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So this is a continuation of our study titled Why Paul? What Is the Mystery? And what's so Important about Dispensational Distinctions? Hopefully, in part one, you and our critics have gained a much deeper appreciation for the importance of dispensational distinctions. And at this point, it would be good to review some of the doctrines which we've covered so far.

In part one, we address the two most common criticisms against dispensationalists and dispensational teaching. The first common criticism was that we make too much of what the apostle Paul teaches and too little of what Jesus taught in the Gospel accounts during his earthly ministry. But after examining multiple passages pertaining to Paul's authority, it should have been abundantly clear that everything which Paul teaches, Paul received by direct revelation from the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and that Paul has been sent by Christ and by God the Father to be the apostle to the Gentiles and to be Christ's steward for everything pertaining to this current dispensation of Grace. That's Galatians, chapter 1, verse 1. Then Paul goes on in I Corinthians 4 in verses 14 and 15, he says there, "for though ye have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me".

Well, through what gospel had Paul begotten the Corinthians, it was not through the gospel that those thousands of previous instructors of Christ had been preaching. Those thousands of previous instructors in Christ would have included Peter and the other 11 apostles and all of the other kingdom saints who would have responded to the Gospel of the kingdom. Anyone who had received individual justification unto eternal life during Christ's earthly ministry to the nation Israel were all saved under the requirements of the Gospel of the kingdom. But the gospel by which the Corinthians had been begotten is through Paul, is through Paul's Gospel.

Three times throughout Paul's Epistles, he refers to this gospel as My Gospel. My Gospel. Whenever Paul does not specifically refer to it as my Gospel, he describes it as our gospel or the gospel which I preach, or something along those lines. Then, in contrast to Paul's ministry, we examined those things which Christ commanded his followers to embrace and teach in the Gospel accounts. And it was more than clear that those things had everything to do with keeping the law.

But then when we come to verses like we see in Romans, chapter 6, verses 14 and 15, then again in a place like Galatians chapter 5, verse 18. Paul could not state it any more clearly that we are not under the law. Today and throughout all of Paul's epistles, Paul is continuously explaining the problems and the destructive results of trying to function according to the law. The whole book of Galatians addresses this problem. What all of that means is that if you are not following Paul today during this present dispensation of Grace, you are not following Christ.

So what are you going to do? Are you going to do what Jesus said to do in the Gospel accounts, or are you going to do what Paul says to do in his epistles? You cannot ascribe to both bodies of truth. So what are you going to do? Well, I'm going to tell you again what you're supposed to do.

It's in Romans 16:25. "Now, to him that is of power to stablish you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the Revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest". Paul begins here by saying that Christ has provided something which has the power to stablish you. Christ has given us something that has the power to stabilize our lives as Christians.

Paul then goes on to say how that stabilization begins. And he says that it all begins according to his gospel. And what gospel is that? It's the Gospel of the Grace of God. It's not the Gospel of the kingdom which was preached by Christ and his followers as part of Israel's prophetic kingdom program during Christ's earthly ministry.

We have to make this distinction between these two gospel messages because it's critically important that someone today understands the distinction between Paul's gospel of the Grace of God and the Gospel of the kingdom. Because individual justification unto eternal life and someone's eternal destiny depends on someone's response to the correct gospel message. In part one of this study, we look at Paul's gospel and why it's so important to make this distinction. And I'll say it again. In Romans, chapter 2, verse 16, Paul writes that "the day is coming when God will judge the secrets of men according to my gospel", the Gospel of the Grace of God, not the Gospel of the kingdom.

So we had better get our gospel messages straight. Are we supposed to be following those instructions and commandments associated with the Gospel of the kingdom which pertain to Israel's prophetic kingdom program? Or are we supposed to be following the instructions and commandments associated with the Gospel of the Grace of God which has been given to our Apostle Paul for us? Well, the answer should be obvious. Three times Paul specifically says, "follow me". And then, what's the next thing that is going to stabilize our lives according to Romans 16:25?

Listen carefully now. It's the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the Revelation of the mystery. The Mystery. It's not the preaching of Jesus Christ according to prophecy. It's by the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the Revelation of the mystery.

