are spread out through the books of the Bible. Now here is where many people go wrong: They don’t rightly divide the Bible. Many people do not pay attention to context when looking at the Bible, meaning they don’t notice who is being spoken to or what the circumstances were. Folks, this is why people cannot agree on how simple eternal salvation is to receive. Some people go to the places in the Bible dealing with salvation, and they find what God wants them to know about salvation. Others make the same mistake as the confused cook: They go looking for a tasty dessert recipe in the chapter dedicated to pasta.
Let’s take a look at two verses of Scripture.
Matthew 24:13: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Romans 10:9: “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.”
One verse says that enduring to the end is necessary. The other verse says that simple faith in Jesus Christ is all that is necessary. Is this a contradiction? Is this a joke played by God to make salvation confusing? No, let me tell you what this is. It’s a case of where rightly dividing the word of truth is needed. That first verse quoted above was spoken by Jesus Christ. Many people look to His teachings for doctrines on salvation. That can be a very dangerous thing to do. Don’t go running away and calling me a heretic just yet. There are some things to consider here.
Did you know that when Jesus Christ came to the earth, He directed his ministry exclusively at the Jews? The Jews were God’s chosen people, and so it was necessary for Jesus to present Himself to the Jewish nations first. The book of Matthew is going to be our main point of focus, because Matthew makes this connection between the earthly ministry of Jesus and the Jewish nations very clear. It begins in the very first verse of Matthew.
Matthew 1:1: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
The fact that Jesus Christ was of Jewish descent is stated here. This was placed front and center to connect Jesus to the people He would be dealing with, the Jews. We are going to be making a distinction between Jews and Gentiles (non Jews). Take a look at what Jesus said to His disciples.
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.”
Jesus told His disciples specifically not to go to the Gentiles. They were only to go to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”, which was referring to the Jews. The picture of Jesus as a shepherd was made numerous times in Scripture. Here are two:
Mark 6:34: “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”
Matthew 12:11-12: “And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”
The lost sheep that Jesus wanted His disciples to go to were His people, the Jews, who were in need of a shepherd. The disciples were to preach to the Jews that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This was what Jesus Himself had been teaching.
Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 9:35: “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”
Before we go any further, we have to get some foundational stuff out of the way. So sit back and get comfortable, because we have a lot of ground to cover. Don’t worry. At some point, it will all make sense, and we will return to the main point of this article.
The Two Kingdoms and the Two Gospels
There were two kingdoms at play in the ministry of Jesus. The “kingdom of heaven” and the “kingdom of God”. The kingdom of heaven is a literal kingdom that will one day be set up on earth.
Ezekiel 20:39-41: “As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.”
Micah 4:6-7: “In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.”
Daniel 7:27: “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
Jesus Christ will have a kingdom on earth after the Tribulation, and He will reign for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6). Jesus travelled the Jewish nations to tell His people that the kingdom was “at hand”. If the Jews had believed on Jesus and accepted Him as their king, Jesus could have set up the kingdom right then and there. However, God had other plans, and these plans were top secret. Jesus set Himself up for a fall by choosing Judas Iscariot as one of His disciples.
John 6:70: “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
Matthew 26:21-25: “And as they did eat, he (Jesus) said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.”
Jesus chose Judas from the very beginning knowing full well that Judas would later betray Him. There were religious priests, scribes, and elders who did not like Jesus. They thought Him to be a blasphemer, and they did not like the things that Jesus had to say about their outward religion and inner evil. They wanted to get a hold of Jesus, but they could not do so in public, because Jesus was constantly surrounded by His followers. The enemies of Jesus needed an insider who could tell them when Jesus was alone, and where He could be found. Judas sold this information for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus was then taken away and crucified.
Luke 22:2-6: “And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.”
Satan entered into Judas and gave him the idea to betray Jesus. Satan thought that killing Jesus would put an end to His plan, but the plan was always for Jesus to die for the sins of the world. This plan was a mystery known by God before He even formed the world.
1st Corinthians 2:7-8: “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.”
Once Jesus had been crucified and fulfilled His duty, He willingly died. Look at what He said just prior to His death:
John 19:30: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
What was finished? Jesus had come to earth. He had presented the gospel of the kingdom to His people, the Jews. Rejected by His own people, Jesus had been put to death. What happened next?
Matthew 27:51: “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”
In the Old Testament, the high priest would enter into the temple and offer up sacrifices to God for his sins and the sins of the people. The veil of the temple separated the room where this took place from the rest of the temple, and only the high priest could enter in. This veil was torn from top to bottom to represent that a new way for forgiveness of sins had been created.
Hebrews 7:23-27: “And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man (Jesus), because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.”
Hebrews 10:12: “But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, look closely at what He said:
Matthew 26:27-28: “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Jesus came to earth to make a better covenant between God and the Jews, which would later extend to the Gentiles.
Hebrews 8:6-13: “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he (Jesus) is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 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: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
All of this was done in order to open up admission to the kingdom of God, which is Heaven. Heaven is open to all who believe on Jesus. The earthly Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of heaven, was promised to the Jews. When Jesus came to earth, He presented the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 9:35) to the Jews, and He died on the cross in order to institute the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). The first gospel, “the gospel of the kingdom”, was the good news about an earthly kingdom that God had prepared for the Jews. The second gospel, “the gospel of Christ”, came into effect after Jesus Christ had been resurrected. This new gospel was the good news that belief on Jesus Christ was enough to save a person’s soul. The old covenant was done away with. There was no more need for confessing sins to a priest and offering up sacrifices for sin. Belief in Jesus Christ was the sole requirement of the new covenant. Also, this gospel of Christ was made available to Gentiles, which came as a shock to the Jews, who had always had a special relationship with God. We will return to this idea later.
