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God's Word One 

A website for those who wish to digest the "strong [solid] meat,"
not just "the milk or meat," of the Word of God.

A Stool Requires at Least Three Legs to Stand!

The Biblical Number THREE Represents Divine Perfection!

God's Word Speaks of Three Aspects of Salvation!

Spirit -- Body -- Soul

A worldly Church, A Churchly World
By Arlen Chitwood of Lamp Broadcast

THE CHURCH – THEN AND TODAY

2,000 Years of Church History – What Has Happened?

During the early years of the Church, attention was focused on an inheritance in a heavenly land to which Christians had been called.  This was the central message proclaimed throughout Christendom during that time.

But today, attention in Christendom — all Christendom, so-called fundamental and liberal circles alike — is centered elsewhere;  and the true message concerning a heavenly inheritance awaiting Christians is seldom, if ever, heard.

So what brought about the change from the way things were to the way things presently exist?  Scripture reveals exactly what happened.

The Way Things Were

The Bible is a book dealing with redemption.  But the Biblical scope of redemption doesn’t stop with man passing “from death unto life” (John 5:24).  Rather, it goes on to also include “that which is really life [literal translation]” (I Timothy 6:19).  The former has to do with the gospel of the grace of God, and the latter has to do with the gospel of the glory of Christ.  And Scripture, as a whole, concerns itself far more with the latter than with the former, for Scripture has been written to the saved, not to the unsaved (I Corinthians 2:9-14).

Scripture begins this way (the framework set forth in the six and seven days in Genesis 1; 2 [ref. the author’s The Study of Scripture BOOK, Chs. 2, 3 and 4: The Septenary Arrangement of Scripture, Beginning and Continuing and Building on the Foundation, in this site.]), necessitating that Scripture remain this way (which it does).  It is man who has turned the matter around and has not only placed the emphasis at a point where Scripture does not place it but has also either minimized or completely done away with teachings surrounding the point where Scripture does place the emphasis.

Note, for example, Paul’s dealings with the Church in Ephesus.  He spent three years teaching them.  But what did he teach them?  That’s revealed in Acts 20:17-38 when Paul called the elders of this Church together for the last time that he would be with them.

Paul, referring to that which he had previously taught them, began with “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).  But he didn’t remain there.  He then referred to his prior proclamation of “the kingdom of God” (Acts 20:25).  And both of these together constituted “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).

God purchased the Church (with the use of “Church” viewed in a complete sense, as in Matthew 16:18) “with his own blood,” and the elders in Ephesus were exhorted by Paul to “feed” those in the Church over which they had been placed (Acts 20:28).

(There are manuscript variances in Acts 20:28 relative to whether Theos [God], Kurios [Lord], or both words together [both Theos and Kurios] should appear in the text — i.e., God’s blood, the Lord’s blood [referring to Christ], or the blood of both the Father and His Son.

There is manuscript evidence for each of the three renderings, though most grammarians and translators, who study these things, usually see more evidence for the use of Theos [God] alone, with the translation as it appears in the KJV [also in the NASB and NIV].  In the final analysis though it would really be immaterial which of the three manuscript variances was followed, for the Son is God manifested in the flesh.

The time that the paschal lambs were being slain throughout the camp of Israel on the 14th day of the first month of the year in 33 A.D., “in the evening [lit., ‘between the evenings,’ understood to be between 3 and 6 P.M. (Exodus 12:6)] was the time when the Paschal Lamb was slain.  This was the time when God died.  This was the time when God purchased the Church with His Own blood.)

And the elders, called to feed Christians in the Church, which had been purchased by the very blood of God would, of necessity, have to move beyond teachings surrounding the simple gospel of the grace of God.  Contextually, in this passage, it would have to involve things surrounding “the kingdom of God.”

And, in conjunction with that, contextually, it would involve commending them to God and to His Word — that which could build them up in “the faith” so they might one day realize the inheritance to which they had been called (Acts 20:32).

Paul, in Acts 20:17ff, exhibited exactly the same qualities which Peter exhibited in his second epistle.  Paul had previously spent three years teaching the Christians at Ephesus, and that which he taught them centered around the Word of the Kingdom.  Then, when he called the elders of this Church together for his last time with them, he still called their attention to teachings surrounding the Word of the Kingdom, though these were things that he had spent three previous years teaching them.  This is how important he considered this overall teaching to be.

And Peter, writing his second epistle and calling attention to this same message, stated that he was going to always keep these things before the Christians to whom he wrote, though they had previously been taught these things and were established in these truths.  As long as he remained alive he was going to stir them up by calling these things to their attention (2 Peter 1:12-18; 3:1-2; cf. 2 Peter 1:1-11).

Many Christians in the Church today would look upon anyone proclaiming the message surrounding Christ’s return after this fashion as “fanatical,” or as someone who has “gone to seed on Christ’s return.”  But that’s not the way Scripture presents the matter at all.

This was the central message Paul (et al.) proclaimed, and this was the way that the Holy Spirit moved him to structure his epistles (et al. also;  e.g., Hebrews and Jude have been structured this same way).  Accordingly, this was a message not only constantly proclaimed but well known and understood throughout Christendom during Paul’s day (Colossians 1:5-6, 23-28).

Note, for example, the Book of Ephesians:  As elsewhere throughout the Word of God, there are references in the epistle to the gospel of the grace of God (e.g., Ephesians 2:8-9), but almost the entire epistle concerns itself with things surrounding the gospel of the glory of Christ.  The epistle concerns itself, in the main, with that which is stated in Ephesians 2:10, giving the purpose for man’s salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).

This is what the inheritance in Ephesians 1 has to do with;  this is what the mystery revealed to Paul in Ephesians 3 has to do with;  and Ephesians ends with details concerning the present warfare against those in the land of our inheritance and how we are to array ourselves for the battle at hand (Ephesians 6).  And between these points, in other parts of the epistle, one will find the same central teaching.

And, in this respect, it’s interesting that the Church in Ephesus appears first among the seven Churches in Revelation 2; 3.  The Church in Ephesus sets forth an example of the way that the Church existed at the beginning of the dispensation (knowledgeable about the present spiritual warfare, the Christians’ future inheritance, etc.).

But then things began to happen, as seen even in the Church in Ephesus, which left its “first love” (Revelation 2:4).

Then, the Church appears at the end of the dispensation in a completely different setting, a condition resulting from the Church initially leaving its “first love,” seen in the seventh and last of the Churches in Revelation 2; 3, the Church in Laodicea — described as “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:14-21).

That Which Happened

So, What happened?  A woman placed leaven in the three measures of meal.  That’s what happened.  And Christ stated that the leaven would do its damaging work, “till the whole was leavened” (Matthew 13:33).

This depicts a work by Satan very early in the dispensation.  The approximate time when this was done can be known through observing that even during the first few decades of the existence of the Church things were beginning to go awry.  The Church in Ephesus had left its “first love” (Revelation 2:4), and false prophets (Christian teachers, elders, proclaiming a message contrary to the Word of the Kingdom — apostates) were beginning to appear in the Churches (II Peter, Jude).

This all occurred within the first forty years of the Church’s existence, and the leaven took the Church down over the next several centuries until the message surrounding the Word of the Kingdom had all but disappeared.  By the fourth century A.D., during the days of the Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Theodosius I, the Church had so completely lost its true focus that the unthinkable eventually happened.  The Church merged with the State.

In the year 380 A.D., Theodosius I issued an edict that made Christianity the exclusive state religion;  and by the year 395 A.D., Christianity had become recognized as the official and only religion of the Roman Empire — something which could not have occurred apart from almost three centuries of the working of the leaven from within.

The Church, called to inherit in another land (a heavenly), had settled down in the land (an earthly) from which it had been called;  the Church, called to rule and reign in a future kingdom (under Christ), had merged with the powers in the present kingdom (under Satan).

A 1,000-year period of darkness then engulfed the Church, awaiting the Reformation under Martin Luther, along with succeeding events.

(For additional information on the preceding, refer to the author’s book, Mysteries of the Kingdom BOOK, in this site, Parable of the Mustard Seed and Parable of the Leaven.)

The Reformation itself though had nothing to do with a restoration of truths surrounding the gospel of the glory of Christ.  The reformers were concerned centrally with the simple gospel of the grace of God.  It was only in later years that men began to look beyond the simple message of salvation by grace through faith — beyond that set forth in Genesis 1:2-5 to that set forth in Genesis 1:6-2:3.

But even then there was no restoration of these truths.  There was only a bringing of them to light again, with one Christian here and one Christian there understanding and receiving the truth of the matter.

The leaven had centered its attack at this point, it had done its damaging work, and the only thing which remained was for the leaven to complete its work.

And this is why, when the Son of Man returns for His Church, He will not find “the faith” being proclaimed by elders in the Churches of the land.  The whole will have been leavened.  Those in the Churches will be talking about everything but the central message of Scripture.  And the dispensation will end with the Church — the complete Church — in the condition depicted by the Church in Laodicea.

The Way Things Are

We’re in the final days of a dispensation in which the leaven has been working for almost two millenniums.  The Church at the end of the dispensation is to be completely permeated by the leaven, and this has particular reference to the message surrounding the Word of the Kingdom.  This is the message Christ will not find being proclaimed in the Churches at the time of His return.

And, if a person wants to see exactly where we are in relation to that day through the working of the leaven alone, all he has to do is go into practically any Church of the land and listen to the message being proclaimed from the pulpit.  He will listen in vain for any mention of that which is not only the central message which Scripture directs to the saved but also the central message which was proclaimed and understood throughout Christendom during the early years of the Church — namely that Christians have been purchased by the blood of God for a purpose, to be realized during the Messianic Era, then during the ages beyond. 

Will conditions in Christendom improve?  Can matters be turned around?

What does Scripture say?  Scripture is not only the sole Word on the subject but the final Word as well.

Scripture states that “the whole” will be leavened;  and Scripture further states that, as a result, the Son of Man is not going to find “the faith” on the earth at the time of His return (Matthew 13:33; Luke 18:8).

So don’t look for an end-time revival.  It’s not coming!  Scripture foretells total apostasy within the Church instead (the complete Church standing completely away from “the faith”).

Thus, matters can only get worse.

THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD

The Condition of the Church in the World Today (Seen from Several Perspectives, O.T. & N.T.)

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me…

And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf:  and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

…and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:1-2, 4, 6b).

The type in Exodus deals primarily with Israel at the end of the Jewish dispensation and immediately beyond (at the end of Daniel’s Seventy-Week prophecy [fulfilling the last seven years of the previous dispensation, the Jewish dispensation] and immediately beyond), and a secondary application would be seen in the type dealing with the Church at the end of the present dispensation and immediately beyond.

Scripture presents the same bleak picture pertaining to both Israel and the Church at the end of their respective dispensations — a condition in which Israel presently finds itself, which will continue on into and through the Tribulation (Daniel’s Seventieth Week, ending the Jewish dispensation);  and a condition in which the Church as well presently finds itself, which will also continue to the end of the dispensation.

Two Places in the New Testament

To depict the picture pertaining to the Church as it currently exists, since Exodus 32 is being dealt with, we’ll begin doing it from Exodus 32:1.  Then we’ll go to Matthew 13 and Revelation 2; 3 to provide some complementary, additional information to help complete the picture.

Christ, following events seen at His first coming, resulting in the necessity of the Church being brought into existence (a new entity called into existence to be the recipient of that which Israel had rejected, which had been taken from Israel — the proffered kingdom of the heavens), has gone back into the Mount, back to heaven (cf. Matthew 21:33-45; 25:14ff; Luke 19:12ff).

And He is going to remain in the Mount, for a complete period of time, exactly as Moses remained in the Mount for a complete period of time in the type (Exodus 24:18; Deuteronomy 9:9).

Prior to the end of that complete period of time (forty days in the type, 2,000 years in the antitype), when Christ returns for the Church, exactly as in the type, the Church will be seen in the same state as Israel before Moses came down from the Mount. 

And though this would not normally be seen and recognized in today’s Christendom, the Church presently existing as Israel existed at the foot of the Mount during Moses’ day can be easily and clearly shown.

There are two places in the New Testament where a succinct, overall history of the Church throughout the dispensation is seen.  And this history is seen from God’s perspective, not from man’s.

One account was given during Christ’s earthly ministry in Matthew chapter thirteen, and the other account was given by John, in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation following Christ’s ascension.

And the two accounts present matters from the same perspective, centering on that which would occur in Christendom throughout the 2,000-year dispensation relative to the proclamation of the Word of the Kingdom, along with why this would occur.

The Matthew Thirteen Parables

The first four parables in Matthew 13, recording the first of the two accounts of the history of the Church in the New Testament, have their setting in the previous chapter.  In Matthew 12, Christ had performed a number of supernatural signs, which had been rejected by the religious leaders and consequently the people at large.  And this rejection had gone to the point of ascribing the supernatural power through which these signs had been performed to Satan (Matthew 12:9-30).

Then after Christ stated a number of things pertaining to the consequences of this rejection and blasphemy (Matthew 12:31-45), a rejection which had reached an apex in Christ’s ministry, matters move into that seen in chapter thirteen, which begins:

“The same day went Jesus out of the house and sat by the seaside.

And great multitudes were gathered together unto him…” (Matthew 13:1-2a).

The picture is that of Jesus, because of the type rejection which He had previously experienced, leaving the house (the house of Israel) and going down by the seaside (going to the Gentiles).  This not only sets the stage for the parables about to follow but anticipates the mention of the Church in Matthew 16 (Matthew 16:18) and the announcement concerning the kingdom (the proffered kingdom, the kingdom of the heavens, the heavenly sphere of the kingdom) being taken from Israel and being offered to an entirely new entity in Matthew 21:43 (previously introduced in chapter thirteen and then identified in chapter sixteen).

Then in Matthew 13, the first four parables present the complete history of this new entity throughout the dispensation relative to the proclamation of that which had been rejected by Israel, taken from Israel, and offered to this new entity.

And the parables carry the reader from the point of fruit-bearing at the beginning of the dispensation to a completely leavened Church at the end of the dispensation.

Both the fruit-bearing and the leavening process have to be understood in relation to the subject matter at hand, the Word of the Kingdom — which is not only the announced subject matter in the chapter but the subject matter seen contextually as well.  The work of Satan and his angels, by sowing tares among the wheat (second parable [Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43]) and eventually taking Christendom into the very realm which Satan and his angels occupied (world government among the nations (third parable [Matthew 13:31-32]), not only stopped fruit-bearing but ultimately brought matters into the state seen in the fourth parable (Matthew 13:33) — a completely leavened Church.

And note once again the subject matter in these first four parables, along with who is being dealt with (the subject matter and identity of the one being dealt with are seen both textually and contextually).  The subject matter has to do with the work of Satan and his angels in relation to the Word of the Kingdom, and this work is seen being done among Christians throughout the dispensation.

Thus, these four parables present a history of Christendom throughout the dispensation, from God’s perspective, not man’s.  And this history has to do with that which Satan and his angels would be allowed to accomplish throughout 2,000 years of Church history in relation to the proclamation of the Word of the Kingdom among Christians — complete, total corruption.

(For additional information, refer to the author’s book, Mysteries of the Kingdom BOOK in this site.  Also in this site Mysteries in the New Testament, The Seven Parables of Matthew 13, Five Parables regarding the Kingdom and Dragnet / Separation / Furnace of Fire / Kingdom.)

Revelation Chapters Two and Three

These two chapters in the Book of Revelation present a dual word picture.

The central word picture presented is that of the removal of the Church and the appearance of Christians before Christ’s judgment seat at the end of the dispensation, seen in chapter one (Revelation 1:10-18).  Then the subsequent two chapters (Revelation 2; 3) simply continue with the same subject matter from chapter one and present different facets of this judgment, both negative and positive.

But, continuing on into Revelation 4, beginning at the same place seen in Revelation 1 (the removal of the Church at the end of the dispensation, the rapture), it appears evident that there is a secondary word picture seen in chapters two and three as well.

These two chapters not only present the Church before Christ’s judgment seat but present a history of the Church throughout the dispensation, beginning with the Church in Ephesus, which left its “first love” (Revelation 2:4), and ending with the Church in Laodicea, which is seen as “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).

And all of this is relative to the same thing previously seen in the Matthew thirteen parables — relative to the proclamation of the Word of the Kingdom among Christians throughout the dispensation.  It can be no other way, for the latter account of Church history throughout the dispensation must be in complete agreement with the former account.

And this can easily be seen throughout the account.  There is an overcomer’s promise to each of the seven Churches in the seven short epistles making up these two chapters, and it is evident that these overcomer’s promises are millennial in their scope of fulfillment.

That is to say, though presented from a different perspective, everything is exactly the same as previously seen in the first four parables of Matthew chapter thirteen, which move toward the same goal.

The work of Satan and his angels attacking the proclamation of the Word of the Kingdom is the subject matter throughout, whether in Matthew chapter thirteen or in Revelation chapters two and three.  And that which Satan and his angels are allowed to accomplish is the same in both — taking matters in Christendom from fruit-bearing, to leaving one’s first love, to seeing total and complete corruption existing in the Churches of the land.

(For additional information, refer to the author’s Judgment Seat of Christ BOOK, and The Time of the End BOOK, Ch. 7, both in this site.)

Satan and His Angels

The introduction of Satan in Scripture, in Genesis 3:1ff, in association with the first man, the first Adam, presents an individual well-versed in the ways of God and that which God had said.  And exactly the same thing is seen in his interaction with the second Man, the last Adam in Matthew 4:1ff, or anyplace else in Scripture where Satan’s activities are seen.

Satan uses the Word;  and he knows full-well how to use the Word in a deceptive manner, evident at the beginning in Genesis 3:1ff, establishing a first-mention principle at this early point in Scripture on how Satan will always appear.  He will always appear in a deceptive manner, and he will always, after some fashion, use the Word of God in his deception.

In this respect, God has His deep things, and Satan has his deep things (I Corinthians 2:10; Revelation 2:24).  Satan uses the Word in this manner to counter that which the Word actually has to say, centering his attack upon the Word of the Kingdom (cf. II Corinthians 4:3-6).  And, to accomplish his purpose through the preceding means, Satan appears, as “an angel of light,” and his ministers “as the ministers of righteousness” (II Corinthians 11:13-15).

Thus, if you want to find Satan and his ministers, don’t go to the entertainment centers of the world.  Go where the Word is being proclaimed.  And don’t look for Satan and his ministers the way that they are often depicted.  Rather, look for those advocating what may appear to be messages associated with light and righteousness, not with messages associated with darkness and unrighteousness.

Look for Satan and his ministers occupying the chair of Bible in colleges and seminaries;  look for them occupying the pulpits of the Churches of the land on Sunday morning, Sunday night.

They occupy these places to make certain that the one message Satan doesn’t want proclaimed is not proclaimed.  And how well Satan and his ministers have succeeded over time can easily be seen from the almost universal absence of this message from the Bible colleges, the seminaries, and the pulpits of the Churches of the land today.

And because, over time, the deep things of God have become so watered down with the deep things of Satan, the Churches have been left so emasculated that they have had to invite the world into the Church to maintain some semblance of attendance — their music, their message, their inclusion of entertainment, etc.  Conditions have become so bad that one often doesn’t know what is Christian and what is the world.

