The BIG Picture (Q&A)

What is it about two programs, two agencies, two doctrines, and two destinations? I want you to spend a bit of your time considering these two bible passages, when you have a quiet moment to contemplate them. Read them carefully and attentively and see if you can spot the points of interest that I highlight in the small list below. First, read the passages....slowly 😉 Acts 3:19-25 (This is the apostle Peter speaking to Israel (Jews) on the day of Pentecost) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to...

Answer Request: Is Christ's Church built on Peter or all living stones of truth? Did God reveal the truth to Peter that Jesus is The Rock? The Greek word translated "church" in the New Testament is ekklesia . A literal translation of ekklesia would be "a called-out assembly" . Thus, when God calls one out, to separate them, it is for a purpose. In other words, there is a specific function that this entity should fulfil. For example, God separated the nation of Israel for a purpose. Israel can be identified as an  ekklesia,  (or church in modern English). Deut.7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. Num.23:9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people [Israel] shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. The function that Israel was to fulfil was t...

Answer Request: I have something I am wrestling with and have wondered if anyone has done any further studies on it: HELL and The lake of Fire: According to Revelation 20:13-15...Hell and the lake of fire is not the same: Rev.20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. As far as my understanding on the topic; hell and the lake of fire are two very different locations. Please note that there is much more detail to this topic, but I'll keep my answer short and plain. The word "hell" is translated as "grave" in both the Hebrew ("Sheol") and Greek ("Hades") languages. Hell therefore is a reference to the grave, which represents temporary d...

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...

No. They are not the same locations (or destinations). I'll keep this short as there is a lot that can be said about both "heaven" and "the Kingdom of God". Heaven is divided into three levels, (1) The 3rd heaven which is where God's throne is, (2) The 2nd heaven which is the created universe containing the stars, planets and other heavenly bodies (3) The 1st heaven which is the atmosphere around earth and where the bird and planes fly. (For example, Paul was taken up into the 3rd heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2) The Kingdom of God could have many meanings, but the meaning that it most predominant in the New Testament concerns the 1000-year earthly kingdom of Christ's literal and physical reign after the 7-year Tribulation, known as the Millennial Kingdom. The book of Matthew calls it the Kingdom of Heaven, because it is the Kingdom that comes from heaven to earth when Christ comes at His second coming. It is this Millennial Kingdom of Christ's earthly ...

A personal interpretation of the destinations of Israel and the Body of Christ according to a dispensational right division of scripture. Genesis 22:16-17 ... By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou [Abraham] hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son [from sacrifice]: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; In the above reiteration of the covenant promise to Abraham, God mentions two very different locations. The stars and the sand. Now what is significant of these? Why did God speak of these two locations? There MUST be a reason! Nothing God says is insignificant or meaningless! So, in order to understand the meaning of this, we need to look into other scripture for confirmation. Scripture must interpret scripture! Before we continue, I want to point out that this is not the ON...

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–...

Before we tackle this question, let's just define the Kingdom and the Grace programs so as to maintain context through the rest of this post. The Kingdom program belongs to the Jews who believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Those saved into this law program have a future hope of an earthly inheritance, the Millennial Kingdom. Those who have died will be resurrected at the 2nd Coming of Christ. The remnant who are alive at Jesus 2nd coming will enter, together with those who were resurrected, into this 1000-year period of Christs reign. The Grace program belongs to ALL who believe in the grace gospel of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Those saved into this Grace program experience a current and assured salvation, and have a heavenly inheritance, and eternal destination. Those who have died are already present with the Lord. Those who are alive, at the end of this dispensation, will be silently raptured into the heavens and into Christ's presence. After this rap...

Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait [narrow] gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [narrow] is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. When Jesus spoke these words, He was speaking to the Jews who were under the law of Moses. The narrow gate was in reference to living by the Mosaic law. The law brought about many constraints that made life challenging and 'narrow' . The wide road represented a way of life with no constraints, no demands, and no expectations. Those who ignored the law lived as they pleased and hence the road was wide and easy, but the end of it was destruction. The concept of the narrow gate and the wide gate is trans-dispensational and still applies today in this present age of grace, however the circumstances that determine the narrow from the wide have changed. Today, it is not the Mosaic law that determines the...

Information about our heavenly inheritance cannot be found in the Old Testament or in the Gospels. It is revealed only by revelation through the apostle Paul. Our inheritance is the part of our salvation that happens in the future, either when we die or are raptured up.  Eph.1:13-14 In whom 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, 14 Which is the earnest [guarantee] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.  Col.3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.  Now this is important, don't confuse your inheritance as a child of God today in heaven with Israel's inheritance on earth when they enter into the Millennial Kingdom. They are not the same. We w...