And that's what Paul was referring to when he wrote 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 16, where he says, "wherefore henceforth now, we know no man after the flesh? Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more". And I'll paraphrase that verse for you again today. What that verse is saying is we should no longer be following the instructions and commandments which were associated with Israel's gospel of the kingdom which Jesus and his followers taught when he was here in the flesh ministering to the nation Israel. That is no longer the sense in which we know Christ.

Today we know Christ in this entirely new sense, Christ according to the Revelation of the Mystery. It's that second aspect of God's will for every person today that we looked at in I Timothy 2:4, which said "to have all men come to the knowledge of the truth". The knowledge of the truth is everything associated with the mystery. And I'll say it again, what all this means is that if you are not following Paul today and the instructions that Christ gave to Paul for today, during this present dispensation of Grace, you are not following Christ.

In part one, we examined a number of the amazing elements of the mystery which most of professed Christianity has no understanding or appreciation of. Those things which Ephesians 3:8 refers to as the unsearchable riches of Christ. Because those unsearchable riches of Christ are elements of the mystery. Now, if you remember, the second main criticism that most of Christianity has against dispensational teaching was that as dispensationalists, we're continually harping on this concept which the Bible refers to as the mystery, what is so important about this mystery? Well, aside from all the other things that we've seen in part one that are associated with the mystery, we are supposed to be following Christ according to the Revelation of the mystery.

Because if you're not following Christ according to the Revelation of the mystery, you are not following Christ today. And we saw in part one how that the mystery was something that had been kept secret since the world began, that this mystery has been hidden in God from the beginning of the world. So that is the aspect we have not yet discussed. Why have all these things been hidden in God from before the foundation of the world? Why did God have to keep all these things a secret?

Well, that's what I hope to be able to explain to you today. And I want to start by looking at a very interesting verse in the book of Amos.

Amos, chapter three, verse seven, says, "surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets". Ever since mankind entered the scene of human history with the creation of Adam and Eve in Genesis, chapter one, God has revealed to men what his plans and purposes have been. In Genesis, chapter one, verse 28, we read that "God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth". That's a pretty impressive commission. But that was God's plan for the earth, which he intended to achieve through Adam.

But it never happened, did it? Why not? Well, because someone was able to interfere with that plan. And that someone, as I'm sure you know, is God's arch enemy, Satan. Through Satan's deception, sin entered the world.

Adam disqualified himself as the one who would be able to fulfill God's commission. And God's plan for the earth was successfully sabotaged. So what did God do then? God says in Genesis, chapter 3, verse 15, that through the seed of Eve, at some point there is going to come another one who's going to successfully accomplish what Adam failed to accomplish. So how does Satan respond to this?

Satan sets out to contaminate the seed line of Eve, the entire seed line of Eve. So that Eve's seed line will never produce someone who is qualified to successfully accomplish what Adam failed to accomplish. How does Satan do this? Turn to Genesis, chapter 6. Verse 12 provides the answer to that question where it says, "and it came to pass when men began to multiply in the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair, and they took them wives of all which they chose". Well. Who are these sons of God referred to here?

They're members of the angelic community. We know from passages like Job 1:5, then again in Job 2:1 that these sons of God are angels. And the angels referred to here in Genesis 6 are specifically fallen angels, fallen angels from that segment of the angelic community who are functioning under the leadership of Satan to facilitate Satan's goals. These are the angels which, II Peter 2:4 refers to as the angels that sinned. These are the angels that Jude refers to in verse 6 as the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation.

Now, that's a perfect description of exactly what they did. They came down from their heavenly habitation and took wives of the women of Eve's seed line, destroying the human gene pool in an attempt to contaminate and disqualify the entire human race. Coming down from the seed line of Eve. And they almost did it. Because we read in Genesis 6:5 that God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

So Satan has sabotaged God's plan again, almost, almost. Because look at Genesis 6, verses 8 and 9. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord". These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations.

"And Noah walked with God". Noah and his family are the only humans remaining on the earth who have not been directly contaminated by these fallen angels. Verse 9 says that "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations. And Noah walked with God". The seed line of Eve was still intact through Noah and his wife.

And God sets forth to start all over again through the seed line of Noah and his wife. And we all know how God did this. God sends the flood, wipes out all the rest of humanity with the intent to start all over again with Noah and Noah's three sons. And as we read in Genesis chapter 9, verse 1, which is repeated again in verse 7, the commission which was given to Noah and his three sons was to multiply, be fruitful, and to replenish the earth. Spread out, fill the earth.

