LESSON ONE * PART I

BOOK 2 of CONNECTING THE DOTS

Genesis - Revelation

Okay, it’s good to see everybody in again this afternoon for another session of four more programs. We trust that the Lord will use this for His honor and for His glory as we open up the Scriptures. We trust that people can come back and see what this Book says rather than just sit there and listen to denominational dogma.

Now, I’ve got nothing against the local church providing that they proclaim the truth. That I have to stand on.  I can never agree to have people just constantly being fed some of this liberal stuff that is coming in so rapidly.  We just beg people to get back into the Word.

In fact, I think I quoted several programs back from the fellow who was President, if I remember right, at Syracuse back in 1888 to 1892. And at that time he made the statement—now you want to remember, Syracuse is as liberal as they get today, but at that time the President of Syracuse said, “Unless Christendom comes back, back, back to the doctrines and the epistles of the Apostle Paul, then it is on and on and on to liberalism and atheism and despair!”

And it’s just as true today as it was then. We have to constantly fight the false teaching. And now there is a movement abroad called the Emergent Church.  It is as false as a three dollar bill, but it sounds so good that the younger generations fall for this stuff.  We just have to adamantly dig in our heels and come back and say—but what does the Book say?

All right, we finished Book 74 in the last taping. Today will start Book 75 and continue on with connecting the dots of Scripture.  But before we do, I think I will share with my whole television audience that our beloved Sharon who does our closed-captioning, and who most of you see her right over here to my left with the red hair, is fighting brain cancer.  We just covet the prayers of everybody from coast-to-coast on her behalf.

All right, so back to Acts chapter 1 verse 8. This is just after His forty days of being with the Twelve, or the Eleven. The next event, of course, will be His ascending back to Glory.  But just before He leaves the eleven, these are His final words in verse 8.  This is where we closed in our last program.

Acts 1:8

“But ye (Speaking to the Eleven—never forget that the Scripture has to be determined who is speaking and to whom. Well, here we have Jesus, of course, speaking to the Eleven.) shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you: (Which was, of course, a reference to Pentecost ten days ahead.) and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, (Which, of course, was the area of Jerusalem and Samaria.) and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Now, we pointed out in the last program that they got to Samaria, but they never did get to the uttermost parts of the earth. The Twelve have absolutely no Scriptural record of going to the uttermost parts of the earth, because of Israel’s unbelief. The nation continued to reject and reject and reject, as we will see some place along the line this afternoon.  At that point in time, God turns to the Gentiles through the Apostle Paul.

But until that time, we’re still dealing with the Eleven (who will soon be twelve once again) and the Nation of Israel under the covenant promises. That’s what I’m going to show in the next few moments, that we still have not left the scenario of Christ’s earthly ministry.

You know, I like to put it this way—the four gospels are just an extension of the Old Testament.  Nothing has changed except that the Messiah has made his appearance.  Israel is still keeping temple worship, synagogue worship. They still have no intent of going to the Gentiles with anything (Matthew 10:5-6). It’s their religion. Nothing changes except that Christ has now made His appearance.

All right, now after we go through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; He ascends back to Glory in the next few verses. You continue on in the Book of Acts and still nothing changes, except now it’s in the hands of the Twelve to perform the signs and wonders and miracles to yet convince the nation that this Jesus who has just left their midst was indeed the promised Messiah. That’s the whole scope of Scripture until we get to the Apostle Paul.  The coming Messiah, the coming earthly Kingdom, and then when He comes, believe who He is.  This is the Promised One.  

But they couldn’t, so He went through the death, burial, and resurrection.  All right, now we’re going to see that after He ascends still nothing changes. It’s still the same format: the One you crucified is alive and is still able to be the King.  All right, so they don’t go to the uttermost parts of the earth, because Israel has rejected the Messiah who would have made it possible.

Catch that—they never got any farther than Samaria. All right, verse 9, now we move into new ground. Now remember, we’re still connecting dots.  Jerry just asked me.  I said, yup, we’re still connecting the dots. We started in Genesis. Now this is just a review for a lot of people. But for a lot of our new listeners it’s, hopefully, new and enlightening. We’re going to connect the dots as we come up through Scripture in an overview.

Acts 1:9-10a

“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, (While the Eleven were standing there watching Him visibly, physically, and bodily.) he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,…”  Now, don’t just read over that.  Just stop and think of that for a minute.  Put yourself in those guys’ shoes.

There they stood aghast, having just spent forty days with Him.  They were having a hard time comprehending how He could slip through a wall and go from Jerusalem to Galilee in a split second, and yet sit down and eat fish with them. All these things, I’m sure, were just boggling their minds. Yet they were afraid to say too much, because the Lord would put them down with, oh, ye of little faith, what’s the matter with you?

And now to have this experience—He’s standing there visiting with them one minute and all of a sudden like a rocket He takes off. That’s enough to shake anybody’s shoes, isn’t it? But that’s what happened.  There they stand watching Him go up and at the same moment, miraculously, angels appear beside them.

Acts 1:10b-11

“…as he went up, behold, two men stand by them in white apparel; (They’re angels, but they appear as men.) 11. Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? (Now watch the next statement. This is what all of Christendom has been waiting on now for two thousand years.) this same Jesus, (What does that mean? In that same body with which He just now left, in that same physical form, He’s going to return once again.) which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

All right, now let’s go back for a moment to John’s gospel, chapter 14, where again most of Christendom has completely inverted the meaning. They have twisted it all out of shape.  John 14, at the time of the Passover, just before his crucifixion, all got it?  John 14, starting in verse 1, those very familiar verses.

John 14:1-3a

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will (What?) come again,…” Now see, most of Christendom believes in a Rapture and tries to make this Rapture language.   

This isn’t a referral to the Rapture. This is a referral to His Second Coming!  That’s when He’s going to return to the Nation of Israel in fulfillment of the Old Testament promise. The Body of Christ and Paul’s Gospel of Grace (I Corinthians 15:1-4) haven’t been revealed yet.

I’m always stressing to people who can’t believe in a Rapture.  It’s because you won’t read Paul.  Paul alone teaches a Rapture of the Body of Christ, because Paul alone reveals the Body of Christ.   Paul alone gives the Gospel we must believe in our heart in order to be placed into the Body of Christ.  Paul alone gives the Christian walk for the Body of Christ. So Paul alone refers to things concerning the glorious Body of Christ and the Rapture! 

What Jesus is sharing here in John 14 is His Second Coming—7 years after the Rapture takes place.  Again, take my old rule of thumb.  Who is speaking?  Jesus. Who is He speaking to? To the Twelve and they represent Israel!  So leave it in that setting.  He’s still dealing with that after He’s ascended.  He’s going to return to that same Jerusalem from which He left.

No, these mansions here aren’t ours.  I remember years ago a lady said, “You took away my mansions.” No, I didn’t take away anything, because these mansions are probably tents compared to what we’re going to have in glory. 

We don’t know what we’re going to have, did you know that? And you know why? I think if God would even just give us a little tip of the iceberg of our eternal destiny, we wouldn’t be able to comprehend it. It’s going to be so far above and beyond human comprehension that God has seen fit not to give us one word. All we know is that our eternal abode is going to be . . . what’s the word? Glorious! That’s all we know.

All the other references are to the Kingdom—the earthly Kingdom, as is this one. Now my own personal approach here is that the Father’s house, so far as Israel was concerned, was the what? Well, the temple, and the priests had rather sumptuous apartments in the temple complex.  So, Jesus is really telling them that when He returns and the millennial temple appears, these twelve men are going to have sumptuous mansions in the temple complex.  He’s not talking about us, the Body of Christ.

All right, now let’s go all the way back to tie this.  That’s all Jewish, remember.  These are all pertinent to the Nation of Israel and their prophecies and their promises. Come back to Zechariah. Most of you already know where I’m going, chapter 14.  Let’s see how all of this fits when the angel told the Eleven, “this same Jesus as you have seen go into heaven will in like manner come again.”

Remember, that’s not the Rapture, but rather the Second Coming. Nobody but Paul speaks of the Rapture. Now, I’m repeating myself, but I have to. My, I get letter after letter, “Les, just keep repeating.” Luther was the best one that ever did it for me. He’s been coming here for years. Awhile back, what did you tell me, Luther? “Hey, Les, today I saw this for the first time.”  Well, he’s not any less intelligent than anybody else. That’s just the way Scripture works—all of sudden it just comes to the top and you see it.  So I have to keep repeating and repeating and repeating. All right, Zechariah chapter 14, we’ll start at verse 1, the tribulation.

