The BIG Picture (Q&A)

Barring verses that clarify the grace gospel, and which saves ones life for eternity, I want to highlight the following verse that I encountered at the beginning of my 'rightly dividing' journey. This verse made me stop and truly consider that there is more to the Bible than just what one reads on the surface. It proved to me that there was more than one gospel message and it informed me of mysteries that I had never encountered before. I was intrigued by Paul's statements and thus began my journey into right division and dispensational study. The verse below has two statements that I had NEVER been taught in all the churches I had attended. These two statements changed the course of my Christian walk and revealed deeper truths of the Word of God that I had never seen before! Today, because of deeper understanding of this verse, I am stronger in faith, grounded in truth and teaching God's Word at every opportunity I can. What are the two statements? Rom.16:25 Now to him...

Answer Request: I'm in despair. I feel like I won't be forgiven for my sins. God doesn't love me. There's no hope for me anymore. I give up on my journey to salvation. What should I do? The first thing to understand is that faith is not feeling . Faith is not in your head or in your emotions. What is faith? It is a confident knowing that something is true even if you don't feel it. It's a choice you make and a stance you take without the evidence to back it up. Now, the above is important to understand! It is important that you come to the position of accepting it as true. So, read it again and let it sink in. With the above truth let me bring you to one of the most famous scripture passages in the bible. Let's look at this verse through the eyes of faith, not feeling! John 3:16 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. 17 For God sent not his S...

Answer Request: How do I stop believing in religion? It seems self-evident that there's a God, but this stuff ties into my self hatred and I want it gone. You might be surprised to hear this, but the religions of the world, including most of Christianity, all have this thing in common; laws and traditions! These laws and traditions are the fabrication of men so that they can measure themselves up against righteousness and commend themselves for the good job they are doing to please God. Its a performance and acceptance system that is not what God asked of us, neither wants from us. When God gave Israel the 10 commandments, its primary objective was to show Israel that even these 10 commands could not be kept! These 10 commandments were to be a tutor for Israel to lead them to Christ… 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, ...

The four gospels are a reflection of the life and purpose of Christ. God selected 4 Jewish apostles to document the life of Jesus Christ from 4 different views, or characteristics. Let me outline these in summary: There are 4 “BEHOLD” prophecies that represent how Israel should recognize their Messiah. Zech 9:9 Behold your King comes Zech 3:8 Behold my Servant Zech 6:12 Behold the Man Isa 40:9 Behold your God There are 4 BRANCH prophecies that define the characteristics of the Messiah. Jer 23:5 ...a righteous BRANCH and a King shall reign...in the earth. Zech 3:8 ...my Servant the BRANCH. Zech 6:12 ...man whose name is The BRANCH; Isa 4:2 ...the BRANCH of the LORD... The gospels also harmonies with the prophecies that describe the 4 faces and characteristics of God as specified in Ezek.1:10 and Rev.4:7 Matthew = Jesus as King (LION – MESSIAH/KING OF THE JEWS) – genealogy of Matthew traces back to "King" David and the promised "Kingdom" (Land) through Abraham. Mark =...

1 Corinthians 1:22 "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:". Today there is much discussion in Christendom about signs, miracles, and wonders. Charismatic preachers filled with the supposed "Holy Ghost" claim they cast out devils, handle snakes, speak in tongues, heal the sick, and, yes, allegedly raise the dead! The Bible does teach these practices, but they are NOT the way God is working today. The grace dispensation in operation today focuses on faith and trusting Gods Word, not by relying on signs and wonders. Unquestionably, the Lord Jesus Christ told His apostles to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils" (Matthew 10:8). He instructed them to "cast out devils," "speak with new tongues," "take up serpents," drink poison, and "lay hands on the sick [so] they shall recover" (Mark 16:17,18). But, notice the context—...

Answer Request: Do you think the God you believe in would send perfectly good people to Hell just because they don’t believe in Him? God is a God of LOVE, and that is proven in no small means by Him choosing to sacrifice His only beloved Son on the cross to save us. John 3:16 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. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 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. The point is that God DID EVERYTHING He needed to do to provide us salvation (The scripture above confirms that!) . So, the choice about heaven or hell therefore lies with us . The ball is in our court!! In addition to this, the truth is clear that salvation is not in what we DO (Eph.2:8–...

Answer Request: Is baptism compulsory to receive the Holy Spirit, go to heaven, and become a Christian? If you look at the ordinance of baptism in the context of the whole Word, then you will see it is a Jewish practice belonging to the program of Law. Baptism in this program of Grace today is absolutely not required for salvation as one's faith is placed utterly and solely in the knowing that Christ's cross-work is the only works that is necessary for your salvation , Gal.5:3-4, Rom.11:6. The Ordinance of Baptism: Water baptism is a widely disputed subject in churches today and disputes can range from it not being necessary to it being an absolute requirement for salvation. Furthermore, if it is practiced, how must it be done and in what name must it be committed. Churches have been split based on peoples beliefs and so much confusion still exists regarding this subject, simply because many misunderstand the topic and do not rightly divide the truth to bring it int...

Answer Request: Can you get to heaven without the Holy Spirit? In the Kingdom program (for the Jews under the Mosaic Law), receiving the the Holy Spirit was a very necessary step within the salvation process. Peter in his Acts sermon to the Jewish crowds, said the following, Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost . 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. The order of this observation was also of great importance. Without going into great detail, the ordaining of a priest (according to Mosaic Law in the Old Testament) was for a person to be (1) from the tribe of Levi. Then (2) they had to be washed w...

