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So today, if you want to get ahead of things a little bit, you can open your Bibles to II Timothy 3:16. And today I'll be continuing with our dispensational overview of the entire Bible from Genesis through Revelation. And this is part five in the series. Now, for anyone who hasn't heard parts one through four in this series, I just want to review the fact that part four is the most important part in the entire series for people living today, because part four demonstrates the transitional nature of the Book of Acts, where we see why Israel's prophetic kingdom program was temporarily cut off in Acts chapter seven, and where we see the beginning of and the progressive maturation of this current dispensation of Grace. This current dispensation of Grace which the risen Lord Jesus Christ had given to Paul for the church, the Body of Christ of today.

Part four also explains why Paul's letter to the Romans is the first of his letters to appear in our Bibles, even though Romans was clearly not the first book that Paul wrote. And as we saw, the explanation for that is really quite simple and is worth repeating again. Romans is without any doubt the most important book in the entire Bible for any person living today. Now why would that be? Because with the cutting off of Israel's prophetic kingdom program in Acts chapter seven, there was now no way for individuals to become saved, for any individual to attain justification unto eternal life.

Previously, up until the cutting off of Israel's prophetic program in Acts chapter seven, anyone outside of the nation Israel could still attain individual salvation or justification unto eternal life as a proselyte by assimilating themselves into the nation of Israel. And two classic examples of that would be Ruth. In the book of Ruth, she was a Gentile. And those who were referred to as the strangers of Rome and proselytes in Acts chapter two, verse ten, on the day of Pentecost. So for anyone who would like to go back and listen to that important information, part four part four was taught on April 7 of this year, 2024.

So in part four, we left off having outlined Paul's letter to the Romans. But then there are twelve more epistles, letters, written for us today by Paul. And what we find is that neither are these twelve epistles in the order in which Paul wrote them. However, there's a very important reason for the order in which they appear in our Bibles. The order in which Paul's epistles appear in our Bibles is very much designed to enhance the edification process and the maturity of the believer, so if you're in II Timothy, chapter three, look at verse 16.

There it says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. Well, one of the first things I want you to see here is that it says, all scripture is profitable for four things in doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and finally, instruction in righteousness. And what is the objective behind this? The answer is in verse 17, that the man of God may be perfectly furnished unto all good works.

Perfect here does not mean without sin. That's not the idea. Perfect means mature, a mature believer. This is a reference to the edification process which is designed to result in the maturity of the believer. And this is the pattern in which the rest of Paul's epistles are presented to us in our Bibles. Doctrine, followed by Reproof, then Correction, and finally Instruction in righteousness.

Now, as we saw in part four, Paul starts off in the book of Romans with the most important doctrine we could ever hope to have. And Romans lays the foundation for everything that Paul will present to Christians living in this current age. Romans is doctrine, foundational doctrine to the nth degree. And in part four, we finished off, as I had kind of outlined, how that doctrine was presented throughout the book of Romans. But then we come to the book of First and Second Corinthians.

And what does Paul deal with in these books? Reproof. Referring back to II Timothy 3:16, it says, all scripture is given for doctrine and for reproof. The Corinthians were the classic example of saved people whose experiential lives failed to demonstrate the basic principles of doctrine which Paul had laid out for us in the Book of Romans. The lives of the Corinthians were a mess.

The Corinthians were not functioning according to the norms and standards which God has set forth for believers and which are laid out in Romans chapter twelve and in other places. In the Book of Romans, the lives of the Corinthians were about as poor an example of the Christian life as one could ever hope to see, because the Corinthians were functioning basically according to wisdom, the wisdom and human viewpoint of the world. In the very first chapter of I Corinthians, Paul states how that God is going to destroy the wisdom of the wise of this world, and how that God has made foolish the wisdom of this world, and how that the wisdom of this world can even prevent a person from ever even knowing God or becoming saved. You read about that in I Corinthians, chapter one, verses 19 through 21. The lives of the Corinthians were essentially no different than the lives of people who were unsaved.