The gospel of Christ is defined in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 (Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins of the world, buried, and rose again after three days). The gospel of Christ must be defined for believers during the age of grace, because this gospel leads to eternal salvation. The gospel of the kingdom was meant for the Jews, during the ministry of Jesus Christ and in the future end times, and thus it is not a message directed at people in the age of grace. The following two verses define the gospel of the kingdom:
Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
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.”
The gospel of the kingdom was the good news that the kingdom of heaven, Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom, was near. The Jews were told to repent, or change their minds. The Jews needed only to believe on Jesus as their King, and then the kingdom of heaven could have been established. Instead, Jesus was crucified on a cross. Instead of a crown of glory, Jesus was given a crown of thorns, with a sign above His head that read “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS”. Mocked, beaten, and crucified, the King was rejected by His own people. One day, Jesus will return to take His rightful place as King, and He will set up His kingdom on earth. But let’s get back on topic.
Many people go totally off course by taking the teachings of Jesus, spoken during his teachings of the gospel of the kingdom, and placing those teachings as requirements to be saved. Since Jesus had not died on the cross yet, salvation by belief in Him was not yet instituted. Jesus had indeed come to die for the sins of the world (1st John 2:2), but first it was necessary for Him to present Himself to the Jews as the King that they had been promised would come. Consider the following:
Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
This was a prophecy given to the Jews, giving them a literal picture of how their King would come to them. This was fulfilled by Jesus in the following passage:
Matthew 21:1-11: “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the residents of the city asked “Who is this?” Did you catch the answer given by the multitude of Jews?
“This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
Had the Jews been paying attention to Scripture, they should have recognized that their King had arrived. Instead, they thought Jesus to be a mere prophet. In other words, the Jews did not believe on Jesus. They did not accept Him as their King, so therefore the kingdom of heaven could not be set up. The gospel of the kingdom was put on hold, and as you saw in Matthew 24:14, it will resume again in the end days. Rejected by His people, Jesus was crucified. What happened next?
The Gentiles
If you recall, when Jesus first sent His disciples out to preach, He told them not to go to the Gentiles.
Matthew 10:5-6: “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.”
Was Jesus being a jerk? Was Jesus showing favoritism? No. Jesus had to present Himself to the Jews first, because they had always been God’s chosen people. The Jews had been promised that a Messiah and King would come for them. Had Jesus presented Himself to both the Jews and the Gentiles, He would have been breaking the special covenant between God and the Jews. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there was a different message for the disciples. Previously, the disciples were told to only go to the Jews. Look at what happened the next time Jesus sent forth his disciples:
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:”
At the time, the disciples did not understand the true scope of this command. They would soon learn, but we will return to that. For now, let’s look at two special mentions of Gentiles during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 15:21-28: “Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a 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. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
In the book of Mark, the story is repeated, and the following is stated about the woman:
Mark 7:26: “The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.”
Now, looking at the story in Matthew, this woman approached Jesus, requesting that He take care of the devil in her daughter. Jesus refused to answer the woman. The disciples even told Jesus to send the woman away. What did Jesus say next?
“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Jesus was making it clear once again that His earthly ministry was directed at the Jews exclusively. Jesus then makes an interesting comment.
“It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.”
The Jews were being pictured here as children, while the Gentiles were seen as dogs. Jesus was saying that it was not proper to give to the dogs what was meant for the children. The woman persisted, and Jesus was impressed with her great faith. Jesus healed the woman’s daughter. Take another look at what the woman said that had caused Jesus to act.
“Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.”
This remark seems to have been a picture of what was to come. Something given to the children was going to make its way to the dogs. Something rejected by the Jews was going to be discovered by the Gentiles. Look at what Jesus had to say regarding this matter while speaking to the Pharisees:
Matthew 21:33-44: “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”
God sent many prophets to the Jews, and finally, His own Son. Instead of receiving God’s Son, the Jews put the Son to death. God was going to put others in charge of His vineyard because of this. The vineyard is the world. The fruit is people. God was going to give another group the chance to bring more people to Him, not to the kingdom of heaven, but to the “kingdom of God”. However, this was still a mystery at the time. It wasn’t long after Jesus had spoken this parable that He was crucified. Three days later, He rose from the dead and showed Himself to His apostles. Jesus spent forty days with the eleven, and on the last day, the apostles had a question for Jesus.
Acts 1:6-7: “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”
The apostles assumed that Jesus Christ would still exclusively have the Jewish nations in mind. Jesus answered them by telling them that they did not know the timetable of God. Jesus went back to Heaven and left the apostles to carry on what He had started. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost came down and filled the apostles, and they began to speak in tongues, which meant they could be understood by people who spoke other languages. Who were they speaking to?
Acts 2:5: “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”
Speaking in tongues was used by God as a sign to reach these Jews.
1st Corinthians 1:22: “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”
1st Corinthians 14:22: “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.”
Speaking in tongues is not speaking gibberish, as many believe. Speaking in tongues is the ability to miraculously and randomly speak in other known languages, and this gift was given for a sign to convince Jews that the message of the apostles was from God. The message was simple: Jesus was the Son of God, but the Jews had not believed on Him. The Jews were told to repent, which means to rethink. The Jews had rejected Jesus, and now it was necessary for them to change their minds and believe on Him. On the day of Pentecost, about three thousand Jews believed the message and were saved.
Weren’t we talking about the Gentiles? Yes, but because of the special covenant between God and the Jews, it was necessary for Jews to be presented with the new gospel first.
Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Do you remember the “gospel of the kingdom”? That was a different gospel. Because the Jews had rejected that gospel, God moved on to a new gospel, “the gospel of Christ”. Notice that this gospel was “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Greek was another term for Gentile here. After the gospel had been presented to the Jews, it was time for it to be taken to the Gentiles. The apostle Peter was given a strange dream by God, and Peter was soon led to the house of a Gentile man named Cornelius. The message that Peter shared can be summed up in the following verse:
Acts 10:43: “To him (Jesus) give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
The Gentiles were presented with the same gospel that had been recently given to the Jews.
Acts 10:44-47: “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision (Jews) which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?”