That was God's commission. But in Genesis chapter 10, verse 8, we see this character whose name is Nimrod, who the scripture goes on to say, "began to be a mighty one in the earth". Now, that may sound like a good thing, but it's not. In verse nine we read that Nimrod was "a mighty hunter before the Lord". And that is not a good thing either, because what Nimrod was hunting for was to gain a following.

He was hunting people for a following. You could probably paraphrase the verse something like this, as a direct snub in rebellion against the Lord's commission to fill the earth, Nimrod's goal was to have men seek him rather than to seek after the Lord and to congregate in one location to accomplish great things on their own. Verse 10 goes on to say that the kingdom that Nimrod established was called Babel. And in Genesis 11, verse 4, we see what Nimrod and his following had set out to accomplish.

They said, "go to, let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven. And let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth". So what have we got in this verse? A tower whose top may reach unto heaven.

This is what is commonly referred to as the Tower of Babel. This is essentially the beginning of the false religious systems which will permeate the earth. Man's false religious systems. A futile attempt to reach heaven their own way. What else does the verse say? "And let us make us a name". They had no interest in honoring the name of the Lord or following the instructions of the Lord. They sought to do things their own way to make for themselves a name. And what is another reason they're doing this? The verse goes on to say, "lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth".

Which is exactly what God's plan was according to the instructions he gave to Noah and his sons. And so God's plan and purpose for the earth is sabotaged, again. All these goals of Nimrod and his following are what God calls vain imaginations. Vain imaginations. And the apostle Paul provides a commentary on what we see going on here with Nimrod and his followers.

That commentary, of course, is in Romans, chapter 1, verses 21 and 22, where Paul writes, "Because that, when they knew God," understand that they knew God and what his plan was, "they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools". And then Romans, chapter 1, verses 23 and following goes on to describe some of the things which are commonly associated with the false religious systems which would evolve throughout human society, which started right here at the Tower of Babel. And I think it goes without saying that all of this is being instigated by Satan. And Nimrod, is actually the first prophetic picture of the Antichrist. How that Satan will be attempting to facilitate his goals through a particular man.

So God responds to this by putting an end to Nimrod's vain imaginations. How does God do that? As it says in Genesis 11, 7, 8. God then confounds the language of the people, and God scatters men all over upon the face of the earth, just as he had commanded for Noah and his sons to do, essentially establishing individual nations, languages and cultures. That's the fourth divine institution established by God for the successful functioning of human society, or what could also be referred to as nationalism.

So what happens next? We come to Genesis 12, chapter 12, where God calls out this man Abram, having essentially given up on mankind in general for the second time, God calls out this man Abram. God calls Abram out from among the people he had given up on. And through this man Abraham. God will now continue that seed line that he had promised in Genesis 3:15.

And God reveals five things which he intends to do to accomplish his plans and purpose for the earth. Those five things are certainly worth taking a look at in Genesis 12, beginning in verse one. "Now, the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee, and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing, and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

Verse 3. That's what we want to look at in particular right now. "And in thee," that is, through Abram's seed, "shall all the families of the earth be blessed". And of course, this is what is commonly referred to as the Abrahamic covenant. Three chapters later, in Genesis 15:18, God establishes another covenant with Abram, saying, "unto thy seed have I given this land from the river Egypt unto the river, the great river Euphrates". This is what is commonly referred to as the Palestinian covenant, the land which Israel is destined to receive.

This is now the fourth scenario we've looked at describing God's plan for the earth. All of these things God has made known. This is all just as we read in the prophet Amos when we began looking at this. Remember Amos 3:7. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets".

God has consistently been revealing everything he is attempting to do. So then how does Satan respond to all of this information? Satan sets forth to sabotage God's plan again, basically on two fronts. Number one, he's going to do whatever he can to disqualify the Nation Israel. Now, to disqualify Israel from being the holy nation that they're supposed to be, as God had described what they were supposed to be through Moses in Deuteronomy chapter four.

Remember when we looked at that in part one, so that Israel will be able to bless all the families of the earth. He's going to try to disqualify the nation Israel, just like he disqualified Adam as an individual. And the second thing he's going to do, he's going to try to thoroughly contaminate the land which Israel is destined to inherit, to make that land unsuitable for anything good. And over the next 1500 years, Satan is so successful in disqualifying the nation Israel from that. This is what we read in 2nd Chronicles, chapter 36 about what the nation Israel had become.