And of course, that should never be the case. In the second chapter of I Corinthians, Paul explains how that the wisdom of the men of this world stand in direct opposition to the wisdom of God, the wisdom of God which had been hidden as part of the mystery, God's mystery program, which had now been revealed to the apostle Paul by the risen Lord Jesus Christ for the church, the Body of Christ today. And you can read how those wisdoms contrast in II Corinthians, chapter two, verses four through seven. Now, do we see this kind of a problem today? People who are saved, but whose lives are no different than the lives of unsaved people, whose actions are driven by the wisdom of this world? Of course we do. So the Corinthians were the subject of reproof, and this reproof is the same reproof which many believers in this current age could use today.

Then we come to the Book of Galatians. What do we see in the Book of Galatians? We see correction.

Okay, referring back to II Timothy 3:16, all scripture is given for doctrine, for reproof, for correction. The Book of Galatians is a book of correction. What needed to be corrected in the lives of the Galatians? Well, the Galatians had put themselves back under the law system in an attempt to make their lives acceptable to God. The Galatians had reverted from grace back into the law, that same law system which Israel had been under, that same law system which Israel could not keep.

And neither can any believer successfully keep that law system, because the Christian life can never be successfully accomplished under the law. Now I'm going to say some more about Galatians, but before we go there for more details, there is something in II Corinthians which we need to look at, and that is going to be in II Corinthians, chapter five.

And we are going to begin reading here in verse 17, where Paul writes, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new Christian creature. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. And what is that ministry? To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God, for he hath made him, and that's Christ. God has made Christ to be sin for us, who knew no sin. And of course, that's Christ, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

So it's pretty clear here that our commission has nothing to do with the law. You don't see anything having to do with the law mentioned here. In fact, in verse 19, it specifically states that God is not even imputing men's trespasses against them during this dispensation of Grace. Our commission is a message of reconciliation to the world, unto all, as God says in Romans 3:22, unto all, unto all the world, but becoming a reality only upon all them that believe the message.

That believe, what message? That believe the message that Christ died for their sins, that trusting in Christ's death for our sins and adding absolutely nothing else to that equation equals instant, irreversible eternal life. And that's what you see here in verse 21 in II Corinthians five. Add to this the fact that Paul teaches repeatedly throughout his epistles that we are simply not under the law during this dispensation of Grace, and it becomes pretty clear to see how that our commission today is diametrically opposite to the so called great commission in Matthew 28, where Jesus' disciples were told to go out and teach the law, everything that he had taught. The post resurrection commissions, which the Lord Jesus Christ gave to his apostles in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and in Acts chapter one, verse eight, have nothing to do with what God is doing today in and through the church, the Body of Christ in this present dispensation of Grace.

Now, for anyone who might be interested in learning what all those commissions in the gospel accounts, and in Acts chapter one, verse eight, is all about and how to interpret them correctly, you can do so by listening to a two part series titled: Israel's commissions which I taught on June 30 and July 7 of this year, 2024. Israel's commissions which I taught on June 30 and July 7 of this year, 2024.
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And for anyone who might be interested in looking into the details of our commission here in II Corinthians chapter five and the responsibilities associated with that commission, I would encourage you to listen to a three part series titled: The Great Commission for the Church, the Body of Christ. The Great Commission for the Church, the Body of Christ.
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So now we can move back into Paul's letter for the Galatians to look at a few things there regarding the correction, that great book emphasizing corrections which needed to be made in the lives and thinking of the Galatians. So turn with me to Galatians chapter three. And we'll begin here in verse one, Paul writes, O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you. This only would I learn of you. Received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? So here Paul is referring to the Galatians as fools who had been literally bewitched by false teachers who were trying to get them back under the law as a means of living the Christian life, as a means of making themselves acceptable to God.

