Let’s get right back into the Book of James, chapter, 3 and we ended with verse 6 the last time we were together, so let’s just go back and take a run at verse 7 by starting with verse 6.

"And the tongue (the physical tongue) is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; it is set on fire of hell." The tongue is pretty much the beginning of a lot of wickedness, and James is emphasizing that. All right, in the next verse he speaks of everything in nature.

"For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:" Now you know what that tells you? I was just thinking about that on the way up here to our taping. I suppose Iris wonders why I’m so quiet, but I’m thinking, thinking, thinking. You know, I just thought of a little cliché in light of this very verse and I think it may come out of the evolutionists - that "the more things change, the more they stay the same." And isn’t that true?

Here we think, that in our modern era, this is the first time that people have been able to tame the wild animals and do all the various things. No. They’ve done it from time immemorial. And so, even James could write that, even at that time already, men were training all of these wild animals for their various circus acts or whatever you want to call it. See, men have always needed to be entertained. That’s what the Coliseums were for, to keep people entertained. So everything is tamed. Now verse 8:

"But the tongue can no man tame; (no one can tame the tongue) it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." Now again, I’d better stop right here and remind all of us that James is writing first and foremost, not exclusively, but first and foremost, to Jewish believers, who I feel had been scattered out of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem congregation, by virtue of Saul of Tarsus’ persecution, as we see in Acts chapter 1. I don’t think these are part and parcel of Paul’s congregations whatsoever. I think these are strictly Jews. In fact, remember the last program? It wasn’t the church where these Jewish believers were meeting, it was a Synagogue. And so there’s no Church language in the letters of James and Peter and John - not a word. I went through it all again last night to make sure I was on solid ground when I say this. You cannot find one word of Church or what we call Church – the Age of Grace – language. In other words, there’s no reference to the Body of Christ. There’s no reference to the working and the controlling of the Holy Spirit - as over against the keeping of the Law - and it’s ‘legal.’ It’s like we’re seeing here. It’s not that the Spirit is going to control us, but that they have to go by what James is telling them. So, as you read these little Jewish epistles, remember there is no Grace-Age language in here. You also won’t find the plan of salvation in these Jewish epistles.

Now, just like I said about Hebrews - you can’t go through the Book of Hebrews and find the plan of salvation like you do in Romans or I Corinthians, because it’s just not in there. Because, evidently, these little epistles were written before Paul’s revelations had even become known, and I think that’s the reason for it. But, don’t forget, it’s still Spirit inspired. Of course it is! It’s the Word of God. It’s Scripture. And we can take profit from it, but you don’t come back to these little epistles to find doctrine for us today. It’s merely, like I said the last taping, a lot like Proverbs. See, Proverbs just gives us a lot of tidbits of good things, well that’s exactly what James is doing.

So, he says, "The tongue is on fire from hell." It’s something that mankind cannot contain. Now, then, we move on into verse 9:

"Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men,…." Now that doesn’t sound like Christian living to me. But here we have in one verse the tongue that is capable of blessing God; but on the other hand, cursing men. Now Paul would never teach something like that. That’s anathema to us as believers, but here was a problem that evidently was common amongst these Jewish congregations.

Remember, for their salvation, they had to believe that Jesus was the Christ, and they’re still under the Law of Moses. They know nothing of Paul’s Gospel of Grace, or of faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord for salvation. And so, consequently, there are some things in here that almost seem contradictory, but they’re not. They’re not contradictory if you realize the circumstances in which James is dealing or writing. So, he says this to these Jewish people, I think, primarily, in the area of what’s today Turkey - Asia Minor - rather small Jewish congregations, no doubt, and this is one of their problems. They weren’t controlling the tongue. On the one hand, they could bless God, but on the other hand, they could curse fellow men. He said, these men that you’re cursing are just as much created after the likeness of God as anybody else.

Well, what’s he referring to? Genesis 1:26 where God said, "Let us make man in our image." And that’s what James is alluding to - that even these people that they were bad-mouthing - they’re God’s creatures just as well as you are. And I think this is what we have to realize in light of our global situation today; regardless of who these people are, regardless of the religion they may be practicing, they’re still God’s created beings. And you see, that’s where we, in the Christian community, have a higher regard for life because we realize that mankind is the crowning act of creation. And that’s why mankind is in a special role in God’s eyes. Whether they’re lost or saved, in that regard, makes no difference, they’re still created beings from the Creator Himself. And so this is what James is alluding to.

"…which are made after the similitude of God." Whether you curse men, remember, they are still made after the similitude of God. Now verse 10.

"Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." These people who were blessing God, but on the same hand, could proceed blessing and cursing, these things ought not to be. Granted - any of us know that much, that something’s wrong if you can curse and bless out of the same mouth. All right, read on in verse 11. Here he’s using a comparison from the physical world.

"Doth a fountain (a water fountain) send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? (out of the same fountain? Impossible.) 12. Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh." It’s impossible. So now the analogy he’s drawing is this - it’s just as ridiculous to try to bless God out of one side of your mouth and curse fellow man on the other.

"Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his (what?) works with meekness of wisdom." Now you see, James is a legalist. And he’s going to come back to this idea of good works over and over and over. And it’s almost like a man’s attempt to please God - whereas Paul will just simply say that it’s not of works.

We’d better keep comparing. All right, let’s go back to Ephesians because that’s when you can see it most graphically. Ephesians chapter 2 and drop down to verses 8 through 10 - these are all verses I imagine most of you know from memory. And I just want you to see the comparison. Now it’s not a contradiction. It isn’t like people say, "Well the Bible is just a whole set of contradictions." No. It’s two sets of circumstances. James is writing from a totally different perspective than Paul is. James knows nothing of the Grace Age, and so it’s not contradictory. You just have to separate it. Look what Paul says here in Ephesians.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" Salvation is not something you earn, it’s something you take as a free gift. Now verse 9:

"Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we (now as believers) are his (God’s) workmanship,.…" God works a work in us that literally makes us, now, what we are to be as believers - whereas James almost leaves it in the ability of the individual. So verse 10 again:

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. That ‘created’ did not happen until we were saved and enjoyed salvation - then God works a work in us that brings us, as a result of our salvation experience, to practice the good works, "...which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." And over and over throughout Paul’s writings you have that connotation - that works are a result of our salvation and not a part of it. Okay, back to James once again. Verse 13:

"Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation (or manner of living, a lifestyle) his works with meekness of wisdom." Now maybe I’m getting overly picky, but I don’t think so. Do you see any reference here to the work of the Holy Spirit? He doesn’t say "Let the Holy Spirit accomplish this in you." See, now Paul would say that.

Let me show you what I mean by comparison. Turn to Galatians chapter 5 verses 16 through 18, and we’ll probably use it again before we get out of James because this is just a whole different perspective than what James was talking about. Now remember what James just said. "Let him show out of a good manner of life, his works, with meekness of wisdom." Not a word about the Spirit. Now look what Paul says here in Galatians.

"This I say then, walk in the Spirit, (Holy Spirit. It’s capital ‘S’) and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17. For the flesh (that old sin nature) lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." Now, James doesn’t use language like that. See the difference? But now Paul says, "If you’re led of the Spirit, you’re not under the Law, because the work of the Spirit has taken the place of the Law." And then he shows the vast differences between the life of the flesh and the life of the Spirit in these verses. Well, we’ll probably be coming back to it yet a little later today, so we’ll come back to James. But I just like to show these comparisons. What a vast difference in the language in James, the legalist writing to legalistic Jewish congregations, compared to Paul, writing to us in this Age of Grace!

"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth." I think the truth he’s really referring to here is how to live a godly life under the Law. The Law gave them all the instructions they needed to avoid these pitfalls.

"This wisdom (that is of bitter envying and strife) descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." See? This wisdom is fleshly, it’s sensual - it feeds on the natural part of man and it’s devilish.

"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." Isn’t it amazing how sin breeds sin. Families in the world, with all of their alcoholism and their immorality - well, what is the next generation? At least that much or more. And that’s the process - sin breeds more sin. And that’s what the Scripture is saying. Envying and strife will bring confusion and every evil work. Now verse 17, and we see the flipside.

"But the wisdom that is from above.…" Now James doesn’t say, "The wisdom that comes from the leading of the Spirit" - he merely is showing that God is still in His place of power and influence. But, it’s in a whole different set of circumstances than what Paul gives us in this Age of Grace and the working of the Holy Spirit.

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." Well, that’s the two opposites. Either envying, strife, hatred and sensuality; or it can be peace, gentleness, mercy and good works.