Thus, if an individual wants to see “the world” in which Satan and his angels dwell, the best place to look today would not be in the world’s entertainment centers but in the Churches.  That seen out in the world in which we live is not really the world in its true form, i.e., a form with respect to that associated with the central work of Satan and his angels.  For this, today, look in the Churches instead.

CHRISTIANS AND THE WORLD

The Biblical Relationship of Christians to the World

“I have given them thy Word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil [‘the evil one’].

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them through thy truth; thy Word is truth” (John 17:14-17).

Christians live in a world governed and controlled by Satan and his angels.  It is a world in which Satan and his angels continue a rule which they have held since time immemorial, since a time preceding Satan’s fall, along with one-third of his original contingent of angels ruling in lesser positions of power under him.  And this, in turn, would date back to the time following the creation of the heavens and the earth when God appointed and placed Satan and his angels in the positions of power which they, since that time, have occupied (cf. Ezekiel 28:14-19; Daniel 4:17ff; Romans 13:1).

Then, since man’s creation and fall 6,000 years ago — an individual created in God’s image, after His likeness, created to take the sceptre in the stead of Satan and his angels (Genesis 1:26-28 [though the fall, requiring redemption, has delayed man from occupying this position]) — Satan and his angels, continuing to rule, have carried out this rule through fallen man, through rulers among the nations (Daniel 10:12-20).

And since the bringing into existence of the nation of Israel over two millenniums following man’s creation  (descendants of Jacob, a special creation, separate from the nations), the rule of Satan and his angels through fallen man has been restricted to the Gentile nations.  Israel’s ruling angel is Michael, with undoubtedly a large contingent of angels ruling under him.  And Michael, with his angels, is not part of Satan’s kingdom (Daniel 10:21).

(Ref. the author’s The Most High Ruleth BOOK, in this site, for a more complete, overall picture of the preceding.)

“I have given them thy Word;  and the world hath hated them…”

1) As completely leavened (Matthew 13:33).

2) As wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17b).

(For information on the presently existing restraining power referenced in II Thessalonians 2:6-7, refer to the author’s pamphlet, “Antichrist Cannot Appear Until… in this site.)

See A worldly Church, A Churchly World by Arlen Chitwood  in pdf format.

Also the following in this site may be of interest:  The Preaching of the Cross and The Spiritual Warfare BOOK

To website CONTENTS Page.

Scripture has been written to the saved,
  not to the unsaved. (I Corinthians 2:9-14)

Why did God Create Man?
God's Plan, Exceedingly Oversimplified! What I call "the BIG picture."

God's angel, Satan, God-appointed ruler of the earth, desired rulership over the entire universe, like God.  He, and 1/3 of all the angels under him, rebelled against God to gain that rulership.  (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:14-16)

God reacted by making the earth uninhabitable -- without form and void. (Genesis 1:1-2a)

God then restored the earth and created man, and man's wife, to replace Satan's angels when Christ replaces Satan.

Satan and his angels continue to rule the earth (Genesis 1:2-25 [2b]; Isaiah 45:18).

Remember, the earth had been brought into existence for a purpose – “to be inhabited,” (Isaiah 45:18) and Man, likewise, had been brought into existence for a purpose, which is regal (Genesis 1:26-28).

God made man [Adam], and man's wife [Eve], to rule the earth together.  God required the earth be ruled by man and his wife (Genesis 1:26-28).  In the antitype Christ is the man and overcomers (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12) His wife.

God began preparing Adam and Eve -- make them ready (Revelation 19:7) -- to rule.  Before completion, Satan interceded and enticed Eve to sin.  Since Adam could not rule without Eve, Adam sinned also (Genesis 3:1ff).  Had Adam and Eve eaten of the tree of life, not the tree of good and evil, they would have received the wisdom and knowledge to rule and therefore be ruling the earth now (Proverbs 3:13-18; Revelation 2:7).

God then began a restoration process for fallen man, exactly as He had for the earth (Genesis 1:2-25 [2b]); but man was not faithful [as Adam and Eve weren't], not even national Israel, who is God's wife. So God placed His Son on earth as the Living Word with the focus on Jewish repentance first and salvation of the Gentiles second (Romans 1:16; 2:5-16). The Jews refused the offer (Matthew 23:37; John 3:1-3) and God, following His Son’s resurrection, set them aside (Matthew 21:43; 28:19; Acts 13:46; 18:6; 28:28).

Fifty days following His Son’s resurrection, God established "a new creation" at events surrounding Pentecost (Acts 2:1ff).  Those at Pentecost, all saved, became "new men in Christ" [called / saved] and out of the called some will be chosen [called out of the called (saved)] to become Christ's wife.  Christ's wife will rule and reign with Christ during the 1,000 year rest, the Millennial Kingdom, which is the same plan as for Adam and Eve before they fell (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:15).

Jesus' works of shedding blood and dying for our sins, brought grace into play.  To be spiritually saved by grace, one has only to believe and receive Jesus' works on the cross -- becoming "a new man in Christ."  No works of man are required since Jesus' works on the cross satisfied God. 

Believing and receiving Jesus' works places one in a position to enter and run the race for a future inheritance.  The winners will receive that awaiting inheritance -- become Christ's wife to rule and reign as co-heirs with Christ in His Millennium Kingdom (Philippians 3:13-14).

However, without a continuing impartation of spiritual truth flowing into one's saved spirit, one remains immature and fleshly [carnal], following the fleshly impulses of their soul.  Therefore, one spiritually saved must be controlled by the Holy Spirit, not the soul, necessitating a moment-by-moment filling of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit must have His way relatively ungrieved in the life of the spiritually saved so he/she can fulfill his/her role in God's plan: 

Qualifying the spiritually saved [new man in Christ] for the awaiting inheritance -- salvation of the soul - leading to ruling and reigning with Christ (Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3:16; Galatians 2:20).

Those spiritually saved who through self seek to bring about this change will always affect outward change rather than inward change.  At the time of the birth from above the Holy Spirit began a work that He will continue until the Judgment Seat.  No works on the part of the spiritually saved can help the Holy Spirit effect this change.

When there are enough overcomers (those qualified and ready to rule) to replace Satan's angels, all Christians will be raptured to appear at the Judgment Seat.

At the Judgment Seat, the place all those spiritually saved appear, each is judged by the amount of 'righteous fruit' they have allowed the Holy Spirit to produce through them.  Those with enough righteous fruit to please Christ will be "out-resurrected" to rule and reign with Christ, as His wife, in His Kingdom.  Those without enough righteous fruit will be sent to 'outer darkness' during the time of His Kingdom, one millennium, 1,000 years, before entering eternity.

Gold, silver, precious stones vs. wood, hay, straw.  (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

God will then bring about the Tribulation, causing Jewish repentance and restoration so that during the millennium all blessings to the nations will flow through Israel.  Satan and his angels will have been put down and replaced by Christ and his wife, as planned for Adam and Eve before they fell.

Thus, the central purpose presented in Scripture surrounding man’s redemption is that man might ultimately occupy the position for which he was created — to rule and to reign over this earth.

Reading Crowned Rulers —Christ, Christians, in this site, adds to the understanding of Why did God Create Man?.

The following Word Document is SAFE to open and print:  Why did God Create Man by Pat.docx

(Remember: Satan and his angels presently rule the earth, and will until Christ's Second Coming following the Tribulation.  See Satan, Great Enemy of Christian Life!,  From Acts to the Epistles BOOK, Forword,  The Most High Ruleth BOOK and Redemption, Marriage, Regality in this site, also related to this subject.

Others are Bible One - Charles Strong's God’s Original and Ultimate Purpose for Man ,  Arlen Chitwood's  Saved for a Purpose and definitely the following Saul and David Type/Antitype.

The following Word Documents add to the subject and are SAFE to open and print: Without Form and Void, Tohu Wavohu, by Arlen L. Chitwood.docx and Tree of Life, The, In Genesis, Proverbs, and Revelation, by Arlen Chitwood.docx.)

To website CONTENTS Page.

Saul and David Type/Antitype:

The entire sequence of events depicting Saul and David typifies great spiritual truths concerning Satan and Christ.  
 
Just as Saul was anointed king over Israel, Satan was anointed king over the earth.
 
Just as Saul rebelled against the Lord and was rejected, Satan rebelled against the Lord and was rejected.
 
Just as David was anointed king while Saul continued to reign, Christ was anointed King while Satan continued to reign.
 
Just as David did not immediately ascend the throne, Christ did not immediately ascend the throne.
 
Just as David eventually found himself in a place removed from the kingdom (out in the hills), Christ eventually found Himself in a place removed from the kingdom (heaven).
 
Just as David gathered certain faithful men to himself during this time (anticipating his future reign), Christ is presently gathering certain faithful men to Himself (anticipating His future reign).
 
Just as the day came when Saul was put down, the day will come when Satan will be put down.
 
Just as Saul’s crown was taken and given to David, Satan’s crown will be taken and given to Christ.
 
And just as David and his faithful followers then moved in and took over the government, Christ and His faithful followers will then move in and take over the government.

The following Word Document is SAFE to open and print:  Saul and David — Satan and Christ by Arlen Chitwood.docx

(1 and 2 Samuel - See Crowned Rulers — Christ, Christians and Man and the Universe! in this site.  Also Saul and David / Satan and Christ Typology)

*******

Aside by Arlen Chitwood of Lamp Broadcast

There is an existing universe which God not only brought into existence but one over which He also exercises absolute, sovereign control. And the Bible is God’s revelation to man concerning His actions in the preceding respect, especially as these actions relate to the earth and to man.

Man is a latecomer in the universe. He was created after God’s creation of the physical universe, after God’s creation of angels, and after God’s government of the universe had been established and was in full operation. Man’s existence dates back only six millenniums, and he was brought into existence for the specific purpose of replacing a disqualified provincial ruler in God’s kingdom, one who had been ruling for a prior unrevealed period of time.

Man was created to replace the ruler whom God had, in the beginning, placed over the earth (Ezekiel 28:14). This ruler, Satan, who, because of his rebellion against God’s supreme power and authority, disqualified himself (Isaiah 14:12-15). And man was subsequently brought on the scene to take the sceptre and, along with the woman, rule this one province in God’s kingdom in the stead of Satan and his angels (Genesis 1:26-28).

Thus, matters surrounding man’s subsequent fall and redemption both revolve around the reason for his creation — “…let them [the man and woman together] have dominion…”

Satan knew why man had been created, and he immediately set about to effect man’s disqualification (through disobedience), as he himself had been disqualified — an act which, if successfully accomplished (as it was), would allow Satan (though disqualified) to continue holding the sceptre (Genesis 3:1ff; cf. Luke 4:5-6).

And redemption, remaining within the same framework of thought, simply has to do with God providing a means whereby He could not only bring man back into a right relationship with Himself but also a means whereby He could ultimately bring man into a realization of the purpose for which he had been created (Genesis 3:15; cf. Hebrews 2:5).

This is the manner in which Scripture not only begins in the Book of Genesis but also concludes in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 22:1-5). And all intervening Scripture must be viewed and understood within this same framework.

Bible One - Arlen Chitwood's The Most High Ruleth, Front Cover

See Arlen Chitwood's  The Most High Ruleth BOOK, in this site.

(Also see in this website The Existing Kingdom, Past, Present, and Future,  Purpose for the Present Dispensation,   Crowned Rulers — Christ, Christians,    Redemption, Marriage, Regality,    Acts, Between the Gospels and the Epistles.)

To website CONTENTS Page.

Scripture clearly attests to the fact that the “world [‘inhabited world’] to come” will not be placed “in subjection” to angels (Hebrews 2:5).  Man is the one to whom power and authority will be delegated.

This is clearly seen by and through the action of the twenty-four elders in Revelation 4:10, removing themselves from their thrones (Revelation 4:4) and casting their crowns before God’s throne.  Their activity can only be with a view to the fact that the government of the earth, at this point in the sequence of events depicted in the book, is about to change hands.

Purpose for the Present Dispensation
By Arlen Chitwood of Lamp Broadcast

A principle of divine government set forth in the type of Saul and David (preceding commentary Saul and David Type/Antitype) shows the necessity of an incumbent ruler, although rejected, continuing to reign until replaced by his successor.  The government of the earth is a rule under God by and through delegated powers and authorities.  In this respect, Satan rules directly under God (though a rebel ruler), and a great host of subordinate angels rule with him.

Even though Satan and his followers have been rejected, they must continue in power (as Saul and those ruling with him) until replaced by Christ and His followers (as when David and his faithful followers took the kingdom).  God will not, at any time, allow conditions to exist upon the earth in which there is no divinely administered government by and through delegated powers and authorities.  Even though the government of the earth is in disarray today, because of Satan’s rebellion, it is still under God’s sovereign power and control (Daniel 4:17-34).

The present dispensation is the time during which the antitype of David’s faithful followers being gathered to him occurs.  As during David’s time, so during the present time — there must be a period, preceding the King coming into power, during which the rulers are acquired, called out.  David’s men were the ones who occupied positions of power and authority with him after he took Saul’s crown.  Thus will it be when Christ takes Satan’s crown.  Those who are being called out during the present time are the ones who will occupy positions of power and authority with Him during that coming day.

Satan will be allowed to continue his reign until God’s purpose for this present dispensation has been accomplished.  Then, he and those ruling with him will be put down, and an entirely new order of rulers will take the kingdom.  Christ will enter into the position previously occupied by Satan, and Christians will enter into positions previously occupied by angels ruling under Satan.

And since Christ (replacing Satan) will wear the crown presently worn by Satan, it only naturally follows that Christians (replacing subordinate powers and authorities) will wear crowns presently worn by angels ruling under Satan.  All of these are crowns that neither Christ nor Christians can come into possession of until Satan and his angels have been put down at the end of the Tribulation.

Angelic Rule About to End

The originally established angelic rule over the earth has continued uninterrupted since the beginning, preceding man’s existence on the earth.  However, with the creation of Adam, God announced that a change was in the offing.  Man, an entirely new creation, made after the image and likeness of God, was brought into existence to take the governmental reins of the earth (Genesis 1:26-28).  But the first man (the first Adam), through sin, was disqualified, necessitating the appearance of the second Man (the last Adam) to effect redemption and the ultimate realization for man’s creation.

The price has been paid, but redemption includes far more than that which presently exists.  Redemption includes the complete man (body, soul, and spirit), it includes the earth (presently under a curse), and the goal of redemption will be realized only when man has been brought into the position for which he was created (ruling over a restored earth).

Scripture clearly attests to the fact that the “world [‘inhabited world’] to come” will not be placed “in subjection” to angels (Hebrews 2:5).  Man is the one to whom power and authority will be delegated.

This is clearly seen by and through the action of the twenty-four elders in Revelation 4:10, removing themselves from their thrones (Revelation 4:4) and casting their crowns before God’s throne.  Their activity can only be with a view to the fact that the government of the earth, at this point in the sequence of events depicted in the book, is about to change hands.

These twenty-four elders can only be a representative group of heavenly beings (angels) who, up to this time, had held positions within a sphere of governmental power and authority relative to the earth.  And at this point in the book, by and through the action of these elders, the way will be opened for God to transfer the government of the earth from the hands of angels to the hands of man.

Refer to Crowned Rulers — Christ, Christians in this site.

Word document: Purpose for the Present Dispensation by Arlen Chitwood.docx

(For additional information on the preceding, refer to Crowns Cast Before God’s Throne! and The Ranks Of The Crowns! in this site.)

To website CONTENTS Page.

The heavenly political sphere of activity during the present time
would center itself on the heavenly warfare,
with a view to Christ’s return and the establishment of His kingdom.
Satan and his angels still occupy 
their appointed positions in the heavens.
Thus, Christians cannot rule from a heavenly sphere today.

The objective though is to overcome in the present warfare
in view of one day being accorded 
a position in the kingdom of the heavens
after Christ takes the kingdom and Satan 
and his angels have been put down.
In this respect, Christ is to replace Satan, 
and Christians are to replace
the incumbent rulers 
presently holding positions of power under Satan.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion [Hebrew: radah, let them “rule”] . . . . (Genesis 1:26; cf. Genesis 1:28; 2:7-8)

The LORD has established His throne in heaven and His kingdom rules over all.

Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His Word, heeding the voice of His Word.

Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul! (Psalm 103:19-22)

(God actually opens His revelation to man after this fashion, calling attention to the beginning of His universal kingdom and then centering His revelation on one province in that kingdom.  Scripture opens with the statement, “In the beginning God created the heaven [lit., ‘the heavens’] and the earth” [Genesis 1:1].

First, God makes mention of the entire universe out in the heavens, separate from the earth; but then “the earth” is immediately singled out for special consideration.  And continuing from this point, Scripture, completely apart from any additional revelation concerning God’s activity in the previously mentioned “heavens,” begins to deal specifically with the earth — “And the earth was without form and void… [lit., ‘But the earth became without form and void…’]” [Genesis 1:2a].

For further information regarding the preceding understanding of Genesis 1:2a, refer to the author’s books, The Study of Scripture BOOK, chapter 2, in this site, or Seven, Ten Generations BOOK the Foreword, also in this site.

The rest of the universe had been mentioned [Genesis 1:1a], but God, in His revelation to man, concerns Himself centrally with the earth [and the heavens in the proximity of and associated with the earth], not with the rest of the universe [Genesis 1:1b ff].  And the apparent reason that God’s activity in relation to other parts of the universe is even mentioned in Scripture is as previously stated:  Man, viewing God’s activity in relation to the entire universe, could better understand and place within its proper perspective God’s activity relative to a small part of that universe, i.e., His activity relative to the earth, Satan and his angels, man, etc.)

I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God [the other messianic angels]: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation [the meeting place where the kings of the kingdom (the messianic angels) met in God’s presence], in the sides of the north [lit., in the uttermost parts of the north]:  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds [lit., the Cloud, apparently a reference to deity]; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:13-14)

(The preceding is not to suggest that all trials, testing, and sufferings experienced by Christians during the present time emanate from issues at congresses of the sons of God.  It does though suggest that some, possibly more than we realize, may very well have an origin of this nature.)

If we suffer [“patiently endure,” which involves trials, testing, sufferings (James 1:2-4)], we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us. (2 Timothy 2:12)

(In line with the previous, there was both a near and a far purpose for man’s creation.  The near purpose had to do with rulership over the earth [which will be realized during the Messianic Era], and the far purpose had to do with rulership within other parts of the universe [which will be realized following the Messianic Era].)

And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (cf. Genesis 22:17-18)

(Note:  The preceding is why husbands are “to love their wives as their own bodies” [Ephesians 5:28-29].  The woman originated from the body of the man.)

(For a full discussion of the work of the Spirit during the present dispensation, in the preceding respect, refer to the author’s Search for the Bride BOOK, in this site.)

And that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,

whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:20-21)

(In relation to Satan’s aspirations to exalt his throne, resulting in his fall and disqualification to continue holding the scepter, note that there is a degree of irony in man one day exercising regal power and authority beyond this earth, out in the universe.  This is the realm into which Satan sought to move; and man, brought on the scene to replace Satan, will one day be allowed to move out into this realm.)

