Advancing the Revelation of Truth

 

THE LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES

his study seeks to explain the importance of the changing Administrations of God. An Administration is a ‘House-rule’ which is the literal translation of the Greek word oikonOmia. Unfortunately, the translators of the King James Bible applied the word ‘dispensation’ which has lead many students of The Word of God to assume it refers to the limited meaning of a span of time, rather than the order and rules of an Administration. God administers His purposes over the nations of the world by applying these rules which differ for each Administration. These differing rules are revealed in His Word. We as Christians are required to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Our worship is inadequate if our minds are erroneously following the rules of one Administration when they do not apply in another. It is our responsibility therefore to ensure that we are fully aware of the correct rules of the present Administration.

The Administration of Law and the Prophets.

We can say therefore that God administers His purposes according to His need during an Administration. He changes His Administrations at certain times. He administered Israel according to The Law and the prophets from the time of Moses which ended when The Lord Jesus Christ, at the beginning of His ministry, told the multitudes: 

Verily I say unto you: Among them that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John The Baptiser; not withstanding he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptiser until now The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. [Matthew 11:11-13]

The crowd were being told that God’s Administration of Israel had changed from ‘The prophets and the Law’ to the initiation of The Kingdom of Heaven in Israel. Christ’s ministry propagated The Kingdom in Israel following His announcement of His commission recorded by the prophet Isaiah [Luke 4:18]

The Administration of the Kingdom in Israel

Christ’s ministry was limited to the Judahites in lthe and of Canaan. He chose eleven apostles whom He commissioned to continue with Him and His ministry: 

Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel [of the kingdom] to every creature, he that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.       [Mark 16:14-18]

Later Matthias was chosen by lot to restore the number of apostles to twelve.  Thus the preaching of the Kingdom of Heaven amongst the Jews, or Judahites continued for many years . 

At the time of Christ’s ascension in Bethany, the apostles asked Him:

Will you at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel ?

Christ answered them in the following way: 

It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which The Father has put in His own power. [Acts 1:7]

Christ had addressed the eleven apostles during the initiation of the kingdom administration, i.e. during the first seven weeks [49 years] of Daniel’s prophecy. The administration continued  until God judged the indifference and intransigence of the people when He intervened and postponed their opportunity. He Spiritually blinded them as a nation so that they could not understand or accept the Kingdom and their King. This state of their mind continues to-day [Acts 28:27]. Thus the kingdom in Israel was postponed in 62ad.  

Because many Christians believe that they live in a Spiritual kingdom established during the time of the proclamation of the kingdom in Israel, this statement has proved to be a stumbling block in their need to understand the order of the future history of God’s administrations.

When the gospel of Salvation was opened to all the nations [Acts 28:28], the Jews, being Spiritually blinded, could not recognise their kingdom nor their king. God initiated a new administration to accommodate these changes and to uniquely record the character of His grace applied to all mankind. [Eph 3:2] 

The Administration of God’s Grace

The proclamation of The Kingdom of heaven in Israel, i.e. the call to join, being then postponed by God in the year 62ad, caused Him to change His Administration. No longer were the Judahites and Israelites His prime concern. He announced His intention to open the Gospel of Salvation to all the people of the nations. 

When the gospel was proclaimed during the time of the twelve apostles, God initiated, through an additional apostle Paul, the opportunity for members of the nations and the Israelites to join the Kingdom:

He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the nations, and kings, and the children of Israel. [Acts 9:15]

When the new Administration of God’s Grace was introduced Paul continued to exercise his first commission in order to re-establish the churches he had planted. These had all suffered the loss of The Holy Spirits gifts given to build  up the kingdom. At that time he told his beloved friends in Philippi: 

Mark those things which carry through that you may be sincere and without offence till the Day of Christ [gk: Phil 1:10] 

Paul’ letters to Timothy and Titus give new instructions regarding the planting of new churches and the revised instruction for existing ones, but if they remained immature they could not hope to be seated with Christ [Phil 3:15  Eph 2:6  Col 3:1-4] 

The Revelation of The Administration of God’s Grace

Paul tells us that he had a revelation from God concerning this new administration of His grace. when he revealed it to the Christians at Epehesus and Colosse: 

You are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints [the new Israel] and of the household of God being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the capstone being Jesus Christ Himself in whom the entire building being framed together is growing into a holy temple in The Lord: in whom you also are being built together for God’s dwelling place in Spirit. Because of This Grace, I am the bound one of Christ Jesus for the sake of you of the nations. Assuming that you have heard of the Administration of The Grace of God which was given to me for you. By revelation this mystery is made known to me [Eph 2:19] 