Zechariah 14:1-2

“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, (That’s the tribulation.) and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. (In other words, all the ramifications of the war and destruction. Verse 2, God says through the prophet…) 2. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; (Now that’s what we call Armageddon.) and the city (Jerusalem) shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; (or raped) and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” In other words, Jerusalem is going to be under tremendous invasion.  Now, when it looks like there’s no hope for Israel, then you got verse 3.

Zechariah 14:3

“Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” Now, that’s the fulfillment of all the descriptions of His Second Coming back in the earlier prophets. Now look at verse 4. Most of you have seen this over and over through the years. Some of you never have.  But here is the absolute Old Testament parallel with John 14 and Acts chapter 1.

Zechariah 14:4a

“And his feet shall stand in that day (Now, is that some kind of an invisible cloud? Well, clouds don’t have feet that I know of.  No, it’s that resurrected body returning after it left in Acts chapter 1.  So, in His Second coming when He returns, His feet shall stand in that day--) upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east,…”

It’s the same Mount of Olives from which He left in Acts chapter 1.  All right, now let’s flip back to Acts.   Hopefully I’ve made my point there.

Acts 1:11b

“…this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”  Now, that’s as plain as language can make it. He left from the Mount of Olives.  He went up head first toward Heaven.  But the angels said He’s going to come back and stand on that same place on the Mount of Olives at His Second Coming.

We don’t know when it’ll be, but we feel we must be getting closer and closer every day. All right, so now the Lord has returned to Glory.  He’s told these eleven men to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the day of Pentecost which is going to be ten days down the road.  But in this ten day period, Peter is all shook up with one tremendous item on the agenda. That’s the best way I can put it.  The number one item on their agenda was what? Fill that spot left open by Judas. All right, we’re going to pick it up right here in verse 15.

Acts 1:15

“And in those days (That is in those ten days between His ascension and the Day of Pentecost.) in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)”

Acts 1:16-18

“Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus. 17. For he (Judas) was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 18. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; (The thirty pieces of silver that the priest gave him.) and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

Acts 1:19-20

“And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. (All right, now here is the verse I want you to see, verse 20.) 20. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his (Judas’) habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein and his bishoprick let another take.” In other words, his role as one of the Twelve let another take.  Now, that’s what the Psalms prophesy.

Now, what have I said over and over and over through the years concerning prophecy? If the Book says it, it’s got to happen. Nothing can ever take away a prophetic statement. So, you see, Judas had to fall. Matthias had to be brought in to take his place. Why? Because the Book said so. Always remember that. Anything written in prophecy—I think I said it in the last taping, if I remember right.  When Isaiah said that the Babylonians were coming, and he made it sound like it was going to be next month, how long was it? A hundred years!  But it happened. Christ’s birth was foretold specifically at least five hundred years before it happened. But it happened. And how does Paul put it in Galatians?

Galatians 4:4

“But when the fullness of the time was come, (What happened?) God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” So, always remember that these theologians today like to throw away ninety percent of the Old Testament prophecies as if they can’t happen, because Israel is no longer a nation. That’s what they’re trying to tell people. And they’re succeeding. My, people are falling for it.

In fact, that’s one of my concerns of this very thing that’s taking place in Annapolis right now. Too many of those people in government are of that replacement theology, if they know anything. What does that mean? They don’t feel that there’s any concern for those Israelis in the homeland of the Jew, because they’re not Jews anyway. Oh, what a lie. Because this Book says that they will come back and have their homeland, as we’ve seen happen.

So again, let me emphasize.  If it’s written in the Old Testament and God says I will, you mark it down, it’s going to happen. All right, so here again prophecy was fulfilled.  Judas betrayed Him for the thirty pieces of silver. Now Peter picks up the agenda, as I call it. Let’s go through it quickly. Verse 21:

Acts 1:21-22a

“Wherefore of these men, (Now get the setting. We’re in that ten day window between Christ’s ascension back to Glory and the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit will come down.  Ten days—all right, in this period of time, then, Peter says…) wherefore of these men (out of that hundred and twenty over there in verse 15) who have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22. Beginning from the baptism of John,…”

Now remember, these are the qualifications for filling Judas’ spot. Now, the reason I’m emphasizing this is there are good men who have in the past, and probably still do today, said that Peter was totally out of sync. He should have waited for Paul.  But Paul would never fill this requirement. Paul wasn’t saved until several years after all this took place. This says the candidate has to have become a believer during John the Baptist’s ministry. Now watch for these things. This is what makes Scripture so thrilling. So, this candidate must have been a believer beginning from the baptism of John.

Acts 1:22b

“…unto that same day that he was taken up from us, (Which was just a couple days ago. It had to be someone that had been a believer all through His earthly ministry as these other eleven had been.) must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” So, out of that hundred and twenty there were at least two men who filled that.

Acts 1:23

“And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.” All right, now out of the two, then, they drew straws; and Matthias was the chosen one.  All right, so they gave forth lots in verse 26.

Acts 1:26

“And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”  Now, that was a God ordained thing, because how did Moses come to conclusions back in the Old Testament economy? With the stones in his breast plate, didn’t he? The Urim and the Thummim—he’d pull out those stones and however they turned up, that was God’s decision, not Moses’.  It was the same way here.

They used a system that we probably still use today. How they cast their lots. Whatever they used, whether it was the dice, or whether it was a short stick and a long one, it makes no difference. The right one was drawn according to God’s design, and it was Matthias. Then the last half of the verse says it all, “he was numbered (by God’s ordination) he was numbered with the eleven apostles (to bring them back to twelve).”

Now, I always like to do this just to help you realize how accurate Scripture is. Why in the world was Peter in such a hurry to fill this empty slot? Well, you remember. I think we’ve got time. Come back with me, this bears repeating.  Because very few people know these verses are in their Bible. Believe me, I can tell from my mail. I show things that people have never seen before. Come back to Matthew 19.  Now, these guys were just as human as we are. Don’t think for a minute that Peter had forgotten all about this in a matter of months. This is still fresh on his mind, because Jesus speaks this just shortly before His crucifixion. All right, Matthew 19, we’ve looked at it before.  I know that I’m repeating.

Matthew 19:27-28

“Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we (the twelve) have therefore? 28. And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye who have followed me, (Just like He said in Acts, from the baptism of John until the resurrection day.) in the regeneration, (In other words, when the Kingdom comes in.) when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, (as King of kings over that earthly kingdom) ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, (not eleven) judging (or ruling) the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Now, do you think Peter forgot all about that? Well, of course not, but they’ve only got eleven men, but how many thrones? Twelve.  So what do we need? We need the twelfth man. That sounds like Texas A & M, doesn’t it? We need the twelfth man. So, the first thing on the agenda, before even Pentecost, is to get a replacement for Judas. And it’s Matthias.

Now the twelve are in place. Everything is ready now. They can look for the Lord to return at any minute like He said He would. They had no idea it was going to be two thousand years. They all thought it would be within their lifetime, and they would enjoy the Kingdom, and they would have their spot in the twelve thrones ruling the twelve tribes of Israel. Well, that’s one of the minor things of prophecy. But nevertheless it just shows that everything fits. Psalms prophesied that one would be a betrayer. On the other hand, everything was all set so that they could replace him with Matthias.

LESSON ONE * PART II

BOOK 2 of CONNECTING THE DOTS

Genesis - Revelation

Okay, once again it’s good to have everybody back, and they’ve all had their coffee break. For those of you out in television, again we’re just an informal Bible study. I always have to remind myself to tell you how we appreciate your letters, your prayers, and your financial help; because we couldn’t do what we’re doing without you.  We just know that the Lord is blessing it because of the response from our mail and our phone calls.  I always remind people. If you don’t believe me, just ask them (Editor’s note: the secretaries), because they hear it all day long.

All right, now my little wife, again, bless her heart, wants me to remind our listening audience of this one and only book we’ve ever published. It is eighty-eight questions and answers. You know, in the last week I don’t know how many people have told me in their phone conversations that they use these books as a mission tool. They’ll keep eight or ten copies in the car, and whenever someone shows a smidgen of interest, they give them one.  Cost is $11 which includes postage and handling.  It’s a tremendous tool, because it’s in plain language. It’s not real hard stuff to understand, and it does get the message across.