This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men. (Daniel 4:17)

(Note that the kingdom of Babylon included more than just a city.  It was a city-state.  Sometimes the city alone was referred to by the name “Babylon,” and other times the country itself was referred to by this name.

And this is apparently the manner in which conditions will exist in the final form of the Babylonian kingdom.  A literal city will exist, but there will apparently also be a city-state comprising the whole of the kingdom, existing within the confines of the original city-state.)

(By way of passing, note that Daniel 10:14 makes it very clear that events in chapter 11 [also chapter 12] have to do with “the latter days,” not with events surrounding Antiochus Epiphanes, over 2,200 years ago as many attempt to teach.  Rather, events in this chapter [beyond Daniel 10:4] have to do with the future day of Antichrist and the deliverance of the Jewish people at the time Antichrist is put down [Daniel 11:45-12:3].  In this respect, Daniel 11:2-4 corresponds to events prophesied in Daniel 8:3-8, and events in Daniel 11:5ff correspond to events in Daniel 8:9ff.)

(But, as will be shown, this rule from the heavens [a rule from Satan’s domain in the heavens through men upon the earth] has to do with the Gentile nations alone, not with Israel.)

(Refer to the author’s God’s Firstborn Sons BOOK, chapter 2, Israel, in this site, for more information along the preceding lines.)

Is not this great Babylon that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? (Daniel 4:30)

(Also note man acting in a similar capacity [1 Samuel 15:1, 17], though angels undoubtedly had a prior part in the matter.)

For our citizenship is in heaven [lit., presently exists in (the) heavens]; from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20)

(Refer to, in this site, the following for additional information concerning Christ replacing Satan and Christians replacing angels ruling under Satan in the coming kingdom: Crowned Rulers — Christ, Christians.  Also, in this site, Christians and Politics.)

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier.

And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2:4-5)

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:21-22)

Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings that arise out of the earth.

But the saints of the Most High [lit., “the saints of the high places”] shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. (Daniel 7:17-18)

(For additional information concerning that which is depicted by the image in Daniel chapter two and the four great beasts in Daniel chapter seven, refer to the author’s The Time of Jacob’s Trouble BOOK, chapter 3, in this site.  Also The Beast — In the Book of Daniel and The Great Image and Four Great Beasts in this site.

Also, note Theonomy — the “Kingdom Now” theology — with particularly respect to the prophecies in Daniel.  Theonomy [very prevalent thought in certain segments of Christendom today, especially among those in Charismatic circles] teaches that the Church is to gradually take over the kingdoms of this world, through present spiritual-political means, etc.  This is looked upon in the same sense as the leaven permeating the meal, “till the whole was leavened,” in Matthew 13:33 — a parable often misunderstood and used to depict the spread of that which is “good” rather than that which is “evil,” seeking, through this means, to give credence to false ideologies of this nature.  And, viewing matters along these lines, would, correspondingly, form a major reason for Christians to involve themselves in the political structure of the present world system under Satan.

Theonomy is simply a reemergence of the old postmillennial ideology [restructured for the times, etc.], prevalent in Christendom during pre-WWII days.  And it is no truer in its restructured form today than it was in its original form.  According to Scripture, the Church can have no part — nor should the Church even seek to have a part — in bringing to pass the kingdoms of the present world system being controlled and governed by the Lord at the time of His return.

Rather, nothing can be done along the lines of a change in administration until that day when there is once again one world kingdom with its governmental center located in Babylon.  It will be then, not before, that the Stone will strike the image at its feet;  it will be then, not before, that “the kingdom of the world” will become “the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ” [Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45; Revelation 11:15];  and it will be then, not before, that “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High [lit., ‘the saints of the high places’ (i.e., ‘heavenly places’)]…” [Daniel 7:23-27; cf. Daniel 7:18].

Also, in this same respect, as previously seen, “the times of the Gentiles” will end with the Stone striking the image at its feet, not before.  Thus, this period, which began with Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, cannot end before Babylon appears in its final form under Antichrist.

Some have sought to teach that “the times of the Gentiles” came to an end when the Jews retook the old city of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War, allowing them to once again have access to the Temple Mount, with a view to rebuilding the temple.  However, the Jews having access to or coming into possession of the Temple Mount has nothing to do with the matter.  They possessed this Mount in history during “the times of the Gentiles” [from about 536 B.C. to 70 A.D.], and they will possess it once again in the immediate future during “the times of the Gentiles” [during the first part of the Tribulation, when the Jewish people rebuild their temple].  Aside from that, both Luke 21:24 and Revelation 11:2 specifically place the termination of “the times of the Gentiles” at the end of the Tribulation, which is when Babylon will be destroyed.)

(And this will explain a central reason why Christ, when commissioning His twelve disciples to carry the message concerning the kingdom of the heavens to Israel, specifically told them, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles…” [Matthew 10:5-8].  Israel alone was the repository for the promises and blessings associated with the proffered kingdom of the heavens.

The Gentiles were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel…” [Ephesians 2:12].  “Commonwealth” in this passage is a translation of the Greek word politeia, a cognate form of politeuma, having to do with one’s “political sphere of activity” [refer to the section, “Christians and Politics,” chapter 2].)

(This is what was in view when God announced Israel’s firstborn status in Exodus 4:22-23 [cf. Exodus 19:5-6], at the time Israel was called out of Egypt.  And God will yet deal with Israel after the fashion set forth in Exodus, establishing Israel at the head of the nations following Israel’s removal from a worldwide dispersion at the time of Christ’s return [typified by the nation’s removal from Egypt at the time of Moses’ return; cf. Exodus 2:23-25; 3:10; 12:40-41; Deuteronomy 30:1-3; Isaiah 2:1-5; Jeremiah 31:31-34].)

I say then, has God cast away His people? Absolutely not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.… (Romans 11:1-2)

Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God [referring to that facet of the kingdom of God which had been offered, the heavenly portion of the kingdom] will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. (Matthew 21:43)

(In the preceding respect, Christ will have a dual reign at this time — both from His own throne in the heavens and from David’s throne on the earth.  But neither Israel nor the Church will occupy a dual status of this nature.  Israel will be placed at the head of the nations on the earth, and the Church will rule from the heavens over the earth [which will include all nations, even Israel; cf. Matthew 19:28; Revelation 2:26-27; 3:21].)

(But what about those Old Testament saints who looked toward heavenly promises and blessings and died in the faith prior to Christ’s announcement in Matthew 21:43?  Scripture clearly reveals that the removal of this (heavenly) facet of the kingdom from Israel’s possession at Christ’s first coming cannot make null and void any previous acceptance by individual Jews of that which God had promised [cf. Matthew 8:11-12; Hebrews 11:13-16, 39-40].  Christ’s announcement in Matthew 21:43 though does forever do away with Israel as a nation occupying such a position, continuing to be the repository for these heavenly promises and blessings.

Following Christ’s announcement to Israel concerning the kingdom, only one way has existed for Jews to come into a realization of heavenly promises and blessings.  They must become a part of the one new man “in Christ” through faith in Israel’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Doing this, they relinquish their national identity and earthly calling, becoming “fellowheirs” with believing Gentiles, who have also relinquished their national identity [but, unlike Jews, had no calling to relinquish (Ephesians 2:12)].  And, “in Christ,” where “there is neither Jew nor Greek [Gentile],” they both, together — as one new man — become partakers of a higher calling, a “heavenly calling” [Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 2:13-15; 3:1-6; Hebrews 3:1].)

The kingdom of this world [the present existing kingdom, under Satan] is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ [the same kingdom, but under a new administration] . . . . (Revelation 11:15 ASV)

(Refer to the Arlen Chitwood's Crowned Rulers — Christ, Christians for additional information concerning the typology seen in the books of 1 & 2 Samuel.  Also reference Saul and David Type/Antitype.)

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

For He has put all things under His feet. But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.

Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:24-28)

(Matthew 25:31-46 comprises a section of the Olivet Discourse often used attempting to show that only saved individuals will populate the earth at the beginning of the millennium.  Those following this line of thought teach that this section has to do with a judgment of all living Gentiles surviving the Tribulation, both saved and unsaved, with the saved being allowed to enter into the kingdom and the unsaved being cast into the lake of fire.

A teaching of this nature has its sole basis in a misunderstanding of this section of Scripture.  By its own internal evidence, eternal salvation or damnation is not the subject matter in Matthew 25:31-46.  The subject at hand has to do with realizing or not realizing an inheritance in the kingdom, not with eternal verities [Matthew 25:34].

And, in keeping with the preceding, the Greek word aionios, translated “everlasting” and “eternal” in Matthew 25:41, 46 would, in the light of v. 34, have to be understood as “age-lasting,” not “eternal” as it has been translated in most versions of Scripture.

Neither the Hebrew of the Old Testament nor the Greek of the New Testament contains a word for “eternal.”  Olam is the word translated “eternal,” “everlasting,” or “perpetual” in English translations of the Old Testament, and aion [a noun] or aionios [the adjective form of aion] are the words translated “eternal” or “everlasting” in the New Testament [aidios, an older form of aionios, used only two times and meaning exactly the same as aionios, is the only exception (Romans 1:20 and Jude 1:6)].

Olam, aion, and aionios all have to do with “a long period of time,” which, if the context permits, can refer to “eternity” [e.g., the Aionios God in Romans 16:26].  But the words standing alone, apart from a context, cannot be understood as “eternal.”  Context is the all-important factor to ascertain the length of time in view when these words are used.

Aion and aionios are usually thought of and used numerous times in the New Testament in the sense of “an age.”  And a usage of this nature is even brought over into English.  For example, the English word “aeon [or ‘eon’]” is derived from the Greek word aion.

The only way in which the Greek text can express “eternal” apart from textual considerations is through a use of aion in the plural [e.g., Luke 1:33; Hebrews 13:8, referring to “the ages,” i.e., ages without end, which would comprise eternity] or a double use of aion,  in the plural and articular both times [e.g., Revelation 1:6; 4:9-10, referring to “the ages of the ages,” again, ages without end].

And the use of aionios in Matthew 25:41, 46, referring to an inverse of that seen in Matthew 25:34 [failing to realize an inheritance in the kingdom] can only be understood as “age-lasting.” It can only be understood as referring to the outcome of a judgment of unfaithful saved Gentiles coming out of the Tribulation.

A judgment of the unsaved, with eternal verities in view, could not possibly be the subject at hand in Matthew 25:41, 46.  First, the context will not permit such an understanding of these verses; and second, inheritance in the kingdom, contextually in view, would limit this judgment to the saved alone.  Note Romans 8:17:  “And if children, then heirs…”

“Sheep” and “goats” [Matthew 25:32-33], can only be understood contextually as a metaphorical way of describing two classes of saved individuals, similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:24-30.  The unsaved and eternal verities simply cannot be in view in either passage.  Rather, in both passages, only the saved, with a view to an inheritance or non-inheritance in the kingdom, can be in view.

The extensive use of “metaphors” in sections of Scripture such as Matthew 13; 24; 25 must be recognized.  Note, for example, “meat” or “food” in Matthew 24:45; 25:35, 42, all part of the same discourse.  The use is metaphorical in chapter twenty four [referring to that which is spiritual, the Word of God], when dealing with the judgment of a servant; and the servant rendering an account at the time of his Lord’s return is with a view to regality [realizing or not realizing a position with Christ in the kingdom (cf. Luke 12:42-48)].  Why should the matter be viewed after any different fashion in chapter twenty-five when also dealing with a judgment of individuals at the time of the Lord’s return, with a view to inheritance in the kingdom [exactly the same as regality previously seen in chapter twenty-four, though stated in a different manner]?

Understanding the preceding after this fashion [which, in reality, is the only contextually correct way to view this section of Scripture] will, again, show that only saved individuals can possibly be in view throughout Matthew 25:31-46.  Both those depicted by the “sheep” and the “goats” are seen as being in a position to dispense “meat,” “food.”  Unsaved man cannot occupy a position of this nature.

There is no such thing in Scripture as a judgment of unsaved Gentiles at the end of Man’s Day, prior to the millennium.  Rather, the millennium itself will form their judgment in this respect, for the millennium will simply be 1,000 years of a righteous judgment, when Christ and His co-heirs will rule the nations with a rod of iron.)

(Note that Christ can presently exercise a ministry in the heavenly sanctuary after the order of Aaron, though not of the Aaronic line, for the simple reason that His ministry today is on behalf of Christians [who do not come under covenants made with Israel] rather than with Israel [with whom the old covenant was made].  Christ could not exercise a priestly ministry on behalf of Israel after the order of Aaron [present or future], which will necessitate a change in the priesthood when God restores Israel [Hebrews 7:11-12].)

God’s Redemptive Plan, the concept of “salvation” as seen in the Word of God, which incorporates His original purpose for man, i.e., dominion over the earth, is considerably more complex than simply the saving of a person for eventual residence in “heaven” in the hereafter. 

Salvation – Gift of Grace and/or Reward for Works
By Charles Strong of Bible One

The title of this presentation may be confusing, since it apparently presents the possibility of one or two ways of classifying the concept of “spiritual salvation” as presented in Holy Scripture, particularly the New Testament.  But if the student of God’s Word believes that the Greek words utilized in the New Testament translated “save,” “saved,” and “salvation” refer only to one form of the matter, he then should be confused, not only by the above title, but by the multitude of passages in the New Testament regarding the subject.

Actually, the New Testament Greek words translated “save” and “saved” (Gk. sozo) and “salvation” (Gk. soteia, soterion) are words that are utilized over a broad range of both material (temporal) and eternal matters.  In order for one to know the nature and effects of salvation when it is spoken of in Scripture, one should study the matter in a particular fashion.

The truth is that the “spiritual salvation” available to man from God incorporates distinctly different aspects of the matter, which if seen as one, can only produce confusion to the reader of Scripture.  Hence, within Christendom, there are a wide range of denominations and doctrinal positions regarding the subject, e.g., Calvinism vs. Arminianism.  And unless one comprehends and appreciates the different aspects of “spiritual salvation,” he will remain confused over the many apparently contradictory passages of Scripture and the many opposing denominational teachings.

To properly overcome this confused state, it is recommended that the student of the Word of God should understand and utilize the following when studying the Word:

1) God’s Purpose for Man.
2) The Composition of Man.

3) Key Principles of Biblical Interpretation.

(It should be understood that this subject is extensive, the theme and scriptural proofs of which run throughout the entire Bible; therefore, this message will only cover some of the “high points” and passages of Scripture.  It is designed to whet your appetite for additional and more resolute study in God’s Word.)

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. (Numbers 23:19a)

For I am the LORD, I do not change. (Malachi 3:6a)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow [body], and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (Gk. theopneustos – God breathed), and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21; cf. Luke 1:70; Acts 3:18)

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26)

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. (John 16:13)

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. . . . But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. (1 John 2:20, 27)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

When studying the Scriptures – whether the Old or New Testament – one is studying about Jesus the Christ, whom God has “appointed Heir of all things” (Luke 24:25-27; Hebrews 1:2).  There is nothing in the New Testament that is not seen after some fashion in the Old.  The New Testament is simply a revealing, an unveiling, of God’s Son, as previously introduced in the Old Testament Scriptures.

“Jesus” is the Word made “flesh,” referring, in an inseparable sense, to both the Old Testament Scriptures and to God becoming “flesh” in the person of His Son.  “Jesus” is not only God manifested in the flesh but the Old Testament Scriptures manifested in the flesh as well.

There is “the written Word,” inseparably identified with “God,” and there is this same Word manifested in the form of “flesh,” with life and inseparability seen throughout.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. . . .

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-2, 14)

Thus, “studying Scripture,” one is simply studying about God’s Son.  And note that the Word became “flesh” after all of the Old Testament had been penned but before a single word of the New Testament had been penned.  In that respect, one would have to conclude that there is nothing in the New that is not seen after some fashion in the Old, else God’s Son, the Word becoming “flesh,” would have been incomplete at the time of His incarnation.

Then, in John 1:14, the Word becoming “flesh” is seen in connection with two things:

1) Christ’s Glory.

2)  Christ’s Sonship, God’s Firstborn (“sonship” implies rulership, and it is firstborn sons who rule in the human realm).

All of this can only take one back to the beginning of God’s revelation of His Son, back to the opening verses of Genesis.  That which God desires man to know about His plans and purposes, which He will bring to pass through His Son, begins at this point.

And everything from this point forward is regal.  Everything has to do with God’s Son, God’s Firstborn, who has been “appointed Heir of all things.”  And everything moves toward that day when God’s Son will come forth in all His Glory and realize this inheritance.

Then, it must be recognized that God structured His revelation to man after a particular fashion, alluded to in Luke 24:25-27, 44 and stated in so many words in 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11.  Scripture not only deals with a completely accurate history of certain events surrounding God’s dealings with the earth, angels, and man, but biblical history has been recorded after such a fashion that it is highly typical as well.  God has established His primary means of teaching, not through history per se, but through inherent types seen in history, pointing to antitypes seen in later history and/or prophecy.

The manner in which God revealed Himself to man is as stated in 1 Corinthians 10:11a,

Now all these things happened to them as examples [Greek, tupos, types; “Now all these things happened to them for types”] . . . .

The reference is to events during Moses’ day, drawing from the wilderness journey of the Israelites.  But the reference would, of necessity, have to go far beyond simply the specific events listed in 1 Corinthians 10:1-10, preceding the statement in 1 Corinthians 10:11a.  In the light of other Scripture, as becomes increasingly evident when one views all of Scripture, the reference would have to be enlarged to encompass not only all biblical history during Moses’ day but all biblical history beginning with Genesis 1:1.

That would be to say, God has structured His revelation to man after a fashion in which not only true, correct history is presented but this history is presented in such a manner that it is highly typical in nature.  And Scripture, within this highly typical structure, is jam-packed with spiritual significance and meaning.

God, within His sovereign control of all things, brought matters to pass after such a fashion (within the history of the earth, angels, and man) that He could, at a later time, have these events to draw upon in order to teach His people the deep things surrounding Himself, His plans, and His purposes.  And this would be accomplished mainly through types and corresponding antitypes.

Thus, God draws not so much from history per se as He does from the spiritual content set forth in the historic accounts – the great spiritual lessons, taught mainly from types pointing to corresponding antitypes.

Anyone can understand facts within revealed biblical history (saved or unsaved man).  This would pertain more to the letter of the matter.  But only saved man can go beyond the letter to the spirit of the matter (2 Corinthians 3:6-16).  Only the saved can understand the spiritual lessons drawn from history.  Only the saved can look within biblical history and see spiritual content (1 Corinthians 2:12-16).

For the unsaved, things beyond the simple, historical facts are completely meaningless.  They can neither see these things nor know them.  Spiritually, they are dead; and these things are “spiritually discerned.”  They can view Scripture only from a “natural [‘soulical’]” standpoint (1 Corinthians 2:14).

But for the saved, the matter is entirely different.  They, by/through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, have been made spiritually alive.  The Spirit has breathed life into the one having no life; they have “passed from death to life.”

And they have this same Spirit – the One who gave the Word to man through man — indwelling them to lead them “into all truth” (John 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20; 1 John 3:24).  Accordingly, the saved possess the ability to see beyond the facts of history and view the spiritual lessons inherent therein.