There were some Jews, who had believed on Jesus Christ, who accompanied Peter to the house of Cornelius. These Jews were amazed to find that Gentiles were receiving the Holy Ghost just as they had. How were the Jews convinced that the Gentiles were indeed saved? The Holy Ghost entered the Gentiles and gave them the ability to speak in tongues. The Jews that were present could then hear their own language being spoken by these Gentiles. Once again, God used tongues as a sign meant for the Jews, as in this case, a sign was necessary to show the Jews that Gentiles had been accepted by God.
Now the believing Jews back in Judaea took issue with Peter and his journey to visit some Gentiles.
Acts 11:1-3: “And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.”
Peter told his fellow apostles and brethren how the Holy Ghost had fallen on the Gentiles when they heard the word of God and believed on Jesus Christ. Peter backed up his story by having the support of six Jewish brethren who had witnessed the event. This caused the believing Jews in Judaea to rethink things.
Acts 11:18: “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
God was working in a new way. Just two chapters back in the book of Acts, God had chosen somebody for a very special job. The man was Saul, who was also called Paul. Here is his description of who he once was:
Philippians 3:5-6: “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”
Saul was a proud Jew, describing himself as one of the Pharisees, who were a very strict and religious group. Saul had been of the belief that righteousness came by way of keeping the law, or the Ten Commandments, and he thought himself to be “blameless”, meaning he had done a perfect job of keeping the law. Saul had even been persecuting the church, that is, people who had been believed on Jesus Christ. Saul thought this to be blasphemy against God, and he was going as far as having believers put to death. Jesus Christ Himself put an end to all of this, while Saul was on his way to Damascus. A bright light from Heaven enveloped Saul and brought him to the ground. Saul was terrified and soon found that he was being visited by none other than Jesus, the very person Saul had been condemning people for believing in. Saul was instructed to continue on to Damascus, and his sight was taken from him. Jesus then spoke to a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, telling him to go and visit Saul. Ananias was reluctant to go because of the reputation of Saul, but look at what Jesus told the fearful disciple:
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:”
By the end of the book of Acts, Paul was ready to begin the ministry which Jesus had chosen him for.
Acts 28:28: “Be it known therefore unto you (Jews), that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”
Now let’s look at some verses where Paul mentions the special nature of his job as an apostle.
Romans 11:13: “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:”
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.”
Galatians 2:7-8: “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision (Gentiles) was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision (Jews) was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)”
Ephesians 3:1-8: “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;”
1st 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 (truth).”
2nd Timothy 1:11: “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.”
2nd Timothy 4:17: “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”
So why all this talk of the Gentiles? Stay tuned. And remember how we learned that the kingdom of God is different from the kingdom of heaven? Jesus preached in Matthew about the kingdom of heaven, the earthly kingdom which would be set up for the Jews. Since Paul was dealing with believers in the age of God’s grace, Paul spoke of the kingdom of God, or Heaven. It was not Paul’s place to teach about the kingdom of heaven, because he had been appointed to tell the Gentiles how to get to Heaven, or the kingdom of God.
Acts 28:28-31: “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”
Colossians 4:11: “And Jesus (not Jesus Christ), which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.”
2nd Thessalonians 1:5: “Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:”
Why Didn’t the Jews Recognize Their King?
Did you know that Jesus Christ knew full well that He would be rejected by His own people? Did you know that the Jews’ rejection of Jesus was all a part of God’s plan?
Romans 11:8-11: “(According as it is written, God hath given them (the Jews) the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 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.”
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 (the Jews), until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Romans 11:28-32: “As concerning the gospel, they (the Jews) are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 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.”
Because of the unbelief of the Jews, God was able to have mercy upon everyone, Jew or Gentile. God put His covenant with the Jews on hold in order to make way for a new covenant.
Matthew 26:28: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” – Jesus
Hebrews 7:22: “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”
Because of the unbelief of the Jews, all have equal access to God now.
Romans 10:12: “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.”
Romans 3:29-30: “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision (Jews) by faith, and uncircumcision (Gentiles) through faith.”
1st Corinthians 1:24: “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
1st 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.”
Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Did Jesus Speak of Eternal Salvation?
Although the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ was directed at spreading the gospel of the kingdom and presenting Himself as the prophesied King of the Jews, Jesus did indeed speak of eternal salvation which would be by faith in Him. This most notably occurred in the book of John. This is not surprising, when we consider the purpose of the book.
John 20:30-31: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
If you recall, the book of Matthew started out the following way:
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Matthew was written with the Jewish aspect of the ministry of Jesus Christ at its core. John was written for an entirely different purpose, and that purpose was to cause the reader to believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved. The most famous verse of Scripture is taken from the third chapter of John, a passage where Jesus taught about eternal salvation. Here, Jesus talks about the kingdom of God, which is Heaven, and which must be distinguished from the kingdom of heaven.
John 3:1-18: “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Being born of the Spirit was referring to the second birth that takes place when a person believes on Jesus Christ, though it was not understood at the time. The Holy Spirit enters a person when they are saved.
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
This Holy Spirit is the seed of God.
1st John 3:9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
To experience this second birth, a person simply has to believe in Jesus Christ.
1st John 5:1: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.”
Galatians 3:26: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Let’s look at some more verses in John where Jesus spoke of eternal salvation.
John 6:40: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
John 7:38-39: “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
Take note of that last verse. Jesus was foretelling the Jews about the eternal salvation that would soon be available by faith in Him. That way was not yet available, because Jesus had not died for the sins of the world.
Hebrews 10:22: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission (of sins).”
Hebrews 10:12: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his (Jesus’) own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
After Jesus died on the cross, His blood was used to satisfy God’s penalty for sin.
Colossians 1:14: “In whom (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
Romans 3:24-26: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
When Jesus spoke of faith in Him resulting in everlasting life, it was not understood by people because the time had not yet come. This would be available once the blood of Jesus had been shed, and the Holy Spirit would be sent to live inside believers.