All right, we’re going to move right on in to where we left off in our last program, and we’re just connecting the dots of Scripture.   This is more or less an overview. This isn’t a verse-by-verse. We just want folks to get an understanding of how God has been dealing with the human race for the last six thousand years. We feel we’re close to the end. We don’t know how close.  It could be today.  It could be another hundred years.  We don’t know, because I’ve learned that God is eternal. Time doesn’t mean anything to God, and His wheels grind slowly but surely.  I’ve stressed lately that anything that the Scripture says is going to happen, is going to happen. You rest assured.

All right, so let’s jump in now at Acts chapter 2. The day of Pentecost has now come. Before we go any further, let’s go back to Leviticus, because I think too many of our theologians put the birthday of the church in Acts chapter 2.  For the life of me, I cannot understand why, because if you come back to Leviticus chapter 23, we have the seven Feasts of Jehovah for the Nation of Israel.  Seven of them beginning with Passover, and we’re going to drop down and read from verse 15 on to show you how clearly and specifically this day of Pentecost started at the very onset of Israel’s religious experience. There are seven feast days. Earlier in the chapter we’ve got the feast of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and now you come down to verse 15 in chapter 23.

Leviticus 23:15

“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths (or seven weeks, forty-nine days) shall be complete:” But it doesn’t stop at the forty-ninth day. Go to verse 16.

Leviticus 23:16-17

“Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number (How many days?) fifty days; (What does Pentecost mean? Pente in Latin means fifty. So, Pentecost was the feast of the fiftieth day. All right, let’s read on.) and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto the LORD. 17. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; and they shall be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.”

All right, now go back to Acts chapter 2. This is the feast of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after the feast of Passover. And that’s why when the Lord was with the Twelve, or the Eleven, for forty days, there was yet ten days till Pentecost.  And in these ten days that we talked about in the last program, between the fortieth and the fiftieth, is when Peter had Mathias fill that twelfth slot.

And again, just to show you that I was not remiss in saying there were a lot of people that think Peter was remiss and should have waited for Paul. At break time, one of our listeners just came up and said somebody had just told him in a Sunday school class the other day that Peter was in a hurry and should have waited for Paul.  But Paul would never fit the requirements, as we saw last program. It had to be a believer that was from John the Baptist until the resurrection.  Paul doesn’t become a believer until years later.

All right, now then, as I come into this feast of Pentecost, this chapter 2; and, yes, it is the time when the Holy Spirit will come down. There is not one word of Gentile language in these early chapters of the Book of Acts. Not one word. It’s all Jewish. It’s just an extension of Christ’s earthly ministry. The only difference is that with the Holy Spirit coming down, these twelve men are going to be empowered with the Power from on high to carry on the very miracles and signs and wonders that Jesus did—but for what purpose? The same purpose—to prove that the One who had died and been raised from the dead and gone to Glory was coming back, and He would still fulfill all those Old Testament promises.  Now isn’t that simple? Is that so hard to understand? The only thing that interrupted the whole thing was that which had to happen for the sake of the whole human race. Christ had to die. It had to happen. He had to be buried three days and three nights, and He had to be raised from the dead. Otherwise, everything would have fallen apart. But you see, with God things don’t fall apart. In the human understanding it may seem like it has, but it doesn’t.

All right, so here we are now, right according to God’s eternal purposes. The day of Pentecost has arrived, and the Holy Spirit is going to come down.  All right, verse 1:

Acts 2:1a

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,…” What did I say in the last program?

“That when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son,” As we see in Galatians chapter 4.  Well, what does all this mean? God’s timetable is never a day late or a day early. It’s always on schedule because He’s God. All right, so we have the same language.

Acts 2:1

“When the day of Pentecost was fully come, (It wasn’t a day early. It wasn’t a day late, but on the exact day.) they were all with one accord in one place.”  That is these hundred and twenty Jewish believers that you saw back in verse 1. You’ve got to remember who we’re dealing with. That’s all there were after three years of signs and wonders and miracles—a hundred and twenty believers in the area of Jerusalem.

Acts 2:2-3

“And suddenly (miraculously) there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled all the house (or the building) where they were sitting.  3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, (Now, there’s the key word. If it had been fire, it would have singed their hair; but it didn’t.  It was just two little tongues that appeared as fire resting on their heads.) and it sat upon each of them.”

Acts 2:4-5

“And they were all (I’m assuming now the whole hundred and twenty.) filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, (Languages is a better word than tongues.) as the Spirit gave them utterance.  (Now the reason I’m using languages—I’m going to show you in just a couple of verses.) 5. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.” 

See, no Gentile in that word, Jews. But ever since the Babylonian captivity six hundred years before, what had happened to the Jews of that day in time? They were scattered throughout the whole then-known world, just like they did again after A.D. 70. They had gone out into Babylon instead of coming back to Jerusalem, like a few of them did.  But most of them had already scattered and had set up businesses and trades and everything all over the Roman Empire. But they were still devout Jews.

Now, if they were devout Jews, what would they do? They would come back to Jerusalem for at least two of these seven feast days. They’d make more if they could, but a minimum was two. All right, so now you have thousands upon thousands of Jews flocking into Jerusalem from all over that then-known ancient world; which, of course, would be North Africa, the Middle East, and out into the Babylonian area—Iraq as we know now, and Iran and Syria, and then all along the Mediterranean on the north side through Turkey and Greece and Rome.

See, that was all the civilized world at that time. They could make arrangements to travel, and here they came for these feast days around the temple complex in Jerusalem, but they’re Jews. All right, they were devout men; otherwise, they wouldn’t take the time and spend the money to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They came from every nation under heaven, but they were Jews.

Now remember, six hundred years is a long time. How many grand, grand, grand do we now deal with over generations? All right, now these great, great, great grandkids are no longer speaking the home tongue of Hebrew. They’re speaking the language of where they’re living; whether it was Rome or Athens or Babylon or Egypt. Naturally, they had picked up the language of the land in which they lived.

It’s no different today. My goodness, when people migrate into a foreign country, ordinarily what’s the first thing they do? Learn the language. That’s why I’m upset with our situation today. My grandparents, I can remember them talking about it. What was one of the toughest things of coming through Ellis Island over there in New York? Language! And how people would make fools of them because they didn’t know what they were talking about. I don’t even dare tell you about some of the things they went through. But language, well, what was the first thing they did? They learned English.

So, when I come along, my grandparents were still speaking German, of course, but their kids and their kids’ kids were now speaking English. Well, same way here. These Jews had been out of the Hebrew environment for so long that now they were at the fourth or fifth generation removed, and they were speaking the language of their homeland. So, what are they going to have to have? A common language.  All right, that’s the miracle of Pentecost. Okay, read on in verse 6.

Acts 2:6

“Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, (They were amazed.) because every man heard them (these twelve men) speak in his own (What?) language.”

So, Jews from Egypt were hearing the Twelve in the Egyptian language. If they were from North Africa, they were hearing it in that language. If they were from Babylon, they were hearing it in Chaldean. So the whole crowd of Pentecost, every Jew from wherever they had come were miraculously hearing the Twelve speak in their own language. That’s what the Book says. That’s not my idea. It’s what the Book says, and why can’t people believe it?

You ought to read what some of these commentators say—that this is the beginning of the tongues movement.  Are you kidding?  No, this was language!  All right, verse 7:

Acts 2:7

“And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these who speak (the Twelve now remember) are they not all Galileans?” Now, the average Bible reader doesn’t catch what’s going on. Jerusalem was the elite. They were the educated. That’s where all the priests and the rabbis originated.

What was Galilee? Well, that was the frontier. They were rough, and they were uneducated. And, my goodness, these uneducated men speaking eight, ten, twelve languages?

Now, I’ll never forget the first guy, Eli, when we first went to Israel. That fellow could speak fluently seven languages. That just blew my mind—to have that level of intelligence; to be able to have a busload of Americans today and tomorrow a bunch of Japanese come in.  And he says, no, I don’t have any more trouble with the Japanese than I do with you, or when a bunch comes over from France. He could speak French as part of those seven languages.

