End-Time Prophecy Enthusiast

Dear friend, 

I can appreciate your desire to share your end-time prophecy materials with me--I was like you, at one time.  Learning about end-time prophecy consumed me for close to 23 years.  But there came a time I had to step back and ask myself: is that all there is? After all, there is a whole bible that God preserved for me, shouldn’t I be concerned with that and check it out, as well?  

Tho I had been taken to church faithfully by my mother, it wasn’t until I was 28 years old that God got my attention.  I finally came face to face with the scripture that told me one day God was going to ‘catch away’ the Christians (1 Cor 15:51-4 KJB), and that seven years of Tribulation would follow, the likes of which has never been seen before, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21 KJB).   You see, the Rapture is strictly Pauline doctrine, it is part of the Mystery that Christ revealed to Paul—something that no denominational church I had ever gone to had ever mentioned/preached before, or since!   It [the doctrine of the rapture] is for the church, the body of Christ and does not pertain to Israel in Time Past, nor has it ever.  No Jew back then ever looked forward to going to heaven as we do, today.  In fact, they were to pray that the kingdom of heaven would come to earth (Matthew 6:10 KJB).   Well that sermon caught my attention like nothing ever had in all my church-going years.  I got scared, as I didn’t want to be left behind.  That was the beginning of my getting serious with God. 

Fast forward six years 
We moved to the cities where I had access to and attended at least three end-time prophecy conferences, faithfully, every fall for ~20 years.   I was fixated with end-time prophecy, with christian books/novels, with christian music and concerts, with christian this and that—everything but the actual doctrine the Lord revealed from heaven to Paul over the course of his life for me, as a Gentile. It wasn’t until I came across a bible teacher that taught the bible, verse by verse, from a Pauline perspective that the scriptures began to make sense.  I began having questions answered that until that time I’d only ever asked in my heart.  The confusion dissipated when I understood that while the whole bible is for us, not all the bible is to us.  He, like no other bible teacher I’d come across, actually made the scriptures understandable.  He taught with the authority of the scriptures; he didn’t repeat things he’d learned in seminary school.  (Truth be told, he never did go to seminary, just read and believed his bible; which we are to do.)

FOUNDATIONAL DIFFERENCES – Things that differ are different

He showed the verses that teach Jesus in his earthly ministry say specifically that he’d come only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 15:24  KJB).  In other words, Jesus said in no uncertain terms that he’d come to the “house of Israel,” aka Jews only.   (It’s important to separate Jesus’ ministry to the Jews while on earth, and Christ’s ministry to the nations [Jew and Gentile] after ascending to the Father.)

He pointed out that after the Romans and Jews killed Jesus, Christ appeared to Paul from heaven, commissioning him as an apostle [i.e., the ‘sent one’] (Romans 11:13 KJB) to the Gentiles revealing “the mystery” to him to take to the world. (Romans 1:1, 3; 16:25; Eph 3:2-5 KJB)  Paul’s ministry (apostleship) to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery (Romans 11:13; Eph 3:9 KJB).

Friend, can I ask you, have you ever been taught what the mystery, even the hidden wisdom of God is by any bible teacher? (1 Cor 2:7 KJB)  Could you tell me what that now-revealed mystery of God is?  The secret things of the Lord our God (Deuteronomy 29:29 KJB) as spoken about in his word of truth?  Every believer should be able to.  That is why the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Paul to take to the nations—to reveal those secret things of His hidden wisdom.  But, churches are not teaching what Paul was given, i.e., doctrine about the dispensation of the grace of God. But rather they are teaching kingdom doctrine which was for the Jews at that time (and will be again after the true church is removed from the earth.)

GOD TURNS TO THE GENTILES

You see, Israel rejected her prophets sent of God.  She rejected her Messiah, the Son of God.   And, finally, she rejected the Holy Spirit as he spoke through Stephen.  Three strikes and they were out…so to speak.  Actually, they have only been set aside for a season.  Christ then turned to the Gentiles by appearing to Saul on the road to Damascus, commissioning him with the ‘greater commission’ to go to the Gentiles.  (Did you know that there is no verse stating “Great Commission?”  That is a term made up by man with no scriptural basis; rather, it is invented out of context.)

Israel had 12 apostles for the 12 tribes; but we, the [one true] church, the body of Christ only have one, and Christ so designated Saul/Paul. We are not to follow the 12 Jewish apostles, as they followed the Law of Moses.   Rather, we are to follow Paul, as he follows Christ, preaching the gospel given exclusively to Paul, that which stablishes us according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began.  (Romans 16: 16-17, 25-26; 1 Corinthians 11:1 KJB)

There are many teachers out there (1 Cor 4:15 KJB), but unless they acknowledge Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles and rightly divide the word of truth, they are not who we should be following. 

