I have (2) so far!
- No. 1. I have to admit I cried when I read this Amazon review. I praise God for opening this woman’s eyes to the wonder of His rightly divided Word. Sometimes I feel like no one is getting what I’m saying when it seems so clear to me, thinking maybe it’s my writing style. So I’ve posted this not to look like a pat on my back, but so you could read someone else’s words describing what I’m trying to say! Here’s her comment:
The Single Most Helpful Book in Understanding the Bible as a Whole.
I love this book! It is so much more than a book about the Rapture! It has priceless wisdom on other bible doctrines, and provides a foundation of truth that makes understanding the rest of the bible SO MUCH EASIER! The author is one who knows how to “rightly divide the word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15), and for me this book was life changing. Truly.
For over a year and a half now I have been studying the bible, and have found the Rapture (pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib), along with the subject of Eternal Salvation (can we lose our salvation) to be very convoluted. Both topics are highly debated and everyone seems to have a different viewpoint. The problem is each party has scripture they refer too to make their point, but they interpret those same scriptures very differently. It gets very confusing!
I had come to some conclusions about the Rapture and the subject of Eternal Salvation, but could not explain all the seemingly contradictory passages. I came across this book while searching for a book on the Rapture to send to a few of my yet unsaved family members.I had no idea it would be such a treasure trove of information. I had not intended any copies for myself, but once the books arrived and I looked through it I could NOT put it down.
Pam’s book has been a blessing to me in my study and understanding of the bible.
The first questions we need to ask when we interpret each book of the bible are these: 1). Who wrote that book? 2). Who were they speaking too? 3). Who were they speaking about? It is important to know and understand whether the scriptures were written for Jews, the Gentiles, or the Church Age. God has a time for each. We are presently in the Church Age, but that will end at the Rapture. The CA is the only dispensation to receive eternal salvation through Grace by Faith. Why? Because the CA is the only dispensation to have the Holy Spirit INDWELLING in them. In the CA a believing Jew (a Messianic Jew) and a Gentile are one. But AFTER the Rapture (during Tribulation), people will no longer be able to be saved by Faith alone.
I HAD NO IDEA! I HAD BEEN SHARING WRONG INFORMATION with my family.
Pam lays it all out with incredible clarity and now the bible is SO MUCH easier to understand! This book opens up doorways with the foundational teachings it provides. Once you understand the dispensations the whole bible finally makes sense.
I hope, but I doubt, my review has done this book justice. I highly recommend you get a couple of copies. For loved ones, and yourself. This book is the single most helpful book I HAVE EVER READ in helping me understand how to interpret the bible. And I have enjoyed hundreds.
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No. 2. I received this email from someone after she read The New Covenant article:
****** wrote:
> I must admit…I AM LOST. I’m not understanding why Jews and Gentiles are still so different. Paul talks in Ephesians how now in the NT, we are one, one body, one church. There is no more separation, Jesus tore the veil and those that were on the outside are now adopted into God’s family and there is no more distinction.
> I get you are talking about two separate times, but yet not?
I replied:
Thanks for your honesty.
What you said is exactly right except one word: NT. Change that to ‘Church Age’ and you’re right on.
God told Daniel (via an angel) that the Jews had a 490-year period of time that must occur before their promised kingdom would come wherein Jesus will rule from Jerusalem over all the Gentile nations. All but 7 of those years have come and gone.
The remaining 7 years are what we commonly call the Tribulation, but its accurate term is Daniel’s 70th Week. This is important because in that time God is very clearly dealing with the Jews once again — His Chosen People as a nation. We understood that with the first 69 weeks (483 years) because it was all prior to the CA, but we tend to forget that it’ll be true about those last years because it’s post CA; post us.
Church Age
All of Paul’s epistles (Romans thru Philemon) are where you’re finding CA doctrine: salvation by grace thru faith alone, eternal security, a believer is called a child of God, we’re redeemed, sealed, sanctified, glorified. We’re one body, etc., like you said. Why we’re so blessed to have all that said about us is because of the INDWELLING Holy Spirit. You’ll see twice in Ephesians and again in 2 Corinthians where this indwelling ends — at the Rapture. You will not find any verses about the indwelling Holy Spirit anywhere else in the Bible. Go ahead and look. It’s only in the CA that He has such a unique role.
My page Through Church Colored Glasses should help with this.
Two Incompatible Groups
You see, God cannot deal with the Jews and with the Church at the same time. When He dealt with the Jews before the CA, obviously there was no Church. When He picks back up in the Tribulation dealing with them again, no Church. It makes sense because what would a believing Jew be if both His Chosen People and His Church were on earth at the same time — a faithful believing Jew, separate from those awful Gentiles, or a member of the Body of Christ where there is NO distinction? See! We can’t be here at the same time.
Check out Daniel’s Chart on my website. It might help. (Or not!)
Once this sinks in, you’ll never again see the Bible like this: OT is for the Jews and NT is for the Church.
The truth is we’re just a window of time, a parenthesis, stuck between two pieces of a Jewish prophecy, put in there because the Jews rejected Jesus’ offer of the kingdom by rejecting Him, its King. This caused the postponement of the kingdom, not its cancellation. Once we’re out of here, God finishes what He started with them.
That’s why it’s so important to get Hebrews right. God’s confirming to His Jews why Jesus qualifies as the Author of the New Covenant with them.
We always look at the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as if they’re all about us. But think about this. When the OT ended in Malachi, was everything complete? Did the Jews already receive everything God had promised to them? Were they ruling the world as He promised they would? No. Remember He made covenants with Abraham, Moses and David which we won’t get into. The elephant in the room was that when the NT opened, they were not even in control of their own land, much less the world! Rome was currently their oppressor. They wanted their promised kingdom with their promised king to come! So when Jesus arrives, HE’S TELLING THEM ALL ABOUT THIS KINGDOM THAT HE CAME TO OFFER TO THEM!!!! The Gospels are not about us! They are about KINGDOM DOCTRINE!
If you want to know more, I recommend reading this book:
http://preservedwords.com/dispen1a.htm
Though we differ on our understanding of the book of Acts, he’s certainly a great resource.
Sorry for rattling on, I’ll stop. Let me know where it’s confusing you. But check out both those pages and others if that helps.
Pam
To which she replied:
****** wrote:
> So I just read this one and I am more confused than ever. I’m not
understanding why we have to be so different, why God can’t make us all one?
Why our destinations have to be so different? I really must be missing
something here. I’m so confused!
I replied:
If we step outside of our time frame and try to see it from God’s view, ‘the whole parade at once,’ I think it helps.
With Adam and Eve, they were totally innocent. Not ‘born in sin’ like we are. They failed to obey.
The pre-flood world was living by their conscience only. Everyone equal. They certainly failed there.
God made the Jews and gave them His Law. He set them apart from all other groups so His awesomeness could be seen in His relationship to them to be a witness to the world. They failed to obey.
God created the Church and gave us EVERYTHING: eternal salvation with NO obedience required. Just trust Him by faith. How are we doing?
In the Millennium, Jesus Himself will PHYSICALLY rule the world from Jerusalem. Due to His ‘rod of iron’ style of leadership, there will be outward obedience from everyone. Very, very few acts of sin worldwide. Is that enough for mankind to succeed? No. Many are obeying simply out of fear of punishment and will rebel as soon as Satan’s released. We know the Millennium ends this way.
****
So He’s proven over and over and over again that no matter what circumstances/environment/dispensation we’re in, we cannot ever do right on our own. We need Him to save us.
We in our age are just a float going by. Like I said, He’s watching the whole parade from above.