John 16:7: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (Holy Spirit) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” – Jesus
The Holy Spirit was sent down on the day of Pentecost. It filled the apostles and was then given to everyone who believes on Jesus Christ, first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles.
So Jesus did indeed mention eternal salvation by faith in Him. However, don’t go looking for these teachings in places where Jesus was discussing the gospel of the kingdom. That was a different gospel, meant for the Jews, and it will be returned to in the end times.
One more thing that must be noted here is the wording of Jesus when He stated the following:
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Remember the two different kingdoms? In Matthew, Jesus talked a lot about the kingdom of heaven, which is the earthly kingdom He will set up one day. But in this quote from John, where Jesus was addressing eternal salvation, He mentions the kingdom of God, which as stated before, is Heaven. Jesus knew the difference between these two kingdoms, and it will help you if you know the difference also. But wait…. Doesn’t Jesus mention the kingdom of God throughout the books of Mark and Luke?
Are There Inconsistencies?
In some of the teachings of Jesus Christ, there seems to be an inconsistency. A story in Matthew will have Jesus speaking of the kingdom of heaven, and then when the story is repeated in Mark or Luke, Jesus will mention the kingdom of God instead. Are these two kingdoms the same? Or was a mistake made?
Many truths that apply to the kingdom of heaven apply to the kingdom of God as well, and thus the two are interchangeable at times. However, some truths are unique to the kingdom of heaven. The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 is repeated in Mark 4 and Luke 8. This is because this particular parable can be applied to both kingdoms. In both cases, people have a choice to either believe the gospel or not, or to be fruitful or unfruitful. The difference is that in the age of grace, being unfruitful will cost a person rewards in Heaven (1st Corinthians 3:11-15), while during the Tribulation, being unfruitful will cost a person their place in the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:14-30).
While the parable of the sower is an example of a truth being shared by both the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30) and the parable of the fishing net (Matthew 13:47-50) are exclusive to the book of Matthew because they deal with the kingdom of heaven. These parables were referring to events at the end of the world, which Jesus makes clear about the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:40) and the parable of the fishing net (Matthew 13:49). Meanwhile, there is no mention of the parable of the sower having a connection to the end of the world, because the parable applies to both the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God.
Remember, the book of Matthew focuses on the Jewish aspect of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. That is why the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” is unique to the book of Matthew. This phrase is not mentioned in the books of Mark or Luke, where you will instead find “the kingdom of God.” The “gospel of the kingdom” from Matthew 4:23, 9:35, and 24:14 is not mentioned in Mark or Luke, where it is only called “the gospel.” The one exception is Mark 1:14, where Jesus is said to have been preaching “the gospel of the kingdom of God.” Another thing exclusive to the book of Matthew is the fact that Jesus told His disciples not to go to the Gentiles. You will not find this instruction in the books of Mark or Luke, when Jesus sent His disciples to preach the gospel. Likewise, when the Gentile woman requested that Jesus cast out the demon from her daughter (Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus Christ made the following statement: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This statement is omitted in the version of the story contained in the book of Mark (7:24-30). The book of Matthew pays special attention to this very important facet of the ministry of Jesus Christ: He offered Himself to the Jews first. Because the book of Matthew has this Jewish theme, it makes sense that Matthew would be the book where we would find the teachings on the kingdom of heaven, because the kingdom of heaven was meant for the Jews. Mark and Luke were not written with a Jewish theme, and so in those books, the kingdom of God is spoken of.
Please note the following two verses of Scripture:
Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Mark 1:14-15: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Both of these kingdoms were “at hand,” or near. In Matthew, the kingdom of heaven was near in the sense that all the Jews had to do was believe on Jesus as their prophesied King, and then Jesus could have set up His earthly kingdom. In Mark, the kingdom of God was near because Jesus Christ would soon die for the sins of the world, making the way to Heaven open for all who would believe on Him. Both of these kingdoms were near. However, the Jews’ unbelief put one kingdom on hold in order to make the other kingdom available to a broader audience.
So keep in mind that the kingdom of heaven is different from the kingdom of God, but they have some things in common. The kingdom of heaven is exclusive to the book of Matthew because that kingdom was meant for Jews, and Matthew was written with a strong Jewish theme. Matthew is a very important book, because it is in Matthew where we see that a large part of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry was directed specifically at the Jews.
Take a moment to note the following two verses of Scripture, where Jesus spoke to His disciples:
Matthew 13:11: “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”
Luke 8:10: “And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.”
The main mystery of the kingdom of God would eventually be revealed to the disciples to be that simple faith in Jesus Christ would result in salvation. Other mysteries of the kingdom of God would later be revealed through the apostle Paul. Meanwhile, the kingdom of heaven has its own mysteries. Believers will have to endure until the end (Matthew 24:13), either of their lives or of the world. The second coming of Jesus will be witnessed by the world (Matthew 24:30). Angels will gather together the elect of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:31). The wicked will be taken out of Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom (Matthew 13:41, 49). Satan will be bound, and those believers killed during the Tribulation will reign with Jesus for one thousand years (Revelation 20:1-4). Satan will then be loosed and given a chance to deceive once more (Revelation 20:7-8). Satan will be cast into Hell (Revelation 20:10). Finally, the kingdom of heaven, the new Jerusalem, will come down from Heaven and be set up on earth (Revelation 21:2, 10). That is my current interpretation of future events based on Scripture, though I would not stubbornly say it is entirely accurate in all the details. These end times matters are difficult to follow and understand, and I doubt they will be fully understood until the time is right. These matters simply do not concern believers in the present age. God has a way of revealing truths in their proper times, and when the end days arrive, God will raise up two prophets who will be given great power (Revelation 11:3-7). I believe these two will play a major part in spreading the gospel of the kingdom to the whole world (Matthew 24:14). Some people believe that Jesus cannot return until the gospel of Christ is preached to the entire world, but Matthew 24:14 clearly says it is the “gospel of the kingdom” which must reach everyone in the end days.