This is what is meant by “comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”  It is within this facet of Scripture that man can see the things that “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard . . . .”  It is within this facet of Scripture that “God has revealed them to us by his Spirit."

But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.  For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.  These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:9-13)

And it is within this complete, overall thought, as previously stated, that one finds all of biblical history forming types that are fraught with spiritual significance and meaning.

This is the manner in which God has structured His Word.  It has been given to man after this fashion, and if man would properly understand that which God has revealed in His Word, he must study it after the fashion in which it was given and recorded.

(Aside by Pat:  The following Word Document, which is Safe to open, contains over 50 pages of types/antitypes:  Types and Antitypes as of March 20, 2021.docx

Also, aside: If of interest, is a list of biblical trichotomies I've gathered so far [199 Trichotomies to date], click on the following Word document: Trichotomies of the Bible.docx with Scripture Links.)

(Keep in mind that often the student of God’s Word commits the error of attaching the same meaning to a word or phrase in the Word “across the board,” regardless of context, which leads to much confusion and apparent contradictions in the student’s mind regarding doctrine.  This is especially true in regards to the subject of “salvation,” i.e., God’s redemptive plan for man.  Once a person appreciates the difference in the manner in which Scripture portrays redemption as it pertains to each of the “parts” [spirit, soul, and body] of man, the mental confusion and apparent contradictions will vanish.)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:30-31)

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

(Without going into detail, it should be understood that the grammatical construction in the original language used in verse eight portrays a salvation that was totally accomplished on the Cross by Jesus Christ and which extends into the present in a finished state for all those who appropriate it through faith.)

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)

(For an inclusive treatment pertaining to this issue, please read the book, Judgment Seat of Christ BOOK.)

(For an inclusive treatment pertaining to the salvation of the spirit, please read the book, Salvation by Grace through Faith BOOK.)

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved . . . . (2 Corinthians 2:15)

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved [Gk: being kept safe], if you hold fast that word which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:39)

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)

Receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:9)

And if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:17)

This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.  If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. (2 Timothy 2:11-12a)

(For an inclusive treatment pertaining to the salvation of the soul, please read the books, Salvation of the Soul BOOK,   Redeemed for a Purpose BOOK,   Let Us Go On BOOK  and  The Spiritual Warfare BOOK, all in this site.)

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. . . . And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 49)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20, 21)

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalm 111:10a)

Man was created to rule in the stead of Satan's angels.

Man Created for What Reason?
Taken from Various Commentaries, mostly Arlen Chitwood's

Man was created for a specific purpose, revealed at the time of his creation. Immediately following the restoration of the ruined earth (Genesis 1:2-25 [2b]) — a ruin resulting from Satan's previous aspirations to "be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:14-19) — God created man to rule the restored domain, in the stead of Satan (Genesis 1:26-28).  And man was not to rule this restored domain alone.  The woman — made from a part of the man and given back to the man for "a helper," in order that the man might be complete — was to rule alongside the man as consort queen, with the man ruling as king (Genesis 1:26).
 
God, prior to creating man, reflecting on the purpose for man's creation, made the statement: "...let them [the man and the woman together] have dominion" (Genesis 1:26).  If man was to rule, then the woman had to rule with him.  Both had to rule together, else there could be no rule.  This is a principle that God, not man, established at the time God created man; and the principle cannot be violated.
 
Thus, the “first man,” Adam, could occupy the position for which he had been created through one means alone.  He could occupy this position only as a complete being.  And for Adam to rule in this manner, Eve — who was bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh (Genesis 2:23) —had to rule with him.  Eve, because she was a part of Adam's very being, completed Adam; and the two of them ruling together — the king, with his consort queen — was the only way Adam could rule the earth and remain within the guidelines that God had established.
 
Understanding this principle will shed light upon numerous things seen in the opening three chapters of Genesis (Genesis 1; 2; 3).  Why did Adam, though not deceived, partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil following Eve partaking of this tree?  The answer is the same as the reason why Christ, who knew no sin, was made "sin for us" when He found His bride in the same condition in which Adam found Eve (Genesis 3:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Timothy 2:14).
 
Adam could not rule apart from Eve; and Eve, following the time when she had eaten of the forbidden fruit, was no longer in a position to rule with Adam.  Thus, Adam could not have fulfilled the purpose for his creation had he not acted exactly as he did.  Adam acted with a view to Eve's redemption, in order that he, as a complete being (Adam, with Eve), might one day fulfill the purpose for man's creation.
 
Nor can the “Second Man,” the “Last Adam,” rule apart from a wife.  He, as the “first Adam,” found His bride in a fallen state.  And He acted in complete accord with the established type, with a view to exactly the same thing seen in the type.  He Who knew no sin was made "sin for us," with a view to both He and a redeemed wife one day taking the scepter and ascending the throne together.

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Christians live in a world governed and controlled by Satan and his angels.  It is a world in which Satan and his angels continue a rule, which they have held since time immemorial, since a time preceding Satan’s fall, along with one-third of his original contingent of angels ruling in lesser positions of power under him.  And this, in turn, would date back to the time following the creation of the heavens and the earth when God appointed and placed Satan and his angels in the positions of power that they, since that time, have occupied (cf. Ezekiel 28:14ff; Daniel 4:17ff; Romans 13:1).

Then, since man’s creation and fall 6,000 years ago — an individual created in God’s image, after His likeness, created to take the scepter in the stead of Satan and his angels (Genesis 1:26-28 [though the fall, requiring redemption, has delayed man from occupying this position]) — Satan and his angels, continuing to rule, have carried out this rule by and through fallen man, by and through rulers among the nations (Daniel 10:12-20).

And since the bringing into existence of the nation of Israel over two millennia following man’s creation  (descendants of Jacob, a special creation, separate from the nations), the rule of Satan and his angels through fallen man has been restricted to the Gentile nations.  Israel’s ruling angel is Michael, with undoubtedly a large contingent of angels ruling under him.  And Michael, with his angels, is not part of Satan’s kingdom (Daniel 10:21).

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Following the creation of the heavens and the earth, God placed Satan (in his unfallen state) in the position of provincial ruler over the earth, along with a great host of angels occupying various positions of power and authority under him (Genesis 1:1; Ezekiel 28:14-15; cf. Matthew 25:41; Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:4). But, at a point in time following Satan’s fall and disqualification (which would be following the accompanying ruin and subsequent restoration of the earth, recorded in Genesis 1:2-25), another provincial ruler was brought on the scene to replace the incumbent ruler. But the earth’s second provincial ruler was not of the angelic creation. Rather, an individual created in the image and likeness of God was brought on the scene to take the reins of government (Genesis 1:26-28).

The first provincial ruler, Satan, is not only presently holding the scepter in a rebellious fashion, but his kingdom can only be in disarray. Two thirds of the original contingent of angels, which God appointed in the beginning to rule with Satan (Revelation 11:4), refused to go along with him in his vain efforts to exalt his throne. Thus, the remaining one-third can only fall far short of the number of angels that God had originally decreed necessary to properly rule the earth.

Man was created to rule in the stead of Satan and his angels. But man, because of his fall, finds himself occupying a position alien to that for which he was created. He can now only rule under the one he was created to replace.

Thus, certain things within the present structure of the earth’s government are completely out of place, and they will remain out of place until the end of the present age. At that time, Satan and his angels will be put down, Christ and His co-heirs will take the kingdom, and a God-ordained number of rulers will once again occupy positions of power and authority.

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Word Document:  Man Created for What Reason.docx

The preceding Why did God Create Man? adds to the subject at hand.  

To website CONTENTS Page.

Faith
By Arlen Chitwood of Lamp Broadcast

“Faith” is simply believing that which God has to say about a matter (Romans 10:17).  Thus, walking by faith is walking in accordance with that which God has said; living by faith is living in accordance with that which God has said.

And it all comes down to this:

To act, “by faith,” in any realm of life, one must know and understand that which God has said relative to the matter at hand.  In other words, such a person must be conversant with the Word of God; and the more conversant he is with this Word, the better equipped he will be to act “by faith.”

The pilgrim walk is a walk solely “by faith,” never by sight.  There is only one hope for victory, and that is a continuous walk by faith, with one’s eyes fixed on the goal out ahead.

There will be attacks by Satan time after time after time throughout the Christian life, and the only recourse that Christians possess to assure victory is a knowledge of the Word of God, an ability to use the Word, and an adherence to that which the Word states.  Otherwise defeat can only be inevitable, with the Christian being overcome by the enemy rather than overcoming the enemy.

And that’s why the salvation of the soul — having to do with a participation with Christ as co-heir in events occurring on the seventh day — cannot be realized apart from a realization in one’s life of that which is portended by events on days two through six in the Genesis account.  The journey from day one to day seven can be successfully accomplished only by traveling through days two through six.

Days two through six lie between days one and seven in a parallel respect to the Red Sea and the Wilderness lying between Egypt and Canaan.  No route exists that carries one directly from the beginning point to the end point without passing through that which lies between.  All six of the days must be passed through to reach the seventh day, as the route extending from the death of the Passover Lamb in Egypt through the Red Sea and the Wilderness must be traversed in order to reach the land wherein one’s inheritance lies.

This is the revealed way that God has outlined for man to travel.  And as there is only one revealed way of eternal salvation (man made alive spiritually), there is only one revealed way in which redeemed man can traverse the pilgrim path if he would one day realize the salvation of his soul.

One Way!  One Way!  That’s it!  There is no other!

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Taken from Building on the Foundation in The Study of Scripture BOOK in this site.

The following Word Document adds to this commentary and is SAFE to open:  Two Primary “F” Words (Fear and Faith) of Christianity by Charles Strong of Bible One 2.docx

To website CONTENTS Page.

The New Testament is simply a revealing, an unveiling, of God’s Son,
as previously introduced in the Old Testament Scriptures.

These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  But the natural man [non-Christian] does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they [the things of the Spirit of God] are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:13-14)

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition [instruction], upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  (1 Corinthians 10:11)

When studying the Scriptures — whether the Old Testament or the New Testament — one is studying about Jesus the Christ, whom God has “appointed Heir of all things” (Luke 24:25-27; Hebrews 1:2).  There is nothing in the New Testament that is not seen after some fashion in the Old.  The New Testament is simply a revealing, an unveiling, of God’s Son, as previously introduced in the Old Testament Scriptures.

 

“Jesus” is the Word made “flesh,” referring, in an inseparable sense, to both the Old Testament Scriptures and to God becoming “flesh” in the person of His Son.  “Jesus” is not only God manifested in the flesh but the Old Testament Scriptures manifested in the flesh as well.

 

The whole of Scripture is about Jesus the Christ.  And the whole of Scripture moves toward a seventh day, a seventh 1,000-year period, when God’s firstborn Son, God’s Christ, will come into possession of His inheritance, and, with Israel [presently God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22-23)] and the Church [to be revealed as God’s firstborn son in that coming day, following the adoption (Romans 8:14-23; Hebrews 12:22-23)] will realize that which is seen in the opening chapter of Genesis at the time of man’s creation — “. . . let them have dominion [Hebrew: radah, ‘rule’; ‘. . . let them rule’]” (Genesis 1:26, 28).

There are no shortcuts to the study of Scripture.  Coming into a knowledge of the Word of God takes time and effort; and it is a continuous, lifelong process that one never completes.

 

A person progressively comes into a knowledge of the Word over time as he applies himself to study.  The Word of God is received into his saved human spirit; and, within this process, the Holy Spirit takes the Word and leads that individual “into all truth,” “comparing spiritual things with spiritual” — comparing Scripture with Scripture (John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13) — leading him from immaturity to maturity.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God [God-breathed], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

(The words, “given by inspiration of God,” are a translation of the one word in the Greek text, theopneustos, meaning “God-breathed.”  This is a compound word comprised of Theos [“God”] and pneuma [“breath” in this particular usage and also the word used for “Spirit” in the New Testament — the Holy Spirit, man’s spirit, and the use of spirit in general; also “wind” in John 3:8])

That which is meant by and the implications of Scripture being God-breathed are given in a somewhat simple manner in Scripture, but one has to look at and compare related parts of both Testaments before he can really begin to see and understand that which is involved.  A person has to reference passages in both Testaments, studying passages from one in the light of passages from the other.  He has to compare Scripture with Scripture, i.e., he has to compare “spiritual things with spiritual.”

Note first of all Hebrews 4:12a:

 

For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. . . .

 

Now, the question: Why is the Word of God “living,” “powerful,” and “sharper than any two-edged sword”?  The answer: Because of its origin.  The Word is “theopneustos”; the Word is “God-breathed.”

But, what does that mean?  And why is the Word “living” because of its origin?  This is where one has to go back to beginning points in the Old Testament and find the first mention in Scripture of God bringing a matter to pass through the use of His breath.

This is necessary not only because of the need to compare Scripture with Scripture but also because of a principle of biblical interpretation, called, “the First-Mention Principle.”

 

This principle has to do with unchangeableness, and it centers on an unchangeable structure of the Word given by the unchangeable God.  Because of the inherent nature of the Word, the first time a subject is mentioned in Scripture, a pattern, a mold is established at that point that remains unchanged throughout the remainder of Scripture.

Remaining within this principle, the first time one finds the breath of God mentioned in Scripture is in Genesis 2:7, in connection with life imparted to man; and, consequently, at this beginning point, this verse connects life with the breath of God after an unchangeable fashion.  God formed and fashioned man from the dust of the ground, but man was not created alive.  Life was subsequently imparted through God breathing into man’s “nostrils the breath of life,” resulting in man becoming “a living being [soul, KJV].”

Thus, at this point in Scripture the unchangeable connection between God’s breath and life is established and set.  Only God can produce life, and any time life is produced beyond this point it must always be through the one means set forth at the beginning, revealed in Genesis 2:7. . . .

 

Then there is the inseparable connection between the Spirit (the Pneuma) and the Word:

 

For prophecy [referring to written revelation (v. 20)] never came by the will of man, but holy [set apart] men of God spoke as they were moved [borne along] by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21)

 

The Word is “God-breathed,” and thus “living,” because of the Spirit’s inseparable connection with the Word.  He is the One who gave the Word to man through man, and He is the One presently in the world to guide man “into all truth” through the use of this Word (John 16:13).

The Pneuma (Spirit/Breath) is not only the One who gave the Word after this fashion in past time, but He is also the One who effects man’s regeneration after a similar fashion during the present time.  It is the present work of the Pneuma (Spirit/Breath) in man’s regeneration that produces life (there must be breathing in for man to pass “from death to life” [cf. Genesis 1:2; 2:7; John 3:6-8; 5:24]).   And the Pneuma (Spirit/Breath) not only produces this life (based on Christ’s finished work at Calvary), but He presently indwells the one to whom He has imparted life in order to lead and guide that person into an understanding — from immaturity to maturity — of the God-breathed Word that He Himself previously imparted to man through man.

Thus, it is the breath of God producing life in unregenerate man today, through the instrumentality of the Spirit, based on the Son’s finished work.  And that new life is nurtured and sustained by a continued work of the Spirit, through the use of that which is itself the breath of God, and, accordingly, living.

The Holy Spirit uses only that which is living to nourish and nurture that which has been made alive.  Spiritual growth from immaturity to maturity requires spiritual nourishment, which is derived from only one source.  There’s no other way for spiritual growth to occur.

That’s why pastor-teachers have been exhorted to “Preach the Word,” and that’s why Christians have been exhorted to “study” this same Word (2 Timothy 2:15; 4:2).  A person’s ability to function in the spiritual realm is inseparably connected with that person’s knowledge of and ability to use the Word of God.

It’s the WORD, the WORD, the WORD!  Christians have been given nothing else; nor do they need anything else.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [symbol of death], and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26)

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13-14; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:13 [quoted above]; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers [lit. pastor-teachers], for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Then He [Jesus Christ] said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

God . . . has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:1-3 [1a])

In this respect, one Testament (Old or New) must be understood in the light of the other (Old or New), apart from precedence given to either.  It is no more or no less valid to interpret the Old Testament in the light of the New as it is to interpret the New Testament in the light of the Old.  One is to be interpreted both in the light of itself (other parts of the same Testament) and in the light of the other (the New in the light of the Old, or the Old in the light of the New).

The interpretative method laid down in Scripture is very simple:

 

. . . not in words that man’s wisdom teaches but that the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13b)

 

One part of the Word (at any point in the Old or New Testaments) is compared with another part of the Word (at any point in the Old or New Testaments) under the leadership of the indwelling Spirit.

 

Then, again, many of the distinctions that Christians often view between the Old and New Testaments simply do not exist.  A basis for calling the two parts of Scripture by these names could be derived from verses such as 2 Corinthians 3:6, 14; but to see one Testament as Jewish and the other as Christian, as is often done, is about as far removed from biblical reality as one can get.

The word “testament” is a translation of the Greek word for covenant (diatheke).  The word appears thirty-three times in the New Testament, and, in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, it has been rendered “covenant” twenty times and “testament” the other thirteen (cf. Hebrews 9:4, 15).  Either translation is correct so long as one understands that the thought has to do with two different covenants.

And confusion often arises at this point through the erroneous thought that the new covenant has been made with the Church.  That simply is incorrect.  Covenants are not made with the Church.  They never have been, and they never will be.

Since the call of Abraham 4,000 years ago, God, within His covenant relationship to mankind, concerns Himself with one nation alone — the nation of Israel (Romans 9:4).  The old covenant was made with the house of Israel during the days of Moses, and the new covenant will be made with the house of Israel when the One greater than Moses returns (Hebrews 8:7ff; cf. Jeremiah 31:31ff).

During the interim, Christians are ministers of the new covenant in the sense that the shed blood of Christ is the blood of this covenant, and the entire basis for any Christian’s ministry has to do with this blood — blood shed at Calvary, presently on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies of the heavenly tabernacle (Matthew 26:28; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 9:14-22).  But the fact remains.  The new covenant has not been — nor will it ever be — made with the Church.

The new covenant will replace the old, and it will be made with those in possession of the old.  And, apart from being ministers of the new during the interim (for the blood has been shed, and this is the basis for all ministry during the present time), the Church has no more to do with the establishment of the new covenant than it did with the establishment of the old covenant.

Thus, when one talks about “New Testament doctrine,” “New Testament theology,” etc., the expressions cannot extend beyond the thought of doctrine or theology that has for its basis the shed blood of Christ; and this is something that cannot be understood at all apart from the Old Testament.

 

Revelation surrounding the shedding of blood for the remission of sins begins in Genesis 3, immediately following man’s fall; and the entire Old Testament sacrificial system that followed pointed toward the One — of whom the prophets spoke (cf. Isaiah 53:12; Zechariah 12:10; 13:6) — who would one day come and take away “the sin of the world” by the sacrifice of Himself (John 1:29).

The foundations have been established in the Old Testament, and both Testaments together comprise one continuous, complete revelation of all the various facets of the person and work of Christ.  And the only way one can grasp the complete picture is to look at the whole of Scripture after this fashion.

So, the question:  Where and how does one begin a study of the Word of God?

The question, in connection with the background material, is really self-answering.  Where and how did God begin when He revealed His Word to man?