This is 2nd Chronicles, chapter 36 and verse 14, where it says, "moreover, all the chief of the priests and the people transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes and sending them because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place". Let me break in here. The Lord is constantly sending them prophets, trying to get the people back on track, the nation and its leaders back on track, Back on track in verse 16, continuing on in verse 16. "But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy".

Israel had reached a level of apostasy and deterioration to the point where there was no longer any remedy. And as pertaining to the land which Israel was destined to inherit, In Ezekiel, chapter 36, verse 16 and following, it says, "Son of Man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings. Their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman".

Once again, Satan had successfully sabotaged God's plans and purpose for the earth, which were supposed to be accomplished now through the nation of Israel. And by the time Christ arrives on the scene at his first coming, that land was thoroughly overrun by demons who were everywhere throughout the land to facilitate Satan's goals, to maintain Satan's control over the earth. So it was not just the people in Israel that had to be cleansed, but the land had to be cleansed as well, to make it suitable for the prophesied kingdom. That's why you see Christ and some of his followers constantly casting demons out of both the people and the land, entering the strong man's house, so to speak, and spoiling it, just as Christ said in the Gospel accounts, the strong man, of course, being Satan.

And now we need to begin looking at some of the interesting things pertaining to God's adversary, Satan, as Satan is continually working against the plans and purpose of God for the earth, as we know from Christ's words in several passages. In particular, in the Gospel of John and from Paul in Ephesians 2, verse 2, Satan is currently the prince of the power of the air, as he is continually working his Satanic policy of evil on the children of disobedience of this world. It's all in Ephesians 2 according to the course of this world, that course which Satan has set for this world, Satan is controlling the course of this world. Satan's course for this world has been in operation ever since Genesis 6. And Babel, as Satan worked his policy of evil through Nimrod, and Satan has every intention of keeping it that way. So what are these things we need to learn about Satan and his mode, his manner of operation?

Turn with me to the prophet Ezekiel, and chapter 27, Ezekiel is a very important and enlightening prophet. Not only does Ezekiel describe the creation of Lucifer in chapter 28, Lucifer, who of course will come to be known as Satan after his rebellion against God. But Ezekiel also provides important prophetic pictures of the Antichrist, who will one day become Satan's human tool, just as Nimrod was Satan's tool. But Ezekiel reveals some other very important things pertaining to Satan himself.

Let's look at Ezekiel 27:2. It begins here to describe a lamentation for Tyrus, or the city of Tyre. Tyrus is a prophetic picture of future Babylon. Future Babylon will be the headquarters of the Antichrist, and it will also be the center of commerce, at least in the Middle east, during the end times, where the Antichrist will have complete control, 21 times in chapter 27, here you will read about the merchants or the merchandising of the merchants in Tyre. Tyre, that prophetic picture of future Babylon.

And as you read through chapter 27, it goes on to describe a prophetic picture of the future destruction of Babylon, just as it's described in Revelation chapter 18. It's really quite remarkable how Ezekiel 28, how it's so much identical to what you read in Revelation 18. If you've never compared the two. You should do that sometime. It's fascinating.

Then Ezekiel 28:2 then goes on to address the Prince of Tyrus. The Prince of Tyrus is a prophetic picture of the Antichrist. Then when you get down to verse 12, Ezekiel begins a lamentation upon the King of Tyrus. The King of Tyrus is the real boss here. The King of Tyrus is a prophetic picture of Satan.

Satan is the one who will be working through the Prince of Tyrus, the Antichrist, just as he was working through Nimrod and just like he was working through Pharaoh in Egypt, the Assyrian from Isaiah, chapter 52, verse 4. And just as he will be working through Judas Iscariot in the future to facilitate the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. And now here is what we came to these passages in Ezekiel to see, follow along. Ezekiel 28, beginning in verse two, Ezekiel says, "Son of man, say unto the Prince of Tyrus, thus saith the Lord God, because thine heart is lifted up. And thou hast said, I am a God. I sit in the seat of God in the midst of the seas. Yet thou art a man and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God". Let me interrupt here. Please note that the next verse, verse three, is pure sarcasm on the part of God.