Why “Kingdom of Heaven”?
I’m not sure why the phrase “kingdom of heaven” was chosen, but I will give you my theory. The word “of” can be used to show possession. The word “of” can also be used to indicate the source or origin of something. The phrase “the kingdom of God” tells you that God owns a kingdom. Heaven is where God resides, and Heaven is the kingdom that God presides over. Jesus Christ will have His own kingdom, and it will not be the same as the one God owns. The kingdom of Jesus Christ will be a literal kingdom on earth inhabited by people. Where does this kingdom originate?
Revelation 21:2: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Revelation 21:10: “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,”
The kingdom of Jesus Christ originates in and will come out of Heaven. Heaven is the source of this kingdom, which makes the kingdom “of Heaven.” That’s my theory. Take it for what you will.
How to View the New Testament
The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written in order to convey different perspectives of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. The book of Acts was a transitional book which dealt with the aftermath of Jesus’ departure. The Holy Spirit came down and eternal salvation was made available by simple faith in Jesus Christ to all, both Jew and Gentile. The books written by Paul had Gentile believers in mind, but they can also speak to Jewish believers in this age. The later books seem to have Jewish believers or all believers in mind for their audiences. Finally, Revelation brings everything full circle by taking us to a future time when the gospel of the kingdom, which was preached by Jesus, will be back in effect, leading up to the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.
As believers in Jesus Christ during this age of grace, the books which speak the most directly to us are the books written by Paul. Remember that Paul identified himself as such: “I am the apostle of the Gentiles”. Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that the rest of Scripture is useless. Look at what the man himself, Paul, wrote regarding this topic:
2nd Timothy 3:16-17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
A lot can be learned from reading Scripture. Knowing Scripture is a good thing for the believer. It teaches the believer how to live the right kind of life through exhortations, and by giving examples of those who did so themselves, as well as stories of people who serve as bad examples for the rest of us. Keep in mind that all of those rules and regulations that you find in Scripture are not there to be obeyed in order to be saved. In fact, many of the rules in the Bible were not meant for believers in this age of God’s grace. The books written by Paul contain the bulk of the instructions for believers in this age, but there is profit that can be taken from all Scripture. When it comes to salvation, there is only one thing you must do to be saved, and that is the most important thing for you to take from the Scriptures.
2nd Timothy 2:15: “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Always take note of who Scripture is speaking to. Some was directed at us, while some was not, but was included for our learning. This brings us back to the verse that opened this article.
2nd Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
We have a serious problem in the “Christian” community these days. Many false teachers are spreading false doctrines by pulling “evidence” from Scriptures that do not teach the doctrines these false teachers would have you to believe. One reason for this is because many false teachers do not understand that things said to the Jews were not meant for the Gentiles. Do you recall the conundrum presented towards the beginning of this article?
Matthew 24:13: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Romans 10:9: “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.”
Which of these methods of being saved is true? They both are. Do you know why? Because they are dealing with different time periods. Let’s break this down, which requires looking at the context of that first verse.
Matthew 24:3: “And as he (Jesus) 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?”
The disciples desired to know what would be the signs of the second coming of Jesus, and of the end of the world. Jesus begins telling the disciples of things that will come to pass, taking us down to the verse in question. Let’s look again at that verse, as well as the one that follows.
Matthew 24:13-14: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 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.”
Remember how we discussed that there were two different gospels at play in the New Testament? Jesus said that the “gospel of the kingdom”, which is the good news about the earthly kingdom He will set up, would be preached to the whole world in the end times. This is very telling. The gospel of the kingdom was taught before Jesus Christ died to make the “gospel of Christ” available. The gospel of the kingdom was for the Jews, and the fact that it will be returned to at a later date shows that God will once again be dealing with the Jews in the future. Remember what Jesus said to the disciples?
Acts 1:6-7: “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”
The gospel of the kingdom has been put on hold until the world is approaching its end. When will this happen?
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.”
God’s direct dealing with the Jews will recommence once the time has come that the number of Gentiles to be saved during this period of grace has been reached.
Having established that Jesus was telling His disciples of a time just preceding the end of the world, we can now understand what Jesus meant when He said the following: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
During the age of grace we are in, salvation is by simple faith in Jesus Christ. That will change in the end days. There will be two groups of people. The first group will have trusted God and endured to the end, whether that means they were faithful until the second coming of Jesus or until they were killed for their faith. The second group did not endure, and instead they fell for the lies of Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet. Let’s contrast the two groups.
Revelation 20:4: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
Revelation 19:20: “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
During the end times, a person cannot be saved by mere faith alone. That person will have to act on that faith. That person will have to endure to the end and not buy into the lies of Satan, which will be accompanied by great power and miracles. A person cannot receive the mark of the beast, or that person will be rejected by God. During the age of grace, which is the current age when people are saved by mere faith in Jesus Christ, a believer can choose whether to live a good life or a bad one. A believer’s actions will not cause him or her to lose out on Heaven, if that believer has truly believed on Jesus Christ. This is why carnal Christians are mentioned by Paul in 1st Corinthians 3:1-4. “Carnal” here means worldly, so carnal Christians are those believers who are not living in a way pleasing to God. They are acting like the rest of the world, but because of God’s grace, these believers are still saved. Look at the following:
1st Corinthians 5:1: “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.”
1st Corinthians 5:5: “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
Paul had learned of a situation of fornication going on at the church in Corinth. This fornication was especially rotten, as it was not even something that would have been carried out by Gentiles, which was to say the unbelieving world. A man was having relations with his father’s wife, and it was openly known in the church. This man was so deep in sin that he was not even trying to hide it apparently. Paul says that this man may as well be delivered to “Satan for the destruction of the flesh”, or the body. But even though Satan has the power to destroy the body, note that this man’s spirit will still be safe. Because this man had believed on Jesus Christ, his sin could not separate him from his eternal salvation. How is this possible?