And Paul reminds the Galatians how that they had started off the right way, they understood the facts having to do with the death of Christ, and that they had gotten saved through faith alone, according to Paul's gospel message, and how that is how they received the Holy Spirit. But now they're messing everything up by attempting to become perfect by works of the flesh. They're going back under the law in a futile attempt to live a life which they have been led to believe will please God. And today this is what is referred to as Lordship Salvation and the Lordship salvation crowd. You have men like John MacArthur and others like him who are part of this Lordship Salvation crowd, who would look at people today, people whose lives are just like the lives of the Corinthians, the way they were living, and they would flat out declare that these people aren't saved. They were never saved. Their lives don't demonstrate it.

But that's not how Paul saw it. Take a look for a minute. Back in I Corinthians, chapter one, right in the beginning of the chapter where Paul addresses those Corinthians. And we'll start there in verse four, where Paul says, I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. That in everything ye are enriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And here's what you need to see, verse eight, who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. So Paul does not agree with John MacArthur and the Lordship Salvation crowd. And I think I'm going to go with Paul on this.

So what you have in the Corinthian epistles and the book of Galatians is a commentary on the doctrine which was supposed to have been learned in the Book of Romans. Now, these four books, by the way, Romans, first and second Corinthians and Galatians, these are the four great books spurring on Martin Luther and the reformation. And that is getting back to the basic truths pertaining to personal salvation which are laid out in the Book of Romans. So now we've gone through this pattern of doctrine in the Book of Romans, reproof in I and II Corinthians and correction in the book of Galatians, and then we come to the book of Ephesians. And what do we see there in Ephesians?

What does Paul do? Paul lays out more doctrine. Ephesians is now going to be advanced doctrine, Epi knowledge. Advanced knowledge, as Paul writes it in the Greek, really advanced doctrine. Now, you might recall that in part one of this series, I made reference to Ephesians chapter one, verse ten, where for the first time in human history, God gives us information on what his plans and purposes are for the heaven or for the heavenly places, as they are also referred to in our Bibles.

And that it is going to be members of the church, the Body of Christ, of this present church age, who will be assuming roles of responsibility and rulership in those heavenly places. And we see how that God's purpose for the heaven will meld perfectly with God's purpose for the earth. So turn with me to Ephesians chapter one, and we'll look at a couple verses there, Ephesians chapter one and verse nine, where we see that God and Paul in verse nine, having made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself. And again, right here, for the first time in human history, God is going to reveal an element of his mystery program which had been his purpose since before the world began. And what is that, verse ten, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and on earth, even in Him.

There will be a day in the future when the Lord Jesus Christ will be magnified as he should be magnified, as he rules over both the earthly realm, which will be in the form of a never ending kingdom, brought in through the instrumentality of the nation Israel here on the earth, and when the Lord Jesus Christ will also be the head over the church of today, the Body of Christ, who will be fulfilling their roles in the heavenly places.

Now it needs to be understood that from Genesis twelve throughout the entire Old Testament and throughout the gospel accounts, and even through the first seven chapters in the Book of Acts, the only thing we had any knowledge of was what God was doing through the instrumentality of the nation Israel, which will all play out here on the earth in the form of a literal, physical, never ending kingdom, according to Israel's prophetic kingdom program. But now, now Paul is making known all these tremendous doctrines pertaining to what the church of today will be doing in the heaven, and that one day both the earthly realm and the heavenly realm will all be under the rightful subjection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is an entirely new layer of doctrinal information, and it's interesting to note how that in Ephesians Paul makes numerous references to things which he had explained back in the Book of Romans. But in Ephesians, Paul does not explain any of those things in any detail at all. And why is that?

Because we should already know those things. Paul just assumes that by the time you get to the Book of Ephesians, you understand those basic foundational doctrines which he had given to us in the Book of Romans. In the Book of Ephesians, there is a great emphasis on the oneness that is supposed to be demonstrated by those who are part of this body of believers today. This oneness actually was introduced by Paul back in Romans 15, verses five and six. So then, here is another layer of critical doctrine, advanced doctrine for believers today.

And just as we have already seen, doctrine is followed by reproof in the Book of Philippians and then correction in the Book of Colossians, all in accordance with God's design for the edification process of the believer. According to II Timothy 3:16, that pattern of doctrine, reproof and correction is repeated again in the Book of Philippians. The Philippians needed to be reproved because they were violating the importance of the oneness, the unity of the church, the unity within the body of believers. And Paul cautions the Philippians to remain of one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel, in chapter one, verse 27 of Philippians.