"And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

You want to remember - back when we were earlier in the book of James, I think it was, that he spoke of "religion." And of course, that’s what his adherents were steeped in. They were steeped in the religion of Judaism and all these things, and he hasn’t departed from that. And, therefore, you see none of the language of this Age of Grace. All right, let’s just move on into chapter 4. The language doesn’t change much.

"From whence come wars and fighting among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2. Ye lust,.…" Doesn’t sound very nice, does it? That’s the life of the person still under the Law. He can’t have victory because he’s not controlled by the Holy Spirit. He’s still trying to do all these good things in the energy of the flesh. So it’s a warfare in the members.

Now let’s go back again to Paul’s letters - let’s go back to Romans chapter 7 and see how Paul treats this very set of circumstances. The same set of circumstances, only Paul’s going to deal with it in a totally different way. Remember, now, James says "that these things are coming from the desires of the old nature that are warring in your members," - and then verse 2 in James he goes on to remind them that they "lust or they covet." All right, now then, Romans chapter 7 verses 21 through 24. Paul is now writing to us Gentiles under this Age of Grace:

"I find then a law, (not the Ten, but a fact of life) that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:" In other words, he knew that the Mosaic Law was perfect. Now verse 23.

"But (here’s the verse I came here for) I see another law in my members, (and what’s the word?) warring.…" Just exactly what it means. Conflict. And where there’s conflict, there’s no peace. So here he is in conflict, the old nature trying to keep the Mosaic Law - but on the other hand, he had this law of the Spirit that is attempting to bring him into a life of peace.

"…against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24. O wretched man that I am!…." Oh, he said, "Wretched man that I am." All right, now we’re going to go back to those verses we just saw in Galatians, and I told you I’d be back in a minute and here we are. Back to Galatians chapter 5, and now we’ve got the same picture. And here I guess is where I picked up the term ‘war’ here in this verse in Romans. For years and years I often wondered where I got it because the word in Galatians is lusteth. But I’ve always, for some reason or other, used the term ‘war,’ and I know it’s because it’s out of Romans 7.

"For the flesh (the Old Adam, the old sin nature) lusteth (warreth) against the Spirit, (the new nature under the control of the Spirit) and the Spirit (warreth) against the flesh: (the Old Adam.) and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." In other words, you can’t just drift. It’s warfare. And warfare takes an expending of energy. And so it’s a daily fight to maintain the directing power of the Holy Spirit as over against the Old Adam. And then again, let me read what we just read a few moments ago in verse 18.

"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." The Law has been crucified. It’s dead. It is no longer a controlling fact in our lives. The Spirit takes over. And then he shows in these following verses all of the things that pertain to the lusts of the flesh. And if anybody ever asks you, "How am I to judge the lifestyle of people?" Line them up with the Scripture. In fact, we again just talked about that the other night in one of my classes. When you go down the fruit and vegetable aisle in your supermarket, do you just grab the first head of lettuce that comes and say, "Well, I can’t judge?" Of course not. You go through that bin and pick out the very best, and if there were some bad ones, you’d leave them. That’s not judging, that’s just being discerning.

Well, you do the same thing with ungodly people. If they’re out there living in immorality and if they’re living in drunkenness and if they’re living in lasciviousness and all the things that are mentioned here - then you have every right in the world to discern - they’re not living godly lives. They’re living the flesh. All right, now you’ve come all the way through that horrible list of activities that is part and parcel of the ungodly person. They can’t be a believer and live like this. And then you come down to verse 22 and you see the discerning of the believer.

Now when you see a person who can practice these things and you see the fruit of it, then you have every right in the world, just by simple discernment. Now I grant you, you can’t judge who’s saved and lost. That goes beyond the human element. But, when you see a person’s lifestyle, you can pretty much line him up with the Scripture and determine what kind of a person he is. Now verse 22 of Galatians 5. And here’s the flipside again.

"But the fruit of the Spirit (The result of the Holy Spirit coming into the life of a believer) is love, …" Look the opposite of love up in verse 21. "Envy." Love and envy are as opposite as you can get.

"…joy, peace…" Well, there’s no peace in those actions in verses 19, 20 and 21. It’s anything but peace.

"…longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (trusting God and His Word). 23. Meekness. temperance: against such there is no law." You can’t find any of that in verses 18, 19 and 20. It’s just two totally difference lifestyles. And then people say that you can’t judge? Well you’d better, or you don’t know the Word of God. And it’s up to us as believers to, if someone is living in that wicked lifestyle, show them the Book! You don’t have to say it in your own language, just show them the Word. "Hey, this is what you’re doing and this is going to be your end." What does the last part of verse 21 say?

That’s what the Book says - not what Les Feldick says. So always be prepared to use the Scriptures. Let the Word of God speak for itself.

Okay, let’s go back where we left off in the last lesson in James chapter 4. And, remember, James is written to the Twelve tribes scattered. (Acts 8:1) So it is primarily Jewish. And there’s no Church language in here. James doesn’t make one single reference to the blood of Christ, how that it was shed for the sins of mankind - or to Christ’s glorious resurrection, all of which we must believe for our salvation here in the Church Age. (I Corinthians 15:1-4)

Again, James is probably the earliest New Testament book written. Maybe Matthew preceded it but all of these little Jewish books, I think, were written early on before they had an understanding of the doctrines revealed later to Paul. So, we’re going to be comparing, as we finish the little book of James and go on into I Peter, how it is so completely different (not contradictory) from what Paul writes to us as Gentiles; compared to what James and Peter and John wrote to those Jewish believers coming out of Christ’s earthly ministry. So always keep that in mind. All right, so James chapter 4, remembering now that he’s writing to Jewish believers probably scattered in the area of what we call Turkey. And he says in verse 4:

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses,.…" My, does that sound familiar? You know I said, when we began the study of James and Peter and John, that you’re going to find a lot of likenesses with the Four Gospels and Jesus addressing the Jews in His earthly ministry. Well, here’s one of them. Isn’t this exactly what Jesus referred to with the Jews in their wickedness.

"…know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is (what?) the enemy of God."

Now let’s see how, again, Paul puts it. We’re going to be comparing back and forth because I think that’s the best way to see the vast differences in what we call the doctrines of Paul for us as Gentiles believers - as over against what the writers in the little Jewish epistles are saying. Come back with me to Romans chapter 8 and we might as well start at verse 5.

"For they that are after the flesh (the Old Adam) do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit (in other words, they’ve become a believer and the Holy Spirit has now indwelt them, they mind) the things of the Spirit. (now here it comes) 6. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." The carnally or fleshly minded, just like James says, is enmity against God. The two will not coexist. You cannot have the enemy’s attitude of the world as part and parcel of God. He’ll have nothing of it. You know I think way back when I taught the Book of Romans, probably in chapter 8, I gave a little illustration. If you’re living in a neighborhood of middle class people who have a half-way decent income and your neighbors are all in the same income level as you are and one of your neighbor’s kids comes and he approaches you and says, "Hey, I’d like to have a new bike. Would you buy one for me?" Well, what are you going to say? "Well, you’re not my kid! I don’t have to buy you a bicycle. Go ask your parents. You’re their responsibility, not mine." Would that be out of the way? Of course not.

Well, you see, it’s the same way with God. The unbelieving world thinks that they can come and treat God like some Santa Claus and beg for whatever they need and expect Him to answer. But no He won’t! In fact, I think I’m on safe ground that God doesn’t hear the requesting prayers of the unbeliever. His ears are totally deaf to that. Now, for salvation, of course, He’s ready and willing to save to the uttermost.

But see, the unbelieving world has got the idea that they can just sort of tweak God’s nose like a Santa Claus and He’ll jump to their rescue. No He won’t. And never forget that. It isn’t until we become a child of God that God beseeches us to come into the throne room with our needs as well as our praise. All right, so reading on now in Romans, chapter 8:

"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." If they’ve never experienced God’s saving Grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit, they can’t please God. It’s impossible. They might as well quit trying. Of course, the world would get worse than it is, wouldn’t it? And it’s bad enough as it is. But, the unsaved world cannot please God. Now in verse 9, Paul is writing to the believers, and so there he says:

"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (if not then he is God’s enemy). You’re not under the control of the Old Adam, but rather you’re in the Spirit, and of course here’s the delineating mark - does the Spirit of God dwell in you? Well, I think that makes it plain enough and, to a degree, James and Paul would agree in that area - that the unbelieving heart, following the desires of the flesh are nothing but enemies of God. Now back to James chapter 4 verse 5.

"Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?" Now he’s not talking about the Holy Spirit - this is a small ‘s’ - and the human makeup is referred to as the human spirit. And so that’s what James is talking about - that the spirit that dwelleth in us, the human nature that we’re born with, "the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy."

Well, of course it does. Now let’s go back again to Romans chapter 7. I didn’t intend to do all this and I guess that’s why I trust the Lord to just give me the verses as we go along because I can work, and work, and work at home and it doesn’t fall together. But when I get up here, here it comes, and we see it all dovetail together.

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? (or sinful? Of course not.) God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: (the Mosaic Law) for I had not known lust, (he didn’t really understand that Old Adamic nature’s desire for lustful things. I had not known lust or that it was sinful) except the law (the Mosaic Law, one of the Ten Commandments) had said, (what?) Thou shalt not covet.’"

You cannot break one of the Ten Commandments with out coveting first. That’s always the triggering mechanism for breaking the Commandments is an attitude of coveting. And that’s why it is so preeminent in the life of the unbeliever as you’re seeing in these verses. What causes envying? Coveting. What causes adultery? Coveting. What causes stealing? Coveting. What causes gossip, false witness? Coveting. See, you can just go right down the line. All right, back to James chapter 4. Verse 5 again.

"Do ye think the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us (in other words, the Old Adam) lusteth to envy? 6. "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." Well that’s all well and good, but that’s still not what Paul teaches for us. Now verse 7.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Well, that’s appropriate up to a point. But you can’t do it in the flesh. The only way we can resist Satan is through the power of the Spirit that dwells within us. Do you see that? And James doesn’t mention that. See, this is all in the energy of the flesh. Now verse 8:

"Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you...." Let’s stop there a minute. How many of you know John’s Gospel chapter 3? What did Jesus say about the unbelieving individual? He never seeks God. But, let’s look at what Malachi says in the Old Testament. Go back to Malachi chapter 3 verse 7, and you’ll see this fits perfectly with what James is saying.

"Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them...." See, the Jews have always had these kinds of problems, as well as the rest of mankind. We’re not putting the finger on the Jews alone as being guilty but, as God’s covenant people, you would expect more from them. But they were just as guilty as the rest of the world.

"…Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts...." Well, you see the unto me was left on the backs of the Jewish people, that they were to make the first move and return to God. And if they would make a move to return to God, He, in turn, would (I guess you would say), meet them halfway. But now stop at John’s gospel a moment, chapter 3 starting at verse 19. Now here, I think, the Lord Himself, in His earthly ministry, is telling it like it really is.

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,.…" And of course, He was speaking of Himself. He was that light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world as we see in John 1:9. Now continuing the verse here.

So the point I want to make is that the unsaved person will never seek God. It’s just beyond him. God has to draw a person to Him, but James doesn’t express that. He tells them, "You put forth the effort, you draw nigh to God."

"Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

Okay, come back to Romans chapter 3 and again look at the vast difference in Paul’s language compared to what we have seen in James. Again, this not contradictory but rather a whole different scenario. Paul is speaking to the Body of Christ, and James is speaking to the believing element of the Nation of Israel. And the Nation of Israel and the Body of Christ are completely different - that’s the way God has separated them. For example, the believing element of the Nation of Israel had believed for their salvation that Jesus was the Son of God, (their Messiah); they had repented of their sins and had been baptized in water. (Matthew 16:16 and Acts 2:38) Whereas, Paul’s Gospel tells the Body of Christ that, for salvation, we must believe in our heart that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead. (I Corinthians 15:1-4 and Romans 10:9-10)

Romans chapter 3 verse 23, which I always call the first step on the road to salvation. We have to realize, first and foremost, that we’re sinners, and that we are undone, and that we have no reason for God to let us into His Heaven. None.

"For all have sinned, (every one of us. None of us have escaped the fall precipitated by Adam.) and come short of the glory of God; (now here it starts) Being justified freely (without any effort on our part) by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" See, you aren’t seeing James say anything like this.

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith (and faith is not works. Faith is simply trusting what God has said) in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" Now verse 26. My, the more I think about this verse, the more I love it.

"To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: (not mine, not yours, but rather His righteousness, and what does His righteousness bring about?) that he (God) might be (what?) just,…" What does that mean? Fair. Not cutting any corners. Not asking for bribes; only what is strictly fair and just.

"...and the justifier of him which believeth.…" And in that justness he can justify the person that "tries to do better?" as James says? No. What person? The one who believes!!!

I was just sharing an analogy this morning with our guests from Colorado. Imagine you’re getting on a huge airliner (and Iris and I have been there). You finally find your seat and you sit down and buckle your seat belt. After about two minutes you unbuckle that seat belt, and you barrel all the way up front, find the pilot, and say, "Is this the plane that’s going to such and such a place?"

The pilot says, "Yes, you’re on the right plane, just go sit down and relax." So you go back to your seat and buckle your seat belt and within five or ten minutes all of a sudden the sweat starts and you go back up to the front and ask again, "Are you sure I’m on the right plane? Is this really going where I want to go?" And again the pilot says, "Yes, just go and sit down and relax."

Well, you see, that’s what people are constantly doing in the spiritual realm. They’re just trying to establish, am I on the right track? Am I really going to get into God’s Heaven? But you see, Paul makes it so concrete in I Corinthians 15:1-4, that when we trust what is called his Gospel, the Gospel that was given to him for us by the risen Lord, we can sit down and relax! And we don’t have to fret and fume.

Now that doesn’t mean we sit down and not work. Now don’t misunderstand me. We’re not saved to just sit and do nothing, but I’m talking about the assurance of salvation. Once we have trusted that finished work of the Cross, hey – that’s it! There’s nothing more you can do except believe it in your heart! Now that’s simple! But most of Christendom has taken the simple things and complicated it. Unfortunate, but true. You don’t try to do this, and try to do that. You rest in it. And then the Spirit as we saw in the first half-hour, will create in us that nature to do good works.

Back to James again - so the implication here in verse 8 to "Draw nigh to God" is just like He told Israel back in the Old Testament – "draw nigh to Me and then I’ll draw nigh to you." But under Grace that’s not the situation. God has already extended salvation freely and all we have to do is believe it.

"…Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; (it’s something that they had to do) and purify your hearts, ye double minded." Now we’re purified by faith in this age of Grace!

Don’t lose sight of the fact that these men - James, Pete, and John - are writing to Jewish believers who had not believed for salvation Paul’s Gospel of Grace. Remember all these believers had only believed that Jesus was the Christ - their Messiah they had been waiting for. Now you go way back to Peter’s confession in Matthew 16. You remember what it was, when Peter declared, "I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God." Period. You remember at the death of Lazarus, in John chapter 11, Jesus asked Martha, "Martha do you believe this?" And He had just made reference, of course, to His resurrection. And Martha’s answer was identical to Peter’s. And what’d she say? "Yes, Lord, I believe thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Period. Not a word about death, burial and resurrection. Not a word about the shed blood. They just simply believed that He was the Christ!

Well, take the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8 - the same identical words. He says, "Yes, I believe that Jesus was the Christ." And even old Saul of Tarsus said that right up front, before he had even heard the Gospel of Grace (because it hadn’t been yet been revealed even to him). After he comes out of that Damascus road experience there in Acts chapter 9, he’s got his sight back, he’s been fed, he’s been baptized, all according to the Jewish program. And now he goes to the Synagogue of the Jew and what does he proclaim? "That Jesus was the Christ!" That’s all. But you see, then, God moved him out of Damascus to the backside of the desert and revealed these doctrines of Grace that you and I enjoy today.

But, James is still on that same premise. They are still under the Law, they’re all Jews congregating and, as I pointed out in our introductory programs, they were looking for the Tribulation horrors to be coming in short order. Everything was in view, and we’ll come to that probably sometime yet before the afternoon is over in chapter 5. They were all looking for the Second Coming, but they knew that, before Christ returned, they’d have to go through the seven years of Tribulation. So all of these epistles, James and Peter and John and Jude and Revelation, really, are all preparing these Jewish believers for the pressures and the sorrows and the Tribulation that was just coming in front of them.

Then, you remember, I said that was all interrupted and I’ll show how when we get over there - that was all interrupted and now we’ve come full circle, 2,000 years later - and everything, even though it changes, is still the same. We now have the same scenario. We’re going to have Jewish believers going into and through the horrors of the Tribulation and these little epistles will be their road map. This is what’s going to give them comfort. And we’ll see especially when we get into Peter’s epistles, it’s that constant reminder to them - "you’re going to suffer – you’re going to go through pressure – but don’t despair, God is with you."

