The BIG Picture (Q&A)

What are the differences between the Law and the Mystery programs?   This important question, neglected by many believers is answered by Paul’s epistles. Knowing the mystery program (as opposed to the Law) will help us to live according to the plan and will that God administers in the world today, as well as prevent confusion and malpractice of His Word. (Qualifying scriptures: Rom.11:13; 1 Cor.14:37–38; Rom.16:25–26) The Catching Away (aka the Rapture) Continuing in this series of new content introduced by Paul, the next new truth given to Paul was about the rapture, the calling up of the Body of Christ. 1 Cor 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, ... Here's a truth that's been hidden in the mind of God since before the foundations of the earth, but it's now revealed to Paul to share with the believers of his gospel. Everything that was revealed to the apostle Paul is a mystery, and this i...

By using the content of the New Testament, we can trace where Jesus has been since His resurrection, and how He will return at the end of the ages. After Resurrection Jesus was in a glorified body for 40 days in Jerusalem, appearing to His inner group of friends, disciples and eventually to many people, Mary Magdalene, John 20:14-16 Mary The Mother Of James, Salome, And Joanna, Matthew 28:9 Peter, Luke 24:34 Two Disciples On The Emmaus Road, Luke 24:13-16 The Disciples, John 20:26-28 Over Five Hundred People, 1 Corinthians 15:6 James, 1 Corinthians 15:7 After He Ascended After Jesus ascended, He remained in a position “in the clouds”. Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. This position is in a spiritual context. A cloud of glory hid Jesus from the sight of the disciples, but Jesus remained in this ‘invisible’ position in the clouds of glory due to two reasons, (1) If Israel were to believe the test...

What are the differences between the Law and the Mystery programs?   This important question, neglected by many believers is answered by Paul’s epistles. Knowing the mystery program (as opposed to the Law) will help us to live according to the plan and will that God administers in the world today, as well as prevent confusion and malpractice of His Word. (Qualifying scriptures: Rom.11:13; 1 Cor.14:37–38; Rom.16:25–26) The Body of Christ Another new truth revealed to Paul was information about "the Body of Christ" . We know this is from Paul because nobody else ever knew about, spoke of, or wrote about the Body of Christ before Paul came on the scene. Paul was saved in Acts 9, and its only after this and in his writings that you hear of this name. Rom.7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the Law by the Body of Christ; ... 1 Cor.10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the co...

Unlike some other languages, modern English employs the words "you" and "your" as both singular and plural forms of the second person pronoun. This can make the use of the pronoun "you" confusing. Is it singular, or is it plural? Modern English speakers often use clarifying phrases such as "you two," "you people," "all of you," or "you all" when they mean "you" in the plural rather than the singular. Both the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Koine Greek of the New Testament maintain the distinction between the singular and plural forms of "you" that have been lost in modern English. This presents a problem in modern English translations, whereas in Old English, the distinctions were clear. The uses of "you", "ye", "thou", and "thee", in the King James Bible, are not arbitrary choices. They clarified meaning.  ...

The Bible speaks of two types of resurrections:  (1) The Resurrections of the Righteous and (2) the resurrection of the Unrighteous. Jesus and Paul plainly declared two basic resurrections: John 5:28 "for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out— those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. " Acts 24:15 having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, that there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous; (Also see: Daniel 12:2) As you can see, there will be resurrections of both the righteous and unrighteous. This doesn't mean, however, that there will only be two resurrections in number, just that there are two TYPES of resurrections :  The resurrection of the righteous (called "first resurrection", Revelation 20:5-6) ...

Answer Request: Will God be a just Judge in the future if He punishes unbelievers and sinners with a quick second death on the day of judgment that will last only a few seconds and minutes depending on how serious the sin is? Each believer has a different interpretation of what happens after death and what it means to be cast into the lake of fire at the second death. Although I have my own interpretation on these issues I will not diverge into those details as they are irrelevant, irrespective of what interpretation one holds. The bottom line to this question is not how quickly or not a person will last in the second judgement, or if it is an eternal hell of suffering or an instant destruction of the soul and lifeforce of that person. The bottom line is that God is not just ABSOLUTELY just, but that He is JUSTICE personified. Every person throughout history will have had many "moments" occur in their life where they became aware of God and His existence, (Rom.1)...

What are the differences between the Law and the Mystery programs?  This important question, neglected by many believers is answered by Paul’s epistles. Knowing the mystery program (as opposed to the Law) will help us to live according to the plan and will that God administers in the world today, as well as prevent confusion and malpractice of His Word. (Qualifying scriptures: Rom.11:13; 1 Cor.14:37–38; Rom.16:25–26) The Gospel of Grace Another thing given to Paul, that was different from the Law program, was the truth about the gospel of grace. It is a gospel that no one knew about previously. It states the following in Acts,  Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.  Today we are saved by the gospel of grace (Rom.1:16). This is a completely new and different gospel from the one that...

What are the differences between the Law and the Mystery programs?  This important question, neglected by many believers is answered by Paul’s epistles. Knowing the mystery program (as opposed to the Law) will help us to live according to the plan and will that God administers in the world today, as well as prevent confusion and malpractice of His Word. (Qualifying scriptures: Rom.11:13; 1 Cor.14:37–38; Rom.16:25–26) Dispensation of Grace First of all, let's look at the name of the dispensation that we're living in. Paul reveals it in Ephesians. Eph.3:1-3 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; ... This dispensation of grace started with Paul's conversion at about 35AD, so it's been active for a little less than 2000 years already. We know it started with Paul's conversion as he clearly st...