Then, the Colossians were in need of correction. They were not honoring Christ as the head over the body of believers as they should have been. They thought that they could rely on their own thinking, and they were beginning to fall back into the trappings of the religious system, which was part of Israel's program, the traditions of men and the rudiments of the world. And the Colossians were beginning to become beguiled by enticing words of philosophy and other vain deceit. So the Colossians needed to be corrected in these matters. And you can refer to Colossians chapter two, verse eight, for that.

So then by the time you get to the book of Colossians, we've gone through this pattern of doctrine, reproof and correction twice. And each cycle teaches us more doctrine and shows us how we might typically go astray from that doctrine. And each cycle is designed to bring the believer closer to that level of maturity and understanding that God desires every believer should have. And then we come to one more aspect of doctrinal information. And that doctrine takes us right up to the end of this age in which Christianity is living and functioning today.

And that doctrine has to do with the rapture of the church, the rapture of the body of believers out of this world prior to the resumption of Israel's prophetic kingdom program. And we see this doctrine in the books of first and second Thessalonians. There are two important concepts in the books of I and II Thessalonians. And these two concepts can be represented by words like working or laboring and waiting. Working and waiting.

Those who are members of the church of this present time are supposed to be engaged in the work of the Lord, laboring in disseminating that message of reconciliation and the gospel of the grace of God to all the world, as we saw from our commission in II Corinthians, chapter five. Now, the Thessalonians were highly commended by Paul because that is exactly what they were doing. They were involved in the work of the Lord, and they considered that work a labor of love in I Corinthians, chapter one, verse three. Now, the church of today is designed to function as God's pillar and ground of the truth. As it says in Timothy, in a world where God's truth has been the object of ridicule and disdain and getting worse every day.

As members of the church, we have the truth not because we've decided what truth is and what truth is nothing, because we are supposed to know what truth is according to the word of God. As members of the church, we have the message of salvation which the world so desperately needs today. That should be our labor of love. We are supposed to be working to get these truths out to the world and to get the message of the gospel of the grace of God out to the world.

Now, all the time in which we are working, we are also waiting, waiting for Christ to bring an end to this current age and to gather us up to be with him, to fulfill our roles in the heavens according to those advanced doctrines which were given to us in the book of Ephesians. Now, there are five chapters in I Thessalonians, and it's interesting to note that the last verse or two in each of those chapters presents some form of reference to the fact that we are waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ to come and take us, that this is our hope, the rapture. And of course, in chapter four in I Thessalonians, you have that classical passage dealing with the events associated with the rapture in verses 13 through the end of the chapter, which ends with these words, Wherefore comfort one another with these words, these words about the rapture. Now, after Christ gathers us up, God will then resume Israel's prophetic kingdom program back down here on the earth. So then those books of first and second Thessalonians are the third layer of doctrinal information given to us today by the apostle Paul.

But then we still have four more books of Paul remaining to be discussed, and these are the books of I andII Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Now, collectively, these four books are commonly referred to as the pastoral epistles. And here is where the doctrinal design of Paul's epistles for the edification and maturity of the believer come to fruition. Here is where we see instruction in righteousness come to fruition. It was in II Timothy, chapter three, verses 16 and 17, where Paul laid out that design for the edification and maturity of believers living in this current age.

And I'll repeat it again. It says in verse 16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. And verse 17 says that the objective is that the man of God may be perfect, that is fully mature, furnished unto all good works. So verse 17 ends with this exhortation to be furnished with all good works.