Verse three. "Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel. There is no secret that can be hid from thee". Are you starting to get the picture here? Up until the mystery of the dispensation of Grace, God's game plan has always been the same. Just as the prophet Amos wrote, "surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets". The Lord has always revealed what he was trying to do. The Lord has been setting up Satan from the beginning.

Because this dynamic duo of Satan and his Antichrist boast in the fact that they are so wise that there is no secret that can be hid from them. Not even Paul's Gospel, not even the preaching of Jesus Christ according to Revelation of the mystery, the mystery which was kept secret since the world began. Romans 16:25. They boasted that no secret could be hid from them, not even the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God. Ephesians, chapter 3, verse 9.

At least that's what Satan thought. So then, just how important is that mystery? The mystery is so important that if Satan had known about it, and if Satan had known everything that the mystery was going to accomplish, Satan would have done everything he could to see that the Lord Jesus Christ had never been murdered. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 2, and look at that.

First Corinthians 2, beginning in verse 6. "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. Yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world that come to naught, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory".

If Satan had known what the death of Christ was actually going to accomplish, he would have done everything he could to prevent Christ from being murdered. But what did Satan do? Satan actually entered into Judas to make sure that the murder of Christ would happen. The Lord has been setting up Satan from the beginning because the Lord Jesus Christ had to die. Do you understand that if Christ had not died, there would have been no way for Israel to ever become the nation that they are destined to be, because the new covenant would never have been able to be established, and God's plans and purpose for the earth could never be accomplished.

Turn with me to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews  9:15, which reads, "and for this cause He Christ is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament". That's the law covenant. "They which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is a force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth". So the Lord Jesus Christ had to die.

And that's only the half of it. Where do you think we would be today if the Lord Jesus Christ had never died? There would be no dispensation of Grace. We would not have the gospel of the Grace of God, which has the power to save us from eternal death, and we would not be able to fill our ultimate intended roles in the heavenly places, and God's plans and purposes for the heavens would never be accomplished. So how important is the mystery, folks?

The Lord has been setting up Satan from the beginning. And that is a principle which Paul is referring to when he writes I Corinthians 3:19, where he says, "God taketh the wise in their own craftiness", as Paul writes in Romans 11, verse 33, "O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and Knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out the wisdom of God".

But In Romans, chapter 11, verse 33, Paul doesn't even attempt to expound on the depths of of that wisdom. He doesn't do that until he writes the Ephesians epistle. And even there the best he can do is to just refer to the wisdom, this wisdom of God, as the breadth and the length and the depth and the height and the love of Christ for us. Things which cannot be fully understood.

And all of these are elements of the mystery and the fellowship of the mystery. Let's go to Ephesians 3, the fellowship of the mystery in Ephesians 3:9. "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, which who created all things by Jesus Christ to the intent that now under the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God". In verse 9 we have the fellowship of the mystery. Verse 10 then goes on to describe what this fellowship of the mystery has been intended to demonstrate.

This fellowship of the mystery is intended to demonstrate what Paul refers to as the manifold wisdom of God. Manifold meaning the many, many sided aspects of God's wisdom. And there is an incredibly important aspect of God's wisdom as part of the mystery which God has designed, through which the Body of Christ is supposed to demonstrate that wisdom. Because as members of the Body of Christ, we are not only going to be a demonstration of what God is going to do with us in the heavenly places, but we are also going to be a demonstration both to all men in verse nine and in verse ten, a demonstration to the principalities and powers, which is to say the entire angelic community. We are going to be a demonstration to all men and to the entire angelic community of the worthiness, the worthiness of God to do what it's going to do, the worthiness of God.

Revelation, chapter 5 talks about the worthiness of God, but now not just to Israel and to those who are up in God's throne room in Revelation chapter 5, but to all men and to the entire angelic community. The worthiness of God is a whole new issue which is also an element of the mystery which is going to be revealed to all men and to the entire angelic community.

And I want to continue now with an explanation of how the mystery reveals this manifold wisdom and especially how the mystery demonstrates God's worthiness.

If you want to see exactly what this particular aspect of God's manifold wisdom is which we are demonstrating to all men and to all angels to see and appreciate. Then we have to go back to the big picture. We have to go back to the battle of battles, the battle of the universe, which has been going on between God and Satan since the fall of Lucifer. Not only is God reconciling both the earthly and heavenly realms back unto himself under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ, but in conjunction with that, God is demonstrating his worthiness. God did not orchestrate everything he's doing so that his creatures would be worshiping him simply because he was the big man on the block, simply because he had all the power to make it happen.

