Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Prophecy and the Mystery - by Stewart Topping


 All prophecy is for Israel except in a few cases.  The first prophecy was after Adam and Eve had sinned in the garden.  Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.  This prophecy has been for filled by the death of Jesus.

Only a few chapters later the next prophecy for Israel, was given to Abraham.  Genesis 17:2.  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. This linage was very important in order to preserve the blood for Jesus.  The Law which was given to Moses was to provide teaching to the now Nation of Israel to be trained in the Law. Romans 7:7.   What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

The Law was only a schoolmaster, no one could live by the Law.  The Law was to prove that the Nation of Israel needed a savior.

Galatians 3:24-25.  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

So what else has Paul said concerning the law; Romans 6:14.  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.   Believes are not under the Law but under Grace.  If you are under grace then you have believed the following;

1 Corinthians 15:1-3.  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:  this according to the scriptures is prophecy for Israel.

Isaiah 53:5-12 - He was cut off out of the land of the living (v8), his soul was made an offering for sin (v10), he poured out his soul unto death (v12). This was fulfilled in Jesus’ death according to Acts 8:32-35; Luke 22:37.

What did Jesus say: 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: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Why did Jesus say this;

John 1:17.  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

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

Matthew 5:17.  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Now let us take what Jesus said as the truth, He was sent by God to Israel to fulfill the prophecy concerning the Law, and the Law only.  He didn’t want to destroy it.  Well how do we know he fulfilled it.

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.

He said it is finished because he had fulfilled the law.  This is why after Israel refused Jesus as Christ and King, Paul was given the Mystery, which stated the dispensation of Grace. Grace does not require anything of the Law, because the Law died with the death of Jesus.  It was like the wages of sin has been collected and paid for with the death of Jesus.   The age of grace started the “Body of Christ”.

Romans 6:23,  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Mystery is something that Paul revealed; Him is Jesus and my Gospel is Paul

Romans 16:25.  Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Look over the following list of Prophecy and the Mystery.


PROPHECY

1. Concerns a kingdom; a political organization (Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:10).

2. The kingdom to be established on earth(Jeremiah 23:5; Matthew 6:10).

3. Christ to be its King (Jeremiah 23:5; Isaiah 9:6, 7).

4. The kingdom prophesied “since the world began” (Luke 1:68-70; Acts 3:21).

5. Israel to be given supremacy over the nations (Isaiah 60:10-12; 61:6).

6. The Gentiles to be blessed through Israel’s instrumentality (Genesis 22:17, 18; Zechariah 8:13).

7. The Gentiles to be blessed through Israel’s rise (Isaiah 60:1-3; Zechariah 8:22, 23).

8. Prophecy mainly concerns nations as such (Isaiah 2:4; Ezekiel 37:21, 22).

9. Prophecy concerns blessings, both material and spiritual, on earth (Isaiah 2:3, 4; 11:1-9; etc.).

10. Prophecy concerns Christ’s coming to the earth (Isaiah 59:20; Zechariah 14:4).

11. In prophecy salvation by grace through faith alone is not contemplated.

12. The proclamation of the prophetic program com- mitted particularly tothe twelve (Matthew 10:5-7; Acts 1:6-8; 3:19-26).

13. The prophetic program revealed through many of God’s servants (Luke 1:70; II Peter 1:21).

14. Old testament writers frequently did not under- stand the prophecies made known through them (Daniel 12:8-10; I Peter 1:10-12).

The Mystery

1. Concerns a body; a living organism  (I Corinthians 12:12,27; Ephesians 4:12-16).

2. The body given a position in heaven (Ephesians 1:3; 2:5-6; Colossians 3:1-3).

3. Christ its living Head (Ephesians 1:19-23; Colossians 1:18).

4. The body chosen in Christ before the world be- gan, but “kept secret since the world began” (Romans 16:25; Ephesians 1:4-11; 3:5-9).

5. Jew and Gentile placed on the same level before god (Romans 10:12; 11:32; Ephesians 2:16,17).

6. The Gentiles blessed through Israel’s obstinacy (Acts 13:44-46; Romans 11:28-32).

7. The Gentiles blessed through Israel’s fall (Acts 28:27,28; Romans 11:11,12,15).

8. The mystery concerns individuals (Romans 10:12,13; II Corinthians 5:14-17).

9. The mystery concerns “all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies” (Ephesians 1:3; Colossians 3:1-3).

10. The mystery explains Christ’s present absence from the earth (Ephesians 1:20-23; Colossians 3:1-3).

11. Salvation by grace through faith alone lies at the very heart of the mystery (Romans 3:21-26; 4:5; Ephesians 2:8,9).

12. The proclamation of the mystery committed par- ticularly to Paul (Ephesians 3:1-3,8,9; Colossians 1:24-27).

13. The mystery revealed through one man: Paul (Galatians 1:1,11,12; 2:2,7,9; Ephesians 3:2,3).

14. Paul both understood and longed that others might understand the mystery revealed through him (Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:




 How God Saves Men
Believing Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
Read Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4


(A 10 Minute Video)


Posted By Cecil  and Connie Spivey 


    Share this Bible Message with your  friends













 











No comments:

Post a Comment