Now, just as there were two key concepts in the Thessalonian epistles. There are two key words in the pastoral epistles pertaining to the instructions in righteousness referred to in verse 16, and these words are good and Godliness. You're going to find 39 references to good works, goodness, or Godliness in these four pastoral epistles. The instruction in righteousness in verse 16 has a goal, and that goal results in some form of good works, goodness or Godliness, which is supposed to be manifested in the life of a believer as a result of instructions in righteousness. Now, although these last four books of Paul are largely designed to instruct those who desire to be pastors and leaders in the church and or teachers of the word of God, the information and the instructions and the encouragements in these books will surely be of benefit to any believer, because this information and all those instructions and encouragements which are given to church leaders and teachers of the word of God apply to any believer as well. Because even though some believer may not be a pastor or a leader in their local assemblies, all believers are called upon to be ambassadors for Christ, as we read in our commission in II Corinthians, chapter five, and to give out the wonderful message of the gospel of the Grace of God, at least to those people who are part of their own individual spheres of influence.

So then those are the 13 epistles which have been written by the apostle Paul for the church, the Body of Christ of this present church age. And that is why those 13 epistles are arranged in the order in which they are arranged in our Bible. It only helps us with our understanding. They are arranged in a way that provides progressive Revelation of doctrine and then reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness to facilitate the edification and maturity of the believer today. Now, a failure to understand the significance of Paul and these 13 epistles of Paul can only result in Christians today going back into the gospel accounts or back into the book of Acts to find out how they are supposed to be living and functioning in this current age.

And that is a certain prescription for nothing but confusion and discouragement. But as we see repeatedly in those doctrinal books of I and II Thessalonians, this current dispensation of Grace, this current church age, is not going to continue on forever. It's going to come to an end. When is it going to come to an end? Well, nobody can answer that question definitively.

It could happen at any time. And when it does, God will then resume his prophetic program for the nation Israel once again, and that program will pick up essentially where it left off in Acts chapter seven, where Israel and Israel's prophetic kingdom program was cut off. And that is where the rest of the books of the Bible come into play. The books of Hebrews through the end of the Bible, the book of the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill all of Israel's prophetic program exactly as it was outlined in Daniel chapter nine, verse 24. So that then takes us to the Book of Hebrews.

Now, as we go through these books of Hebrews through Revelation, I'm going to go into considerably more detail than I have done so far in our broad overview of the Bible. And I want to do this as much for the benefit of those who are believers today as for those of our listeners who may not be all that familiar with the Bible to whom most of this series has been directed. There is so much confusion today among Christians pertaining to the books of Hebrews through Revelation that I think it's important for us to look into these books in a little more detail. So that's what we're gonna do.

So then, when we come to the Book of Hebrews, we are looking at the resumption of God's prophetic kingdom program with the nation Israel. But before we dive directly into the Book of Hebrews, let's go back for a moment to look at some things which should help us understand what we're going to see in these books. So turn back with me to Romans, chapter eleven.

And we want to look here at verse 25, where Paul says, for I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits. That blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. The verse says, blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. While the fullness of the Gentiles will have come in with the rapture of the church, the rapture of the Body of Christ, as Paul explains it in I Thessalonians, chapter four, verses 16 and 17. When that happens, the time will have come for God to return and build again the tabernacle of David, which had fallen down temporarily, and God will then set up the kingdom just as James and the other disciples had come to understand it in Acts, chapter 15, verses twelve through 17, which you can read on your own if you want to see what they came to the conclusions of at the time in which the gospel accounts and Acts were written. There were situations going on within and pertaining to the nation Israel, which will parallel the events which will be going on in Hebrews through Revelation.

And we're going to look at some of those events in the future. When Israel's program resumes, the remnant of believers, that little flock of believers, will find themselves in situations and circumstances which are similar to those events and circumstances which they were in during the time in which their program was temporarily cut off in Acts chapter seven. So when Israel's program resumes, it's going to pick up where it left off in Acts chapter seven. And the doctrines which these Jews are going to be given in the books of Hebrews through Revelation are the doctrines which they will need to know and understand in order to get them through the seven years of tribulation or that period of time which is commonly referred to as the 70th week of Daniel. From Daniel chapter nine, verse 24, and following.

Now, some of these doctrines are things which Christ had promised they were going to know and understand at some point. In John chapter 16, things that would be revealed to the little flock before his departure. Look what Christ had to say in John 16, the Gospel of John. In chapter 16, he says to them, I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come. He will show you things to come, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, will be showing them things to come.