~If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I [Paul] write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. [1 Cor 14:37 KJB]

RIGHT DIVISION

I’m not sure if you know what it means to rightly divide the word of truth.  While man has divided the bible into an Old Testament and a New Testament, God has divided his word into that (1) which was spoken since the world began, aka “prophecy;” and (2) that which has been kept secret until it was revealed to Paul, aka “the mystery.”  That is how God divided it, and we are not to mix the two together: one is of the law, the other is of grace.  (Acts 3:21; Romans 6:15; 16:25; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; Eph 2:7, 11, 13; 2 KJB)      

Some have referred to the bible as God’s love letter to mankind.  That’s more than a tad simplistic, but it works if one understands it is actually two letters: one to Israel, instructing and preparing them who believe God (i.e., take God at his word to them) so as to be his sons that will be a peculiar and royal priesthood--destined to rule with and serve him on earth; and the other to the Gentiles (now both Jew and Gentiles [Rom 2:11 KJB] in his sight) so that those who take God at his word to them will become his sons and daughters, a peculiar people zealous of good works, aka as the church, the body of Christ—destined for his heavenly realm.  (In Prophecy, to the Jews: Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 14:2; 26:18; Psalm 135:4; 1 Peter 2:9. In the Mystery, revealed to the Gentiles:  Titus 2:14)   

So you see, friend, I appreciate your zeal for the Lord, but please know it is misplaced .  It is not according to the knowledge God would have us [Gentiles in the dispensation of grace] function in our walk with him.  (Our doctrine, today, is found only in Romans thru Philemon…only!)  The Spirit is not leading us in that which was spoken by the prophets of God in Israel’s times past, nor in the ages to come (when Israel once again will be brought off the shelf, so to speak, and once again God will do a work in them). The Spirit is leading us in the Lord’s commandments given to Paul in this the dispensation of the grace of God. 

The vast majority of Christendom, aka religious denominations, is blinded by the Master Deceiver from seeing the gospel that stablishes them in the faith that saves (2 Cor 4:4 KJB), i.e., the doctrine given to Paul by the risen ascended Lord Jesus Christ: the glorious gospel of Christ (aka, Paul’s gospel [Romans 2:16 KJB]—found only in Romans thru Philemon.  

Again, it’s important to understand: while ALL the bible is FOR us, it is not all written TO us.

ONE MORE THING, if you’ll allow me

After we are caught away we will have ‘our day in court’ before the Judgment Seat of Christ wherein we will be judged according to Paul’s gospel (Romans 2:16 KJB), and the things we did here on earth.   If we don’t “labour with God” in what he is doing in this dispensation of grace everything we do is wood, hay, and stubble, and as such, will be burned up and we will suffer loss. That is why we must study our doctrine, Pauline doctrine, to see what God would have us, as members of the body of Christ, be doing so as to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man (Eph 3:16 KJB).  All else will be burned up and we will suffer loss.  (1 Corinthians 3:9-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10 KJB)

So, thank you for thinking of me, but no thank you, but, I am not interested in your end-time prophecy materials.  Rather, let me please encourage you to let God be true and every man a liar (Romans 3:4 KJB) and put your trust in the Lord, not your confidence in a man (Psalm 118:8 KJB) …any man, particularly if his words don’t line up with scripture, rightly divided. (There are no ‘end-time prophecy’ teachers for us to be following today.  However, we certainly are in the last days of God’s now-revealed Mystery program, not Israel’s Prophecy program.) In fact, God tells us explicitly to not have anything to do with a man that teaches contrary to Pauline doctrine.

~Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. [Romans 16:17 KJB]

There are many rightly divided Grace articles and resources on this blog that I hope you’ll not resist the truth of the grace doctrine, but consider and search out for yourself as a true Berean (Acts 17:11 KJB) so as to progress in your spiritual growth in the Lord (2 Timothy 3:7-9 KJB).  God takes his word very seriously (Psalm 138:2 KJB).  We need to too! …studying all of it, rightly divided. (2 Timothy 2: 15 KJB)

The Kingdom of God includes heaven and earth (Gen 1:1 KJB). The faithful of Israel are destined to be resurrected back on earth to serve the Lord Jesus Christ as a royal priesthood on earth; the body of Christ is destined to the heavenly places to serve Him there (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6 KJB).  

I pray you will consider, and search out what I've shared here.

Grace and Peace,

Your friend 

P.S.  When considering rightly dividing the word of truth, there are many questions that come up because it is so very different from anything we ever learned in church.    If you truly want to know God, then his perfectly preserved word in English found in the King James Bible is where to go reading it from a correct perspective: His!  If you have any questions, I’d be happy to help in any way that I can.  I don’t have all the answers, but I’d be happy to try and find them for (and with) you. 

~And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. [1 Cor 8:2 KJB]