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Eternal salvation is a simple equation that looks like this:
A believer’s faith in Jesus Christ + God’s grace = eternal salvation
If a person’s bad lifestyle can cause them to lose their salvation, then that salvation is dependent on works, which makes God a liar. Whenever the security of eternal salvation is taught, you can bet that some religious person will come out to scream “Heresy!” Living in sin has consequences, such as loss of fellowship with God (1st John 1:6), loss of rewards in Heaven (1st Corinthians 3:11-15), loss of a good testimony to win others to Jesus (1st Corinthians 15:34), etc. Living in sin hurts the believer presently and in the life to come. However, living in sin does not take away a believer’s salvation. Religious people like to add requirements to being saved.
Galatians 4:9: “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”
Religious people who add requirements to salvation many times cannot rightly divide Scripture. Once you understand that faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient to save your soul, you are free from anything that attempts to bring you into bondage and make you work for your salvation. Let me say it again: In the age of grace, faith in Jesus Christ results in eternal salvation. Once this age is over, and the end days of the tribulation period have arrived, a person will have to work for their salvation by refusing to worship the image of the beast or to take his mark. So you see that when Jesus said that enduring to the end was necessary to be saved, this was in relation to the period of time right before the end of the world. Folks, as I am writing this, we are not there. The antichrist and his false prophet have not risen to power yet. God’s timetable for the Jews is still on pause until the full number of Gentiles is brought in. There are false teachers out there who teach that simple faith in Jesus Christ does not save a person’s soul, and that you must “endure to the end” to be saved. They will say that you must live a holy life and earn your righteousness, which they believe is what enduring to the end must mean. These false teachers are wrong, and they have not rightly divided the word of truth. When Scripture is divided correctly, we can clearly see that there are two ways to achieve salvation: Faith in Jesus Christ, which is in effect as of this writing, and enduring until the end, which will take over when the time is right, and the gospel of the kingdom is preached to the world.
Either the Bible contradicts itself, or it works when looked at as pieces of a whole. When you keep in mind that things in the New Testament were shifting because God was in the process of making a new covenant, then you will understand that something special was unfolding and you must pay attention to who was being spoken to or what was being spoken of. The “enduring to the end to be saved” idea is a truth taken out of context by religious people and used as a method to cause people to trust in their own works to save them. By abusing Scripture this way, religious people keep others from believing on Jesus Christ alone for salvation. You see, Satan doesn’t care if you live a holy life, as long as you don’t go to Heaven when you die. If Satan can blind you to the truth of Jesus Christ and keep you from believing on Him, it works the same way whether you simply think Jesus Christ was a fictional character or if you think He can’t save you without works of your own. Both of these ways result in the same thing: You don’t believe, and so you have rejected the gift of God. Do you see how important it is to rightly divide Scripture? In this case, it can mean the difference between Heaven and Hell.
Would you like to see another example of how religious people cannot rightly divide the word of truth? If you’re still with me at this point, we may as well keep it going. Let’s look at the last words spoken by Jesus in the book of Mark, right before He ascended back to Heaven.
Mark 16:15-18: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
Jesus told the disciples to go and tell all nations about Him. There would be signs that would be carried out by those that believed, and we have already discussed the purpose of signs. The Jews require a sign, and the signs were given in order to convince the Jews to believe on Jesus, as well as to convince the Jews that Gentiles could be saved. Speaking in tongues was a sign that would follow, and this was accomplished in the book of Acts. Speaking in tongues was simply the miracle of someone automatically being able to speak in a language which was foreign to them. This is made clear in the book of Acts.
Acts 2:4-8: “And they (the apostles) were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”
Pentecostals are of the belief that speaking in tongues is proof that they are saved. First of all, Pentecostals are ignorant of the fact that speaking in tongues is not speaking gibberish, as they are famous for doing. Speaking in tongues is speaking a known language. Secondly, speaking in tongues was never meant for the benefit of the person doing it. Speaking in tongues was for the benefit of the Jews, whether it was for persuading Jews to believe that the message of the apostles was from God (Acts 2:1-8), or for convincing Jews to change their beliefs regarding God’s acceptance of the Gentiles by giving them a sign (Acts 10:45-46).
1st Corinthians 14:22: “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.”
Pentecostals think that speaking gibberish is proof that the Holy Spirit is inside of them, but what they are doing has no Biblical precedent. Pentecostals look to the passage of Scripture from Mark chapter 16, and they say “The Bible says that people who have believed on Christ will speak with new tongues.” There are some things to consider here.
1. Who was Jesus speaking to in this passage from Mark? The disciples. While Jesus did not give a deadline as to how long these signs would continue to manifest themselves, He never said they would occur after the time of the disciples. Jesus was talking directly to His eleven disciples, so His words were not spoken to all believers of future generations.
2. What was the purpose of these signs? These signs were meant to convince the unbelieving Jews that Jesus Christ had indeed been their Messiah, or King. The Jews require a sign, and the Jews had rejected Jesus. The Jews were going to need something miraculous to cause them to change their minds. Not only that, the Jews looked at the Gentiles as being unclean dogs. It would require a miracle to convince the Jews that God had accepted the Gentiles.
3. Signs get in the way of faith. Notice that in the book of Acts and going forward, faith is continuously mentioned in regards to being saved. If miracles were constantly being performed in the name of Jesus, it would be easier to convince people to believe in Jesus. However, it is faith that God is looking for, so for people to believe in Jesus without having miracles (signs) performed for them requires more faith, and thus it pleases God more.
Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
4. Why can’t Pentecostals perform all of the sign gifts? In Mark 16:18, did you notice the phrase “if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them”? Why don’t Pentecostals drink poison at their services and see if there is no effect? What about the phrase “they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover”? Why don’t Pentecostals go to hospitals, lay hands on the sick, and heal everyone? Why is it only speaking in tongues that they so desire? As stated before, Pentecostals bastardize the idea of speaking in tongues, and they do so in order to convince themselves of their own salvation. Where is the faith in Jesus Christ?