As you read these little Jewish epistles, remember that, at that time (here in the 50’s and 60’s AD, before the Temple is destroyed in 70 AD), they thought the Tribulation was right out in front of them and then would come the 1,000-year Kingdom that is prophesied. But God intervened (interrupted), opened up the timeline for 2,000 years for us in this Age of Grace; but now here we are almost in the same place. Israel is back in the land. The Roman Empire is reappearing there in Western Europe and when my next newsletter comes out, read it, because that’s going to be my main article – how that Western Europe is so rapidly becoming the power that will usurp the world as we go into the Tribulation period of time. But, remember, the Age of Grace, the Body of Christ, will not have to go through this terrible time!

"Speak not evil one of another, (he’s talking to congregations of Jewish believers who had professed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ) brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the (what?) law, and judgeth the law:…" What’s he talking about? Well, the Mosaic Law and Judaism as they were practicing it. And so they were not to speak evil of the law and judgeth the Law.

"…but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge." Which, of course, they were to be - doers of the Law. But, if instead of that, they’re going to be judges of the law, then they’re on what? Thin ice! Even for those Jewish believers at that time. They were still under the control of the Mosaic System.

All right, we’re going to continue right where we left off in the letter by James to the Hebrew believers – to the Twelve tribes scattered abroad. So we know that those had to be Jews of the dispersion. Now, we’ve got to remember, where did these Jews come from, and who are these people that these little epistles are addressed to.

James and Peter and John and Jude and, to a degree even, John’s Book of Revelation were written to the Jews that had been scattered. Like I said in the last part of the last program, we are now 2,000 years later since those books were written, and we have now come full circle back as it was when these epistles were written. As it was back then, so shall it be in the future with these Jewish believers getting ready to go into the Tribulation and looking for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, their Messiah. But for now, come back with me to Acts chapter 11 because this is probably the best way to understand why James, as well as the other three, addresses only the Jews? Why aren’t they including Gentiles?

Well, Acts 11:19 I think says it. Now you want to remember that Israel has been out there as a people scattered throughout the then known world ever since the Babylonian invasion in 606 BC. But then when Saul came on the scene and just persecuted unmercifully the Jewish church in Jerusalem, they had to scatter for their life.

"And Saul was consenting unto his (Stephen’s) death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles." Now the Twelve didn’t leave because they were sure that the Messiah would be coming and they didn’t want to be out of town when it happened. Remember they had been promised they would reign and rule over the Twelve tribes of Israel during the Kingdom Age. So they didn’t scatter, but the rest of those Jewish believers scattered. Acts 11:19 makes it so clear that Gentiles were not involved in any of this. This is so simple. You don’t have to be a seminary graduate to understand this.

"Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen.(which took place in Jerusalem) traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch. (in other words, that whole eastern end of the Mediterranean) preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only."

We’re talking about 10 years after the cross. That’s what the Book says – that these Jewish believers who were now scattered away from the home church in Jerusalem (which was headed up, of course, by Peter and the Twelve) are now being scattered throughout that end of the Roman Empire and they still have no consort with anybody but Jews.

Now come back to James and let’s stop with James chapter 1 verse 1, and this just says it all. Plain English.

"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to (and I don’t think we do any harm by putting ‘writing’ rather than ‘to’) the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting." Now isn’t that plain? Now these Jews, of course, gathered in little congregations of Synagogues and they knew nothing of Paul’s work of Grace. They’re still in Judaism. All they’ve understood is that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was the Messiah and to a degree that He had risen from the dead and that He was still able to fulfill the covenant promises of the Kingdom. And so this is what they’re looking for.

So now back to James chapter 4 where we left off in our last lesson. Verse 12, and always watch the language like I’ve said before - how it’s so much like the language of the Four Gospel’s concerning Jesus and the Law and all the rest.

"There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy:…" In other words, God is going to fulfill two purposes. Now come back with me a few pages to Hebrews chapter 7 verse 25. This is just one example. And that’s all we’re going to use how that God is able to work both sides. Hebrews 7 verse 25, here’s the saving side:

"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost (who? Those) that come unto God by him. (that is by Jesus Christ) seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (that is those that have come to Christ)

All right, now let’s look at the other side of the coin. Not very pretty. Very seldom do you hear it anymore, and that’s Revelation 20. Here we have the Great White Throne Judgment for the lost. And these are the two concepts that James is putting in front of his people. They’re dealing with a God who is able to save but He’s also able to condemn them to their doom. Now how many times have you heard it? "How can a God of love send anybody to such an awful place?" Well, we know what the answer is. He did everything that needed to be done when He suffered the horrible death of the Cross. And that was for all mankind with no strings attached. All they have to do is believe it! And when they spurn that, then He has every right to say, "depart from me I never knew you" because He’s done all He can do. All right, so now then, in Revelation 20, you do have the ability and the wherewithal of God to destroy those who are lost. This is the end of everything. This is the final act of God on the human race that is lost.

"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12. And I saw the dead, (now remember there are no believers involved in here. This is all the unbelieving from Cain to the end) small and great, stand before God; (the Righteous Judge) and the books (plural) were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life:…" When their name was not in the book of life, He then opens up the books, which included their works. That’s what Paul calls fruit unto death. They lived a life of sin and rebellion, which was a life of fruit unto death and here it comes.

"…and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 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." In other words, all the lost of the ages from wherever they are will come forth - and remember Jesus said in John chapter 5 that everybody that ever lived will be resurrected. Those who have been of faith - to a resurrection of life and the rest to a resurrection of condemnation. Well, this in Revelation 20 is the condemnation.

All right, and so they were judged every man individually. The billions of them. Now you know, this throws a curve at us doesn’t it? I mean, after all, we’re human. How in the world will God have time to bring every individual lost person before the bar of justice? Now we can’t comprehend it. But you’ve got to remember we’re not in ‘time’ here, we’re in ‘eternity.’ And when you get out of time and into eternity it’s a whole different ballgame. I read years and years ago (maybe science has changed it now, but I remember) one hypothesis that if a human being could go through a black-hole and down through a white-hole he could usurp a million years of time in ten minutes. Well, that’s beyond us, but it’s the same way here. God will judge the billions of the human race in what we would call a matter of minutes, and yet everyone is going to have a time before Him. Don’t ever doubt it because we’re not in time as we know it - but here, we’re in eternity. All right, now verse 14, and see what James means when he says that God is able to save and to destroy?

"And death and hell (that is the compilation of all the lost of the ages) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." Now people don’t want to hear about the Lake of Fire anymore. I can’t help it. It’s in the Book. Remember physical death was their first death and now spiritual death is their second death. Then verse 15 puts the cap on it.

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." And don’t think for a minute that that’s an instant annihilation because, while you’re here in chapter 20, come back to verse 10. And it shows that it’s an ongoing thing, because the Lord Himself said, "it’ll be there for ever and ever for all eternity." It’s not going to end. It’s going to be forever, just like our life is going to go on forever.

"And the devil that deceived them (that is at the end of the Kingdom economy now, when we’re ready to go into eternity) was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast (or the anti-Christ) and the false prophet are,…" These are the two evil men of the seven-year Tribulation period, and they were cast into the Lake of Fire at the beginning of the 1,000-year Kingdom Age. How long have they already been there? A thousand years. And they’re still there. They haven’t been annihilated. They haven’t been burned up. They’re still there.

"…and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Now this just epitomizes again the Grace of God - how that Christ and the work of the cross made it possible for every one of these people to miss that kind of an eternity. And that’s why a God of love can do it; they’ve spurned His love and they have rejected His offer of salvation. And so, yes, James says it again, verse 12 of chapter 4 of the Book of James.

"Go to now ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:"

Now what does that tell you? First and foremost - before we get any further, come back with me to Matthew chapter 24 verse 37. Now remember the Lord Himself is not betraying the secret that time is going to be interrupted and that these people to whom He’s speaking will not see the Tribulation and the Second Coming. He doesn’t betray that. He could have. As God, He knew the day and the hour and all that. But, the scenario was just the same as I’ve been repeating now for the last several programs. The scenario was exactly the same for these Jewish people approaching the Tribulation and the Second Coming and the Kingdom as it will be for Jews in this present time, which we think is getting close - when they, too, will be facing the same thing. But the scenario is going to be the same. As it was then, so is it now.