Well, it was the same way here. These uneducated fishermen were speaking all these languages.  Now that’s easy to understand, isn’t it? They were just as human as we are. That was the miracle of Pentecost, and theologians have twisted it all out of shape.  All right, now verse 8.

Acts 2:8

“And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” Or where we were raised? Then he lists them.

Acts 2:9a

“Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites,…” All these areas of the then-known world.  In verse 11 it’s repeated again.

Acts 2:11-12

“Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them (the Twelve) speak in our languages the wonderful works of God.  12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?” Well, God had them exactly where He wanted them. They were thinking. And that’s all I ask people when I teach—to just stop and think: what is God trying to tell us? It’s not that hard, but you’ve got to put a little effort into it.

All right, so now they come up with all their crazy ideas.  Peter has to stand up, and he says, no, no, no, no, no, you’re crazy. They’re not drunk. It’s only 9 o’clock in the morning. But what you’re seeing is what the prophet Joel spoke about several hundred years before Christ, prophetically. Now Peter goes right down the line and quotes from Joel chapter 2, word for word. It was prophecy, and it was all in their view coming right down the pipe.

Now, I think we’ve got the timeline back on the board, so let’s look at it.  We’ve come out of the Old Testament with all these prophetic utterances concerning things to come. And in there, in veiled language that nobody really could comprehend, was, of course, the crucifixion, His burial, His resurrection, and the ascension back to Glory, as we’ve already seen.  Zechariah said that He would return, and He couldn’t return if He hadn’t left, right?

That was all back here in the Old Testament in more or less veiled language. Then after His ascension, after a little period of time (they didn’t know how long), in would come those final seven years which would trigger the Second Coming of Christ, as we’ve already seen in the last half hour.  He would return to Jerusalem. There He would set up His throne room, and in would come the 1,000 year earthly Kingdom.

Now, throughout all of this timeline, there was nothing revealed of this Age of Grace we’re living in until we get to the Apostle Paul. I mean absolutely nothing—nothing of the Age of Grace and this Body of Christ.   It’s all based on Israel’s prophecies. But anyway, at the day of Pentecost all they can think about is that the Tribulation is coming.  They knew that, and it would be followed by the Second Coming.

Come back with me to Peter—I have to look whether it’s first or second. I think its I Peter.  I just made the statement that these Old Testament prophets had no idea of the things that were coming, except that there was something in I Peter chapter 1.  I think I’ve got time. I’m going to take a few more verses than I would otherwise. We might as well start with verse 1, because I always want people to understand my rule of thumb.    Who’s writing? The Apostle Peter. Who is he writing to? Jews, not Gentiles.  Not us.  

I Peter 1:1

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, (Now, I’m going to put in the word writing just for sake of understanding.) writing to (Whom?) the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” Were Gentiles scattered? No. Who was? Jews!!! All right, have I made my point? So, the apostle for the Nation of Israel is writing to his fellow Jews. All right, now come down to verse 7.

I Peter 1:7

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” What’s Peter talking about? Here we are. We’re right in here (as Les points to the time line).  Peter is writing to fellow Jews that with this horror of horrors (7 years of Tribulation) out in front of them, they would be able to come through the testing which would be like fire. They would then visibly witness the Second Coming of Christ.

Now, what does that tell you? They expected it within their lifetime. That’s not so hard to understand, is it? Read it again, “That the trial (or the testing) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth.” Now, I made the point in one of my seminars the other day. What’s the one most important thing that God is looking for from a lost human being? Not man’s works, but rather his faith.  That’s all God is looking for. Can you believe me?   All right, here it is, “That their faith might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

Now another verse comes to mind in Zechariah. This is the next to the last book in our Old Testament. I think this is the exact parallel that Peter was referring to, Zechariah chapter 13 verse 8. Zechariah, next to the last book in your Old Testament, and compare this with what Peter is just saying. Verse 8.

Zechariah 13:8

“And it shall come to pass, (My goodness, what did I just say about a statement like that? It’s going to happen. We don’t know when, but I’ll guarantee you it’s going to happen. All right, what is?) that in all the land, (That is of Israel.) saith the LORD, (Now watch this carefully.) two parts therein (two-thirds) shall be cut off and die; but the third part shall be left therein.” They’re going survive. They’re going to make it to the end. Now verse 9, God says:

Zechariah 13:9a

“And I will (There’s the promise.) bring the third part through the fire,…” The testing of the Tribulation.   Listen, no human being on earth understands what that seven years is going to be like. We can no more comprehend that than we can the glory of heaven, but it’s going to be awful. All right, but one third of Israel is going to survive.

Zechariah 13:9

“And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, (See the connection?) and will try (or test) them as gold is tested: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, the LORD is my God.”

Now again, to get the time element, here we are (timeline again).  Peter is talking to them, but the one third are going to come out of the Tribulation, and they’re going to be right here at the end, and they’re going to soon witness the Second Coming of their Messiah.  All right, back to I Peter verse 8.

I Peter 1:8a

“Whom having not seen, ye love;…” In other words, a lot of these believing Jews that Peter was addressing had come in as believers, never having really witnessed anything of His earthly ministry.

I Peter 1:8b-10a

“…in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, (in other words with your faith) ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (Now, here’s what I come back here for.) 10. Of which salvation…” This salvation for the Jews at that time was based, of course, on who Jesus of Nazareth really was.

I Peter 1:10-11

“Of which salvation the prophets (the Old Testament writers) have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: (At some future day. Now verse 11, back to the prophets again.) 11. Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ who is in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

All right, now in the twenty seconds I’ve got left, what’s that telling us? The Old Testament prophets knew this was coming, but they couldn’t get the picture. They just couldn’t understand how God would fulfill all these things back there. But now you and I with our New Testament can understand.

LESSON ONE * PART III

BOOK 2 of CONNECTING THE DOTS

Genesis – Revelation

Okay, it’s good to see you all back again. We’ll start program number three for this afternoon. Again, we’d like to invite our television audience to join with us and, like everybody here, open your Book and get a pen and a notepad and take notes.  Because what you write, you’re more apt to remember, than if you just sit and say, “Yup, I’ll remember that.”  No, you won’t. That’s why I keep reviewing. It takes a long time. You know, we were just rehearsing again at break time how many times we have to hear these things before they really settle in. That’s why I don’t apologize too much for repeating. Now, I realize that all this has been covered before, but a lot of it has been several years ago.  So, it’s about time we do it again.

Again, for those of you in television, we just covet your prayers.  My, how we need your prayers, because the devil doesn’t like what we’re doing.  We witness that from time to time with several folk that are a part of this ministry.    

All right, let’s go right back where we left off. We’re still in Acts chapter 2. Remember now, Christ had ascended ten days earlier, and now the day of Pentecost has arrived—the Jewish feast day according to Leviticus chapter 23.  And it’s all Jewish.  There’s nothing of Gentiles in here whatsoever.

Let’s come down to verse 22.  Peter has just finished quoting Joel chapter 2—the horrors of the tribulation according to prophecy, and he gives it as though that’s what Israel is looking for just ahead.   He has no idea that it’s going to be interrupted for two thousand years. All right, so after rehearsing the prophecy from Joel down in verse 22, and, again, I want to always emphasize it’s all Jewish,

Acts 2:22a

“Ye men of Israel, (There’s no Gentile in that.) hear these words;…” And then he speaks of how Christ had been delivered up to the Romans for His crucifixion and then verse 24.

Acts 2:24a

“Whom God hath raised up,…” Now, what is Peter already driving home to the nation of Israel? That the promised Messiah who lived and performed signs and wonders and miracles was rejected, was put to death and was buried, but was raised from the dead, and has gone back to glory waiting for the day when He can come back and be their King.    So, what does Peter have to prove? Your Messiah is still alive. He is still going to fulfill those promises.

Now, that reminds me of a verse that I used again just the other night. Let’s go back and look at it so that you’ll get the gist of this promised Messiah for Israel.  Romans 15 verse 8 from the pen of the Apostle Paul, after the fact.  Paul is writing to us Gentiles in the Body of Christ. 

So, it’s for us to know how these things transpire. That’s why I’m connecting the dots. It all fits like putting the puzzle together. Everything in its rightful place and it’ll fit. All right, Romans 15 verse 8.