Answer Request: Is it okay to take a break from Christianity and come back to it when I feel my faith is real? There is so much to say in answering this question. In short, as a believer, you are not under law, but under grace. God is not holding a sword to your neck. He gives you liberty to live your life as you choose. God is not going to punish you if you sin. Punishment and grace are opposed to each other. What will come to you is consequences. This is not by God’s hand, but simply a universal law of what you sow you reap! If you choose to go out sinning, you will reap the consequences of those actions. If you abuse substances, you will have to live with the consequences of the overdose and the results of your actions while in that state. Your question is an interesting one, but we have to look at it from a different angle. —If you are truly saved, you are changed from the inside. Your heart is changed and the motivation to take a break from Christianity, or delve into...

The 66 books of the Bible were written by about 40 different writers, who lived in different countries, spoke different languages and came from different backgrounds. The writers included a king, a doctor, a herdsman, a tax collector, a theologian, a scribe, a fisherman, etc., and their writings spread over a period of 1500 years, so there could be no collusion or communication. Think of it, 40 different writers, spread over 55 generations, producing 66 books; and yet when these books are placed together there is a perfect unity and harmony about them, and they all fit together like a jigsaw. There is not one single proved inaccuracy in the whole Bible (KJV). The Bible is accurate historically, geographically, genealogically, scientifically, psychologically, typologically, and verbally. The revelation of truth we have in the Bible is progressively given, and by the time we get to the Book of Revelation we have a perfect and complete body of truth. In the 66 books there is everything we...

A person that blatantly sins and does not feel bad about it is (1) either not saved, or (2) they have responded to the gospel but have a badly seared conscience (1Tim.4:2), or a rebellious mind that desperately needs to be renewed by the life and love of the Word of God. To start answering your question, I must draw your attention to the fact that we have the known moral (or universal) sins like, murder, stealing, adultery, bearing false witness, coveting, etc. The Bible is clear that these are sins and any spirit-led believer will know that they sin if they do these, whether they feel bad or not! But, what about sins that are not clearly listed in the Bible? How do we actually know "what is sin?" In other words, if you do not know you are sinning, you will not feel bad! Right? If you are not being convicted of doing wrong, by that 'bad' feeling, then are you actually doing wrong? Well, no ——unless its those moral sins listed above! So, to answer "what is sin...

The bible clearly lists various things as sins and therefore it is easy to know that these things are morally wrong. Things like, idolatry, greed, covetousness, lying, gluttony, complaining, murder, bribery, stealing, gossip, jealousy, adultery, etc. These and many more are either a violation of God's moral laws or a violation of moral and ethical laws set out by an authority like a government or ruling entity. Violating these causes you to fall into sin and probably face some form of consequences. But what about things that are not so obvious? Is smoking a sin? Is drinking a sin? What about anger, or not giving to the needy, or hurting someone's feelings? Do I sin if I choose not to go to church or if I want that extra piece of cake? What happens if I get a speeding ticket? Have I sinned in God's eyes for violating a law on the road? The list can go on and on, so the question remains, how do I know when something is a sin, especially if it is not as obvious, and not necess...

Answer Request: Can demonic possession or oppression leave a lasting effect on your mind and body even after being cast out? Being exorcized is a spiritual act. It does not have anything to do with the mind. It’s the same with getting saved. When God saves you, your mind is still filled with all your sinful acts and thoughts. After being exorcized, the demonic oppressions will be gone, but you will still have the thoughts and memories of the things before. The point I’m making is that it is up to you to renew your mind. The more you fill your mind and thoughts with the Word of God, the more His character and thoughts and desires will start to take precedence. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things ar...

Answer Request: When Jesus asked the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit and power, what were they supposed to use the power for? The role of the Holy Spirit over Israel is far more than just to empower them for miracles and signs, but, in the context of your question, this is the case . Since the days of Moses, when Israel was in Egypt and then in the wilderness, they followed after the signs that God provided. In actual fact, God made a covenant with Israel to let them know that He would do signs before them to prove His Word. Exodus 34:10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels , such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. It is because of this that we read later in the Bible that Jews require a sign. 1 Cor.1:22 For the Jews require a sign , and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we p...

Answer Request: One thing I'm having trouble with is understanding how the Lord Jesus is FAR ABOVE ALL THINGS, yet we with Him? I'm not sure if I understand the context of this question, but when Jesus ascended into heaven he ascended in stages (as you probably know). He ascended into the clouds, then into that place above the brightness of the sun, then into that place FAR ABOVE ALL. This is in my view, the place at the right hand of God the Father in the 3rd heaven. We are joined to Him when He comes back down into that place above the brightness of the sun, that place from which the "Shout" will go out for us to meet with Him in the rapture. So, in the context of how the Lord Jesus is FAR ABOVE ALL THINGS, it is the place He occupies right now, at the right hand of God. Answer Request: And then seeing Him AS THE LAMB in Rev.5 and trying to see how the transition happens. Will we see that scene in Rev.5? Why or why not? N...