Part
1 of 17 -
Introduction
to "The Last Gospel"
Most
Christians do not recognize that the gospel that the Apostle Paul preached
is absolutely unique and that his distinctive gospel is the last or
"final gospel," actually completing the word of God.
Most
Christians and Pastor/teachers in evangelical and fundamental circles
fail to acknowledge and heed Paul as the unique “Apostle to
the Gentiles” (Rom 11:13), and the
“the mystery” gospel that he preached. This failure is the primary
cause of the confusion and divisions we see among an admittedly
widely divided Christianity. Their reluctance, if not intransigence,
toward seeing Paul’s ministry and message as being different from the
ministry of “Jesus of
Nazareth
” and “the twelve” is
what causes a perception of "seeming" contradictions in the
Bible. These contradictions disappear when we see Paul and his
mystery gospel as unique.
When
the Bible is studied properly and seen correctly, as being “dispensational,”
we will see that there are no contradictions in the Bible. We must
view the Bible dispensationally if we are to see what God has had as His
eternal plan and purpose since “before
the world began.” 1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak
the wisdom of God in a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom, which God
ordained before the world unto our glory:
The
Bible reveals Two Gospels. - One for Believing
Israel
and, - One for the Gentile “Body
of Christ”
Peter's
“gospel of the Kingdom," as given to “the
twelve,” was preached to "the circumcision,"
to the Jews ONLY, NOT
the Gentiles, per Jesus' instructions seen here. Matthew
10:5-7 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
. 7 And as ye go, preach,
saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Thus, Peter's
gospel concerns "The Messianic Kingdom" to come to
earth, as was long promised to Abraham's seed. Jesus continued to
reinforce the distinction between Jew and Gentile (Matt
15:24).
The
Bible is mostly filled with that which concerns this gospel
of The Kingdom,
for
Israel
. Now note below the sequence and continuity of Biblical happenings as
they relate to this Kingdom gospel for
Israel
.
1)
The Kingdom Gospel... was
promised to
Abraham's seed, for them to bless the nations.
Genesis
17:7-8 And I
will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee
in their generations for an everlasting
covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And
I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the
land wherein thou art a stranger, all the
land
of
Canaan
, for an everlasting possession;
and I will be their God.
Genesis
18:18 Seeing
that Abraham shall surely become a
great and mighty nation, and all
the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Genesis 22:18 …in
thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou
hast obeyed my voice.
2) The
Kingdom Gospel was
announced to
Israel
as then being "at hand" by John the
Baptist and Jesus. Then Jesus expanded upon and explained the Kingdom
after His resurrection for 40 days.
Matthew
10:5-7 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
. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The
kingdom of (from)
heaven is at hand.
Acts 1:3 To whom also he (Jesus)
shewed himself alive after his passion (after
His resurrection) …seen of them
forty days, and speaking of the
things pertaining to the
kingdom
of
God
:
Acts
1:6 When they therefore
were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord,
wilt thou at this time restore
again the kingdom to
Israel
?
3) The
Kingdom was offered
after Pentecost to “Ye
men of
Israel
” (Acts 2:14, 22, 3:22) by Peter, and then the twelve disciples
of Jesus (See Acts 2-3, 8:12).
4)
The Kingdom was placed in abeyance after the Jews
made a final rejection of the salvation of God and the Messiah by stoning
Stephen to death (See Romans 11:25, Act 28:28).
5)
The Kingdom will be
fulfilled in the Millennium and then as an everlasting Kingdom on
the new earth. (See James to Revelation)
Note
that the forgoing progression of events all concern the Kingdom
promised to
Israel
. From this we may also note that most of the Bible speaks of God's
promised literal, physical, Kingdom on earth for
Israel
. This Kingdom was prophesied, written of, and preached by the twelve
disciples before Paul
was even converted, some several years after the cross. The Kingdom Gospel
will be fulfilled after the rapture of "the body of
Christ" (written
of only by Paul). The Bible’s Canon, by its order of books,
reveals that the books appearing both before
and
after Paul's writings, principally concern
Israel
and the promised Messianic Kingdom to come to earth.
Now
by contrast, Paul's
calling, experience, and gospel message is seemingly inserted
into the Bible Canon as something different and new, as a
parenthesis that interrupts God's plan for Israel
and the coming Kingdom on earth.
Paul
says his gospel message is the
last or final gospel.
Colossians
1:25-27 Whereof
I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God
which is given to me for you, to
fulfil (Greek, pleroo, complete
or finalize) the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which hath
been hid from ages and from generations,
but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would
make known what is the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Paul's
gospel is the last distinctive gospel message to be inserted into the
Bible, in the midst of the all-pervasive gospel that concerns the Kingdom
promised to Israel; Paul’s comes after
the books that record the promises and prophesy concerning
the Kingdom, and Paul's epistles appear before
the fulfillment of the already then existing prophecies
concerning that same gospel of the Kingdom on earth for Israel. This
“last Gospel” was given to Paul, for the Gentiles. This “last
gospel, which was revealed by the
ascended Christ to Paul, was a totally new gospel, being based upon the
100% pure “grace of God.”
It is based upon the grace that flows from the cross of Christ, and yet it
is entirely unrelated to
Israel
's Messianic Kingdom coming to earth.
I
trust that this study series may help put the whole Bible in better
perspective and help you in your studies of the word of God
"rightly divided" (Tim 2:15). Such study adds to our
appreciation of the riches that are unique to the plan
of God that had been "kept secret since before the
world began" (Rom
16:25), which was revealed to Paul for us to enjoy in this day of “the
dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2).