Romans 15:8

“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the (What?) circumcision (Not the whole world, He was the minister of Israel and Israel alone. So, He was the minister of the Circumcision.) for the truth of God, (And I always say it wasn’t something Paul dreamed up.  It was all part of God’s sovereign plan for the ages. He came as the minister of the Circumcision for the truth of God. Now, what was the purpose?) to confirm (or bring to fulfillment) the promises made (To the world? No.) unto the fathers:”  That’s Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the rest of the Old Testament patriarchs who were way back then already looking for this coming glorious kingdom on earth.

Now that reminds me.  I haven’t used this in ages.  I hope I can find it. Come all the way back to Job. It’s in front of Psalms. I think its chapter 19—Job 19 verse 25. Now, this is one of the oldest books in the Old Testament, beloved, and look what Job is already looking for. Now, this ought to give you goose bumps. I get them every once in a while. My, when they call and tell me what is happening by using our DVDs, I either bawl or I get goose bumps. That’s pretty typical, but here it is in verse 25.

Job 19:25

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day (At the time of the end—where?) upon the earth:” Now, you can’t get it any plainer than it is. I want my audience to read it. Thanks, fellas, for showing it on the screen. Look at it again.

Job 19:25-26

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, (Death, see, and he’ll go back to the dust.) yet in my flesh (What kind of flesh? Resurrected.) shall I see God:” Now, isn’t that plain? That was the hope of an Old Testament writer way, way back. He had an insight that after this life of flesh, there is an eternal resurrected life on the earth. That’s the part I want you to see, not up in the ethereal heavens someplace, but rather on the earth. And that’s the earthly kingdom that every Old Testament believer was constantly looking for and waiting for.

Now, we’ve had two thousand years of theology, and they still haven’t got it. Isn’t that unusual? They still can’t get it. Well, anyway, some of them do. Don’t worry, there are some. In fact, somebody sent me an interesting article off the internet the other day. I’m going to put it in my next newsletter. It was written in 1935. As the gal who sent it said, “Les, you could have written this. It just proves you’re not some weirdo coming out of the woodwork.”  But, you see, most of Christendom just won’t see it. But it’s nothing new.  I’m not the first nor the last.

All right, back to Acts chapter 2.  Here we have Peter addressing the Nation of Israel with the primary message that this Jesus of Nazareth that they had presented to Israel for three years with signs and wonders was alive. He hasn’t lost His ability to be the King. He’s alive. He has been raised from the dead. Then he goes through some of the Psalms. Now, like I say, this isn’t a verse-by-verse study.  This is just connecting the dots.  All right, He goes back into the Psalms and he quotes David, verse 27.  Peter quotes out of the Psalms.

Acts 2:27-28

“Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, (or the place of the dead) neither wilt thou permit thine Holy One to see corruption. 28. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.” Now Peter says:

Acts 2:29-30a

“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, (just like Job) and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.” (Why does Peter quote David? He was a prophet.) 30. Therefore being a prophet,…” We normally don’t think of David as a prophet, do we? We think him as the writer of the Songs and the Psalms and so forth. No, he was also a prophet foretelling future events.

Acts 2:30

“Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, (What would happen?) he would raise up Christ (Jesus of Nazareth) (To do what?) to sit on David’s throne;” See, all looking forward to this glorious Kingdom, not a word in here about us in the Body of Christ, not a word about the Church. But rather, it’s all tied to Israel’s prophetic promises. Okay, now then verse 31.

Acts 2:31

“He (David) seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, (Or, we know He went down into the paradise side of hell.) neither his flesh did see corruption.”  Because He was divine! That’s why God the Father was the progenitor of the body of Jesus. His blood was divine, and it was holy and not fit for corruption. All right, now verse 32, Peter again hammers the fact home.

Acts 2:32-35

“This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, (Because of that finished work of the cross) and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has shed forth this, (This coming of the Holy Spirit on this day of Pentecost.) which ye now see and hear. 34. For David is not (the one who) ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35. Until I make thy foes thy footstool.”

That’s Psalms 110 verse 1. In other words, David is prophetically speaking of the ascension of Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father, and then some future day He would leave that seated position and return to Jerusalem. All right, now verse 36, and, oh, if only these people who demand water baptism for salvation according to verse 38 could just read 36, but they can’t. They can’t read it for some reason or other. Evidently it’s blanked out in their Bible or something, but here it is.

Acts 2:36a

“Therefore let all the house of Israel…” Any Gentiles in that? Not that I can see. Therefore, because of what Peter has just brought out of the prophets Joel and David, and in the Psalms. Now, because of all those prophetic promises given to the Nation of Israel for over a period of 2,000 years:

Acts 2:36

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, (of Nazareth, of Bethlehem) whom ye have crucified, (Put to death, but He’s still…) both Lord and Christ.”  Death didn’t stop anything. Now verse 37:

Acts 2:37

“Now when they (Don’t forget, who is Peter preaching to? Jews from all over the unknown world.) heard this, (what he had just been rehearsing) they were convicted in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, (All twelve, remember, are involved in all of this.) Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Not what shall we take by faith, but rather “what shall we do.”    Now remember, I could take you back.  I haven’t got time I don’t think. I could take you back to Exodus. When God laid all this out in front of the Nation of Israel, how did Israel respond? Tell us what you want us to do and we will (What? Believe it? No, we’ll--) do it.  What a difference between their Judaism and our Grace!!!   

Today, for the Body of Christ, Paul doesn’t say do this or do that, he just says believe it. All right, here’s Israel though.  This isn’t Gentile ground. This is God dealing with his covenant people. “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” And here was the answer, clear as language can make it, but it’s not for us in the Body of Christ.  This is for Israel. Never does Paul use this kind of language.

Acts 2:38

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized (that’s water) every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, (for forgiveness) and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Remember, it’s all the promises made to the nation of Israel.

All right, now I’ve been stressing all the time that it’s according to the covenant promises. Let’s skip over quickly to chapter 3.  Pentecost has come and gone. Time is going on. This isn’t all going to happen in a week.  Time has gone by.  Now verse 1, but nothing has changed.  Look where Peter and John go for the time of prayer.

Acts 3:1a

“Now Peter and John went up together into the (What?) temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.” Does Paul ever tell us to go to a temple to pray? Does Paul ever tell us to find a prayer chapel and pray? No.

How does Paul instruct us? I think it’s in the Book of Timothy. How do we approach God in prayer? Anyplace, anytime, under any circumstance—the throne room is always open. You don’t need to go to a prayer room. You don’t need to go to a chapel. You don’t have to go to some sanctuary.  Your prayer room is wherever you happen to be. What a difference.  But see, back here that wasn’t the case. They were still, according to Judaism and under the Law of Moses, to go up to the temple, or the synagogue in other cases, “according to the hour of prayer” that was designated by their religion.   All right, then they come across the lame man, and you know the story of that.

Acts 3:6

“Then Peter said, Silver and gold I have none; but such as I have I give unto thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Then the Jews got all shook up again. How in the world did you do this? They knew the guy had been lame for forty years. How did you do this? Now you come down to verse 12.

Acts 3:12a

“And when Peter saw it, (The consternation of the Jewish people over the healing of this lame man.) he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel,…” And all you nations of the world? That’s what people like to think. It’s not what it says. That’s not what it says. Peter addresses fellow Jews.

Acts 3:12b-13

“…Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 13. The God of Abraham, (See, he takes them all the way back to the beginning of the Jewish race.) and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; (Now here he puts the dagger into the nation again.) whom ye delivered up, and whom ye denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.”

See, Peter isn’t going to let Israel forget their rejection of that Messiah. He wants them to be convicted of it and to repent of it, and then God would still embrace the nation. He wasn’t ready to cast them aside. That’s all Peter is trying to do—get them to the place of repentance where they would yet believe who Jesus of Nazareth really was. Isn’t it amazing that they never were convinced?

Now, I know that may upset some Jewish listeners, and I’ve got a lot of them. I know I do. But, you see, that’s the record. That was the nation’s unbelief.  But that didn’t mean that God wasn’t ready and willing to forgive at the drop of a hat, if they would just repent of what they had done nationally to their Messiah. All right, but Peter goes on to say then:

Acts 3:14-15

“But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15. And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.”

Acts 3:16

“And his name…”  Now, that’s what I’ve been stressing for the last several programs, that Israel’s Kingdom Gospel was based on who Jesus was. That’s all God wanted them to recognize, that He was the promised Messiah.