Mark 16:18 also says “They shall take up serpents”. Did you ever hear of a man named George Went Hensley? The following excerpts were taken from Wikipedia.com:
“George Went Hensley (c. 1880 – July 25, 1955) was an American Pentecostal minister best known for popularizing the practice of snake handling. A native of rural Appalachia, Hensley experienced a religious conversion around 1910: on the basis of a literal interpretation of scripture, he came to believe that the New Testament commanded all Christians to handle venomous snakes.
In a 1947 newspaper interview, he claimed to have seen a snake while walking on the hill. He said that he knelt in prayer, took hold of it, then brought it to his church and told the congregation to also prove their salvation by holding the snake.
In early July 1955, Hensley began a series of meetings near Altha, Florida. He conducted the meetings without snakes for three weeks, before procuring a 5-foot (1.5 m) snake and bringing it to a Sunday afternoon service on July 24. Several dozen people gathered at an abandoned blacksmith shop for the observance. During the service, Hensley loudly delivered a sermon on the topic of faith. He removed the snake from the lard can in which it was stored, wrapped it around his neck, and rubbed it on his face. He walked around the audience while preaching and then returned the snake to the can. As he placed the snake into the can, it bit him on his wrist. After a few minutes, Hensley became visibly ill, experiencing severe pain, a discolored arm, and hematemesis. He refused medical attention, although he remained in pain and was urged to seek treatment both by congregants and the Calhoun County Sheriff. One eyewitness claimed that Hensley attributed his suffering to the congregation's lack of faith, although his wife Sally stated that she believed it was the will of God. Hensley died early the next morning. The Calhoun County Sheriff ruled his death a suicide.”
George Went Hensley did not rightly divide Scripture. This led him to devise a method to test the salvation of others, a method which he thought to be Biblical. If a person could safely handle a snake, then that person must indeed be saved. Pardon me as I go off on a slight tangent here, but did you ever read the story of the eunuch from Acts 8?
Acts 8:30-38: “And Philip ran thither to him (the eunuch), and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”
Imagine if Philip had said the following to this man: “So you say that you believe in Jesus Christ? Ok then. Let me see you handle a snake. Then I will believe you.” No, the eunuch’s simple statement of faith in Jesus Christ was enough to convince Philip, one of the original disciples of Jesus, to baptize the man, symbolizing the man’s birth into the family of God. Afterwards, Philip and the eunuch parted ways. Did Philip slap the eunuch on the forehead and knock him to the ground? Did the eunuch start screaming out gibberish? Did the eunuch drink a bottle of poison in the name of Jesus Christ? No. Actually, no signs followed this man. According to Pentecostals, this man probably wasn’t saved.
Getting back to George Went Hensley, here was a man who, like many phony religious people, demanded more than mere faith in Jesus Christ to prove one’s salvation. This is a trap from Satan, meant to cause people to trust in themselves and their own abilities rather than in the simple gift of God, which is given freely in exchange for faith in His Son. Whether the requirements are keeping the Ten Commandments, “repenting of sins,” speaking in tongues, or wrasslin’ some snakes, religious people love to add to God’s simple plan by giving us extra things to do to be saved, or to prove our salvation. And did you notice how George Went Hensley died? He died from a snake bite. The same man who required snake handling to prove the salvation of others died from handling a snake. And instead of the man’s wife doing the logical thing and questioning the salvation of her deceased husband, she copped out and called it the will of God.
Mark 16:15-18 was spoken by Jesus Christ directly to His disciples, but some people cannot grasp that concept and attempt to include themselves in the conversation, though they only seem to want to claim one of the sign gifts for themselves. This is another example of why rightly dividing the word of truth is so important. This example has something in common with the “enduring to the end to be saved” teaching. Both of these ideas cause people to have a faulty view of salvation. The endurance teaching tells people they must live a holy life to be saved. The speaking in tongues for proof of salvation idea causes people to question their salvation if they are unable to speak in tongues. If people do indeed speak gibberish, then they trust that it is a sign that they are saved, and so they are trusting in what they can do as proof of salvation. I don’t speak gibberish, and I don’t plan to start anytime soon. I’m saved because I did exactly what the Bible calls for.
Romans 10:9: “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.” –written by Paul to believers in the present age of grace
So do you see how big of a problem it is when people don’t understand that context is crucial to understanding the Bible? Lots of people just randomly pick out verses of Scripture that seem, on the surface, to support their false teachings. What these people don’t do, however, is keep in mind the context of the Scripture they are using. Let’s stop trying to find recipes for desserts in the chapter about pasta. Let’s start rightly dividing the word of truth.
I have one more thought that I would like to leave you with. It’s an afterthought, and it fits in with some things that have been discussed here. Remember how the Jews require a sign to believe that something is from God? In the age of grace we are currently living in, signs are not used by God, because God desires for people to have faith in Him even though they cannot see Him.
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
If God was still using signs to show Himself, then those signs would be the “evidence of things not seen.” Instead, for the time being, the faith of believers is that evidence. As stated before, when the age of grace ends with the last of the Gentiles to be saved during its course, God will revert back to His old system. Not only will people have to “endure to the end” to be saved, God will also go back to using signs. Do you recall the two prophets that God will raise up during the Tribulation?
Revelation 11:3-6: “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
And that’s only a little bit of what God will do when the gospel of the kingdom becomes the main focus again. There are Jews still waiting for a sign from God, and God just happens to have some doozies up His sleeve.
I mentioned signs and their purpose in the article above. Let’s take a closer look at this topic.
1st Corinthians 1:22: “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”
Signs were provided by God for the sake of the Jews, in order to prove to them that something was from God. I would like to make this fact abundantly clear by showing you selected verses of Scripture. First, let’s look at some Old Testament Scripture dealing with Jews and signs.
