Acts 2:17,
- and it shall come to pass in the last days says God,
That I will pour out My Spirit on alll flesh....
PENTECOST—THE MILLENNIUM
AND
THE BODY OF CHRIST.
First, let us carefully note two statements of the Apostle Paul: "But contrariwise, when
they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the
circumcision was unto Peter," Galatians 2:7. For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ
for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to
youward," Ephesians 3:2.
There are many zealous religious people, among whom are a number of splendid spiritual
saints, who have formulated their creeds and adopted their religious programs on the assumption
that Israel had been set aside "when the day of Pentecost was fully come" (Acts 2:1), and that the
dispensation of the grace of God, mentioned in Ephesians 3:1 to 9, began the day that Peter and
the Eleven stood up in Jerusalem.
They speak much of the "Apostolic Church," "the Pentecostal Church," but never of the
"Joint-Body" of Ephesians 3:6, the Church of the Mystery," "the One New Man" of Ephesians
2:15, "the Body which is the fulness of Christ." Ephesians 1:19 to 22, They never give any
Scriptural proof that the Pentecostal Church of Acts Two is identical with "the Church of the
Mystery ,"
In referring to the Body of Christ, and God's spiritual program under the dispensation of
grace, Paul mentions the Mystery in Ephesians and Colossians. It should be obvious to any
intelligent student of the Scriptures that anything that has to do with "the Pentecostal
dispensation" has nothing to do with "the dispensation of the Mystery."
Believers are to "make
all men see what is the dispensation of the Mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath
been hid in God;" but those who begin the dispensation of the "Secret" with Peter and the
Pentecost of Acts Two, never attempt to obey Ephesians 3:9.
"The dispensation of the Mystery" is "Gentilish." Ephesians 3:1, 2 and 8.
Pentecost is
Israelitish, There can be no genuine Pentecost without the Jewish priests, the Jewish temple, the
Jewish city, and the Jewish people.
The Gentiles in the day of grace have no Pentecost.
About twenty-five years after Peter and the Eleven, in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost,
addressed devout Jews from every nation under heaven, Paul said, "I will tarry at Ephesus until
Pentecost." I Corinthians 16:8, In Acts 20:16 are words concerning Paul that will throw light on
his statements to the Corinthians: "For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus because he would
not spend the time in Asia, for he hasted, if it were possible for him to be at Jerusalem the day of
Pentecost," Acts 20:16, Peter and the Eleven addressed the Jerusalem Jews fifty days after the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, Peter and the Eleven were in Jerusalem tarrying, after the command
of Christ: "And behold, I send the promise of My father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of
Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." Luke 24:49, Then Christ added, "Ye
shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto
Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the
earth." Acts 1:8.
Concerning the apostles, we read: "These all continued with one accord in prayer and
supplication," "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in
one place," Acts 1:14 and 2:1. Let us keep in mind that the tarrying place was in Jerusalem.
About twenty-five years later Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem on another day of Pentecost. In
Acts 2:l Pentecost was fully come. Pentecost was observed annually, but the phenomena of Acts
Two was not repeated. When Paul reached Jerusalem the last time, about 60 A. D. (Acts 21:17),
he found his people Israel conducting their religious services and practicing their Old Covenant
ceremonies in their temple. Even after that time Paul apologized after he had spoken
disrespectfully to Israel's Jerusalem high-priest, whom he had not recognized as priest. Acts 23:3
to 8. God permitted Israel to remain in their land, and use their temple, years after Christ
announced the city's and the people's doom,
After the Pentecost of Acts 2, the twelve apostles had entered into the temple with their
message concerning Israel's rejection and the resurrected Messiah: "And daily in the temple, and
in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." Acts 5:42.
From these facts we are taught that for some reason God extended extra years of grace to
Israel and Jerusalem and deferred the execution of the judgment pronounced by Christ, in
Matthew 22:7 and 24:1 and 2. Undoubtedly the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross
brought the amnesty and postponement of Jerusalem's destruction, Christ prayed, "Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do." It is true, that even before His death the Messiah
said to Israel, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"
"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Matthew 23; 33 and 38. But let us read, with this
judgment. Luke 21:20: "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know
that the desolation thereof is nigh." This desolation of the holy city was to take place when
armies surrounded it.
Jerusalem was not compassed with armies when Peter and the Eleven preached to the
rulers of Israel on the day of Pentecost, Peter’s message to them was one of tenderness and
mercy, "And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers." "Ye
are the children of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying
unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed, Unto you first God,
having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his
iniquities," Acts 3:17, 25 and 26. What a contrast between these words and the awful judgment
of Matthew 23:28 and 29: ". . . within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites!" ". . .Ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up
then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the
damnation of hell? . . . Behold your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall
not see Me henceforth. till ye shall say, Blessed is lie that cometh in the name of the Lord."
What is the only intelligent explanation of God's change of attitude toward Israel? God,
in the Book of Acts, was giving Israel another chance. The kingdom of heaven was presented to
Israel in the first chapters of Acts as much as it was while Jesus Christ was on earth.
Israel sinned against the Son of man, Luke 12:9 and 10. Now they were given the
opportunity to either repent or to sin against the Holy Spirit and thus commit the unpardonable
sin. Matthew 12:30 to 33. Note carefully God's message to them: "The God of our fathers raised
up Jesus, Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a
Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are His
witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Spirit, Whom God hath given to them that obey
Him. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them." Acts 5:29
to 32. They sinned against the Holy Spirit. They again sinned against the Holy Spirit when
Stephen saw the Son of man standing in heaven. Acts 7:43 to 60.
The resurrected Christ was Israel's Prince and Saviour. Where did the Gentiles come in?
They didn't come in.
You may ask how about Acts 2:39: "For the promise is unto you, and to
your children, and TO ALL THAT ARE AFAR OFF, even as many as the Lord our God shall
call."
You may answer this question yourself by reading Acts 10:28 and Daniel 9:7: "And he
said unto them, Ye know that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or
come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man
common or unclean."
Acts 10:28. "O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us
confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and
unto all Israel, that are near, AND THAT ARE FAR OFF, through all the countries whither Thou
hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against Thee." Daniel 9:7.
If seven years after that Christ was raised from the dead, it was not lawful far the twelve
apostles to preach to Gentiles, we may be sure that the "far off" of Acts 2:39, referred to the "far
off" Israelites of Daniel 9:7. Also Acts 11:18 is proof of this.
In II Corinthians 3:9 to 16 we learn why the religious Jews were still holding on to
Pentecost and other Old Testament feasts after Acts 2:1—"There was a veil over their eyes.”
There is a veil over the minds of many Pentecostalists today.
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