All right, so here comes Peter now several weeks, maybe months, after Pentecost—that it was through faith in His name. Now I’ve said it more than once on the program. What does that really mean? That the name of Jesus of Nazareth was synonymous with God the Son and the Messiah of Israel. He was all the same person. Believe it! But, oh, they couldn’t. I think I said here a few programs back. What was their stock answer? “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Yes, the Messiah did, but they couldn’t buy it.

Acts 3:16a

“And his name (the name of Jesus of Nazareth) through faith in his name hath made this man strong,…” Not a word about the work of the cross. Peter doesn’t say, if you believe that Jesus died for you and shed His blood and rose from the dead, you’ll be healed. No, all this man believed was that Jesus was the Christ, and as a consequence he experienced miraculous healing. All right, now verse 17.

Acts 3:17

“And now, brethren, (Peter says) I know that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.”  In other words, crucified the Christ. They didn’t do it knowing who He was. In fact, I think I’ve got time. Come ahead with me to a statement from the Apostle Paul in First Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 7. I like to wait until everybody’s found it, then I can be assured that the television audience can do the same.  Here, Paul writes to us Gentiles.

I Corinthians 2:7

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, (In other words, the things that have never been revealed before are now made understandable.) even the hidden wisdom, (Things that Peter said the prophets what? Diligently looked for and couldn’t figure out. But now since Paul, we can figure out.) which God ordained before the world (or the ages, or the generations, time gone by) unto our glory:”  Now verse 8.

I Corinthians 2:8a

“Which none of the princes of this world knew:…” In other words, these hidden mysteries that Paul is now revealing—especially in his church letters—none of the patriarchs understood, none of the prophets understood, none of the leaders of Israel understood, none of the leaders of the Gentile pagan world had any idea of it, naturally. So, none of the princes of this world knew. They did not know who He was. Then what does the rest of the verse say?

I Corinthians 2:8b

“…for had they known it, (Had they known that He was the creator of the universe, had they known that He was the Son of God, would they have carried out that crucifixion? No way.) they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” But they didn’t know.

All right, for the minute that we have left, come back to Acts chapter 3. They were ignorant of who He was in spite of all of His signs and wonders and miracles. Now verse 18 and I’ve got to do this quickly.

Acts 3:18-21a

“But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, (See, like we showed in First Peter) that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 20. And he (God) shall send Jesus Christ,…(See, to be the King. It’s still out in their future. But Peter knows, in verse 21--) 21. Whom the heaven must receive…”

And hold Him until the tribulation has run its course. Now, for the sake of time, I’m going to have to bring you all the way down to verses 24 and 25, to put the frosting on what I’ve been trying to say for the last fourteen or fifteen years—that Israel was the people of the prophets.

Acts 3:24-25

“Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold (or prophesied) of these days. 25. Ye (Israel) are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.” So, Israel alone was under the covenant promises of God. Ephesians tells us that we’re outside the covenants of promise of Israel.    

LESSON ONE * PART IV

BOOK 2 of CONNECTING THE DOTS

Genesis – Revelation

Okay, it’s good to see everybody back for our fourth program this afternoon. We’re going to jump right in where we left off in the Book of Acts. Again, for those of you joining us on television, if you’re a new listener, and they happen everyday, I guess; we’re just an informal Bible study. We’re not associated with anyone.  I’m just an independent layman. I’m going to keep it that way, because I don’t want anybody trying to put strings around my neck.  I’m going to just keep teaching it the way I see it.  If it gets to the place the Lord wants and we’re out of here, why that’s His doing.  But anyway, we’re not going to apologize.  We’re not going to compromise, nor will I attack.

You know, a lot of people tell me all the time, “Well, Les, why don’t you tell people what these guys are saying?” No, I’m not going to do that. I trust that if people will just see what the Book says, and with normal intelligence you should be able to see the difference. That’s been my premise. Okay, now Iris, again, wants me to let our television audience know we have one published book. It is so well received, especially by the college age. My, we get more comments from grandparents, how their granddaughter or their grandson saw the book on the table and were intrigued by it. It’s eleven bucks, no postage or anything, just a flat eleven. Maybe you can afford to hand a few of them out here and there.

All right, I think that’s all the announcements, so we’ll go right back where we left off in the Book of Acts. We’re going to go on into chapter 4. Now, you remember in our closing statement, Peter is addressing Jews. He’s telling them up there—I had to hurry because time was running out—up there in verse 24 (I want to repeat that for just a moment) where he says to these Jews:

Acts 3:24

“Yea, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold (or prophesied) of these days.” What days? Christ’s first

Advent - His death, burial, and resurrection. But it was in such vague language that they couldn’t understand what it was all about. All right, then he says:

Acts 3:25

“Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.”

All right, now I ran out of time on the last program.  I wanted to go ahead to Ephesians. Let’s do that now, a minute, before going into chapter 4. Come on up to Ephesians chapter 2.  Now this verse makes all the sense in the world that the Apostle Paul is writing to a group of Gentiles over there in Ephesus. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 11 and 12. We’ve used them quite often, but remember what Peter said? You, Israel, are the children of the prophets. You are the ones who are under the covenants.

Now, look what Paul says about Gentiles. This just throws the three hundred watt bulb on it. Verse 11:

Ephesians 2:11

“Wherefore remember, (Don’t forget now, he’s writing to Gentiles.) that ye being in time past Gentiles (your genetics, go back to the Old Testament economy, your genetics as Gentiles in times past) in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by those who are the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;” In other words, Jews  referred to Gentiles as Uncircumcised. Now verse 12:

Ephesians 2:12a

“That at that time (While God was still dealing, like He is in the Book of Acts, with Jew only.) ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise,…” See that? Gentiles had no part in those covenants.

That’s why Jesus had to begin His earthly ministry right up front in Matthew 10:5-6 telling the Twelve, “Go not to the Gentiles, (They’re not under these covenant promises.) but go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  If you’d just understand all that. It’s so plain that He couldn’t be anything to the Gentile world, because He had come to fulfill the covenants, and Gentiles had no part in them.  Paul repeats it in Romans 15:8.

Ephesians 2:12b-13

“…(you Gentiles were) strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (He was dealing only with Israel. Well, what’s the next verse?) 13. But now (See, but on this side of the cross He now becomes the Savior of the whole world, not just Israel.) in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off (pagan Gentiles) are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

Today, salvation is open to the whole human race, not just Israel. But Christendom is just determined to muddy it all up. I get many calls that tell me, and I’ll use my own term, they’re blenderizing the Scriptures, and it does nothing but confuse. How can you understand something that’s all blenderized?

But rather than mixing it all up, just sort it out.  Remember that all these promises made to Israel were to the nation of Israel and not to the Gentile world.   It wasn’t until He went to the Gentile world with the Apostle Paul and his message of the work of cross—that is when the Gospel of Grace opened up for everyone. 

Now, a verse is coming to mind.  I sure didn’t plan to do this one. Come back with me to John’s gospel, chapter 12. We haven’t looked at this one for a long time, either, so maybe it’s appropriate. Here we have Jesus at the very end of his ministry. Again, the crowds are gathering for the third Passover at the end of His three years. The whole temple complex is just packed with Jews coming in from all the areas of the then-known world. But in this passage, we’re dealing with a small group of Gentiles. We don’t know how many. It’s just like the Wise Men. Everybody says three. The Bible doesn’t. We don’t know how many there were. Well, same way here, drop in at verse 20 of chapter 12 of John’s gospel.

John 12:20

“And there were certain Greeks among them (How many? Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t know—two, three, four, or five—couldn’t have been an awful lot of them. But there were certain Greeks, Gentiles, who were in the crowd.) that came up to worship at the feast:”  Now, they were probably just curiosity seekers. What are these Jews all about and all this massive crowd?   They had been around Israel long enough to have heard of the miracle worker, Jesus of Nazareth. We can pick that up from what they’re asking. All right, these Greeks in the midst of this crowd of Jews are waiting for Passover to begin.

 John 12:21

“The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.” Now, this is one portion of Scripture I’d like to have people just sit back and use a little imagination.

Here you’ve got this crowd of Jews waiting for Passover to begin, and here are these, probably, pagan Gentiles who have been in the land long enough to have heard about all the miracles that this Jesus of Nazareth had been performing. So, their curiosity was aroused. As they move through the crowd, use a little imagination.  If you were looking for someone and you were in a total, strange environment, what would you do? You ask questions.