I am made a minister according to The Administration of God which is given to me for you, to complete The Word of God, even the mystery which has been hidden from the eons and the generations but now is made manifest to His saints [Col 1:25] 

Paul, having completed his first commission or course, was then  re-commissioned on the basis of this revelation:

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given, that I should preach among the nations the untraceable riches of Christ, even to enlighten all as to what is the administration of this mystery which has been hidden from the eons, in God who creates all these. [Eph  3:8]

You will have noticed that this new administration is called a mystery. This is not a secret which is open to anyone to uncover, It is limited to the initiated to understand, the initiated being Christians who exercise their Godly understanding in Spirit, i.e. supplicating their Saviour to seek the true understanding.

God Requires us to be Mature

It is on this basis that Paul records his prayer for us:

That The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of glory may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance among the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of His power for us who are believing in accord with the working of the might of His strength which is wrought in Christ, raising Him from among the dead, and seating Him in His right among the most elevated  [Eph 1:17] 

Now that the administration has changed from that of The Kingdom in Israel to the need for God to record His graceful character in an additional and appropriate administration, different rules apply. No longer must our Spiritual eyes be limited, but be open to the exceeding greatness of His power. No longer restrained, as were those of the apostles when Christ refused to answer their question regarding when the Kingdom of Israel would be re-established  

Paul puts it another way when praying for the Colossian Christians, even for us:

To desire that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and Spiritual understanding that you might walk worthy of The Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. [Col 1:9-10]

Attaining maturity reveals the timing of God’s events

There is no restraint on our understanding. We ourselves can realise the fulfilment of Paul’s prayer because we also live during the present Administration of God’s  Grace. To be filled with Spiritual understanding is God’s purpose for all Christians at this time. This is a good work of God, if we are mature enough to open our intelligence to His [Rom 8:16. 1Cor 2:13. Col 1:28. 1John 2:27] Paul challenged his beloved friends at Philippi when he told them: 

I press towards the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore as many as be mature be thus minded and if in anything you are otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you. [Phil 3:14] [See also BG 106]

God would have us perfect, i.e. fully mature. weaned from ’the sincere milk of The Word’. Christ put off all His authority, place and position to reach the cross. Because of this, Paul put off all religious restraints, seeking to  discharge all that held him back from ‘gaining Christ’ [Phil 3:7-14], Paul tells the mature Philippian Christians that they should be likeminded. The Christian who remains immature is therefore unable to grasp the importance or interpretation of: 

The understanding of all these subjects lies strictly within the power of God’s Word. Paul had been faithful to His Lord for over thirty years when he told the Philippian church that he needed 'to know Christ', meaning that he still needed to attain to the mind of Christ.  He expects us talso to attain that mind:

Let us therefore, as many as be mature, be thus minded and if in anything you be otherwise minded, God will reveal even this unto you. [Phil 3:15]

.During this Administration of God’s Grace it is possible to determine a full, detailed and positive answer to the question put to Christ by the apostles at the time of His ascension:

Will you at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel ? *

The time of His kingdom is now known ‘in all wisdom and Spiritual understanding’. Those Christians who remain immature, partaking only the milk of God’s Word, have ‘their heads in the sand’, not being able to stomach strong meat. 

For everyone that uses milk is unskilful in the Word of Righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs the them that are mature, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. [Heb 5:13-14]

Do you wish to remain a babe through ignorance, not joining those who are intent on becoming mature? If you do, the need 'to know  Christ’ is open to you by the strong meat of God’s teaching in Spirit:

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit............[Rom 8:16]

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* Mankind is Deceived

During the 1914 war the land of Palestine was freed from the Turkish overrule and mandated to the care of the United Kingdom.. This state continued up to and through the second world war of 1939 until many people, under the name of Judahites, rebelled against the occupying power, the United Kingdom, forcing its withdrawal, until in 1947 the Balfour Declaration recognised and opened the country as a national home for all Israel. This land of Palestine has since been occupied by Judahites, Ashkenazi gentile converts and Edomites. These peoples call themselves Israelis. The establishment of this strange republic is not an act of God. 

The true Kingdom of Israel under their resurrected King David will shortly be established by God Himself after many resurrections including Israelites and Judahites

 

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