 

God began, at the outset of His Word, by setting forth a skeletal framework of the whole panorama of that which He was about to reveal; and His subsequent revelation would be the sinews, flesh, and skin to cover the bones forming the skeletal framework. 

 

Or, to state the matter another way, God began, at the outset of His Word, by laying a foundational structure, upon which the whole framework of His revelation to man would subsequently be built.

Now, back to the question, Where and how does one begin a study of the Word of God?

There’s only one place and one way to begin.  A person must begin at the beginning.  A person must begin where the foundation has been laid.  A person must begin where the skeletal framework has been given.

 

In short, a person must begin where God began.  If one begins elsewhere, he will have nothing upon which to build the structure; he will have nothing upon which to attach the sinews, flesh, and skin.

 

And herein lies the very reason for the vast confusion that presently exists in theological circles today.  Christians have failed to begin with the foundational structure.  They do not know and understand the structure of the Word, set forth at the beginning.  And, as a consequence, they have no bones upon which to place the sinews, flesh, and skin; they have no foundation upon which to build. . . .

The beginning point was given through Moses.  The foundational outline, the skeletal framework, was set forth at the very beginning, in the opening section of Genesis.  And it is here that one must begin if he is to begin correctly. 

 

He must understand the foundational beginning of the matter first if he is to properly understand that which is subsequently built upon the foundation.

Scripture begins in Genesis with:

 

The creation of all that exists (Genesis 1:1).

The ruin of one part of that creation (Genesis 1:2a).

The restoration of that one part (Genesis 1:2-25 [2b]).

The creation of man to rule the restored domain (Genesis 1:26-31).

God then rested “from all His work” that he had “created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).

 

These opening verses of Genesis provide not only one complete section of Scripture but also the foundational structure upon which the whole of all subsequent Scripture is built and must be understood.  There is a creation, a ruin of one part of that creation, a restoration of the ruined portion occurring over time covering six days, and then God rests on a seventh day.

 

And to illustrate how these verses establish the foundation for the whole of Scripture, note events surrounding man’s creation, his ruin, the time that God takes to restore man, and that which will occur following man’s restoration.

 

It has all been set forth at the very beginning.

God took six days to restore the ruined material creation (ruined because of the sin of the incumbent ruler, Satan [Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:14-19]); and God, in accord with the pattern that He Himself established at the very beginning, is presently taking six days to restore two subsequent ruined creations — man, and the material creation once again (both ruined because of the sin of the one created to take the scepter, ruined because of man’s sin [Genesis 3:1-7, 17-18; Romans 8:20]).  And then, in accord with the pattern established at the beginning, God’s restoration will be followed by a seventh day, which will be a day of rest (Genesis 2:1-3; Hebrews 4:4, 9).

 

Each day in the former restoration and rest was twenty-four hours in length, as seen by the expression “the evening and the morning” on each day (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31; 2:2, 3);  but each day in the latter restoration and rest (foreshadowed by the former) is one thousand years in length (Genesis 1:14-19; Matthew 17:1-5; 2 Peter 1:15-18; 3:5-8).  Just as God restored the ruined creation at the very beginning in six days comprised of twenty-four hours each, He is going to restore the two subsequent ruined creations in six days comprised of one thousand years each.  Then, just as God rested for one twenty-four-hour day at the completion of his restoration work in Genesis, He is going to rest for a one-thousand-year day at the completion of His subsequent restoration work.

 

Accordingly, the whole of the latter restoration and rest is set forth in foundational form at the very beginning.  The six days of work and one day of rest foreshadow six thousand years of work and one thousand years of rest.  And this covers the whole of God’s revelation to man (save for several brief instances of events either preceding or following the 7,000 years, given so man can properly understand and place events occurring during the 7,000 years within their proper perspective).

Thus it is easy to see and understand how all Scripture following Genesis 1:1-2:3 must relate to this opening section of Scripture, which forms the foundation.  The whole of Scripture, as this opening section, covers events relating to restoration and rest during six and seven days (six and seven thousand years).  The latter is patterned after the former;  and to properly understand the latter, one must have a proper understanding of the former.

 

A solid foundation must first be laid (Genesis 1:1-2:3) before a stable superstructure can be built (Genesis 2:4ff).  And note that any stable structure must always rest on its foundation.

 

God didn’t place Genesis 1:1-2:3 at the very beginning of His revelation to man, structuring the material in these verses after a certain fashion for man to ignore; nor would God expect man to begin his study of Scripture elsewhere.  Rather, the opposite is true.

 

God structured the opening section of His revelation to man after a particular fashion, for a reason; and man is to begin where God began and follow the structure that God established.

 

There remains therefore a rest [Sabbath rest] for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9).

 

Hebrews 4:1-11 deals with a rest that will be realized by “the people of God” during the seventh millennium dating from the restoration of the earth and the creation of man in the first chapter of Genesis.

Teachings surrounding this rest, textually and contextually, viewed from the standpoint of the way matters are outlined in the book of Hebrews, are based on three portions of Old Testament Scripture:

 

1. The experiences of the Israelites under Moses, and later under Joshua (Hebrews 3:2-19).

 

2. Reference back to God’s work and subsequent rest during the seven days of Genesis chapters one and two (Hebrews 4:4).

 

3. The Sabbath given to Israel that the nation was to keep week after week following six days of work (Hebrews 4:9).

 

The experiences of the Israelites under Moses, and later Joshua, during a past dispensation form the type; and the experiences of Christians under Christ during the present dispensation, leading into the coming dispensation, form the antitype. 

Then teachings surrounding a rest lying before both the Israelites in the type and Christians in the antitype are drawn from the rest that God entered into following six days of work in Genesis 1; 2. 

 

And the Sabbath was given to the Jewish people to keep, ever before them, throughout their generations, that foreshadowed by events in the opening two chapters of Genesis (cf. Exodus 20:8-11; 31:13-17).

Teachings drawn from the opening two chapters of Genesis form the key to the entire matter, and a correct understanding and interpretation of these opening chapters is not something that should be taken lightly.  Scripture is built upon a structure that is laid down in these two chapters, and an individual’s understanding and interpretation of numerous things throughout the remainder of Scripture will be governed by his understanding and interpretation of this opening section of Scripture.

If one understands these opening verses correctly, he will understand how God has structured His revelation to man, allowing him to grasp numerous things that he could not otherwise understand.  However, if one fails to understand these opening verses correctly, the opposite will be true.  He will not have gone in a correct direction at the beginning, which can only reflect negatively on his understanding of related matters in all future studies.

The preceding, for example, is the reason many individuals fail to see the proper relationship of the Sabbath rest in Hebrews 4:9 to God’s rest following six days of work in Genesis 2:2, 3 (cf. Hebrews 4:4).  They attempt to relate this rest to something that Christians enter into during the present day and time, which is a time prior to the seventh day, a time not even in view.  Or this is the reason many individuals attempt to understand 2 Peter 3:8 in the light of Psalm 90:4, when, contextually, 2 Peter 3:8 must be understood in the light of the septenary structure of Scripture, introduced at the beginning, in the opening two chapters of Genesis (cf. 2 Peter 1:16-18; 3:5-7).

One MUST FIRST understand that which is revealed at the beginning.  This is the KEY.  Only then can an individual be in a position to move forward and properly understand the remainder.

Then He said to them, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

 

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?”

 

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

 

Now these things were our examples [Now these things happened as types for us], to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted . . . .

 

Now all these things happened to them for examples [Now all these things happened to them for types]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [the ages] are come. (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11)

Three things above all else must be adhered to in the study of Scripture:

1)  A person must recognize that all Scripture is God-breathed.

2)  A person must begin where God began.

3)  A person must study Scripture after the fashion in which it was written.

God gave His Word to man through man in a particular manner:

. . . holy men of God spoke as they were moved [borne along] by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21b)

The manner in which God revealed Himself, His plans, and His purposes in His Word (a God-breathed revelation, penned as the Spirit moved men to write) is what makes Scripture different from all other writings.  Scripture stands in a category solely by itself, completely alone; and all other writings stand in a completely separate category (ref. Foundational Prerequisites in this book).

 

Then, in the process of giving to man, through man, the God-breathed Word, at the very outset God set forth a skeletal structure covering the whole panorama of revelation that was to follow, along with foundational building material.  And if a person would understand Scripture correctly, he must begin where God began and follow that which God has set forth, after the manner in which He Himself structured and established the matter.

 

The person must follow the skeletal structure and build upon this structure after the manner in which God Himself began and subsequently set matters forth, establishing them in a particular manner throughout.  At any point in the whole of Scripture, any teaching must have a connection with and be in complete agreement with the God-established skeletal structure and subsequent foundational material set forth at the beginning (ref. Chapters 2-4 in this book:  The Septenary Arrangement of Scripture, Beginning and Continuing, Building on the Foundation).

 

Then, it must be recognized that God structured His revelation to man after a particular fashion, alluded to in Luke 24:25-27, 44 and stated in so many words in 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11.  Scripture not only deals with a completely accurate history of certain events surrounding God’s dealings with the earth, angels, and man, but biblical history has been recorded after such a fashion that it is highly typical as well.  God has established His primary means of teaching, not through history per se, but through inherent types seen in history, pointing to antitypes seen in later history and/or prophecy.

The manner in which God revealed Himself to man is as stated in 1 Corinthians 10:11a,

 

Now all these things happened to them as examples [Greek, tupos, types;  “Now all these things happened to them for types”] . . . .

 

The reference is to events during Moses’ day, drawing from the wilderness journey of the Israelites.  But the reference would, of necessity, have to go far beyond simply the specific events listed in 1 Corinthians 10:1-10, preceding the statement in 1 Corinthians 10:11a.  In the light of other Scripture, as becomes increasingly evident when one views the whole of Scripture, the reference would have to be enlarged to encompass not only all biblical history during Moses’ day but all biblical history beginning with Genesis 1:1.

 

That would be to say, God has structured His revelation to man after a fashion in which not only true, correct history is presented but this history is presented in such a manner that it is highly typical in nature.  And Scripture, within this highly typical structure, is jam-packed with spiritual significance and meaning.

 

God, within His sovereign control of all things, brought matters to pass after such a fashion (within the history of the earth, angels, and man) that He could, at a later time, have these events to draw upon in order to teach His people the deep things surrounding Himself, His plans, and His purposes.  And this would be accomplished mainly through types and corresponding antitypes.

 

Thus, God draws not so much from history per se as He does from the spiritual content set forth in the historic accounts — the great spiritual lessons, taught mainly from types pointing to corresponding antitypes.

Anyone can understand facts within revealed biblical history (saved or unsaved man).  This would pertain more to the letter of the matter.  But only saved man can go beyond the letter to the spirit of the matter (2 Corinthians 3:6-16).  Only the saved can understand the spiritual lessons drawn from history.  Only the saved can look within biblical history and see spiritual content (1 Corinthians 2:12-16).

 

For the unsaved, things beyond the simple, historical facts are completely meaningless.  They can neither see these things nor know them.  Spiritually, they are dead; and these things are “spiritually discerned.”  They can view Scripture only from a “natural [‘soulical’]” standpoint (1 Corinthians 2:14).

 

But for the saved, the matter is entirely different.  They, by/through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, have been made spiritually alive.  The Spirit has breathed life into the one having no life; they have “passed from death to life.”

 

And they have this same Spirit — the One who gave the Word to man through man — indwelling them to lead them “into all truth” (John 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20; 1 John 3:24).  Accordingly, the saved possess the ability to see beyond the facts of history and view the spiritual lessons inherent therein.

 

This is what is meant by “comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”  It is within this facet of Scripture that man can see the things that “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard . . . .”  It is within this facet of Scripture that “God has revealed them to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-13).

 

And it is within this complete, overall thought, as previously stated, that one finds the whole of biblical history forming types that are fraught with spiritual significance and meaning.  This is the manner in which God has structured His Word.  It has been given to man after this fashion, and if man would properly understand that which God has revealed in His Word, he must study it after the fashion in which it was given and recorded.

Viewing Scripture after the preceding fashion, a complete word picture is presented of the central Person of Scripture — the Lord Jesus Christ.  This word picture begins in the opening chapter of Genesis and continues uninterrupted until the Living Word Himself appears on the scene 4,000 years later.  In this respect, the Old Testament forms a complete introduction to and revelation of the One who would appear on the earth, intervening in the affairs of man, 4,000 and 6,000 years beyond the creation of man in the opening chapter of Genesis.

 

This is really the underlying thought behind Christ’s rebuke of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, following His resurrection.  They didn’t know the spiritual content of their own Old Testament Scriptures, though they undoubtedly would have been familiar with the letter of the matter, the historical facts.  Had they known the spiritual content of the historical facts, they would, in turn, not only have known the exact identity of the person standing in their midst but they would also have known exactly what had occurred, was occurring, and would yet occur.

Parables and figurative language (metaphors and other types of figurative expressions) are often thought of somewhat together, for parables usually employ a number of figurative expressions.  But, whether appearing together or not, neither ever appears alone, apart from related Scripture.

 

Parables reflect on previous Scripture.  They are given to explain, add further light to previously revealed truth.  And the figurative expressions employed in parables or elsewhere in Scripture are always used after such a fashion that either the context renders them self-explanatory or they are explained in other portions of Scripture.

Individuals in the Western world do not normally think or express themselves in parabolic or figurative fashions nearly as much as individuals in the Eastern world.  It is quite common for those in the East to speak somewhat in parabolic senses or use figurative language extensively, but less common for individuals in the West.  In this respect, it sometimes becomes more difficult for those in the West to grasp certain things in Scripture when it comes to parables and figurative language than those in the East, who tend to automatically think along these lines.

 

Parables and the use of figurative expressions — as the use of types in Scripture — form different methods of the way God gave His revelation to man.  Parables and figurative expressions form necessary parts of this revelation and are given after particular God ordained fashions, in order to form the complete canon of Scripture, exactly as God would have it exist. They form integral parts of Scripture — parts of the whole — apart from which other portions of Scripture cannot be properly understood.

 

Then, putting it all together, one can, so to speak, run all the checks and balances he wants to run through “comparing spiritual things with spiritual” — whether parables, figurative language, types, etc. — and he will always end up with the same uniformity and consistency throughout.  He must, for he is dealing with a divine revelation which, in actuality, has only one Author;  and this revelation emanated from an infinite, omniscient mind wherein nonuniformity and inconsistency cannot exist.

 

And that will speak volumes when it comes to the interpretation of parables, figurative language, and types.  These simply form different methods that God used to communicate His Word to man; and the inexhaustible nature of that which is dealt with in the Word of God is no different in parables, figurative language, or types as it is in any other part of the Word.

Any part of the Word forms just as much a part of the Word as any other part.  Parables, figurative language, and types must be looked upon after this fashion, for the whole of Scripture forms one complete, divine revelation — given “in various ways [in many ways] . . . in time past” (Hebrews 1:1) — which can only be perfect, to the minutest detail, in every respect.

Chapter 5   Ages and Dispensations
Chapter 6   Jew, Gentile, Christian

Chapter 7   Heavenly and Earthly

Because of the vast difference that separates the thoughts and ways of the infinite God in the heavens far beyond our solar system from those of finite, fallen man on the earth, man’s thoughts and ways have been left completely out of the equation when it comes to making God’s will and purpose known.  Man’s commission in this respect is very simple.

 

Man has been commanded, “Preach the Word . . . .” (2 Timothy 4:2).  He has been commanded to proclaim that which God has stated about the matter, not that which he thinks or might like to state about the matter.  He has been commanded to proclaim that which has forever been “settled in heaven” and given to man, which has emanated from an infinite, omniscient mind.  He has been commanded to proclaim that which is immeasurably “higher” than anything man could possibly come up with in an eternity of time, separated to the extent of God’s separation of the heavens from the earth (Psalm 12:6; 119:89; 138:2).

 

Thus, this restricts the content of preaching solely to that which God has revealed in His Word.  Man is simply to proclaim that which God has given to man through man.

And what man may think about the matter — either about that which God has revealed, or about proclaiming that which God has revealed — is of no moment whatsoever.  We are dealing with the Creator on the one hand and the creature on the other, with the infinite and with the finite, with the One who can’t fall and with the one who has fallen.

 

The Word has been given, and the instructions concerning this Word are very clear.  It is this Word and this Word alone which is to be proclaimed.

The thought of a ruined condition of the earth succeeding its original creation is required by the typical view [that is, the earth’s creation, ruin, and subsequent restoration forms a type of (foreshadows) man’s creation, ruin, and subsequent restoration. ~~ F. W. Grant

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was [hãyethã ‘became’] without form and void [‘But the earth became tohu wavohu’]; and darkness was [hãyethã ‘became’] upon the face of the deep…” (Genesis 1:1-2a).

The words tohu wavohu [t–hû wãv–hû] are translated “without form and void” in the KJV English text (“formless and void,” NASB95; “formless and empty,” NIV; “waste and void,” ASV.  Strong's H922 is tohu bohu.)  These two Hebrew words are used together only two other places throughout all of the Old Testament — in Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23.  And both of these passages present a ruin of that previously seen existing in an orderly state.

In Isaiah 34:11, Edom (Isaiah 34:6) was destined to become tohu wavohu (translated “confusion” and “emptiness” [KJV], “desolation” and “emptiness” [NASB95]).

And in there is a comparison of that which had previously occurred relative to the earth in Genesis 1:2a to that which was about to occur relative to the land of Israel.

The land of Israel was about to become tohu wavohu.  That is, as seen in Jeremiah 4:23-28, God was about to do the same thing to the land of Israel (cf. Genesis 1:14-22) that He had previously done to the earth in Genesis 1:2a.  And the reason for both of these actions — that which God had done to the earth, and that which He was about to do to the land of Israel — was the same.  Sin had entered (sin on the part of Satan in the former, and sin on the part of the Jewish people in the latter).

And, in complete keeping with this type understanding of the use of tohu wavohu in Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23, Isaiah 45:18 (where the Hebrew word tohu is used, translated “in vain”) clearly states that God did not create the earth (in Genesis 1:1) in the manner described in Genesis 1:2a.  Isaiah 45:18 states that God “created it [the earth] not in vain [not ‘tohu,’ not ‘without form,’].”

Thus, if Genesis 1:2a is to be understood in the light of related Scripture bearing on the subject (which it must be [cf. Psalm 12:6; Isaiah 8:20; 28:10; 1 Corinthians 2:13]), there can be only one possible interpretation — the ruin of a prior existing creation (from Genesis 1:1), because of sin. The earth from verse one “became” tohu wavohu.

The ruin seen in both Genesis 1:2a and Jeremiah 4:23, for a purpose, is with a view to eventual restoration.  And the restoration seen in the continuing text of Genesis 1:2 (Genesis 1:2 -25) and in the overall passage of Jeremiah 4:23ff (Genesis 1:27b), as well as in related Scripture (e.g., Isaiah 35:1ff), is also for a purpose.

Then, the whole of subsequent Scripture is perfectly in line with this type understanding of the opening section of Scripture.  The whole of subsequent Scripture is built on a septenary structure, with the foundation established and set in an unchangeable fashion at the beginning, in Genesis 1:1-2:3.

