During my many (previous) years of being a ‘mid-Acts-er’, I NEVER once heard anyone, with scripture, address the issue of global warming endangering Planet Earth. But since I came out of ‘mid-Acts’ heresy, and began studying my whole Bible without the Cunning Royal Jester’s paradigm, I found God’s promise concerning the temperatures and seasons, when Noah came off the ark:
Gen 8:18-22 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:
19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
22 While the earth remaineth,
seedtime and harvest,
and cold and heat,
and summer and winter,
and day and night
shall not cease.
At a recent conference, I listened as a so-called ‘heavy-hitting grace preacher’ brought up Gen 8:22. No credit was given, and certainly none was necessary, but I hardly think he dug it up on his own. Regardless, I wish he would take many other verses I have pointed out, where he stands in denial to the doctrine of God .... such as
• Abraham is our father:
Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
• New Jerusalem is our mother (going to come down from heaven to earth - Rev 21:2-3, 3:12):
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
• When we belong to Christ, we are Abraham’s seed:
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
• When we belong to Christ, we are fellow-heirs with Abraham’s children by faith:
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
• That was what the mystery of Christ, that was given to Paul for the Gentiles, was about .... that we have the SAME inheritance with them ‘Abraham fellows’:
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs,
and of the same body,
and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
• The mystery of Christ placed us Gentiles in the SAME body with Israel:
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs,
and of the same body,
and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
• The mystery of Christ made us Gentiles partakers WITH those who were already sanctified by faith in Christ:
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs,
and of the same body,
and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
There were JEWISH saints who were ‘in Christ’ before Paul:
Rom 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Clearly, when the Lord Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road, He sent him to the Gentiles so THEY could have INHERITANCE AMONG THEM who were ALREADY sanctified by faith in Christ:
Acts 26:14-18 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Can we see this truth in other scriptures that verifies saints were already sanctified by faith in Christ .... before Paul was saved? Yes.
John 17:17-19 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Can we see the truth that Jesus taught ‘oneness’ for His saints .... before Paul was saved? Yes.
Is this being of the same body (Eph 3:6-b)? Yes:
John 17:20-23 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
There is only ONE body, not two. We are of the SAME body (Eph 3:6-b):
Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, (also see 1 Cor 10:17 below)
and every one members one of another.
In the CONTEXT of what happened to ISRAEL .... Paul said those things are examples for US:
1 Cor 10:1-17 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples,
to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
In the CONTEXT of ISRAEL .... Paul said that in communion we share the cup (the blood of Christ) and the bread (the body of Christ) WITH them:
16 The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?
The bread which we break,
is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
17 For we being many are one bread, and one body:
for we are all partakers of that one bread.
18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
When the Lord Jesus returns from heaven, He will come with ALL His saints .... NOT ONLY those who have believed through PAUL’s ministry, as the ‘mid-Acts-ers’ teach:
1 Thess 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
There is not a corner on Gen 8:22:
Gen 8:22 While the earth remaineth,
seedtime and harvest,
and cold and heat,
and summer and winter,
and day and night
shall not cease.
Just remember, there is an account in scripture of a girl who followed Paul and said some right things, but Paul rebuked a spirit of divination out of her:
Acts 16:16-18 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
This is David Dowell saying, "Think about it!"
