The Gospels: Part 3 of 16 - Rightly Dividing The Word OF God

John 1:1-4  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

In Part 2 we discussed how God divided up the Bible based on which group of people with whom He is dealing. In Genesis chapters 1-11 He dealt with the Gentiles.  From chapter 12 through the end of the gospel of John He was dealing strictly with Israel, though he did on occasion interact with Gentiles. 

During His dealings with them they were exiled a number of times down through their history because they were rebellious and disobedient.  He sent prophet after prophet after prophet yet still they refused to listen.  They even killed some.  

So instead of Israel being His representatives governing the world as God wanted, He handed the reigns to the Gentile nations beginning with King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  After him came the Medes and Persians followed by Greece, under Alexander the Great.  Next came the Romans who were in power when Jesus was born.  It was during this time that the gospels were written. 

Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the "Synoptic gospels," derived from two Greek words;  "Syn," meaning together; "optic," meaning eye.  They are "seen together," parallel each other in many respects and they are all written from a Jewish perspective.  

Matthew was actually written specifically TO the Jews; Mark's was directed TO the Romans;  Dr. Luke, the only non-Jewish writer of the Bible, wrote TO the Greeks.

Because Matthew was written in particular TO the Jews, it is clear that the parable of the Ten Virgins is not about the church at all but about Israel just prior to our Lord's return.  You see, when the rapture happens, only about half of natural Israel will saved be ready to go up.  The other half, represented by the other five virgins,  will be left behind.  God will save them all at His second coming.

Here's the problem some preachers have who think this applies to the Church.  If they want to insist on doing so they must be consistent and say that only half of those who are honest-to-goodness, born again, blood-on-the-doorposts-of-their-heart believers are going up; the other half will be left behind.  

 How do you know whether or not you are in the "going up group?"  The "experts" who hold this belief generally maintain that there is a certain "criteria" for who is going and who is left behind.  Ever had these (annoying) folks go around asking you if you are "rapture ready," meaning have you met their imaginary "criteria?"  Sad, sad, sad. 
Ah, but ask them if they are in the "going up group" and, predictably, they invariably believe themselves to be in the "rapture ready" group. 

In light of the following passage their so-called "criteria" makes NO SENSE.

 "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." (I Thessalonians 4:17 NKJV)

There is no other qualification than this:  That the individual believer be "alive and remain."  No mention of commitment level, faithfulness, Christan service.....or lack of it.  Just be alive and remain when He calls for us.   

See what I mean about "context?"  It is so VITALLY IMPORTANT.  

Misinterpreting and misapplying scripture has the unfortunate effect of putting people under bondage to the law. This has an additional unfortunate and unintended consequence of allowing the curses of Deuteronomy to operate in their lives rather than God's blessings.  

Then we have Matthew 24, yet another perfect example of misapplying scripture. If you study this chapter carefully you'll see Jesus says "Pray that your flight be not on the Sabbath," in verse 20.  It isn't the Gentiles who keep the Sabbath, is it?  No:  It's the Jews. This whole chapter is not about the Church at all.  (Check out the upper room discourse for a message to the Church.)

The entire book of Matthew, as I said, was written specifically TO Jewish people.  Should we, as non-Jews, read it?  Yes.  Can we learn from it and be blessed by it?  Yes, but we need to be very careful not to apply things to the Church that are meant to be applied only TO the Jewish people.

The Gospel of John, on the other hand, is in a class all by itself.  Why?  Because everything that he wrote was penned AFTER Paul was martyred in 68AD.  By that time, God had suspended--temporarily--the program with the Jews the way it had been suspended for the Gentiles back in Genesis 11.  God, as He promised, did turn back to the Gentiles which He had been His intention all along.  But just because Israel's blessings were suspended don't think for a moment He has forgotten her.  HE HASN'T.  

In these exciting last days He has begun to turn back to His brethren--natural Israel--and is saving and blessing them in numbers greater than ever before in history!

Unlike the other three "Jewish secretaries,"  John had the benefit of ALL of Paul's teachings.  The others, though they met Paul later on, did not.  That's why John is so UNlike the other three.  Matthew, Mark and Luke wrote from a much more Jewish perspective because the full up revelation of the gospel of grace was committed to the Apostle Paul.  Peter even says of their "beloved Paul," in 2 Peter 3:15-16 that he taught some things that  were "hard to understand.

Kind of ironic, don't you think, that the most legalistic Pharisee of all time who never met Jesus in person is the one person who got the full revelation!