That is to say:

The heavens and the earth were created, there was a ruin of the material creation (because of sin), God took six days to restore the ruined creation, and He rested the seventh day.

Man was created on the sixth day, man fell into a state of ruin (because of sin), God is presently taking six days (6,000 years) to restore man, and God will rest the seventh day (the seventh 1,000-year period [cf. 2 Peter 1:15-18; 3:3-8]).

And the latter restoration, patterned after the former restoration, is what the whole of Scripture is about.  The whole of Scripture is about the same thing initially introduced and established in an unchangeable fashion in the opening thirty-four verses of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-2:3).

The whole of Scripture is about the creation of man, his ruin, his restoration over a six-day period (over a 6,000-year period), followed by a seventh day of rest (a seventh 1,000-year period — the Sabbath rest awaiting the people of God [Hebrews 4:9; cf. Hebrews 4:3-4], the Messianic Era).

As previously stated, man would have been expected to understand this opening section of Scripture after the preceding fashion at the time it was written.  And subsequent Scripture simply verifies the correctness of the way man would have been expected to understand this opening section at that time, apart from other revelation.

(Note one thing about the restoration in Genesis 1:2-25 [2b] which should be understood. This restoration could only have been a complete restoration.  No trace of “the world that then was” [the world preceding the ruin seen in Genesis 1:2a], or the subsequent ruined earth [in Genesis 1:2a], can be seen “in the heavens and the earth, which are now.”

A complete restoration would have removed all traces of anything having to do with “the world that then was” or with that world during that time when it lay in a ruined state. That is to say, geology today cannot show evidence of any type pre-existing creation or a ruin of that pre-existing creation, for a complete restoration — the only type restoration possible through the Divine work seen in Genesis chapter one — would have removed all traces of a pre-existing creation and ruin.

In this respect, all that exists in the present secular world of history and science — e.g., the complete fossil record, the dinosaurs, topographical formations such as the Grand Canyon, etc. — would all have to be placed this side of the restoration seen in Genesis 1:2-25 [2b] , within time covered by “the heavens and the earth, which are now.”

That which occurred during and resulted from the Noachian Flood, 1,656 years following the restoration of the earth [Genesis 6-8], along with later topographical changes on the earth during the days of Peleg [born 100 years after the Flood (Genesis 10:25)], must be looked to for an explanation of numerous things of the preceding nature, not to a world lying in ruins in Genesis 1:2a, or to a world existing prior to that time.)

Viewing the whole of Scripture, the correct interpretation of the opening verses of Genesis can be clearly and unquestionably presented and understood through:

1) The manner in which the Hebrew words from Genesis 1:2a, tohu wavohu, are used elsewhere in Scripture (interpreting Scripture in the light of Scripture [Isaiah 34:11; 45:18; Jeremiah 4:23]).

2) And the typical nature of Old Testament history (I Corinthians 10:6, 11), which has been set forth in a very evident Divinely established septenary arrangement.

And these opening verses, providing the Divinely established basis for that which follows, must be understood accordingly.

The Bible is a book of redemption; and only a correct view of the opening verses of Genesis can reflect positively, at the very outset, on God’s redemptive message as a whole — the restoration of a ruined creation, performed in its entirety through Divine intervention, for a revealed purpose.

An incorrect view can, on the other hand, only have negative ramifications.  Creation alone, apart from a ruin and restoration of the creation, fails to convey the complete message at the outset of the Word; and Restoration alone (viewing the opening verse as other than an absolute beginning), apart from a record of the preceding creation and ruin, likewise fails to convey the complete message at this opening point in Scripture.

It is as F. W. Grant stated years ago relative to the existing parallel between the creation and ruin of the earth and the subsequent creation and ruin of man:

“The thought of a ruined condition of the earth succeeding its original creation is required by the typical view [that is, the earth’s creation, ruin, and subsequent restoration forms a type of (foreshadows) man’s creation, ruin, and subsequent restoration].”

Accordingly, the opening verses of Genesis cannot deal strictly with Creation; nor can these verses deal strictly with Restoration.  Either view would be out of line with the whole of Scripture, beginning with the central theme of Scripture, the message of redemption.

The only interpretative view which will fit — at all points — within the Divinely established septenary arrangement of Scripture (which has it basis in these opening verses) is:

Creation (an absolute beginning, and a perfect creation [Genesis 1:1]).

A Ruin of the Creation (Genesis 1:2a).

A Restoration of the Ruined Creation (Genesis 1:2-25 [2b]).

Rest (in the type - six twenty-four-hour days of restorative work, followed by a twenty-four-hour day of rest; in the antitype - six 1,000-year days of restorative work, followed by a 1,000-year day of rest [Genesis 2:3]).

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Lamp Broadcast - Arlen Chitwood's Without Form and Void

The following Word Document is SAFE to open:  Without Form and Void by Arlen Chitwood.docx

Also in pamphlet form:  Without Form and Void designed for printing on letter size paper, both front and back; then folded into pocket size fit.

Also see in this website Seven Days and The Chemistry of the Blood.

To website CONTENTS Page.

Paul’s Gospel,  the Mystery
The Good News that Paul Had Been Called to Proclaim
By Arlen Chitwood of Lamp Broadcast

The word, “gospel,” as it is used in the New Testament, means good news, glad tidings.  And the type of good news, glad tidings in view MUST ALWAYS be determined from the context.

Then, the term “salvation,” as seen throughout Scripture, both Testaments, always refers to deliverance.  And the type of deliverance in view, as when the gospel is in view, MUST ALWAYS be determined from the context as well.

But, a major problem in relation to the gospel and salvation exists throughout Christendom today.  Bible students, far more often than not, when they see the words “gospel” and/or “salvation,” think of only one thing, regardless of the context — the simple gospel message having to do with Christ’s death and shed blood, and salvation from eternal damnation.

However “salvation” in Scripture, having to do with the “gospel,” with “good news,” has past, present, and future aspects — I have been saved [Acts 16:30-31; Ephesians. 2:8-9], I am being saved [1 Corinthians. 1:18; James 1:21], and I am about to be saved [Hebrews 1:14; 1 Peter 1:9].  And the context MUST ALWAYS be referenced to ascertain which of these three aspects of salvation, which of these three aspects of the gospel message, is being dealt with in the passage.

And when one does this, he will find, FAR MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, that present and future aspects of the gospel, of salvation, are being referenced, not the past aspect.

Thus, one can immediately see that something major is wrong in Biblical interpretation when only the past aspect of the gospel and salvation seemingly come to mind when the words appear in Scripture.  A large part of Scripture is being erroneously dealt with [actually, above eighty percent of the times “salvation” or “the gospel” is referenced], resulting in erroneous interpretation on the one hand and the door being closed to correct interpretation on the other.

Then, there is “Paul’s gospel,” which is inseparably related to the mystery revealed to Paul.  And Paul’s gospel, along with the mystery revealed to him, are part and parcel with the way that the gospel and its salvation message are seen throughout much of the New Testament.

And, the preceding is what this article is about, showing how Scripture deals with the entire matter.

To begin, note the following verses and sections of Scripture relative to the gospel and the gospel’s salvation message, with ALL of these verses and sections pertaining to present and future aspects of this gospel and its message:

In the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. (Romans 2:16)

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began. (Romans 16:25)

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—

if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,

how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,

by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),

which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:

that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,

of which I became a minister . . . . (Ephesians 3:1-7a).

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 1:5-6)

To which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ..

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions [the handing down of information] which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. (2 Thessalonians 2:14-15)

The epistles (Pauline and general epistles, including Hebrews) were written by at least five — probably six — different men (the author of Hebrews being unknown), and certain individual, distinguishing qualities and characteristics of the writers can be seen in their writings.

In Paul’s case, his extensive use of the word “gospel” — how and why he used the word — forms a major trait that makes his writings different from those of any other writer of a New Testament book.  Paul, for evident reasons, appeared almost obsessed with this word, using it FAR MORE EXTENSIVELY than any of the other writers.  And he used the word both alone and by and through qualifying it various ways (e.g., “gospel,” “gospel of God,” “gospel of Christ,” etc.), usually referring to the same facet of the gospel, though possibly with different emphases.

Paul’s writings comprise slightly less than one-third of the New Testament, but of the one hundred thirty-two times that the word “gospel” appears throughout the New Testament — in both its noun and verb forms (euaggelion and euaggelizo respectively) — almost two-thirds of these occurrences are found in the Pauline epistles.

The word appears twenty-three times in the four gospels, seventeen times in the book of Acts, six times in the general epistles, and three times in the book of Revelation.  But Paul used the word eighty-three times throughout his epistles.

Why did Paul use this word so extensively?  The writer of Hebrews only used the word twice; James didn’t use the word at all; Peter only used the word four times; John didn’t use the word in either his gospel or his epistles, though he used it three times in the book of Revelation; and Jude didn’t use the word in his epistle.

And beyond that, what was Paul referring to when he used this word?  As previously seen, the word “gospel” simply means good news.  What was the good news to which Paul referred?

Invariably, people want to associate the word “gospel” with only one thing — the good news pertaining to Christ’s finished work at Calvary.  They see the word “gospel” in Scripture, and this is what invariably comes to mind.  And, looking at the word after this fashion, they seek to understand any portion of Scripture where this word appears solely in the light of the gospel of the grace of God.

And, interpreting Scripture after this fashion, they usually end up with a perversion, for the word “gospel” is used far more often than not — particularly in the Pauline epistles — referring to good news other than Christ’s finished work at Calvary.

And erroneously understanding the word “gospel” to refer to Christ’s finished work at Calvary, in a text where it doesn’t, will not only do away with that which the text does deal with but it will also often result in a perversion of the message pertaining to the simple gospel of the grace of God.

An example of the preceding would be the manner in which 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 is usually understood.  The word “gospel” appears in the first verse, and all four verses are usually looked upon as referring to the same thing — the gospel of the grace of God.  But both the text and the context reveal that such an interpretation is not correct at all.

Paul used the word “gospel” in connection with that which is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, 4; but it is evident that this has no reference to the gospel of the grace of God.  Salvation in these verses is spoken of as an ongoing process in the lives of those to whom he was writing, and it is also spoken of as something which can be lost.  Neither would be true relative to the gospel of the grace of God that Paul had proclaimed to them “first,” referred to in 1 Corinthians 15:3 (referred to apart from the use of the word “gospel”).

And when individuals combine these four verses and attempt to make everything pertain to the gospel of the grace of God, the truths referred to in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, 4 are always done away with; and the gospel of grace, referred to in 1 Corinthians 15:3, is often corrupted (by bringing elements [from 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, 4] over into this message, where they do not belong).

And the manner in which this passage is normally handled would be true numerous places in the Pauline epistles when the context is ignored and the word “gospel” is made to refer to something which the text doesn’t refer to at all.

(1 Corinthians 15:1-4 is dealt with in a more extensive manner later in this article, following some preliminary material, allowing the passage to be better understood from a contextual respect.)

Paul’s extensive use of the word “gospel,” particularly his extensive use of this word to refer to something other than the gospel of the grace of God, goes back to his experiences at the outset of his ministry.

Before Paul ever launched out on the ministry to which he had been called — to carry the good news rejected by Israel to the Gentiles — the Lord took him aside and taught him all the various things about the message that he was to proclaim.  And after this, as Paul went about fulfilling his calling, it was only natural for him to use the word “gospel,” meaning good news, to refer to the good news (which the Lord had personally taught him) that he had been called to proclaim to Christians throughout the Gentile world.

This “good news” had to do with the mystery revealed to Paul by the Lord (evidently after he had been taken to Arabia, then into heaven [2 Corinthians 12:1-7; Galatians 1:11-17]).  It had to do with believing Jews and Gentiles being placed together in “the same body” as “fellow heirs [‘joint-heirs’]” (Ephesians. 3:1-11);  and these Jewish and Gentile believers (Christians), together, possessed a “hope” relative to one day occupying positions of honor and glory with Christ in “His heavenly kingdom” (cf. Colossians 1:25-28; 2 Timothy 4:17-18; Titus 1:2; 2:11-13; 3:7).

And Paul referred to the good news pertaining to this message as “my gospel” (Romans 16:25), “our gospel” (2 Corinthians 4:3), “the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “the gospel of God” (Romans. 1:1; 2 Corinthians 11:7), “the gospel of Christ” (Romans 1:16; Galatians 1:7), etc.  Then, numerous times Paul simply used the word “gospel” alone to refer to this good news (Romans 1:15; Galatians 1:6).

The fact that the mystery had been revealed to Paul, with Paul called to carry this message to Christians throughout the Gentile world, is the reason why he used the word “gospel” so often in his epistles.  It was only natural for him to refer to the message which he had been called to proclaim through the use of a word which meant “good news,” for the message was good news.

For the unsaved, Christ’s finished work on Calvary was “good news.”  As unsaved individuals, this was the BEST NEWS that they could ever hear.

But once they had been saved, then they were to hear the “good news” about why they had been saved.  And, as saved individuals, this was, as well, THE BEST NEWS that they could ever hear.

And Paul’s ministry centered on the latter, not the former.  Paul’s ministry centered on proclaiming that which the Lord had revealed to him following his conversion.  And the message contained therein dealt with the reason an individual had been saved (cf. Deuteronomy 6:23); and it was THE BEST NEWS redeemed man could ever hear, which was why Paul let nothing stand in the way of his proclaiming this message.

This “good news” had to do with the greatest thing God could offer redeemed man — positions as co-heirs with His Son, from a heavenly realm, in the coming kingdom.  To reference words that the writer of Hebrews used, it was “so great a salvation” (Hebrews 2:3).

And Paul’s repeated reference to the message pertaining to this offer as “good news” is one of the distinguishing characteristics of his writings.

Paul’s Use of the Word “Gospel”

As stated at the outset, the manner in which Paul used the word, “gospel,” meaning good news, MUST ALWAYS be understood contextually.  Paul did not use this word as it is used, almost without exception, in theological circles today — as a reference only to the gospel of the grace of God.  Rather, Paul used the word, time after time, as a reference to the good news that had been delivered to him by “the revelation of Jesus Christ,” following his conversion (Galatians 1:11-12).

And, as previously stated as well, Paul used the word, FAR MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, as a reference to the main crux of his ministry — the good news pertaining to that which is encompassed within the mystery, which had been delivered to him, which he, in turn, had been called to proclaim to Christians throughout the Gentile world (Ephesians 3:1-11; Colossians 1:25-29).  And the Christians to whom Paul ministered would have easily understood his use of the word “gospel” from the context of that which he had either said or written.

This central thrust of Paul’s ministry becomes self-evident as one reads through the book of Acts and the Pauline epistles.  Paul proclaimed both the gospel of the grace of God and the gospel of the glory of Christ, but he proclaimed the good news pertaining to the grace of God with a view to his then being able to proclaim the good news pertaining to the glory of Christ.  Paul explained to individuals how they could be saved, with a view to subsequently being able to explain to them why they had been saved.

For example, note how plainly the matter is outlined in Paul’s final message to the Christians in Ephesus, by their elders (Acts 20:24-32).  Or, for that matter, note also how plainly the matter is outlined in Paul’s epistle to the Christians in Ephesus (Ephesians 1:7ff; Ephesians 2:1ff; Ephesians 3:1ff).  And a similar structure can be seen in other epistles, not only in the Pauline epistles but in the general epistles as well.

But, because of an existing confusion in the dual nature of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 in this respect, attention will again be called to this passage in order to illustrate the point.  As previously noted, this passage is invariably used erroneously by Christians, not in a dual sense, but in a singular sense — as a reference only to the gospel of the grace of God.

This passage though begins with the gospel of the glory of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-2), then briefly moves back to the gospel of the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:3), and then comes back to where it began, to the gospel of the glory of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:4) — providing the complete gospel message, covering past, present, and future aspects of salvation.

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,

by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

The problem emerges when a person attempts to not only make Paul’s reference to “the gospel” in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 a reference to the gospel of the grace of God but make that which is stated in these verses pertain to his entire statement pertaining to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

It is the “death” of Christ ALONE that pertains to the gospel of the grace of God.  The “burial” and “resurrection” of Christ move beyond this and have to do with things pertaining to the continuing good news, the gospel of the glory of Christ.

Note the type of beginning in Exodus 12.  “Death” alone is seen in this chapter.  “Death” had been decreed upon the firstborn, but God provided a way for this death to be carried out in a vicarious manner.  And it is exactly the same today.  “Death” has been decreed upon the firstborn, but God has provided a way for this death to be carried out in a vicarious manner (1 Corinthians 15:3).

In the type, this was done through the death of paschal lambs and the proper application of the blood from these slain lambs.  In the antitype, this is done exactly the same way.  The Paschal Lamb has died in the stead of the firstborn, but the blood must be applied (by believing [Acts 16:30-31; Ephesians 2:8-9]).

“Burial” and “resurrection” though move beyond this in the type (the Red Sea passage and emergence from the Sea on the eastern banks [cf. 1 Corinthians 10:2; Colossians 2:12; 3:1ff]).  And it is exactly the same in the antitype (1 Corinthians 15:4).

I Corinthians 15:1-2

I Corinthians 15:1-2 refer to the good news (the gospel) that Paul had previously proclaimed to those in Corinth, which they had accepted and upon which they presently stood.  This good news had to do with present and future aspects of salvation (not past, as seen in the gospel of the grace of God), it had to do with holding fast to that which had been proclaimed (with the possibility that there could be loss), and it had to do with Christians in Corinth either believing or not believing the message with reference to a purpose (or cause) in view.

The present and future aspects of salvation in this gospel are shown by the words, “by which also you are saved [lit., ‘…you are being saved’]”; holding fast to the message proclaimed is shown by the words, “if you hold (are holding) fast the word which I preached to you”; and believing or not believing the message with reference to a purpose in view is shown by the words, “unless you believed in vain [lit., ‘…believed apart from a purpose’ (or, ‘…believed without a cause in view’)].”

The present and future aspects of salvation have to do with the salvation of the soul (cf. James 1:21; 1 Peter 1:4-9).  The eternal salvation that we presently possess — the salvation of the spirit, wherein man passes “from death to life” (cf. John 5:24; Ephesians 2:1, 5) — places man in a position where he can realize the salvation of his soul.  And these two aspects of salvation must always be kept completely separate, one from the other.

The thought of Christians holding fast to those things in the message being proclaimed can be seen in the second and fourth warnings in the book of Hebrews.  The same word appearing in the Greek text of 1 Corinthians 15:2 appears twice in the second warning (Hebrews 3:6, 14) and once in the fourth warning (Hebrews 10:23).  Holding fast in the second warning is with reference to “the heavenly calling” and “the hope” set before Christians (Hebrews 3:1, 6); and holding fast in the fourth warning is with reference to this same hope — “the confession of our hope” (Hebrews 10:23-25).

Then, the thought of Christians believing without a purpose (or cause) is a reference to the fact that a person has been saved for a revealed purpose — a purpose seen, in its entirety, in the gospel of the glory of Christ.  And that purpose is the same as the purpose pertaining to man’s creation in the beginning — “let them have dominion” (Genesis 1:26, 28).

Man has been saved with a view to his one day occupying a position of power and authority with Christ in His kingdom, which has to do with realizing the present aspect of salvation at a future date — the salvation of one’s soul.