No, there is an issue of worthiness here in the battle between God and Satan. In Satan's mind, the issue was never one of who was more powerful, but rather who had the greater wisdom with which to rule and reign. Satan fully understood the issue of who was more powerful. Satan understood that ever since what happened to his stronghold against Israel in the Red Sea during the Exodus. But when God set up his eternal purpose, he purposed in that way to demonstrate a worthiness to rule and reign over his universe.

There is a tremendous difference between achieving that end about ruling over everything in the universe simply because you want to and simply because you have the ability to do it. There is a tremendous difference between that and being able to demonstrate an actual worthiness to be the one who will be receiving the free will, worship, praise and glory from every creature who resides in his creation, both men and angels. Because that is actually what was challenged by Lucifer. What was Lucifer's challenge? That he would be able to demonstrate that he was more worthy to receive all that praise than God because of his Pride.

Isaiah, chapter 14, verses 13 and 14. And Lucifer convinced a certain percentage of the angelic community that he was more worthy. And what was God's response to Satan and his rebellious faction of the angelic community? God's response to that rebellion was the creation of hell, the lake of fire, where that rebellious faction will ultimately end up for all eternity. But God did not destroy that rebellious faction immediately and restore things back to the way he would have it.

God could have done that just like that, but he didn't. Why not? Did you ever ask yourself that question? Why didn't he do it? Why did God devise this elaborate plan which has been going on for almost 6,000 years?

God did this so that he could demonstrate to all of his creation beyond any shadow of a doubt that Satan's challenge against God's worthiness was not justified, that Satan's challenge did not have any merit. And God set up a plan to demonstrate that very thing. We are part of that plan as the fellowship of the mystery. God in his wisdom sets up this plan whereby Satan and his rebellious faction can demonstrate their ability and their manner of operation, and where God can demonstrate his ability and his manner of operation, and then the two can be compared. Then and only then can a logical determination be made by all of whose ability and manner of operation is the more worthy.

That is the manifold wisdom of God. Not a demonstration of God being able to squelch anything or anyone who stands against his plans and purpose, but to demonstrate beyond any shadow of a doubt that God in His manner of operation is infinitely more worthy, worthy to be worshiped, worthy to be praised, and worthy to be glorified for who and what he is. What an incredible difference between the two modes of operation. The generation of a following because of fear, intimidation and lies by Satan as exemplified by the god of Islam, or the generation of a following because of a God who loves every individual so much that he suffers and allows himself to be put to death in order to give every individual who has ever lived the opportunity to inherit every good thing that anyone could possibly hope to possess. That is preposterous.

But it's true. Establishing and populating an infinite universe with perfect creations made in his own image, after his own likeness. Perfect creations who will rightfully and willingly be worshiping, praising and glorifying God for the loving, merciful, worthy, sovereign Creator that He is. That is the worthiness of God. And that is all part of the mystery.

And that worthiness is all based on what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross for all of humanity. And it could not have happened if the Lord Jesus Christ had not died. And all that God had to do to make this happen was to keep it all a secret as part of the mystery. All God had to do to make this happen was to provide no clue to his arch enemy of the magnitude of what the death of his son on the cross was actually going to accomplish. And again, that is exactly what Paul wrote in First Corinthians, chapter two.

And I want to go back there one more time. Look at those verses again. First Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 6. "Howbeit we speak wisdom among men that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of the world that come to naught". Them that are perfect, Paul says here.

Them that are perfect. Again, Here is another passage where this word perfect simply means mature. There are some things that immature believers are simply not ready to know and understand, like the Corinthians at this point in their walk. Those things would be the advanced doctrines which are found in the book of Ephesians, like the doctrine of our sonship relationship pertaining to everything that God is doing today with the Body of Christ today as a truly profound part of the mystery. What a shame it is that there are so many people in Christianity who do not recognize that God saved Saul to be his ordained minister of this dispensation of Grace for everything that God is doing today.

What a shame it is that there are so many people in Christianity who do not see, or even worse yet, who willfully reject the distinctive nature of the mystery. And those people who don't see it, or worse yet, who won't see it. Those people are literally throwing away their only chance to be involved and to rejoice in what God is actually doing today through the fellowship of the mystery.