"But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (in other words, when the Tribulation has run its course) 38. For as in the days that were before the flood (just like these days that these Jews that James is writing to are facing the Tribulation,) they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark," See? Life was going on. And then he comes down a little further to verse 40.

"Then shall two be in the field;..." They were laboring, working and harvesting. All right, that’s sufficient, I think. Now come back to James again. This is the same scenario that, as the Tribulation is approaching and these Jewish believers are going to be coming under pressure, yet you have that element of either unbelievers or carnal believers (whatever the case James is dealing with), and all they’ve got on their minds is what? Material gain. Hey, they’re in business and they’re not too concerned about the spiritual. Well, it’s going to be the same way now as we’re approaching the end-time; the whole world is all wrapped up in materialism. They don’t think of the Spirit. All they’re thinking is how they can make money in the stock market or how they can do this and that and every other thing. Well, it’s the same way here - and so James says to be careful, you that say, "Today or tomorrow we’ll go and do such and such a thing and we’ll buy and sell and get gain." See? That was the typical activity.

"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Like your breath on a 20 below zero day. You don’t know what that is down here in Oklahoma, but I do. Oh, my goodness, that breath will just disappear. Well, that’s life. Peter uses the example of a blade of grass that comes up in the morning, you clip it off in the afternoon. That’s the way life is, it’s temporary.

You know I read a book years and years ago that made it even more graphic. "Snow Flakes on the River." And I love that. Can you just see big, huge snowflakes coming down on a large river? How long does it last? Puff! It’s gone. That’s life. Just like a snowflake on the river. Just like a blade of grass that’s sprung up and clipped off. Oh, even though some may live to 90-95-100 years old. I’ve had a few people in my classes that were 100 – 102. But you know what they tell me? It went just as fast as you and I think it has up to as old as we are. That extra 30-40 years goes just as fast as the rest of it. Bingo! It’s all gone! And compared to eternity, it’s nothing.

All right, so James is reminding his flock, don’t get so concerned about the material world because it’s just here today and gone tomorrow.

"For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." Now I think that’s appropriate. That’s what we can do today. Well, "If the Lord is willing" that’s what we’re going to do. So, that’s very appropriate. Remember I told you when we first started there were going to be tidbits here that you can apply today, just like you can go into the Four Gospel accounts and you can make application. But you’re not going to find the plan of salvation in the Book of James. It’s not in here.

"But now ye rejoice in your boastings:…" Now I’m going to give the Jewish people credit - I’m not doing this critically. I think they are to be admired. They have a knack for being successful, don’t they? Absolutely! I think it’s part of their covenant relationship. They have a knack for being successful whether it’s in literature or art or music or medicine or in business - you name it, and Jewish people are successful. Well, evidently it was the same way here. Some of these Jews, in spite of the pressures from the Roman Empire and so forth, were materially successful. But it’s also a well-known fact that there is not a group of people on earth that are so philanthropically minded. I hope I got that word out right. They’re great philanthropists. They give, give, give. And so this is part and parcel I think of their makeup. And so verse 16 just hits it right on the head:

"But now ye rejoice in your boastings: (over their what? Their success. They are naturally successful people. But he says) all such rejoicing is evil." Don’t rejoice in the things of the flesh; in the material. Now verse 17, and maybe this is why they are so prone to being philanthropic.

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is (what?) sin."

And they were aware of that. And so they overcame some of their materialism with giving and hoping (I guess by that) to merit favor with God, or whatever.

All right, now, lest you think I’ve been pushing the envelop on this, look at the first verse of chapter 5. Now remember we’re back in about, probably, the 50’s AD. About fifteen or twenty years from now in, 70 AD, their Temple is going to be destroyed and Jerusalem and Israel are going to be scattered. But it hasn’t happened yet. And here they are. He says:

"Go to now, ye (what kind of men?) rich men, (See? These Jews, a lot of them, had wealth.) weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you." When? When the Tribulation would hit. When the Tribulation would hit and all of their wealth and materialism would be wiped out.

Now you know it’s coming. Not only just for Israel and the Jews but for the whole human race – the wrath of God is coming! Just like James could see it coming in their day, and that all their wealth and materialism would amount to nothing because it’s all going to be wiped away. Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve done this, but let’s go back to Jeremiah just for an example. And I do this to sober people because even we, as believers, are so prone to get wrapped up in all of the trappings of this world and our economy and everything that pertains to it, and we forget God’s wrath is coming. I’m not saying it’s going to be next year or the following, but we’re getting closer and closer. You know I’ve always referred to the cartoon of the old boy sitting in his cave door and over the door was ‘The End Is Near.’ But then he added ‘er.’ Which meant that everyday the end is nearer.

And that’s where we are. The end is getting nearer every day. All right, Jeremiah chapter 25 verse 30. Now this isn’t pleasant reading. This is horrifying but it’s coming; and James could see it coming in their day. They thought it was just over the horizon. And then God, as I’m going to show you in the next program, interrupted that time-span and gave us the Age of Grace for the past 2,000 years.

"Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD (That’s Christ in the Old Testament) shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; (that is this old world.) he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth." Not just Israel. Every human being is going to come under this. Verse 31.

"A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, (not just Israel. All of them.) he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, (death) saith the LORD. 32. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation,..." Does that ring a bell? Yeah, we’re hearing about evil today like not since a long time ago.

"…and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts (or borders) of the earth."

Now, we’re hearing more and more, the next most used acronym will be what? ‘WMD.’ You’re going to see it in every article that you read. WMD. What is it? Weapons of Mass Destruction. And the whole world is interested in them. Not just Iraq. Everybody wants weapons of mass destruction. All the nations of the world are clamoring for more military hardware. Well, what weapon of mass destruction causes tremendous wind? A nuclear explosion. Tremendous wind. And so I can just see all the nuclear forces of the world will come to bear in these final days of the Tribulation. So, "A great whirlwind shall be raised up from the borders of the earth." Now, as a result of all of these ‘nukes’ being unloaded, first one after the other, look at verse 33.

"And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; (there will be so many that nobody can bury them fast enough. There’ll be no funeral parlors capitalizing on all of this. But) they shall be dung upon the ground."

That’s what’s coming. That’s why all the world is interested now in weapons of mass destruction. It’s going to come. The earth is going to be utterly annihilated through the wrath of God, but He’ll use a lot of these weapons of mass destruction.

Hopefully we’ll finish the Book of James with this lesson, and that’ll be just perfect as we can start our next series in I Peter. All right, so back to James chapter 5 and remember, again, I’ve just got to keep repeating for the sake of those who missed a program or new ones coming in, that we’re dealing with Jewish believers of really, the "Gospel of the Kingdom" era. For salvation they had believed that Jesus was the Christ, and that’s all. There’s no reference to His death, burial and resurrection for salvation. Whereas Paul’s Gospel of salvation for us in this Age of Grace, tells us to believe in our heart that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again!"

In fact, Luther was just telling me that his Bible said there are only two mentions of Jesus Christ in the Book of James? Only two. And so don’t accuse me of going off the deep end when I say that this is all part and parcel of the Jewish believers who had had their roots in those followers of Christ in His earthly ministry and that’s all they knew - that He was the Christ.

All right, like I said in the last program, they were out there in the Roman Empire and some of these had been out there since 606 BC, of course, and so they had gathered wealth and there was this element of the rich in these churches. So now let’s just start at verse one of chapter 5, he says.

"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you." we talked about that in the last lesson - that he’s talking about the Tribulation. We’ll see that in just a little bit.

"Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten." Now you may wonder what’s meant by that? Well, I read in a book a while back that, in the ancient East, that was one way they collected wealth was beautiful fancy clothes and they’d put them in trunks. That was just like we’d put money in the bank. And it was a collecting of wealth. But, unless they were careful, just like now, moths could get in and destroy them.

"Your gold and silver (see, the accumulated wealth) is cankered; (in other words, it was materialism and it had nothing to do with their spiritual lives) and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. (in other words, their judgment is coming. Now see, he’s not talking just to believers; he’s talking to Jews who are really on both sides of the coin) Ye have heaped treasure together for (what?) the last days." Here we go again. The last days. Now verse 4.

"Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by (what?) fraud,…" Enron back then already. It’s nothing new. Oh, on a bigger scale now; greater technology. But the mentality hasn’t changed one bit.

"…crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped (in other words, are the victims of your fraud. All you retirees that suddenly have had everything wiped away - hey, it’s nothing new.) are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth." Now that’s another term for Christ that comes out of the Old Testament.

"Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton;…" In other words, they just, as we would say, lived high on the hog. Nothing but the best.

"…ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you." Now, that goes both ways. God has not stopped, or, you could take the other way, the just people that they’d been misusing have not fought back. But this element of wealthy, Synagogue attending Jews (no doubt that James could write to and yet their lifestyle) was anything but righteous people.

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto (now he’s talking to the believing element. Those that are the downtrodden. Those who haven’t got all this wealth) the (what?) coming of the Lord." See? It’s just over the horizon. Now remember when I taught the book of Acts? Why were they so willing to cash in all of their savings and sell their houses and their lands? Because the 1,000-year Kingdom Age was just over the horizon. Who needs houses and lands when you’re going to have Heaven on earth? And so they glibly sold everything - remember even good old Barnabas back there had land on the island of Cyprus and what did he do? Sold it. Brought the proceeds to Peter and James and John and the rest and put it in the common kitty. Because, after all, all these things are right out in front of them. They had no idea that it would be interrupted by 2,000 years.

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, (in other words, the farmer who plants his seed and waits for the harvest) and hath long patience for it , until he receive the early and latter rain." In other words, the early rain to sprout the grain and then the latter rain to bring it to fruition. Verse 8 - and this is what I told you I’d be coming to.

"Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord (what?) draweth nigh." It’s at hand, see? All right now I’m going to show you a few others and then we’ll come back and see where we have the wherewithal to stop God’s time clock. Turn with me to I Peter chapter 1 and I want you to see, as we showed several weeks ago, how all of these writers; Peter, James and John and Jude are all expecting the Tribulation and the Second Coming to be coming in short order.

"That the trial of your faith, (he, too, is writing to Jewish believers) being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, (what’s he talking about? The coming Tribulation) might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" Now that’s not the Rapture of the Church, but rather that’s the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. They’re looking for the Tribulation and the Second Coming. Then look at verse 9.

All right, now turn to chapter 4 verse 7. Now we looked at all of these several programs back, but this is just review again to show how that all of these little letters were preparing the Jewish believer for the coming horrors of the Tribulation that we closed our last program with. And somebody reminded me that I shouldn’t have left everybody hanging on a string – believers won’t be there! So we’re not going to be confronted with all that death and destruction. The Body of Christ, the true Church is going to be gone before the Tribulation even starts.

"But, (Peter writes) the end of all things is (what?) at hand: (it’s not 2,000 years ahead so far as Peter is concerned) be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer."

All right, now let’s just move on to II Peter chapter 3 and, of course, Peter writes as if all this is just going to be coming right down the pike. Now we have to teach this, realizing that we’re in a 2,000-year later scenario but, like I said a couple of programs ago, even though everything has changed, it’s still pretty much the same.

"This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 2. That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 3. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the (what?) last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts." And so Peter, too, is telling them, "This is nothing new." They’ve always said that nothing has changed. Well, here we are 2,000 years later and we can still say that it’s nothing different.

All right, I John chapter 2 verse 18. Again, I’m sure that all of these Jewish writings were accomplished before Paul even finished his letters. I think all of these Jewish epistles were out there among those Jewish congregations. I know tradition says John wrote about 90-some AD, but I just can’t reconcile it in light of what we’re now studying - and also because of what Paul said in Colossians 1:25, which we covered earlier in James. You don’t have to take my word for it, but this is the way I have to approach it - that this was all written probably before 60 AD. And now look what John says.

"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that anti-christ shall come, even now there are many anti-christs; whereby we know that it is the last time." We could read that today, but he was writing in 50-some AD. They were waiting for the Tribulation to begin at any time and usher in the Second Coming.

All right, now, as I said, I’m going to give us the wherewithal to interrupt that timeline - so come back with me quickly to Luke chapter 4. And this is the only indication in Scripture and, of course, they didn’t catch what Jesus meant, nor did they understand it. But Jesus Himself gives us the wherewithal to open up our timeline and stop it before the Tribulation comes in and, by doing so, here we’ve come 2,000 years, and now we feel it’s again right out in front of us. Luke chapter 4 - you’ll all recognize it. Verse 16, and here Jesus is in His earthly ministry.

"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, (remember He lived under the Law) and stood up for to read. 17. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. (Isaiah) And when he had opened the book, he found the place (in other words, he knew what he wanted) where it was written, 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, (in other words to those that were waiting down in Hades for His crucifixion, and resurrection ) and recovering of sight to the blind, (part and parcel of His miracles) to set at liberty them that are bruised. 19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the Synagogue were fastened on him." And He knew that. And so He comes back and answers their consternation. And I’ll show you in a minute why they were so concerned.

"And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." Now he’s quoting from Isaiah 61. Come back to Isaiah 61 and we’ll see how the Lord knew that the Tribulation was not coming at that time. He knew it was not the last time, but He never betrayed that. And, of course, being God, He knew exactly what the timetable would be. Now, when Jesus said, "no one but the Father knoweth the day or the hour." Well, He was speaking from His human side.

You always have to look at the things Jesus said and did in His two personalities. On the one hand, He was total man. He got hungry. He got tired. He got angry. He was totally human. On the other side, He was totally God. He could raise the dead. He could still the wind, because He was God. Now, whenever He prayed to the Father, "your will be done not mine," he’s praying from His humanity, just like you and I would. But on the other hand, He could forgive the sins of the woman taken in adultery because He was God, and only God can forgive sin.

Now it’s the same way with that question about when would the Lord come. From His humanity, He could honestly say, "I can’t tell you. Only the Father knoweth." But you come over to the other side, what did He tell Philip in John 14? "Philip have I been so long time with you and yet hast thou not known when you have seen me you have seen (who?) the Father." Isaiah 9 says as plain as day that, "unto us a child is born, a son is given, and his name shall be called what? The wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting (what?) Father." So, from His deity, He could have told the exact day and minute of every event. But, from His humanity, He could honestly say that’s only in the hands of the Father.

All right, so here we are now in His earthly ministry. He has read from Isaiah 61, and He’s come through the whole first verse word for word, but now you go up to verse 2 when He says:

"To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,…" He stops in the middle of the verse! And that’s why the Jews raised their eyebrows and just literally stared Him down, saying to themselves, "What’s He doing?" And so then He stood up the second time and said, "this day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." All right, now look what He’s saying. Everything that had been accomplished in His earthly ministry is in verse 1. Now, as you come into verse 2, He had finished up until His crucifixion, now, preaching the acceptable year of the Lord. What did He mean by that? Israel had every opportunity to accept Him as their Messiah. But they were going to reject Him. Now look at the verse carefully. Where does He stop? Just before it says, "the day of vengeance" or the Tribulation. See? He knew that the Tribulation wasn’t coming in at that time, and so He could stop reading and say, "This has been fulfilled." And the rest we’re going to leave for a future day. All right, and read on:

"…and the day of vengeance of our God; (which is the coming years of wrath and vexation, then the rest of the verse is) to comfort all that mourn;" What’s that? The Kingdom. And that’s still future. Now to re-cap. Everything that was written in verse 1 was accomplished and He had brought them up to the place where they were ready to reject Him. And so that had all been fulfilled, but the Tribulation hasn’t come in. The Kingdom hasn’t come in. He doesn’t say that it won’t, but it’s going to be postponed for at least 2,000 years, and is still being postponed.

All right, now let’s get back to James and hopefully you got the idea that, even though the Lord Himself knew it (He didn’t reveal it but), He did let us know that there was coming, a gap in the timeline and that the Tribulation and the Kingdom were going to be postponed to a future day, but these Jews didn’t understood that.

Even the Apostle Paul, as I showed in an earlier program, always spoke of the Rapture of the Church in his lifetime. And you want to remember he was probably about the same age as Christ. So, by the time that Paul is writing that famous Scripture, "we shall not all die, but we’ll all be changed, and will ever be with the Lord," he was probably in his 40’s maybe 50. And you know people didn’t live to be a hundred in those days. Sixty was an old man in those days. So, even Paul was expecting all of this to be culminated certainly before 70 AD. And that’s why, of course, a lot of people today say that when Jesus spoke of all those things concerning the end-times He was speaking of 70 AD. No. That was all just another preview of what’s coming later. All right, let’s get back to James chapter 5.

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain." In other words, like a farmer is waiting for his crop to ripen, they were to be waiting for the ushering in of the Tribulation.

"Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 9. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 10. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience." So what’s he getting them ready for? The Tribulation. And he’s telling those Jewish believers, this isn’t the first time they have suffered. Go back in your Old Testament and see how they suffered. The Book of Hebrews gives you a pretty good description of them. Some were sawn asunder. Some were burned. Some suffered from the sword. That’s nothing new in Israel’s life. And so James is reminding them, "This may be in your future."

I think it’s appropriate to say the same thing for us. We have no guarantee that we’re going to live this life of liberty forever. There may come a day, and it could come fast, that all of a sudden, we’re going to find ourselves under abject persecution. We hope not. And if the Lord comes, then those that are remaining are certainly going to go through these kinds of trials and suffering. All right, so he’s preparing them for these coming years of Tribulation.

"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job,…" Here he’s going back to an Old Testament book that every Jew was acquainted with. And they knew the losses and the trials and the suffering of Job - so James is using that as an example. He said:

"…Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." God hasn’t changed. Just as surely as He dealt in Job’s life with mercy and restored everything, He also is going to be with us, James says.

"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." Now there again, that had more appropriateness for Israel under their system of Law than it would for us. But it’s still a good lesson. Be careful what you take an oath on. I think a lot of people carelessly, even with their giving, may just say, "Lord I’m going to give you so many thousand dollars a year." And I say, you be careful, because God’s going to hold you to it and you may end up going to the bank to borrow. So, even be careful about what you agree with God to do.

"Is any among you afflicted?…" Well, there’s never been a point in human history where there aren’t sick people.

"…let him pray, (absolutely) Is any merry? let him sing psalms." Now let’s go back and compare Paul in Ephesians 5 verse 18.

"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;" That’s the life of a believer. And that’s exactly what James is even referring to himself - that, for believers, we are to be singing songs and psalms, which were hymns of rejoicing in ancient Israel. Now back to James.

"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:" When Paul was winding up his ministry, he could no longer perform miracles, but he writes that his friend was sick on the island of Miletus - and Paul couldn’t do anything much more than pray for him. But to Timothy, he said, for your stomach’s sake take a little what? Wine.

Here James advises the use of oil, but what did the Good Samaritan administer to the guy that was wounded on the roadside? Well, he dressed his wounds with wine and oil, which were the typical medicinal things in the ancient time. So it’s kind of interesting that we get both of them, one from Paul "Take a little wine for your stomach’s sake." And James says – "Anoint with a little oil for healing." But, for us, I think, Philippians 4 just says it all:

"Be careful for nothing; (or don’t worry) but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

And that means exactly what it says. So prayer still avails much.

It’s been almost 13 years now that we’ve been coming to Tulsa to do these tapings, and today we’re going to begin a study in I Peter, as we finished James in the last taping.

Now, as we discussed way back in our introduction to these little Jewish epistles of James, Peter, Jude, and the little epistle that John wrote back here, including Revelations, were all written primarily, but not exclusively, to Jewish believers who had been scattered away from Jerusalem because of the persecution, as we have seen in Acts chapter 8:1.

But always remember that Jews had already been out there in the Gentile world since about 606 BC - when Nebuchadnezzar took them all captive to Babylon. And then they began to migrate throughout the Mede and Persian, and the Babylonian and the Greek Empires; so that, by the time we get to the time of Christ and the Roman Empire, there are Jews living everywhere. And I always tell people that if you doubt that, just go to the book of Acts and you’ll notice that in every place Paul went on those missionary journeys, where did he start his ministry? In the synagogue. These Jews were everywhere, see?

All right, so, also in the midst of these regular ordinary Jews that came from the Babylonian captivity, there are now these Jews, beginning with Christ’s earthly ministry, that carried on after Pentecost - who had become believers by believing that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah, the Christ. And so they had, more or less, separated into separate little congregations, even though they were still practicing Temple worship and everything. And that’s the other point I always like to make. Remember, the Temple is still operating. All of this takes place before 68 AD, when we feel Paul and Peter were martyred; and then the Temple was destroyed two years later.

So, these little Jewish epistles are primarily written to these Jewish believers, who, for one reason or another, are gathered in little congregations, especially up in Asia Minor and Galatia, which we now call the land of Turkey. Of course there were others, but I think most of these Jews (that these little epistles addressed) were in that area of the world.

Now, as we showed in the very first introduction to these epistles, all of this is in line with the Old Testament prophetic program. There is not a word of church language in these little epistles. In other words, like I said when I taught Hebrews, you can’t take someone into I Peter, for example, and take them through a "Roman Road" of salvation. It’s not in here. There is nothing in here pertaining to the Body of Christ. But all of these things were written to Jews who were now facing, according to Old Testament prophecies, the coming seven years of wrath and vexation known as the Tribulation. There is no indication that God is going to interrupt that Old Testament timeline when these are written. They’re still looking for all this to happen.

In fact, if you’ll remember, when we were introducing all this several months ago, how all the Scripture spoke of these being the ‘last days.’ And how all these writers, James and Peter and John and Jude and even the book of Revelation, were all written with the idea that this was coming down the pike in a matter of a few years. And I even went back and covered Paul’s Scriptures concerning the Rapture for the Grace Age believers; and he included himself, as he thought all of this was going to happen in his lifetime. He thought that until, when he finally writes II Timothy, he realizes that the old world is going to keep going and his life is going to be taken.

But all of these little epistles, and we’ll be pointing it out when we hit those verses, are expecting the Tribulation to be coming in just a short period of time, and they are preparing these Jewish believers for the suffering and the persecution that’s coming. Now, of course, these epistles are still appropriate - we’ve now come full circle and we’re right back almost where the world was at the time that these things were taking place. Once again, the Tribulation is right out in front of us, we feel. And the revived Roman Empire, as we taught in Daniel, is falling into place in Western Europe faster than you can imagine. And the whole scenario of the world is now getting ready for, again, those final seven years.

Why, all of a sudden, is the world stressing weapons of mass destruction? Because they’re going to be evident in those final seven years. That’s how close I think we are. When, indeed, the whole world’s population, but the few, will be destroyed by whatever weapons that man has devised. And I’ve always said that the end events will be nuclear. I think Zechariah makes that so clear and now, of course, we realize that it will probably be weapons of bacteria and chemicals and everything else; but it’s all getting the world ready for those final seven years.

So, even though these letters were addressed to Jews living back there in 50, 60, 65 AD - these letters are still appropriate for the Jewish believers that will be on the scene in the early days of the Tribulation; and they, again, will take comfort from these very same Scriptures, as that same Gospel of the Kingdom that Christ and the disciples preached will be on the scene again, being proclaimed by the 144,000. I mean it’s just almost beyond human comprehension. And so these epistles will still fit, and be just as appropriate the day that takes place as they were then. So watch for it in that light - that these Jewish believers are now being prepared for the suffering and the persecution that is coming.

Now, lest you wonder what I’m talking about, come back with me to Matthew 24, where the Lord Himself is bringing the disciples up to par on end-time events. And also remember that Matthew 24 is describing the seven years of Tribulation in a nutshell. Here, the Lord Himself knew that the Tribulation wasn’t going to happen right away, and wouldn’t happen for another 2,000 years, but nobody else did. The Twelve had no idea. The Jewish believers had no idea. And, as I’ve already said, even the Apostle Paul had no idea that there was going to be a 1,900 and some year hiatus. So here in Matthew 24, look at the words of the Lord Jesus Himself.

"When ye (speaking to the Twelve, which represented the Nation of Israel) therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, (now the scoffers like to tell us that Daniel is a forgery and it was written by someone long afterward, but the Lord doesn’t. The Author of The Book Himself gives credit to Daniel’s prophecy) stand in the holy place,…" (which of course is the Anti-christ)

"Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:" Now, drop on down to verse 21.

"For then…" That’s the mid-point of the Tribulation of course. 3 1/2 years have passed, and they’ve already had one fourth of the world’s population lose their lives. So don’t ever let anybody tell you that the true Tribulation doesn’t begin until the mid-point. The first half, of course, is mild by comparison to the last half; but Revelation tells us that by the end of the first half, one fourth of the world’s population is already gone. I don’t call that a Sunday School picnic by any means.

"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world. (that goes all the way back to Adam, which includes even the Flood) to this time (that is, where He was speaking there at His first advent) no, nor ever shall be." Which means that even the Holocaust, horrible beyond human description; how those six-million Jews lost their lives at the hand of the Nazis - but even that is going to pale by comparison to these last three and a half years.