Now, some of those things to come are going to be doctrinal truths and knowledge which Daniel had been told would increase in those last days. Let's go back and take a look at that in Daniel chapter twelve, beginning in verse one. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people. And that's the nation Israel, of course. And there shall be a time of trouble. That's going to be the tribulation, such as never was, since there was a nation, even to that same time. And at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. That's Revelation, chapter 20. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament. And they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. So then this is what we are going to see in the books of Hebrews through Revelation, knowledge and information, increasing knowledge and information that the little flock will need in order to get them through those seven years of tribulation.

Now, what are some of the situations and circumstances and events that the little flock will find themselves in when their prophetic program resumes again? I'm going to go through a few of those. Now, number one, Israel will be in a scattered, dispersed state throughout the nations of the world. Now, we can see that Israel was clearly scattered among the nations of the world in Acts chapter two, if you'll turn there for a moment, Acts chapter two. And we'll look at verse five here. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. So those Jews who had come to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost would come from every nation under heaven. And we even have a list of some of those nations beginning in verse nine, we have the Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers of Mesopotamia and in Judea and in Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and in parts of Libya, about Cyrene and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians.

So there were Jews scattered all over the place. Even members of the little flock who normally lived in or near Jerusalem became scattered after the nation was officially cut off. Turn over to Acts chapter eight and look at what we see there, verse one, we find Saul, before he was converted and became Paul, was consenting unto his death. That's Stephen's death in the previous chapter. 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 Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. So only the twelve apostles remained in Jerusalem, where they were supposed to be in accordance with their own specific instructions from Christ before his ascension. Now turn with me over to the book of James, chapter one.

And in James chapter one, verse one, it reads, James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. So members of the little flock of believers will be scattered abroad. James is writing to believers who are scattered abroad at the time of the resumption of Israel's prophetic kingdom program. The Jews will be scattered all over the place, just as they were in Acts chapter two. Now turn over to first Peter and chapter one.

Look at what Peter has to say here. First Peter, chapter one, verse one. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to these strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. So the information in Peter's epistle is going to be addressing believers who are clearly scattered all over the place. These are believers who are going to be located outside of the land.

Now, these five regions which Peter mentions here are all located in Turkey and Asia, in Asia Minor. Now, if you have ever listened to the study that I did on the seven mystery kingdom parables of Matthew 13 seven mystery kingdom parables of Matthew 13
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you might recall how that the little flock of believers during the tribulation will be located in three general areas, and those areas will be number one, Jerusalem and Judea, the immediate region surrounding Jerusalem. These will be members of a flock who will be inside the land. They are in the land. Then you have a second group of believers in Asia Minor, and this is where a great number of the remnant will be at that time. This is the region that Peter is referring to here. This is where you find the seven churches of Revelation, in chapters one, two and three of Revelation. They will be outside of the land. Then there will be another group of believers who will be outside of the land, and that will be in Babylon. If you turn over to I Peter, chapter five, he mentions those people.

I Peter, chapter five, verse 13, Peter addresses the church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you. So in that mystery kingdom parable study of Matthew 13, we saw how that the saints in Babylon are going to be warned to get out of Babylon because God is going to destroy it. You see this in Revelation, chapter 18, verse four. He tells them, get out of Babylon because I'm going to destroy the place.

That's what Revelation 18 is all about. Revelation 18:4. So you will see the Jews scattered all over the place. When Israel's prophetic kingdom program resumes again in the future, then what else will pick up in the future right where it left off in acts? Well, there's going to be a temple, and there's going to be a functioning religious system once again.

Now, this is not the case today. At this present time, there is no temple, there are no sacrifices. But at some point in the future, all of that will resume. How do we know this? Turn back to Matthew, chapter 24. And look at verse 15. There Christ is speaking to his disciples or asking him questions about the end times and how things are going to end. And he says to them in verse 15, when ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place. Whoso readeth, let him understand. Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.