Verse 7. "But we speak the wisdom of God in the mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory". And why is it that this wisdom had to be hidden by God, hidden from Satan and the princes of this world? Verse 8, "which none of the princes of this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory". If Satan and the princes of this world had any clue as to everything that the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ was going to accomplish, Satan would have done everything possible to prevent it.

And I'll say it again, without the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, there would be no basis on which to obtain individual justification unto eternal life, neither in Israel's prophetic kingdom program, nor could there be any individual justification unto eternal life for people living in this dispensation of Grace and that worthiness is all based on what Christ did on the cross.

Now, the title of this message asked three important questions. The first was, Why Paul? Because Paul is God's chosen steward for explaining everything that God is doing in this current dispensation of Grace. And if you're not following Paul, I'm sorry, but you are not following Christ.

The second question is, What is the mystery and what's so important about this mystery? Well, if you can't appreciate the importance of the mystery at this point, I don't know what else I can say. I don't know what else anybody could say. And the third question was, What's so important about Dispensational distinctions and dispensationalism. Well, everything I presented.

Everything I presented has been based on dispensational distinctions. But I'd like to look at one more passage to wrap this up, to reinforce our understanding of the importance of dispensational distinctions. It's a passage that outlines three of Paul's greatest fears. And that's 2 Corinthians, chapter 11.

Beginning in verse three, Paul says, "but I fear lest by any means as a serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if he receive another spirit which ye have not received, or another gospel which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with Him". Verse 4 warns about the preaching of another Jesus. What is that supposed to mean? I've been referring to that other Jesus repeatedly throughout this study. It means that there are going to be teachers who will be continually bringing you back into the gospel accounts to follow the instructions and commands associated with Israel's prophetic kingdom program. The preaching of Jesus Christ according to prophecy when Christ was here in the flesh to confirm the promises made to the fathers. Romans, chapter 15, verse 8. That's what some teachers will be teaching when 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 16 tells us that we were no longer supposed to be following Christ as we knew him in the flesh, that we are supposed to be following the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the Revelation of the mystery.

Then verse four warns about the receiving of another spirit. What's that all about? As you read further on into the chapter, Paul begins to describe some of the teachers who are preaching these things in verse 13. "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works".

A few verses later, in verse 20, Paul elaborates on one of the products of this type of non dispensational teaching where he says says, "for ye suffer," that is, ye allow a man,"if a man bring you into bondage," you allow these teachers to bring you into bondage. What bondage is Paul talking about? It's the spirit of the bondage of fear associated with the law program during Christ's earthly ministry to the nation Israel.

Hold your place here and turn back to Romans 8, look at verse 15. It says, "for ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, abba, Father", if you're a believer today, there is no place for a spirit of bondage again to fear, associated with how well you're conforming to what the law demands. We are supposed to be dwelling with an understanding of our sonship relationship as adoption as sons, Ephesians 1:5 and everything associated with that. Another important element of our sonship adoption part of the mystery finishing up in 2 Corinthians 11:4.

Then finally Paul speaks of another gospel. And I would suggest to you that this is probably Paul's greatest fear, that someone is willing to accept another gospel, a gospel that Paul warns people about in Galatians chapter one. If you'll turn there for a moment, Galatians 1:6 "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, then that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed". Verse 6 refers to the grace of Christ. It's referring to the gospel of the Grace of God. It's referring to Paul's gospel.

It's referring to the simplicity that is in Christ which we just read in 2 Corinthians 11:3. But some folks are being called unto another gospel. What other gospel might that be? Well, I would suggest to you that that other gospel would be the gospel of the kingdom, which was preached as part of Israel's prophetic kingdom program. And verse seven goes on to say that that gospel is not something to be embraced because it would now be a perverted gospel.

It would no longer have the power to save anyone. It would be contrary to the gospel of the Grace of God, and it would be perverted. Please remember that Romans 2:16 said that it was Paul's gospel by which the secrets of men would ultimately be judged.

So for anyone who hears this message, please do not allow anyone to change the simplicity that is in Christ, to change Paul's gospel, Paul's gospel of pure grace, by adding something from Israel's prophetic kingdom program to Paul's gospel, thereby making it a perverted gospel.

These three fears of Paul in Second Corinthians verses three and four, they are really, in a nutshell, a pretty good explanation of the importance of dispensation, dispensationalism, and dispensational distinctions.