Interestingly enough, John was the only one of the apostles who wasn't martyred.  God preserved him to a ripe old age so there would be someone around who was an eye witness of Jesus.  You see, after Paul died, many false doctrines arose; but John was still around to set the record straight. 

He as much as said so to the Ephesian elders:

Acts 20:29-31 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."

One of the most infamous of those false doctrines was Gnosticism which, by the way, is still around today UNFORTUNATELY.  It's proponents erroneously teach that Jesus did not really come in the flesh but "in spirit" and that we all have a "Christ spirit" within us. Other false teachers maintained He was "just a man."

(John on the Island of Patmos.)

John, as a living, breathing, eye witness of Jesus, was able to say, as he did in chapter one of 1st John, "That which was from the beginning, which we have HEARD, which we have SEEN with our eyes, which we have LOOKED UPON, and our hands have HANDLED, concerning the Word of life....." We declare to you.   In other words, "We touched Him, we heard Him, we saw Him!  I heard Him say, "Before Abraham was, I AM."  He could tell the people what Jesus actually said and refute any false conjecturing.  God also preserved him so he could write the book of Revelation.

Jesus wasn't some ghost or spirit-like being.  He was as human as you and I, yet without sin as well as FULLY GOD.  This Gnostic teaching is why John makes such a point of saying, right in the very beginning of his Gospel, "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 1:14

We learned earlier how it is critical that we understand TO WHOM or OF WHOM a portion of scripture is written to or of whom it is speaking.  Nowhere is this of greater import than in 1st chapter of 1st John.  It is ONLY in the beginning of chapter 2 of 1st John that he uses the phrase, "My little children," a phrase he uses solely when addressing believers.  It's not mentioned anywhere in chapter 1 because he was speaking specifically to UNBELIEVERS.

I submit to you that the entire first chapter is written to non-believers, particularly those of the Gnostic persuasion.  Therefore, 1 John 1:9 DOES NOT APPLY TO BELIEVERS.  It is a salvation verse.  

This nonsense of confessing your sins every time you turn around was never meant to be a way of life for Christians. NO.  Jesus' blood covers ALL SIN ONCE FOR ALL TIME.  As far as sin is concerned, between you and God, it's a done deal!  

We don't confess to be forgiven, we confess because we already are and seek to overcome that which so easily besets us. Human consequences still apply of course.  If you commit a crime, the police are gonna come and take you away.  However God, in His mercy, still desires to deliver you out of all your troubles, even those of your own making.

Think about it:  If the blood of bulls and goats was good for the next 12 months but you believe, because you were taught a LIE, that the blood of Jesus is only good until your next sin, that makes Jesus' precious blood of LESSER VALUE THAN THE BLOOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT SACRIFICES.

It is a lie of the devil.  FLUSH IT.

Besides which; if it was SO IMPORTANT, why does Paul not mention it even once ANYWHERE in his writings to the Church?  If it was so critical, as some maintain, he certainly should have said something, particularly to the most immortal bunch of all:  The Corinthians! 

Did you know that during communion, some of them were actually having happy hour!?  Others of their number were going to temple prostitutes, for heaven sake.  But NOT ONCE does Paul tell them to confess their sins.  

And another thing: What in the world did the church do before it had this "revelation?"  John wrote his letter some 60 years AFTER the birth of the church. Did the believers who died before he wrote 1st John die in their sins?  I DON'T THINK SO! 

Unlike the synoptic gospels, John's gospel, was written to the entire world!  Ever notice that you don't see the phrase, "God so loved the world," in the other three gospels?  Why?  Because they didn't realize at first that God wanted the whole world to be saved, not just Israel!  The verse below may shed some light on why they were a bit confused.  Read what Jesus said when He sent out the 12 in Matthew 10:  

"These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: 'Do not go into the way of the Gentiles (non-Jews) and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’" (Matthew 10:5-7)

Whoa!!  What???  Do NOT go to the Gentiles??  Most of you reading this probably are non-Jews-->Gentiles.  Kind of a kick in the teeth, isn't it?  Well that's what it says. Jesus did not allow His disciples to preach or reach out to the Gentiles, meaning any unbeliever who is not a Jew.  

Aren't we glad that the Church today is made up of both Jews and Gentiles.  As such, we are no longer either Jew or Gentile but a new creation:  SONS! 

Please join me for Part 4 of Rightly Dividing The Word Of God where we’ll be discussing more on this topic and Jesus’ primary mission:

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/11/jesus-primary-mission-part-4-of-16.html