This is that point in time when the antichrist walks into the holy of holies in the temple and declares himself to be God. In these verses, this event is referred to as the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. And that abomination of desolation was referred to four times in the book of Daniel. And you'll find those for prophetic references in Daniel, chapter eight, verses nine through eleven, and in chapter nine, verse 27, in chapter eleven, verse 31, and in Daniel 12:11. And then you will see the fulfillment of this abomination of desolation in Revelation, chapter 13, verses five through eight.

And Paul even speaks about this event as well. Turn with me to Second Thessalonians, chapter two.

And we're going to look at verse three and following, where Paul says, let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God, the abomination of desolation. So this is speaking of that same event which was referred to prophetically in those four passages in the book of Daniel, and which Christ had told his disciples in Matthew 24 would occur before the end would come. And all this to make the point that there will be a functioning temple again at some point when Israel's kingdom program resumes, just as there was a when their program was temporarily cut off in Acts chapter seven. Now, what else will be similar to the Acts period in the future when Israel's prophetic kingdom program resumes?

This is an interesting one, and it is that the spirit of Antichrist will be alive and will be perpetuating its seducing, deceiving influence on the thinking of the little flock of believers. Now, first of all, what is this spirit of Antichrist? Turn with me over to the book of first John, and we're going to go to chapter four there first.

First John, chapter four. John writes, beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world, hereby know ye the spirit of God? Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come. And even now already is it in the world.

There's the spirit of Antichrist. It was that same spirit which the nation Israel demonstrated in the gospel accounts and in the book of Acts. What were they saying in the gospel accounts and in the book of Acts? They were saying, this is not our messiah. We will not have this man as our messiah.

We're not going to have this man rule over us. The messiah hasn't come. Verse three says in this passage, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of Antichrist. So that same spirit, that same attitude will prevail in the future among a certain segment of the Jews within the nation. Now, what else will be in common between what we see in Acts and what will be seen in the future?

Well, that's persecution. We already looked at. We saw that in Acts, chapter eight, verse one. It's pretty clear that the little flock will be under constant persecution. They were in early Acts and they will be in the future. And even though this present day Israel is not the Israel of God, there is no question but that the real Israel of God is going to be under persecution, even worse persecution than you see going on in Israel now. And how do we know this? Well, Matthew 24. Again, Matthew, chapter 24.

Because what did Christ have to say to his followers in verse 21? He said, for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world, to this time, no, nor ever shall be. The little flock of believers in the tribulation will be under persecution unlike anything the world has ever seen or ever will see.

So he ain't seen nothing yet, folks, about what's going on over in Israel. Now, this was also spoken of prophetically by the prophet Daniel. We won't go there. But in Daniel chapter 25, Daniel describes how that the Antichrist and his minions will be wearing out the saints. They'll be just wearing out the saints.

And this is that time which the prophet Jeremiah referred to as the time of Jacob's trouble in Jeremiah, chapter 30, verse seven. Now, we could look at hundreds of verses throughout the prophets which describe the tremendous persecution which the little flock of believers will be receiving during the tribulation. And we could look at dozens of Psalms which illustrate the prayers which Israel will be praying to the Lord to get them out from under all that tremendous persecution which they'll be experiencing during the tribulation. So then those are just some of the major circumstances and situations which in the future will be paralleling the way things were back in Acts seven, when Israel's prophetic kingdom program was cut off. So when you come to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews is going to lay down foundational doctrines for Israel and for the little flock in the future, very much the same way that Romans lays down foundational doctrine for the church, the Body of Christ today.

Then, as you progress from Hebrews through Revelation, what you find is that the doctrines for the little flock will progress from milk to meat, much like we have progressive doctrinal Revelation as we work our way through Paul's epistles to us. In the Book of Hebrews, the writer will be speaking primarily to those members of the little flock who will be in the land, in Jerusalem and Judea. They will be in the land, that first category of members of the little flock. And that is why there is so much information in the Book of Hebrews pertaining to the temple, pertaining to the priesthood, and pertaining to the sacrifices. The members of the little flock of believers will be pressured constantly to return to Israel's vain, apostate religious system, which Israel had been involved in in the past and will be involved again in the future. When you get to the epistles of James and Peter and John and Jude, those letters will be speaking primarily to those members of the little flock who are outside of the land.