Now, I know I’m probably unusual in this regard, but the minute Iris and I are in a strange place and I feel lost, I pull in to the first place that’s open and I ask questions. Where am I? Where do I go from here? That doesn’t bother me one bit.  Rather than just keep going, and going and be on the wrong road.  All right, now these men did the same thing. They started asking, where is this Jesus of Nazareth? Somebody said, there’s one of His followers, go ask him. Well, it happened to be Philip. So they go to Philip and ask him saying, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

Now again, put yourself in Philip’s shoes. Remember, Jesus had commanded them to have nothing to do with Gentiles. Well, what are we going to do with these guys? They knew they were Gentiles. Do we take them to see Jesus?  Is He going to put us down for breaking His commandment to have nothing to do with Gentiles? Philip is in a quandary. Now, there’s safety in what? Numbers. So, what does Philip do? He goes and finds Andrew.

John 12:22

“Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: (What are we going to do? These Gentiles want to see Jesus, and we know only too well He has nothing to do with Gentiles.) and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.”  All right, now the next verse.  Well, goodness sakes, the Scripture gives you enough intelligence to determine, what are they going to tell Him? There are Gentiles out here that want to see you. So, when they find Jesus and tell Him that there are Gentiles, is this His answer? Bring them to me.? That’s not what your Bible says.  

John 12:23

“And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”  What’s He talking about? The cross.  It’s just a matter of 72 hours at most and He knows. So He says, “The hour is upon us when the Son of man shall be glorified.”  Which will happen at His resurrection.

John 12:24a

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, (Now watch this. Most of you know this, but there are probably some out there that are new listeners and have never heard this before.) Except (unless) a kernel of wheat fall into the ground and die,…” Now, if you’ve had eighth grade biology, what do we know? A seed cannot germinate and bring forth new life until it what? Dies.  Death has to happen before new life can come. It’s a fact of creation.

Now, why do you suppose God created it that way? Because of the cross. That’s the whole doctrine of the cross, that you can’t have life until there’s death first. All right, so He brings it into the biological world that a seed of corn, of wheat, must die first.

John 12:24b

“…unless a kernel of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth (What?) much fruit.”  A hundred-fold, what’s He referring to? His own death, burial, and resurrection, and that He cannot be an object of faith to those Gentiles until He finishes the work of the cross.

Up until that time, it’s a Jewish thing. That’s why you find no reference to Gentiles throughout those early chapters of Acts. It’s still based on the Old Testament covenant promises.  But once the work of the cross is revealed to the Apostle Paul, it becomes the life-giving salvation, not just for Israel, but for the whole human race. All right, back with me to Acts chapter 3 and verse 25.

Acts 3:25-26a

“Ye are the children of the prophets, (Again, I’m repeating purposely.  We’ve got to drive it home.  To Israel this is what Peter says, you are the children of the prophets, the Old Testament. Let me repeat the subject.) ye are the children of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 26. Unto you first…”

Now let’s go back, or go ahead, keep your hand in Acts. Go ahead to Romans chapter 1 verse 16. This is exactly why the Holy Spirit prompted Paul to write what he wrote. Romans 1:16, where Paul writes to us, not to the children of Israel. He’s writing to the whole human race, but Gentiles in particular.

Romans 1:16a

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:…” And remember, what’s Paul’s gospel of salvation for us? That Christ died for your sins and was buried, and three days later arose from the dead.  Believe it with all of your heart for salvation.   

Romans 1:16

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it (The Gospel) is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew (What?) first, and also to the Greek.” What does Acts say? God came to Israel first.  All of scripture fits.

Acts 3:26

“Unto you first (Israel, according to God’s divine purposes) God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, (the nation of Israel) in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Now, had every Jew responded, what would have happened? Well, the tribulation could have come in and Christ could have returned and set up His kingdom, and Israel could have evangelized the world. That was the Old Testament format, but they didn’t do it.

Now, this is where I like to make comparison with Scriptures. For Israel, for things to happen, every last Jew had to respond. That’s what it says. Every one. Now, when Paul goes to the Gentile world, what’s the word?  “That I might save some.”

Peter and James, at the Jerusalem counsel James says, yes, we now agree. In fact, just go ahead. It’s in Acts chapter 15. I’ll let the Scripture speak for itself. Drop down to verse 13. Keep your hand in chapter 4, we’ll be right back. Now, drop down to chapter 15 verse 13.  After the end of the Jerusalem counsel, they now agree that Paul and Barnabas can indeed go to the Gentiles, not to win every last one like with Israel, but here it is now.

Acts 15:13-14

“And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 14. Simeon (or Peter) hath declared, how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them (Everyone? What?) a people for his name.” Just a small percentage. Then Paul does indeed, I think in the Book of Romans, say that he wants “to save some.” 

So, we don’t have to expect a great outpouring of Gentiles into salvation. It’s a relatively small percentage. But to Israel He expected every last Jew to respond, which, of course, they did not do. All right, back to Acts chapter 4.  Here, we’re still dealing with Peter and the Twelve, and the nation of Israel, especially the religious leaders.

Acts 4:1-3

“And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, (See, this is all Jewish. There’s not a Gentile thing in here.) 2. Being grieved that they (the Twelve) taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead, 3. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold (or put them in prison) until the next day: for it was now eventide.”

Acts 4:4

“Howbeit many of them (That is of these Jews, now.) who heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.” So, the numbers are growing, but it’s still nothing compared to the whole. All right, now the in this next series of verses we have the religious leadership calling the Twelve on the carpet and trying to shut them down from speaking any more of this Jesus of Nazareth. All right, for sake of time, drop down to verse 7.

Acts 4:7

“And when they (the religious leadership) had set them (Peter and the others) in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” Now, isn’t it amazing?  Here Jesus has just spent three years, and Peter and the Eleven have been, I think we’re probably already three, four years after Pentecost, and still this religious leadership cannot get it through their head who this Jesus really was. Isn’t it amazing? All right, verse 8, then Peter, he’s always the spokesman when we deal with the Twelve.

Acts 4:8-10

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, (No Gentiles, all Jews) 9. If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, (The raising of the layman back there in chapter 3.) by what means he is made whole; 10. Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name (Not the cross, not the shed blood, not the resurrection, but it was by the name.) of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.”

Now, do you see where the emphasis is? On His name.  On who He was.  Not a word yet of salvation based on trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection. Now granted, according to the eternal purposes, Christ had to shed the atoning blood, coming out of the Old Testament Day of Atonement.  But it is not yet revealed that this is where salvation lies. It’s still only on believing who He was.

Now, the reason I’m emphasizing that is because, turn ahead so that you’ll see where I’m coming.  In a little while, another two or three tapings anyway—to Romans chapter 16 verse 25—because Paul is not going to discontinue with the message that Peter and the Eleven have been preaching, that it’s the name of Jesus of Nazareth; but it’s that name of who He was plus what He’s done.  All right, and that was kept secret. That’s what most of Christendom cannot understand, that these revelations given to the Apostle Paul were utterly secret.

Nobody understood that the death, burial, and resurrection was going to be a Gospel all its own.  They had no idea of that. And I can prove that from Scripture over and over. They did not know that until this apostle.

Romans 16:25

“Now to him that is of power (See, that word power is always associated with the revelation of the Holy Spirit’s work in the human race.) to establish you according to my gospel, (not Peter’s, not John the Baptist’s, not Jesus’ gospel, but rather Paul’s gospel) and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, (Something that had never been revealed before.) which was kept (What?) secret since the world began.”

God had never revealed it before. That’s why Peter couldn’t preach death, burial, and resurrection.  It was still kept secret.  Now, I’ve got time, come on back. I’ve used it over and over, because a lot of people think I make too much of Paul. Well, Peter does a lot more than me.   II Peter chapter 3, this is at the end of Peter’s life, as soon as he finishes Second Peter.  I think it’s just a matter of days and he’s martyred, but, oh, the Holy Spirit still got it out. He’s writing to Jewish believers who as yet have not embraced Paul’s Gospel, and I don’t see how they could have.

Now, in II Peter chapter 3 verse 15, and don’t forget the setting, just shortly before he dies.  It’s also shortly before the temple will be destroyed. Peter didn’t know that, but the Spirit does. So, with all that in view, Jerusalem and the temple and the priesthood will soon disappear. So, where does that leave these Jews? Here it is in verse 15.