Believing without a purpose (or cause) in verse two leads a person nowhere.  An individual has been saved for a purpose, which can be seen and understood only through believing the gospel that Paul referred to in the previous verse; and this is a purpose that can one day be realized only through presently governing one’s life accordingly, set forth in verse two.

I Corinthians 15:3-4

Note the way I Corinthians 15:3 begins.  Paul’s statement in verse three is NOT AT ALL a continuation of his subject matter from I Corinthians 15:1-2.  And this is really self-explanatory; Paul states this in so many words.

I Corinthians 15:3 begins, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received . . . .”  That which he is about to reference is something that he had delivered to them first (prior to delivering the good news that he had previously referenced, in I Corinthians 15:1-2), and this is something that he had also received (that is to say, he had received this in addition to the good news referred to in I Corinthians 15:1-2).

The message that Paul delivered to those in Corinth first can be seen by going back to 1 Corinthians 2:1-2:

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)

Paul, when he first went to Corinth, couldn’t begin with a message pertaining to the gospel of the glory of Christ, referred to in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (and also in 1 Corinthians 2:1, preceded, as in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, by a proclamation of the gospel of the grace of God [1 Corinthians 2:2; 15:3]).

When Paul first went to Corinth, he found a city filled with unsaved Gentiles.  And he had to first minister to those in Corinth on this basis.  He had to first proclaim the simple message pertaining to the gospel of the grace of God to them.  He had to begin with “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”  He couldn’t begin elsewhere.

But, once individuals had believed, once individuals had passed “from death to life,” then Paul could move beyond this message.  And this is exactly what he did.  Paul spent one and one-half years in Corinth “teaching the Word of God among them [among those who had been saved under the preaching of the simple message pertaining to the gospel of the grace of God]” (Acts 18:11; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:3ff).

And this is why Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, could allude to these things by simply calling their attention to “the gospel [‘the good news’] which I preached to you . . . .”  They would know exactly what he meant, for he had previously spent an extensive period of time teaching them things pertaining to this gospel.  And they would also understand the distinction when he moved back in time and referred the gospel of the grace of God that he, of necessity, had proclaimed to them at the very beginning (1 Corinthians 15:3).

And, though moving back in this manner, Paul was then able to easily come back to the place where he had begun — referencing things pertaining to the central message that he had been called to proclaim throughout the Gentile world (1 Corinthians 15:4).

The Mystery

“The mystery” revealed to Paul, “hid in God” from the beginning (the beginning of the ages), of necessity, forms an integral part of the Old Testament Scriptures.  There is nothing in the New Testament that does not have its roots in one or more places in the Old Testament.  The New is simply an opening up and unveiling of that which is drawn from foundational material previously set forth in the Old, drawn mainly from the types (cf. Luke 24:25-27, 44; 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11; Ephesians 3:9-11; Colossians 1:16-18, 25-27).

And, aside from the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, the New Testament has to do mainly with one major facet of Old Testament revelation:

The New Testament, in this respect, has to do mainly with all the various things pertaining to the heavenly sphere of the coming kingdom — first, as these things pertained to Israel; and then, as these things presently pertain to the one new man “in Christ.”

“The mystery” was revealed to Moses first, though remaining a mystery, remaining veiled.

Then, some fifteen centuries later, God took Paul aside (evidently to Arabia [the same country to which he had previously taken Moses to reveal things pertaining to the theocracy], then into heaven [2 Corinthians 12:1-7; Galatians 1:11-17]); and, in the person of His Son, God opened up and unveiled various things that He had previously revealed to Moses and other Old Testament prophets (cf. Luke 24:25-27).

(A “mystery [Gk., musterion, meaning, ‘a hidden thing,’ ‘a secret’]” in the New Testament can be defined as something previously hidden in Old Testament revelation but now revealed [cf. Romans 16:25; Ephesians 3:4-5].

Contrariwise, a mystery CAN NEVER be thought of as a reference to something not found at all in previous revelation, for, again, there is nothing in the New Testament that does not have its roots in one or more places in the Old Testament.

Thus, a “mystery,” pertains to something dealt with in previous revelation [seen mainly in the types] but not opened up [or fully opened up] to one’s understanding until a later point in time [seen mainly in the antitypes].

And the opening up and unveiling of a mystery [such as the mystery revealed to Paul following his conversion] could occur only through Divine intervention.  Only the same person who had previously established the mystery [via revelation, through one or more of the Old Testament prophets] could open up and make known the mystery [via revelation, to one or more of the New Testament writers].

And, in Paul’s case, this can be seen by and through that which he himself testified concerning how he came into possession of a knowledge of the message that he had been called to proclaim among the Gentiles.  The Lord Himself took Paul aside, then moved Paul into His presence, and personally taught him — One-on-one — the message that he, in days ahead, was to proclaim to individuals [Christians] and groups of individuals [churches] out among the Gentile nations.

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself personally opened up and explained things to Paul that had previously been revealed through Moses and the Prophets [Galatians 1:11-18; Ephesians 3:1-11; Colossians 1:20-28; cf. Luke 24:25-27]; and Paul had been called to take these truths and proclaim them to the one new man “in Christ” out in the Gentile world, in both verbal and written form.)

Progressive revelation of this nature can be seen in Peter’s reference to angels desiring “to look into” things pertaining to the salvation of the soul, things that the Spirit moved him to write about, and things intimately associated with the mystery revealed to Paul (as in 1 Peter 1:3-11).

These angels could only have previously seen, in the Old Testament scriptures, that which was being opened up and unveiled to Peter (and others).  These were things that they desired to know more about; but, apart from the later revelation, which opened up and provided additional light on these things, the saving of the soul in connection with sufferings and glory could be little understood.

Thus, “the mystery” revealed to Paul was simply an opening up and an unveiling of things that had lain in the bosom of an existing revelation — a revelation wherein the roots of all Biblical doctrine lie.

And, as previously stated, it lay centrally in the types, which God had established in the beginning.  Then, the various types that deal with the bride of Christ, and thus “the mystery,” do so in different ways.

For example, Genesis 2 deals with the bride being removed from the body; Genesis 24 deals with the bride being taken from the family; Genesis 41 and Exodus 2 deal with the bride being taken from among the Gentiles.  And there are numerous other types as well, which, together, deal with all the various facets of the matter.

Further, “the mystery” has to do with revealed truth surrounding believing Jews and believing Gentiles — forming one new man “in Christ” (where there is neither Jew nor Gentile) — being heirs together, “of the same body.”  It has to do with “Christ in you [lit., ‘Christ being proclaimed among you’], the hope of glory” (cf. Ephesians 2:12-15; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:24-28).

Note how “the mystery” is explained in so many words in the book of Ephesians — a book centering on Christians one day realizing an “inheritance” in heavenly places (Ephesians 1), a sphere presently occupied by the incumbent rulers, Satan and his angels (Ephesians 6): “How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery . . . . (Ephesians 3:3).

That the Gentiles [believing Gentiles] should be fellow heirs [with believing Jews], and of the same body [forming the one new man ‘in Christ’], and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel [which, contextually, could only be the gospel of the glory of Christ, NOT the gospel of the grace of God]” (Ephesians 3:3, 6 [3a]; cf. Ephesians 2:11-15).

And a type that, among other things, would have to do with Jews and Gentiles together in one body would be the account of Caleb and Joshua’s experiences, beginning in Numbers 13 and extending through the book of Joshua.  The name “Caleb” means dog, and the name “Joshua” means salvation.

It was the “Gentiles” who were looked upon by the Jews as dogs, for whom salvation was provided through the Jews (John 4:22).  And Gentile believers, with Jewish believers, are destined to realize an inheritance together in a heavenly land, just as Caleb and Joshua realized an inheritance together in an earthly land (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:23-10:11).

And though God, in the beginning, designed various Old Testament types to reveal these things, once He had called the one new man “in Christ” into existence and Israel had rejected the reoffer of the kingdom, these things had to be opened up and further revealed to those comprising this new creation.  Apart from such an opening up and unveiling, God’s purpose for the present dispensation and the place that the Gentiles would occupy in this purpose could not be properly understood (cf. Acts 10:45-48; 11:15-18; 15:12-18).

This is the reason that the Lord took Paul aside shortly after his conversion and provided extensive instruction concerning this whole overall matter, for these things comprised the heart of the message that he was to carry to individuals out in the Gentile world.

And this is the reason that Paul’s ministry dealt mainly, not with the gospel of the grace of God, but with the gospel of the glory of Christ.  And, correspondingly, this is also the reason that the emphasis in all of his epistles is, likewise, on the gospel of the glory of Christ rather than the gospel of the grace of God.

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Paul's Gospel, the Mystery pdf by Arlen Chitwood of Lamp Broadcast

Word Document which is SAFE to open and print:  Paul’s Gospel, the Mystery by Arlen Chitwood.docx

The following Word Document COMPLEMENTS the subject at hand and is SAFE to open and print:  Mystery, The, by Arlen Chitwood.docx

Also three pamphlets related to the subject:  

Lamp Broadcast - The Mystery Revealed to and Proclaimed by Paul to Christians Throughout the Gentile World By Arlen L. Chitwood.pdf,

Lamp Broadcast - Paul’s Gospel, The Good News Which Paul Had Been Called to Proclaim, By Arlen L. Chitwood.pdf and 

Lamp Broadcast - Paul and the Gospel, How Did Paul Use This Word in His Epistles, By Arlen L. Chitwood.pdf all designed for printing on letter size paper, both front and back; then folded into pocket size fit.

Also ref. the author’s Mysteries of the Kingdom BOOK, an exegetical presentation, in this site.

To website CONTENTS Page.

The Whole of Scripture Summarized:
Creation - Ruin - Restoration - Rest

In Christ
By Charles Strong of Bible One

The existence of the one new man “in Christ” could not be just another creation, separate from Israel and the Gentile nations. The new creation had to be both Abraham’s seed and Christ’s body.

This new creation had to be the former (Abraham’s seed) because the heavenly sphere of the kingdom, as the earthly, could not be inherited by individuals who were not of Abraham’s seed. Blessings during the Messianic Era are to flow out to the Gentile nations from both heavenly and earthly spheres, and Scripture is very clear that blessings of this nature can flow out to the Gentile nations after this fashion only through Abraham’s seed (Genesis 12:2-3; 22:17-18).

Then this new creation had to also be the latter (Christ’s body), for the bride who is to reign as consort queen with Christ from heavenly places is to be taken from His body (cf. Genesis 2:21-24; Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Ephesians 5:22-32).

And, along with the preceding, this new creation could be neither Jew nor Gentile, though it had to be removed from one or both of the former creations. And, in this case, as the second creation (Jew) was removed from the first (Gentile), the third creation (Christian) was/is removed from the previous two (both Jew and Gentile).

Fifty days following His Son’s resurrection, God established this creation at events surrounding Pentecost (Acts 2:1ff). Events on this day occurred in connection with a Jewish festival portending the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy and with individuals being filled with the Spirit in keeping with Joel’s prophecy (Acts 2:4, 14-21; Joel 2:28  [For more detailed commentary see Arlen Chitwood's From Acts to the Epistles BOOK, Ch. 1]).

But this is the point as well where God began a work, through His Spirit, which also included the Gentiles (note the words “all flesh” in Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17). And though there was a re-offer of the kingdom to Israel during about the first thirty years of this new dispensation (in keeping with a beginning fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy [cf. Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-21]), with the message “to the Jew first,” the message was now “also to the Greek [‘Gentile’]” (Romans 1:16; 2:9-10).

The latter is why God chose and called Paul about five years following Calvary. Paul was chosen and called forth to proclaim the message to “the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15; Galatians 2:2, 7).

Apart from a new creation, the message could not have been “also to the Greek [‘Gentile’]” after the manner seen (Gentiles brought in after such a fashion that they found themselves associated with heavenly positions in the kingdom). There was a baptism, an immersion, in the Spirit (Acts 1:5); and, aside from its connection with Joel’s prophecy in Acts 2:4 (because the kingdom was being re-offered to Israel), this immersion in the Spirit that occurred on the day of Pentecost in 33 A.D. could only have been the same as the Christian experience today — bringing into existence the one new man “in Christ” on that day (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:15).

(Note that those baptized [immersed] in the Spirit on the day of Pentecost were not unsaved individuals. The immersion in the Spirit had nothing to do with eternal salvation then; nor does it have anything to do with eternal salvation today. The work of the Spirit relative to eternal salvation — salvation by grace — was set forth in an unchangeable manner at the beginning, in Genesis 1:2-5 [2b], Genesis 2:7; 3:21; 4:8-10; and, accordingly, this work of the Spirit has always been the same.

Salvation by grace is affected through the Spirit breathing life into the one having no life, on the basis of death and shed blood. The baptism [immersion] in the Spirit is something additional [peculiar to the present dispensation], which, today, could only have been seen as occurring in conjunction with and at the same time as the Spirit’s work surrounding salvation.

One produces life [the Spirit breathing]; and the other brings about the new creation [immersion in the Spirit], placing the person “in Christ.”)

In this respect, the bringing into existence of the new creation “in Christ,” the beginning of the present dispensation, or the beginning of the fulfillment of the antitype of Genesis chapter twenty-four ([Genesis 24] the Spirit’s search for a bride for God’s Son) can only be placed in Acts chapter two [Acts 2].

But aside from the preceding, and looking at the matter as it has existed throughout the present dispensation, a Jew or a Gentile can become a new creation “in Christ” simply by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31). Through believing, as the Spirit breathes life into the one possessing no life, he passes “from death unto life.” And the person — whether Jew or Gentile — is, at the same time, immersed in the Spirit, allowing him to occupy a positional standing “in Christ.” The person becomes a new creation, in the spiritual realm under discussion; and, within this realm, he is no longer associated with his prior creation (whether Jew or Gentile).

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If he were a Jew prior to the time of belief, he ceased to be a Jew. He relinquished his national identity and became a new creation “in Christ.”

“Old things [having to do with the old creation in Jacob] have passed away,” and “all things [having to do with the new creation ‘in Christ’] have become new.” The latter part of the verse should literally read, “. . . behold, he has become new [i.e., he has become a new creation].”

On the other hand, if he were a Gentile prior to the time of belief, exactly the same thing occurred as happened to a believing Jew. He relinquished his national identity and became a new creation “in Christ.” And 2 Corinthians 5:17 applies to him in exactly the same fashion as it applies to a believing Jew.

Both believing Jews and believing Gentiles become part of the one new man “in Christ,” where there is neither Jew nor Gentile. And together they become “fellow-heirs [in relation to heavenly promises and blessings], and of the same body [Christ’s body]. . . .” (Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 2:13-15; 3:1-6).

A Jew, relinquishing his national identity, relinquishes his place among a nation destined to one day realize earthly promises and blessings. But, by so doing, he comes into possession of a higher calling. He now finds himself part of a nation destined to one day realize heavenly promises and blessings (1 Peter 2:9-10).

A Gentile, relinquishing his national identity, relinquishes his place among the nations without God and without hope (Ephesians 2:12). Thus, by so doing, he simply comes into possession of a calling, having possessed no previous calling. He, as the believing Jew, now finds himself part of a nation destined to one day realize heavenly promises and blessings (Ephesians 3:5).

And this has all been made possible because, being “in Christ [who is Abraham’s Seed],” individuals are looked upon as being “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise [heavenly, not earthly]” (Galatians 3:16, 29).

“In Christ” is the key expression involving the one new man. This is a positional standing, wrought through a baptism (an immersion) in the Spirit, which occurs at the same time that the Spirit breathes life into the one having no life, on the basis of the Son’s finished work at Calvary.

Thus, the matter surrounding the new creation “in Christ” is spiritual, and the matter surrounding the prior two creations (in Adam, in Jacob) is physical, or natural. The first two creations can be passed from one generation to the next via the natural birth, but the latter creation cannot. The latter is spiritual, completely separate from the natural, and it must be experienced on an individual basis through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Accordingly, the Spirit’s work in the individual — breathing life into the person on the one hand and bringing about the new creation on the other — results in no change in the physical. Paul, a new creation “in Christ,” could also refer to himself as “an Israelite” (Romans 11:1; 2 Corinthians 11:22), “a Jew” (Acts 21:39; 22:3), and “a Hebrew” (2 Corinthians 11:22; Philippians 3:5). The former (the Spirit’s work) had to do with his identity through being “in Christ,” associating him with that which was spiritual, that which was from above; and the latter (natural birth) had to do with his identity outside of Christ, associating him with that which was natural, that which was from below.

(Note that the old sin nature is associated only with the latter [the natural], never with the former [the spiritual]; and being born from above, brought forth out of God [John 1:13; 3:3; 1 Peter 1:3, 23; 1 John 3:9; 5:1] is associated only with the former [the spiritual], never with the latter [the natural].)

Within a type-antitype framework, the former [the spiritual] had to do with “Isaac” and the latter [the natural] with “Ishmael” — individuals typifying the man of spirit and the man of flesh respectively, which cannot co-exist harmoniously or after an inseparable fashion with one another (cf. Genesis 21:9-10; Galatians 4:22-31). That’s why there can be no such thing as a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian, for that would be placing Ishmael and Isaac together, as a single entity.

Rather, there are Jews, Gentiles, and Christians; and that’s the way it must remain, with each of the three creations looked upon as separate and distinct from one another.

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Excerpt from Bible One - Charles Strong's Bible Facts Little Understood by Christians in this site.         

Also see Jew, Gentile, Christian in The Study of Scripture BOOK, in this site.

To website CONTENTS Page.

Salvation by grace is affected through the Spirit breathing life into the one having no life, on the basis of death and shed blood. The baptism [immersion] in the Spirit is something additional.  Those baptized [immersed] in the Spirit on the day of Pentecost were not unsaved individuals. The immersion in the Spirit had nothing to do with eternal salvation then; nor does it have anything to do with eternal salvation today.  One produces life [the Spirit breathing]; and the other brings about the new creation [immersion in the Spirit], placing the person

 “in Christ.”

With the movement of the Spirit, using the God-breathed Word, man's spirit is made alive and, at the same time, separated from his soul.  The “soul” remains within the sphere of darkness, which is why “the natural [Greek:  psuchikos, ‘soulical’] man” cannot understand “the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

The Spirit Separated from The Soul
By Arlen Chitwood of Lamp Broadcast

Hebrews 4:12 reveals a division being effected by the Word of God between man’s “soul and spirit.”  And this is a teaching drawn from the very opening verses of Genesis (as seen earlier in this same section in Hebrews 4 relative to the “rest” set before “the people of God” [Hebrews 4:4, 9]).  The Spirit of God moves in Genesis 1:2b and God speaks in Genesis 1:3.  In relation to man’s salvation, it is at this point (in what would be seen as the foundational type) that a division is made between man’s “soul and spirit” (in what would be called the antitype).

In the type, the Spirit of God moved, God spoke, and light came into existence.  Genesis 1:2-3 [2b] records the initial act of the Triune Godhead in bringing about the restoration of the ruined material creation, an act in which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each participated (note that nothing can come into existence apart from the Son [John 1:3]).