Answer Request: How do I get the gift of tongues from the Holy Spirit? In this Kingdom dispensation, the program of Israel under the law, the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was so that the disciples could receive power to be witnesses of, and be able to testify with signs that Jesus was the Christ and Israel's Messiah. The Holy Spirit would empower them to speak in tongues, to prophecy, to bring things to remembrance (John 14:26) and provide "signs" or miracles to validate their message during the Acts period. Remember that for Jews to believe a prophet or an apostle, they required signs to validate the message.  The sign of tongues, (which was the ability to speak in other discernable, and intelligible languages, and not unintelligible words ), was so that the disciples could proclaim the gospel to Jews of many different nations who were in Jerusalem at that time for Shavuot (or the "Festival of Weeks"). Also Je...

Many Christians believe that the New Jerusalem, the city of gold, will descend from heaven AFTER the Millennial Kingdom, and onto a  new earth . Since Revelation 21 starts with these words,  "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." , many bible students think that the timing here is the beginning of eternity, the beginning of the dispensation of the fulness of the times. But one might be surprised to learn that this is NOT the case. The New Jerusalem will descend to earth at the BEGINNING of the Millennial Kingdom. Let me present you with scripture and a few points of reasoning to justify my conviction. Revelation 20 concludes with the final war at the  END  of the Millennium. Through deception, Satan causes countless Millennial inhabitants to rebel, but God destroys this upstirring quickly with fire from heaven. Satan is cast into the lake of fire and the Great White Throne judgem...

Answer Request If I commit sins on earth and live a bad life but I am saved, are the consequences of those sins eternal? If so, how do I have a change of mind about my sins? As a grace believer, that is, if you have heard and responded in faith to the grace gospel , your sins are removed from you and placed upon the body and cross of Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus took the blame for every sin you commit and it was placed upon Him as if He was the one who did the sin. This is why God, who cannot look upon sin (Hab.1:13), forsook Jesus and left Him alone at the cross. Remember, on the cross Jesus cried out "My God, why have you forsaken me!" (Matt.27:45-46) It's a sobering thought to understand that your sin, whether you fall in moments of weakness, or choose to do it, is placed on Christ and that He suffered the wrath of God for you. So, the bottom line is that those sins are not counted against you today. This is the absolute marvel of G...

Consider a plan or project. Logically, it has a starting point and an end. Between the start and end there are a series of steps, or actions, that navigate those involved in the project to the end result. If there is deviation from the planned steps or actions, the project flow is disrupted and complications can occur. Now, let me get to my point. Have you ever considered the bible to be the plan, or project that God put together for the redemption of humanity. This I'll prove with scripture shortly, but if the bible is a plan, then it will logically have a starting and an end. Between the start and end there will be a series of steps or actions that will lead those involved to the end result. And, should I venture to say that, if these steps get mixed up or deviated from, it would cause complications, misunderstandings and confusion. I'm sure you can see where I'm going to with this. Using this simple example above, I aim to draw your attention to the critical importance o...

There are many persons that use the Lord's prayer as a template for their prayers. This of course is fine if you take its structure as an example and start with affirmations and worship, then pray about your needs and ask for provision, protection, and strength in your daily walk. It is not a good idea to pray the prayer word for word however. Why not? It is because the words within this prayer example are connected to the Jewish Kingdom program and is not relevant for you and I today. Let's first start by looking at the prayer example that Jesus taught his disciples,  Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come , Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors . 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Now let's...

The book of Acts revolves primarily around two apostles, Peter and Paul . Since these two apostles ministered to different audiences, one would expect that the content of their teachings be different. And so they were! Galatians 2:7-8 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles) One can learn a lot about the difference between the Law and Grace programs, and also concerning the doctrines that are applicable to these two programs when one compares the ministry of Peter and Paul side-by-side. What was the difference between Peter and Paul in regards to their ministry, their doctrine and their audiences? Follow the link below to the main site of "The BIG Picture" and work yourself through the comparison table. It will clearly show the truths of the cha...

Paul declared that he fulfilled (completed) the Word, (Colossians 1:25). Does this mean that he wrote the last epistle? No. There are other New Testament books, according to chronology and general consensus, that were written after 2 Timothy. Paul's declaration is not so much to do with the numerical order of the books, but more to do with the written content that caused him to bring about the completion of the canon of scripture. So, what is in the content that makes it significant? The writings of Paul introduced a brand new gospel and body of doctrine for the Grace Dispensation. This grace doctrine that Paul wrote, is the last 'new' revelations that God provided humanity by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and pertain to how humanity is to live in the time of His grace. These epistles completed the writings that make up scripture. Even though other books, like the book of Revelation, may have been written later than Paul's epistles, the information contained in R...

Matt.16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  We are probably all familiar with parts of this text above. The part I want to draw attention to i...

Understanding the order in which Paul wrote his epistles is of great importance because it helps us to determine the progression of the revelations that Paul received from the Lord. One must be aware that the Lord did not reveal ALL details of the Grace Program to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Even during the 3 years that Paul spent in Arabia, it was not sufficient time to learn all the intricacies of the full revelation of grace. Furthermore, we can gather that Paul got even more revelation of hidden things of the heavenly program when he was stoned (Acts 14:19) and, either close to death, or having died, he was shown things pertaining to God's grace and the heavenly program while in spirit and in the 3rd heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2).  As Paul writes his epistles, from the book of Galatians to the second book of Timothy (chronological order of the 13 epistles), we (as the reader or student) are taken from the initial revelations of grace salvation, progressively, and ever...