II Peter 3:15

“And account (understand) that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;” What wisdom is he talking about? The revelation of the mysteries! These are things that Peter had never understood.  So, he says to his readers, now you go to Paul because of the wisdom given unto him. He has already written unto you. I think that’s evidence that Paul wrote the Book of Hebrews, but now verse 16.

II Peter 3:16

“As also in all his epistles, (See, not just Hebrews, but in all his epistles.) speaking in them of these things; (What things? Salvation!) in which are some things hard to be understood,…”  Because this is all beyond Peter. He couldn’t comprehend this, and God didn’t expect him to.

Because God didn’t reveal these truths to Peter like He did to Paul. So, here’s where you have to draw the line of demarcation. When the Jewish program falls through the cracks, Paul’s Gospel comes to the fore, and all the world of Christendom hates it. What a pity. They fight it tooth and toenail.  They would rather stay with Peter’s message.  They just refuse to see it.  I’ve read article after article, and they all say the same thing.  There’s never been any difference between what Peter preached and what Paul preached.  That’s not what the Book says, and I beg to differ.

LESSON TWO * PART ONE

BOOK 2 of CONNECTING THE DOTS

Genesis – Revelation

Acts 3:24

“Yea, and all the prophets, (Well, now if you’re a Bible student, what’s he referring to? The Old Testament.) from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold (Or prophesied—of what days?) of these days.” Now you remember, oh, my goodness, how long ago has it been?  I had some statements on the screen? If you’re going to be a Bible student, the first thing you do is what? Determine who is writing. Then what? Luther, you know them. What is he writing? To whom is he writing? When is it written? What are the circumstances? What went before? What follows after?  What’s Peter talking about here when he says, “Samuel and those that follow after have spoken of these days”? Ours?  No, theirs.  Where Israel was at that point in history, and it was shortly after the crucifixion. Fifty days later we had Pentecost. That’s where we were in our last taping. Now we’re some months beyond Pentecost, but it’s still all part of that prophetic end-time so far as the Old Testament was concerned. Maybe I should have him flip the board and show the time line, but I won’t. We’ll do it in our next program.

Acts 3:25a

“Ye are the children of the (What again?) prophets,…” They were the ones to whom all the Old Testament prophets wrote. Well, like you said, where do you start? Samuel. Who’s the next great prophet? David, and then Solomon got his words in with Ecclesiastes and so forth.  Then you start the Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.  Then those twelve Minor Prophets: all of them writing pretty much on the same level—prophesying this glorious, earthly Kingdom that God’s going to give to Israel.

Acts 3:25a

“Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant…” Now you remember, we did a whole series on covenants a year or two ago in book 63.  All the Old Testament covenants were not between God and the world.  They were between God and Israel.  The covenants belonged to Israel.

Acts 3:25

“Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, (back in Genesis 12) And in thy seed (That is the offspring of Abraham, which would be the nation of Israel.) shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.” Well, who was included in that seed of Abraham? Jesus Christ. And it was through Jesus and His work of the cross that He reached to the whole human race and not just Israel. All right, now verse 26 and then we’re going to move on.

Acts 3:26a

“Unto you first God, (Now, remember our rule of Bible study. Who’s he talking to? Israel, the Jew. So, unto you Jews first, that’s where it all had to start.) having raised up his Son Jesus,…” After they rejected Him, and, as Peter says in chapter 2, they killed Him, but God raised Him from the dead.  So, the King is still alive. He’s still going to fulfill the prophecies. That’s the whole thrust of these early chapters. That the One they killed was alive, and He could still fulfill all the promises.

Acts 3:26b

“…God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” And in my closing remarks, if I remember right, I made the statement. Here, God expects the whole nation to respond before He could actually fulfill the promises. But they didn’t.  Only a small percentage responded.  But on the other hand, when the next apostle comes, He never tells Paul, you’re going to go out and win them all. You’re going to win how many? “Some.”   And that’s the way we are today.  God is just calling out one here and one there. It’s the way Christendom has unfolded.  It’s not the multitudes.  It’s the one here, one there, the sum.

Acts 4:32a

“And the multitude (Now that indicates a fairly large number of people.) of them that believed…”  Now, I’ve got to stop again. Believed what for salvation? That Christ died for their sins and rose from the dead?  No, that’s the Age of Grace message for the Gentile Body of Christ today. That hadn’t been revealed yet, and won’t be till Paul is given that revelation.   

Acts 4:32

“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of things which he possessed was of his own; but they had all things common.” Now stop and think. Here you’ve got multitudes of people, as we saw in our last taping, that had come in from every corner of the then-known world—from out at the Far East, all the way to probably Spain, maybe a few from Great Britain, certainly all North Africa was now civilized and under the Roman Empire.

Acts 4:32b

“… neither said any of them that ought, of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.” What is that? That’s pure communism. Now, we always think of communism on the evil side, but, you see, this was a righteous communism.

Acts 4:33a

“And with great power gave the apostles (the twelve) witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus:…”  In other words, that they knew their King was alive.  There’s no salvation attached to it. That’s where people miss the boat.  Peter never says believe that Christ died for your sins and rose again.  They never said that.  All Peter says is that the One you’ve killed is alive and He will yet come and bring in the Kingdom.  Now, is that so hard to understand? And you can look for it and check me out. You won’t find it associated with their salvation.  It was merely the emphatic fact that He was alive.

Acts 4:33-34a

“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (In other words, the blessings were just flowing on this congregation of Jews in Jerusalem.) 34. Neither were there any among them that lacked: (What does that mean? Hey, nobody was going hungry. Nobody was going without necessary food and shelter. They had it pretty good.) for as many as were possessors of lands or houses…”

Acts 4:34b-35

“…for as many as were possessors of land or houses sold them, and brought the price of the things that were sold, (See how plain that is? They brought it all to the Twelve.)  35. And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.” What does that entail? What I just was talking about. They had to administer this. They had to keep track of what was going out compared to what was coming in, and that somebody wasn’t being corrupt and taking more than they needed. It took administration.  It took paperwork. Okay, read on.

Acts 4:35b

“…and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.” What would that mean? Maybe the head of a household of five or six naturally needed more than a husband and wife or a widow. All of this is just plain common sense if you’ll stop and think it through. All right, now verse 36.

Acts 4:36

“And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (The same Barnabas that will end up with the Apostle Paul.) (who is, being interpreted, the son of consolation,) a Levite (the tribe of the priests), and of the country (or the island) of Cyprus.”  Now, if you know your geography, Cyprus has always been a rather productive piece of real estate. They’ve got beautiful vineyards and orchards, and Cyprus is a good place to own some property. All right, so he owned land on the country of Cyprus, verse 37.

Acts 4:37

“Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”  Now, this is what I did the last couple of days that I’d never done before. Do you think Barnabas was the only one that did that? Think. No, there must have been a number of Jews that probably had property. Who knows? North Africa, Italy, Greece, you name it; and they evidently did the same thing.

Acts 5:12a

“And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people;…” Now you remember, I think it was in the last taping, or the one before.  I don’t know, but I made the statement.  I made it as clear as I knew how. Why were the Twelve given the same signs and wonders that Jesus practiced?  It was for the same purpose.

Acts 5:13-14a

“And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. 14. And believers…” Now, keep it straight, not Grace Age believers yet. What kind of believers? Jewish believers who had believed who Jesus was. They are still in the Kingdom program.  They’re still looking for the King.

Acts 5:14

“And believers were the more added to the Lord, (What’s the next word, at least in the King James?) multitudes both of men and women.” Now, so that you catch what I’m driving at, go back to chapter 2 verse 41. We’re not just talking about a couple of dozen, or even a couple of hundred, we’re talking about thousands of Jews, all gathered here in Jerusalem around the temple area or wherever.

Acts 2:41

“Then they that gladly received his word (That is Peter’s.) were baptized: and the same day (the day of Pentecost) there were added unto them (That is the Jerusalem church, starting with the hundred and twenty. Remember how many?) about three thousand souls.”  That’s a good bunch of people in anybody’s language.

Acts 6:1a

“And in those days, (While this is all going on, and it could already be a couple, three years down the road.) when the number of the disciples (or believers, or these followers of Peter and the eleven) was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews,…” Now, do you know what I always call that? That’s the first crack in that beautiful veneer of this glorious congregation of beli