Now that’s hard to understand, isn’t it, that even something worse than the Holocaust is coming upon this world. I think the reason is that the Holocaust was limited to Nazi Germany and the death camps, and World War II, which took a tremendous death toll all around the world. But yet, when this comes, it’s going to be the devastation of the whole human race. In fact, I think I left the program on our last taping with those verses in Jeremiah where it says that death is going to be so rampant that they won’t even be able to bury the dead. There’ll be no funerals. There’ll be no graveyard digging and the bodies will be as dung upon the ground. Now that’s what the world is coming to whether they want to admit it or not. And, of course, every time I read about weapons of mass destruction, I have to think of these verses. The world is facing God’s wrath.

Now, it isn’t because God is unfair or unloving. He has been extending His Grace now for 6,000 years in one way or another. But mankind continues to walk it underfoot until, finally, His wrath will fall and this is what it will be. All right, so remember, that the days of the Tribulation were postponed back there at 68-70 AD (even though Jerusalem did come under portions of tribulation times when many Jews and the Temple were destroyed), and the Tribulation is still waiting to happen. But, the scenario is pretty much the same. Now, never confuse any of this with the Church Age believers. We in the Church Age will be gone before the Tribulation even starts; we are removed from the earth when the Rapture takes place. Okay, I Peter verse 1 says it exactly like it is.

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia." Peter is addressing his apostleship to the Jews that are scattered. Now, I’ve been doing this throughout the little book of James and I’m going to do it with Peter. Let’s go back and compare how Paul puts it. Come back with me to Ephesians chapter 3. And here’s the difference. This is what we have to understand; you can’t just throw it all in the blender and turn it up on high, like most like to do. But, rather, you have to keep them all separated and just compare one with the other and then note the differences. What a difference! Paul tells us to "Separate the Scriptures," and I always say, Paul’s writings are for us, from the rest of Scripture. That way you can get your Church doctrine, and your salvation verses, and know what belongs to you. Then you can truly separate Law and Grace.

Remember, Peter says, "An apostle of Jesus Christ to those Jewish strangers." Now look what Paul says in Ephesians 3:1:

"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner (and an apostle) of Jesus Christ for (whom?) you Gentiles." See how clearly he puts that? So everything Paul writes from Romans 1:1 until the last verse of Philemon is addressed primarily, not exclusively, but primarily to Gentiles; like these little letters are written primarily, not exclusively, to Jews. See the difference? Now, come back to I Peter. So, now then, he’s an apostle of Jesus Christ writing to Jews scattered throughout that part of the Middle East.

"Elect (or chosen) according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." All right now, again, let’s come back to the Book of Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3, and see how Paul puts the same kind of a scenario, writing to us Gentiles.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in (the heavenlies, or) heavenly places in Christ:" Now the verse we came here for:

"According as he hath chosen us in him from before the foundation of the world,…" See? What does that tell us? That our Almighty, Omniscient God knew everything before the world was ever created. He knew exactly who would become believers, whether it was in Israel or whether it was in the Church Age. Nothing was unknown to Him. So when Paul says that, we, who are in Christ, were already reckoned as such, according to that foreknowledge of God. And when we speak of the foreknowledge of God, it isn’t that God picked and chose and said, well you’re going to hell and you’re going to Heaven. Don’t ever buy that kind of stuff. God has not done that. He has made it possible for every human being to spend eternity with Him someday.

Let me show you a verse back in John’s Gospel chapter 1. We’ve used it before, but it’s been a long time ago now. Here John is speaking, of course, of Christ in His first advent.

"That (speaking of Jesus of Nazareth) was the true Light, (capitalized) which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." How many? Every last one. No one has ever escaped that Light that has been revealed. I don’t care if they’re the Aborigines of Australia or the darkest part of China or Africa or Timbuktu; every human has had a Light. Consequently, when I’m on that subject, I’ve always got to carry it on to the Book of Romans. In Romans, Paul can write under inspiration, in perfect accord with what John said. Romans 1 verse 19, in light of the fact that Christ the Light of the world has lighted every man - now that’s a generic term that also includes the women – that cometh into the world.

"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; (that is the unbelieving world) for God hath (past tense) shewed it unto them." Now don’t ask me how, I can’t tell you; but the Scripture says it has already happened.

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; (that’s been revealed to the whole human race beginning with Adam and Eve) so that they (the whole human race) are (what?) without excuse:"

In other words, they’re going to come before the Great White Throne for the lost of all the ages bodily; and they’re going to come before Him and they’re going to have to admit that they spurned the opportunity that was given them. And they won’t beg an excuse. They won’t have one; because they had enough Light to become believers. I can’ t comprehend it. I can’t understand it. But, I believe what The Word says. Now, back to I Peter chapter 1 verse 2. So, they were the elect, or they became the chosen; they became believers and God knew it in His foreknowledge. Not that He’d picked some to be lost and some to be save - that was everybody’s opportunity, Jew as well as Gentile. But those who became believers, then, enter into that position of being the elect and, according to the foreknowledge of God, now back in verse 2:

"… through sanctification (or the setting apart work) of the Spirit, unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." Like I said at the beginning, there is no Gospel of Grace in these little Jewish epistles, but that doesn’t mean Peter will make no reference, now, to Christ’s death, burial and His resurrection; and, as he does here, speaking of His shed Blood - certainly he will, because it’s a done deal, it’s past. But he does not present that as a means of salvation like Paul does. Now, I’d better go back so you can see what I’m talking about. Come back again to Romans, because I want to show you how, clearly, these things are not in these little Jewish epistles. You just can’t find them. Even though there’s a reference to the blood or so forth, it does not define it like Paul does and that’s where the difference comes in.

Now, Romans chapter 3. I like to start with verse 23 as this is an all-encompassing verse on the lot of mankind ever since Adam.

"For all have sinned, (every one of us) and come short of the glory of God; (now here it comes) 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption (or the process of buying us back) that is in Christ Jesus: 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,…" Through faith in His blood! Now you see, Peter just makes reference to it as an accomplished fact. But he doesn’t tell us what Christ’s shed blood is really doing with us in our faith relationship. But here Paul tells us that we placed our faith in His shed blood.

"…to declare his (God’s) righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. 26. (this is where you and I are) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, (totally fair) and the justifier of him which believeth…." Peter doesn’t lay that out that clearly. And then you go on through Paul’s epistles, and over and over he makes it plain that faith in the finished work of the Cross then becomes our means of going to Heaven. Now back to I Peter. So Peter is certainly going to make mention of these things that are past, that Christ has died; His Blood has been shed. Absolutely.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope (or a living hope. Why? Because Christ is not longer in the tomb) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," Christ has been raised from the dead! But Peter doesn’t lay that out as part and parcel of the Gospel of Salvation like Paul does. He’s just laying it out as a fact to be rested upon that, even Israel has to understand, their Messiah is not dead - He’s alive! Peter does the same thing in Acts 2 and 3. He doesn’t associate it with Gospel per se, but he lets it be known that the Christ they crucified was not dead; he was alive, and was still fully capable of fulfilling those covenant promises of bringing in that glorious Kingdom.

"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, (see?) and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (so they’re also looking for an eternal existence in God’s program because of their faith) 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.…"

Now the question comes up so often, "How were the Old Testament people saved?" By faith - it’s always been by faith. In fact we showed in our teaching up in South Dakota last week, that Adam and Eve were restored back to fellowship. Why? Because they had taken God at His Word. God had told them that they would be the progenitors of the whole human race and, because of that, Adam named the woman, "the mother of all living." Well what was that? It was a manifestation of his faith. And so, all the way up through the Old Testament whether it was sacrifices, Temple worship or whatever, it was still always precipitated by their faith.

And when you come into Christ’s earthly ministry, what was the basis for the Twelve knowing that Jesus was the Promised Messiah? Faith - they believed it because the Word of God had promised such a Person would come. And when they saw His signs and wonders and miracles, they believed it. It’s always been by faith. And the same way with us in the Age of Grace; but so, also now, with these Jews to whom Peter, James and John are writing these little epistles - it’s always by faith.

"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Well what’s the last time? These final seven years of human history, which would lead up to the coming of their Messiah to set up His Kingdom. So watch for this; every once in a while you have this reference, that this is bringing us to the end of the human experience, that the 1,000-year earthly Kingdom would be coming in and from there, of course, we’d be ushered into eternity.

There is no inkling that all this is going to be interrupted and filled with what we now call the 1900+ years of the Church Age. So, he said, "All these things will be revealed in the last time."