Those members of the little flock who are outside of the land. They're not going to need all that information about what's going on in the temple and about Israel's vain, apostate religious system, which will be going on in Jerusalem and in Judea at the time. They won't be there. They won't need that information. The difficulties which those members of the little flock will have outside of the land will have more to do with separating themselves from the worldly influence of the escalating levels of evil that will be going on all around them at that time in what would be predominantly Gentile territory.

Remember what Christ said about those days in Luke, chapter 17, verse 26? You don't have to go there. But what he said was, Christ said that those days will be as the days of Noah. What was it like in the days of Noah? The days of Noah were where every imagination of the thoughts of the hearts of men will be only evil continually. Genesis six, verse five.

Now, before we continue on in the Book of Hebrews, I want to bring up an issue which pertains to the Book of Matthew and the Book of Acts and this book of Hebrews that we'll be going into soon. I didn't bring this up when we looked at the gospel accounts or the Book of Acts, because this particular issue would not have been something which our primary audience would have, probably would have understood or appreciated. But it is an issue which is very important and which needs to be understood. And that issue is the problem associated with the transitional nature of these books. Matthew, Acts and Hebrews are the three great transitional books of the Bible.

The Book of Matthew, probably more than any other of the gospel accounts, demonstrates the transition from Israel's law program into the messianic kingdom and the messianic church. And a good verse to look at there is Luke chapter 16, verse 16. The kingdom was at hand. They were progressing from the law into the messianic kingdom and the Messianic Church. You could almost consider the messianic kingdom program and that early messianic church in Acts as sort of a dispensation within the dispensation of law, in that with the arrival of Christ, the messianic kingdom was now at hand. And there were additional requirements of the believer of that day.

Now, in the Book of Acts, you see the renewed presentation of the kingdom offered to the nation Israel. Of course, they rejected it. And you see the kingdom program going strong in the first few chapters of Acts until the cutting off of their program in Acts chapter seven, after they just would not have it, and after the cutting off of Israel's prophetic kingdom program in Acts chapter seven, you then go into an entirely new program, the mystery of the dispensation of Grace for the Body of Christ. So in Acts, you're moving from the Messianic Church and the Kingdom program to the program for the Body of Christ.

You're transitioning from prophecy. That prophecy which Peter had explained had been spoken by the prophets since the world began in Acts chapter three, verse 21. And you're transitioning from that prophecy into God's mystery program, which Paul said had been kept secret since the world began in Romans, chapter 16, verse 25, and in the Book of Hebrews, now you're going back into the kingdom program once again, and Hebrews is going to focus on going from the old covenant to the new covenant. But that movement from the old covenant to the new covenant is presented in a way that it couldn't have been presented back in Matthew or in early acts.

Why? Because of all of the advanced Revelation about the cross work of Christ that Paul had brought to light in his epistles. So Hebrews is constantly focusing on the fact that there is a change that has taken place, a change that has taken place in Israel's prophetic kingdom program. And the Book of Hebrews never speaks about a transition from Israel's program into the Body of Christ, because God's program for the Body of Christ will then be over. It's done.

The fullness of the Gentiles will have come in. Now, as I said, Hebrews focuses on movement from the old covenant to the new covenant for the nation, Israel, and it focuses on things to come. And there's an interesting verse in Colossians chapter two, verse 17 in connection with this. So the problem associated with these transitional books, Matthew, Acts and Hebrews, is that probably 90%, probably even 99% of all the cults that have developed and the isms and the heresies and the misconceptions about what God is doing today are based on proof texts out of these transitional books by people who fail to recognize their dispensational setting and who fail to recognize who these doctrines and instructions are being written to. And I think this would be a good place to stop for today.

And we'll get into some of those things that are so troublesome when you don't rightly divide, in our next session next session on Hebrews.