In the antitype, within the framework of man’s salvation experience, the matter is identical.  There must be an act of the Triune Godhead, for this is how God worked to restore a ruined creation in the Genesis account, establishing an unchangeable pattern for a later work.  The Spirit of God moves, God speaks, and light comes into existence.  The matter is that plain and simple.

Everything is based on the Son’s finished work at Calvary.  The Spirit moving and God speaking are both based on that which occurred almost 2,000 years ago.

When the Son cried out from the Cross, “It is finished,”  He meant exactly that [a perfect tense is used in the Greek text, referring to action completed in past time and existing during present time in a finished or completed state — lit., “It has been finished,”] (John 19:30; cf. Luke 23:46); and when the Word of God reveals that we have a salvation of divine origin, based entirely on the Son’s finished work, the Word of God means exactly that as well.

When man sinned in the garden, he died spiritually; and when unregenerate man, “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), is made alive today, he is made alive spiritually.  The movement of the Spirit (Genesis 1:2b) and God speaking (Genesis 1:3) in order to restore the ruined creation are seen, in relation to ruined man, as simultaneous events.  It is the Spirit using the God-breathed Word to effectually perform a supernatural work in unredeemed man.  It is at this point — through the inbreathing of God — that life is imparted to the one previously having no life.  God breathes into dead man (the Spirit using the God-breathed Word, based on the finished work of the Son, the living Word), and man is “quickened [‘made alive’]” (Ephesians 2:1, 5).

At this point, light shines “out of darkness” (2 Corinthians 4:6), a division is made between the light and the darkness (Genesis 1:4), and the darkness has no apprehension or comprehension of that which is light (John 1:5;  1 Corinthians 2:14).

It is at this point in man’s salvation that the spirit is separated from the soul.  The “spirit” in unsaved man is dead.  It is a part of the totally depraved man, with his “body of . . . death,” in which there dwells “no good thing” (Romans 7:18, 24).  With the movement of the Spirit, using the God-breathed Word, man's spirit is made alive and, at the same time, separated from his soul.

The “soul” remains within the sphere of darkness, which is why “the natural [Greek:  psuchikos, ‘soulical’] man” cannot understand “the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14).  That which remains in the sphere of darkness can have no apprehension or comprehension of that which has shined out of darkness.  There is a God-established division between the spirit and the soul that cannot be crossed over (cf. Luke 16:26).

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Reference: The Study of Scripture BOOK, in this website, which includes Building on the Foundation adding to the subject at hand.

The following Word Document is SAFE to open and print:  Spirit Separated from the SOUL by Arlen L. Chitwood.docx

Also see Arlen Chitwood's Salvation of the Soul BOOK, in this website.

To website CONTENTS Page.

Response to an Inquiry
By Charles Strong of Bible One

“If you were God/Jesus what would you consider to be a true believer (first fruits) and how would they behave as a mature Christian?” ~Ray's Question

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Ray,

Thank you for visiting my website.  Should you be curious about my background, there is a brief “Personal Testimony” link at the bottom of my home page; or you may just click on the following link: Bible One - Charles Strong's Personal Testimony.

As to your inquiry, my reply would be as follows.  First, I should of course admit that no Christian is able to place himself in God’s (or Jesus’) place; but still, he can have an opinion coached in his understanding of the Word.  Mine would take the following track.

The only criteria for being a “true believer” (i.e., Christian) is “personal faith in Jesus Christ for one’s personal eternal salvation,” which, means that the person has come to the position of realizing his lost condition, has come to the understanding that Christ paid the penalty for his sin, and has made a definite decision to trust in Christ and His work on the cross for his personal eternal salvation (John 3:16-18; 20:31; Acts 16:31; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16; 3:22, 26; Ephesians 2:8-9; etc.).

But all of us need to realize that once a person “believes on Jesus Christ,” he, just as he embarked on physical life, is a “babe” (immature) in Christ; and, should therefore grow or progress toward spiritual adulthood.  Not to do so, which is a situation that may apply to any “true believer,” can only mean one will continue in a carnal (controlled by the “flesh” – the “old man” – the “sin nature” that all Christians embody) state, similar to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).  To exist in this “spiritual state” does not disqualify the person as a “true believer,” it only indicates he is an immature true believer.  And to so continue will have consequences at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; etc.) –consequences pertaining to the coming Millennial Kingdom of Christ (1,000 years), not for the eternal ages that will follow this period of time.

Of course, even mature Christians can stumble spiritually, i.e., commit sin (e.g., Peter [Mark 14; Galatians 2:11]), but which may then be “confessed” (i.e., when one admits to it and takes responsibility for it) and immediately forgiven (1 John 1:9).

But as one studies the Word with an “open mind” (and this is key), he will unfailingly progress toward spiritual maturity.  And, as this is done, he becomes more like Christ in his love for God and all brethren.  As a “mature” Christian, his walk will be in the Spirit (you might compare Ephesians 5:18-20 with a companion passage in Colossians 3:16) as he exhibits the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23), which is also a walk of “unity” (Ephesians 4:1-3), of “love” (Ephesians 5:2), of “light” (Ephesians 5:8, 11), and of “wisdom” (Ephesians 5:15-17).  In short, it will be a walk of faith in Jesus Christ “rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” (2 Corinthians 5:7; Colossians 2:6-7).

I must emphasize, such spiritual maturity can only come as one studies the Word (which is today’s manifestation of Christ) with an open mind.  Such will lead to the “salvation of the soul” (Hebrews 4:12; 10:39; 1 Peter 1:9; James 1:21 [cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:23]), which is a “salvation” quite different from one’s eternal salvation, i.e., applicable only in regards to the coming Millennial Kingdom.

Should you wish to check this out, please read Salvation of the Soul BOOK in this site.

Well, Ray, I hope I’ve given you something to seriously think upon.  I thank our Lord for your quest for truth.  Please feel free to write me anytime.

In Christ,

Charles

Bible One by Charles Strong

To website CONTENTS Page.

Why does Christ Judge the Spiritually Saved and What does He Judge?

[Note:  Salvation is composed of three aspects/facets: Spiritual salvation, Body salvation and Soul salvation .  The following commentary does not include salvation of the Body which occurs at the Rapture.]

But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23)

Bear one thing in mind about judgment. No man [saved or unsaved] will ever appear in judgment to determine his eternal salvation [of the spiritual aspect of salvation] or eternal damnation. The question surrounding eternal salvation of the spirit is always taken care of before man enters into judgment, and this matter will not be an issue at any future judgment. Every man will be resurrected “in his own order [‘in his own company’ (whether a company of [spiritually] saved individuals, or a company of unsaved individuals)]”, and every man will be judged in the company in which he is resurrected.  ~Arlen Chitwood 

Once spiritually saved, always spiritually saved:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

For by one Spirit we were all baptized [reborn] into one body [body of Christ]—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into [partake of] one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13)

The baptism by the Holy Spirit is the work of the Spirit which incorporates the believer's spirit into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:13). Our spirit is reborn into the body of Christ. By this spiritual birth we receive spiritual salvation, becoming His children—a relationship that can never be changed since a birth can never be undone.   This new birth also makes us a new creation, a new creature that cannot go back to being the old creature ever again.  A butterfly after emerging from the cocoon cannot return to being a caterpillar.  Also once a man has been spiritually saved, God never deals with him on the basis of his eternal salvation again.  To do so, God would have to go back and deal with His Son’s finished work — an impossibility. In other words, once spiritually saved, always spiritually saved.  Eternity in heaven is guaranteed!

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, (Romans 8:16)

and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:17)

Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:7)

God's reward to the spiritually saved is His becoming their inheritance.  Or as Paul puts it, “heirs of God".

The rapture:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

Then we [spiritually saved (in Christ)] who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

This removal of the spiritually saved from the earth is commonly called “the rapture" and includes all Christians, faithful and unfaithful alike.

The Lord Himself is seen descending from heaven, though not coming all the way to the earth. Christ, after descending to a place above the earth, will “shout [lit., ‘issue a command’].” The voice of the archangel (Michael) will sound, and a trumpet will be blown.

Resulting from Christ’s command, the spiritually saved dead [first death] will be raised. Christ, Who is “the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25), must be present to give the command in order for the dead to be raised (cf. John 5:28-29; 11:25, 43).

Then, living spiritually saved [in Christ] will die [first death - instantaneously with being caught up] and be caught up [raptured] together with resurrected [dead] believers [spiritually saved] to meet the Lord in the air and taken to the Judgment Seat. [Keep in mind that the spiritually saved's spirit is saved before the rapture, but not his/her soul.]

For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation [soul] through our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:9) 

1 Thessalonians 5:1ff clearly shows that the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) will include all Christians [spiritually saved], both faithful and unfaithful. Both are seen together at the judgment seat with faithful Christians experiencing “soul salvation” and unfaithful Christians experiencing “sudden destruction,” “wrath” (1 Thessalonians 5:3, 9).

Those raptured have already received spiritual salvation through God's grace!  The salvation referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 logically has to be an additional aspect of salvation, and that aspect is called soul salvation.

Judgment:

So why a judgment after the rapture? Obviously not to determine which of the spiritually saved go to heaven.

“For we must all [spiritually saved] appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one [spiritually saved] may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord [Where? Note the context. This terror occurs at the judgment seat (cf. Hebrews 10:30-31)], we persuade men…” (2 Corinthians 5:11a)

The division of Christians [those spiritually saved] into faithful or unfaithful, according to Scripture, occurs at the judgment seat following the removal [rapture] of all the spiritually saved from the earth [just prior to the tribulation].

[Keep in mind that this judgment is of all the spiritually saved, not the unsaved who will be judged at the Great White Throne at the end of the millennium before eternity.]

Conclusion:

The believers' [saved] initial aspect of salvation [spiritual] occurs when their spirit is regenerated [born again] and the Holy Spirit enters and becomes one with their spirit, commonly referred to as salvation of the spirit.

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be [abide] with you forever; (John 14:16)

that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. (John 14:17) 

But obviously there is another element of salvation awaiting some of the spiritually saved at the Judgment Seat. 

This awaiting aspect of salvation is not a gift like salvation of the spirit. It is based on works of faith which can only be produced by the Holy Spirit working through us after we have received salvation of the spirit.  It can be lost.  It is not assured, but must be “worked out” over the lifetime of the spiritually saved.

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; (Philippians 2:12)

for it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work, for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

This aspect of total salvation is referred to as salvation of the soul.  The saved soul will be granted reward.  The soul not saved will suffer loss — but not the loss of eternity in heaven.

So what are these rewards for the saved soul?

If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; (2 Timothy 2:12)

and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:17)

[As previously stated in regards to salvation of the spirit, all the spiritually saved are rewarded with God becoming their inheritance.]

The reward awaiting the spiritually saved, who are qualified to assume greater responsibility, is being chosen as heirs of the kingdom and joint-heirs with the Messiah in the Millennial Kingdom.  The qualified [for the inheritance] will receive soul salvation and will rule and reign with Christ in the future Millennium Kingdom [1,000 years] that commences immediately after the tribulation.

Word document:  Why does Christ Judge the Spiritually Saved and What does He Judge.docx

For additional information on Salvation of the Soul and the Millennial Kingdom:

See Confusion about Salvation in this site.

Mark and Carol Miller: Key of Three / Hope of Glory by Mark and Carol Miller and The Hope of Glory by Mark and Carol Miller

Arlen Chitwood: Lamp Broadcast by Arlen Chitwood and Bible One - Arlen Chitwood's Judgment Seat of Christ, Sheep and Goats are Metaphors, Ch. 6

Also see To Be Hurt By . . . . and Sheep and Goats in this website.

Charles Strong: Bible One by Charles Strong and Bible One - Charles Strong's Your Coming Judgment

Gary Whipple: Bible One - Gary Whipple's Beyond the Rapture [book is available for purchase at Gary Whipple's Books - Schoettle Publishing].

Sources for this commentary:

The above links plus:

e-Sword: e-Sword by Rick Myers where Rick's free software can be downloaded.

BBC: e-Sword Downloads

To website CONTENTS Page.

Saved for a Purpose
A Purpose Which Has to Do with Regality
By Arlen L. Chitwood of Lamp Broadcast

Man has been, is being, and will be saved for a revealed purpose. There is a revealed goal in view; and, relative to salvation (past [Ephesians 2:8-9], present [I Corinthians 1:18], or future [Hebrews 1:14]), that goal is always the same in Scripture, regardless of what aspect of man’s salvation is in view.

That goal is the same for the whole of man’s salvation — spirit, soul, and body. That goal has to do with man being placed back in the position for which he was created in the beginning, and that position will be realized during the Messianic Era.

(This is the manner in which Scripture presents salvation throughout, with the unchangeable foundational pattern set in the opening verses of Genesis.

The inhabited world to come will not be placed in subjection to angels, as the present world [Hebrews 2:5]. This is the message seen throughout Scripture.

A new order of Sons is about to be brought on the scene [Romans 8:18-23] — Christ and His co-heirs.

And, from a Scriptural standpoint, man’s salvation centers on that coming day when this new order of Sons holds the sceptre and rules the earth.)

Man invariably deals with salvation in relation to eternity and going to heaven. Scripture, on the other hand, doesn’t do this. Scripture presents the matter in a completely inverse fashion. Scripture deals with salvation centrally in relation to the Messianic Era and the kingdom of the heavens. Heaven (the present dwelling place of God) and the eternal ages beyond the Messianic Era are mentioned at times, but not relative to salvation in the same sense that man relates them to salvation.

Man is not going to spend either the Messianic Era or the eternal ages which follow in the place known today as heaven. And, in relation to the eternal ages which follow the Messianic Era, God is not going to dwell in this place either. God is going to dwell on the new earth throughout the ages comprising eternity.

And even when Scripture does deal with saved man in heaven (e.g., Christians following death, or Christians following the rapture) matters are always completely consistent with the way Scripture elsewhere deals with saved man. If future time comes into view, Scripture references things pertaining to the Messianic Era, not the ages beyond.

In several instances though, the Messianic Era is connected with and seen as the first of these ages (e.g., Luke 1:33; Ephesians 2:7); but other Scripture, adding details, shows that a sharp distinction exists between the Messianic Era and the ages beyond (e.g., cf. Revelation 2:26-27; 3:21; 22:1, 3).

The Messianic Era, Ages Beyond

During the Messianic Era, man will dwell either on a restored earth or in the heavens above this restored earth, with there being a Jerusalem above and a Jerusalem below (capital cities both over and on the earth, with Christians [along with certain Old Testament and Tribulation saints] inhabiting the city above, and Israel inhabiting the city below). During this era, there will be a rule from the heavens over the earth. And this rule, as today, will originate with God in heaven and progress through rulers placed in the heavens in relation to this earth.

Today, this rule progresses from God through Satan and his angels (though rebel rulers), who reside in the heavens above the earth. But during that coming day this rule will progress from God through His Son and His Son’s co-heirs, who will reside in the new Jerusalem above the earth.

A rule of the preceding nature, from the heavens over the earth, must continue during the Messianic Era, for this is the manner in which God established the government of the earth in the beginning. Such a rule must continue as long as the earth remains, which will be until the end of the Messianic Era — to the full end of the seven days, the 7,000 years, set forth in the beginning (Genesis 1:1-2:3).

A rule from the heavens over the earth (one province in God’s kingdom) is not only the way in which God originally established the government of the earth but the way in which He evidently established His government throughout all other parts of the universe as well (all other provinces in His kingdom). And this can never change in relation to any one province, for “the heavens do rule” (cf. Daniel 4:25-26).

Thus, God’s Son, with His co-heirs, must rule throughout the Messianic Era in exact accord with the way God established the government of the earth in the beginning. Such a governmental rule will have to continue during this time, for the present earth will not pass out of existence until the end of the Messianic Era (Revelation 21:1-5).

God’s Son, with His co-heirs, will rule over the earth for 1,000 years — the earth’s coming Sabbath, foreshadowed by the seventh day in Genesis 2:1-3 (cf. Exodus 31:13-17; Hebrews 4:1-9). They will rule for 1,000 years to effect order where disorder has prevailed for millenniums in one province in God’s universe. And once order has been restored, the kingdom will be delivered up to God the Father, that God might be “all in all [i.e., permeate all, be ‘everything in all things’].”

Then, once order has been restored and the kingdom has been delivered up to the Father, the present heavens and earth will be destroyed. A new heavens and a new earth will be brought into existence, and the new earth will become the place in the new heavens (as the earth today, suspended at a point in the heavens) from whence universal rule will emanate. God will move His throne to the new earth, the Son will sit with His Father on this throne (called “the throne of God and of the Lamb”), and saved man will exercise power from this throne as well (II Peter 3:10ff; Revelation 21:1ff; 22:1-5).

Regality, the Earth, the Universe

Therein lies man’s destiny, not going to heaven per se. Man’s destiny has to do with regality, the earth, and the universe — first, ruling over this present earth from the new Jerusalem above the earth (during the Messianic Era); then, ruling out in the universe from the new Jerusalem on the new earth (during the ages which follow).

Salvation in Scripture is always dealt with in relation to the scope of Scripture; and Scripture deals centrally with everything moving toward a seventh day, a seventh 1,000-year period.

Events during this coming day, the Messianic Era, must be brought to pass first. And therein lies the reason why Scripture deals with man centrally in relation to this time, with the ages beyond seldom being in view (regardless of which aspect of salvation is being dealt with — past, present, or future).

Only following the Messianic Era can the ages which lie beyond this era be brought into view in all their fullness. During the present time they are briefly dealt with in Scripture so that man can have some understanding of God’s plan for the ages, where the whole of the matter — 6,000 years, followed by a 1,000-year Messianic Era — will eventually lead. But only following the Messianic Era will matters move beyond that dealt with extensively in Scripture. Only then will God begin to open up and fully reveal that which will occur during the period which man thinks of today as eternity.

And the manner in which Scripture presents this whole matter — particularly as it relates to man’s salvation — has become very difficult, practically impossible, for most Christians to see and grasp.

These Christians have been taught wrong for years — not necessarily concerning how to be saved, but concerning the purpose for salvation and that which lies ahead for redeemed man. And because this erroneous teaching pertaining to salvation has become so ingrained within their way of thinking, attempts to present salvation from the correct Biblical perspective are usually met with askance looks, opposition, or antagonism on almost every hand.

When that depicted by the woman placing the leaven in the three measures of meal in Matthew 13:33 occurred very early in the dispensation (which concerned an attempt on Satan’s part to corrupt all Biblical doctrine having to do with the Word of the Kingdom), anything related to the Word of the Kingdom began to be adversely affected. And this working of the leaven, of necessity, would extend even into the Biblical scope of salvation by grace.

This would have to be the case because of the inseparable connection salvation by grace has with the Word of the Kingdom. It is man passing “from death unto life” which places him in a position where he can realize the salvation of his soul.

And matters become even more negative surrounding the relationship which salvation by grace has with the kingdom through the message of those advocating Lordship Salvation.

Those proclaiming this message take things having to do with the Word of the Kingdom and seek to bring these things over into and apply them to the message of salvation by grace (i.e., things having to do with present and future aspects of salvation are removed from their respective contexts and applied to things having to do with past aspects of salvation). And, through this means, those proclaiming this message not only remove the message pertaining to the coming kingdom from view but they do two other things in the process.