Numbers 16:38: “The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.”
Deuteronomy 28:45-46: “Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.”
Deuteronomy 34:11-12: “In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.”
1st Samuel 2:34: “And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.”
1st Kings 13:3: “And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.”
2nd Kings 20:8-9: “And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?”
Isaiah 7:10-14: “Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Jeremiah 44:29: “And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:”
Ezekiel 4:3: “Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 12:5-6: “Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 24:27: “In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
That was a sample from the Old Testament. Now let’s go to the New Testament. When Jesus Christ was on earth, there were Jews who were reluctant to believe on Him. The Jews wanted a sign to convince them that Jesus was sent by God, because they were accustomed to receiving signs from God.
Matthew 12:38: “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.”
Matthew 16:1: “The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.”
Mark 8:11: “And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.”
Luke 11:16: “And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.”
John 2:18: “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?”
John 6:30: “They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?”
What was Jesus Christ’s response to these requests for a sign?
Matthew 12:39-40: “But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 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.”
Luke 11:29-30: “And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”
Jonah was in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights. Jonah had been a picture of Jesus Christ. After Jesus was crucified, He spent three days and three nights in His tomb. Just as Jonah came out of the belly of the whale, Jesus Christ came out of His tomb. This was the sign that Jesus gave to the Jews. Jesus accomplished something much greater than Jonah, who was meant to serve as a shadow of what was to come. Jesus refused to give the Jews the signs they demanded, and the signs that Jesus did perform in His time on earth were not good enough for the Jews.
Acts 2:22: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:”
Jesus spoke of some signs that will come at a future time. The disciples asked Jesus a question one day.
Mathew 24:3: “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?”
Jesus answered His disciples with a description of the Tribulation, the period of time right before the end of the world, when God will again use signs to reach the Jews.
Luke 21:11: “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”
Luke 21:25: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;”
Matthew 24:29-30: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Jesus Christ warned that during the Tribulation, there will be counterfeit christs who will perform signs and wonders in order to deceive people.
Matthew 24:24: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Mark 13:22: “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.”
The apostle Paul foretold that the antichrist also will be able to perform signs and wonders during the Tribulation.
2nd Thessalonians 2:9: “Even him (the beast, the antichrist), whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”
Don’t forget about these verses from Hebrews:
Hebrews 2:3-4: “How shall we (Jews) escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”
Signs were used by God to reach the Jews in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, God gave the apostles the ability to perform signs for a short time, in order to convince some of the Jews that they were working for God, and that the Jesus Christ they preached had been from God as well. Signs were done away with as the age of grace came fully into place. When the Tribulation arrives, God will use signs again to reach the Jews, and the antichrist and other false christs will use signs to deceive the nations.
On a final note, look at what Jesus said to a certain Jew who asked Jesus to heal his son.
John 4:48: “Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”
1st Corinthians 1:22: “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”
Signs were provided by God for the sake of the Jews, in order to prove to them that something was from God. I would like to make this fact abundantly clear by showing you selected verses of Scripture. First, let’s look at some Old Testament Scripture dealing with Jews and signs.
Numbers 16:38: “The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.”
Deuteronomy 28:45-46: “Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.”
Deuteronomy 34:11-12: “In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.”
1st Samuel 2:34: “And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.”
1st Kings 13:3: “And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.”
2nd Kings 20:8-9: “And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?”
Isaiah 7:10-14: “Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Jeremiah 44:29: “And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:”
Ezekiel 4:3: “Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 12:5-6: “Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 24:27: “In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
That was a sample from the Old Testament. Now let’s go to the New Testament. When Jesus Christ was on earth, there were Jews who were reluctant to believe on Him. The Jews wanted a sign to convince them that Jesus was sent by God, because they were accustomed to receiving signs from God.
Matthew 12:38: “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.”
Matthew 16:1: “The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.”
Mark 8:11: “And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.”
Luke 11:16: “And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.”
John 2:18: “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?”
John 6:30: “They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?”
What was Jesus Christ’s response to these requests for a sign?
Matthew 12:39-40: “But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 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.”
Luke 11:29-30: “And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”
Jonah was in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights. Jonah had been a picture of Jesus Christ. After Jesus was crucified, He spent three days and three nights in His tomb. Just as Jonah came out of the belly of the whale, Jesus Christ came out of His tomb. This was the sign that Jesus gave to the Jews. Jesus accomplished something much greater than Jonah, who was meant to serve as a shadow of what was to come. Jesus refused to give the Jews the signs they demanded, and the signs that Jesus did perform in His time on earth were not good enough for the Jews.
Acts 2:22: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:”
Jesus spoke of some signs that will come at a future time. The disciples asked Jesus a question one day.
Mathew 24:3: “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?”
Jesus answered His disciples with a description of the Tribulation, the period of time right before the end of the world, when God will again use signs to reach the Jews.
Luke 21:11: “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”
Luke 21:25: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;”
Matthew 24:29-30: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Jesus Christ warned that during the Tribulation, there will be counterfeit christs who will perform signs and wonders in order to deceive people.
Matthew 24:24: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Mark 13:22: “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.”
The apostle Paul foretold that the antichrist also will be able to perform signs and wonders during the Tribulation.
2nd Thessalonians 2:9: “Even him (the beast, the antichrist), whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”
Don’t forget about these verses from Hebrews:
Hebrews 2:3-4: “How shall we (Jews) escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”
Signs were used by God to reach the Jews in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, God gave the apostles the ability to perform signs for a short time, in order to convince some of the Jews that they were working for God, and that the Jesus Christ they preached had been from God as well. Signs were done away with as the age of grace came fully into place. When the Tribulation arrives, God will use signs again to reach the Jews, and the antichrist and other false christs will use signs to deceive the nations.
On a final note, look at what Jesus said to a certain Jew who asked Jesus to heal his son.
John 4:48: “Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”