A Jewish Holy Day 1

Contrary to the opinion, and in fact, the teaching of most of fundamental religion today, the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two was NOT a world-wide church festival. It was also NOT the beginning of the church, the body of Christ. As a matter of fact NOTHING began on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two. Instead, Old Testament prophecy was FULFILLED on that day.

When Peter and the twelve apostles were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in tongues that day, they were speaking in the NATIVE languages of all the people who had gathered for the occasion. They were even accused of being drunk.

Acts 2:12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

Acts 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

Now Peter, who had said “Not so Lord” when the Lord told him about his impending death. Peter who thought the women’s report of the empty tomb sounded like IDLE TALES. Peter who heard the two disciples from Emmaeus tell about seeing the Lord and didn’t believe them EITHER. Peter who NOW believes the Lord is risenfrom the dead and is now ascended into heaven, says:

Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

Acts 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

So what is happening on the Day of Pentecost is not the beginning of something new. It is the fulfillment of prophecy. To understand just what Peter means it would be good to go back and read the book of Joel. It is a short book, but Joel chapter two is what Peter refers to. As a matter of fact he quotes from it. The book of Joel talks about wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath, blood, fire and vapors of smoke, and the book ends with these words:

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and inJerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

The prophecy says that in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance. It speaks of a remnant. A remnant of who? Israel. The whole context of Acts chapter two is about judgment, about tribulation, and about the salvation of a remnant of Israel.

Peter has a message for the men of Israel in Acts chapter two, but for them it is not good news. Acts chapter two is also not good news for you either. Acts chapter two is about a MURDER CHARGE against Israel.

A Jewish Holy Day 2

Many people today believe that Acts chapter two is the gospel for today and that the salvation message for today is in Acts 2:38. Billboards and signs on church buildings proclaim “Obey Acts 2:38.” Well, Acts 2:38 is NOT the gospel to you, and here’s why.
The Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two is a Jewish Holy Day. It comes fifty days after the Passover. The very word PENTE literally means fifty. The Jews were to number seven Sabbaths, or in other words, 49 days, and then the FIFTIETH day, the morrow after the Sabbath was the Day of Pentecost. It was a high day, a Jewish feast day. It was one of the three days of each year that all Jewish men were required to show up. Look at what the bible says:
Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Now you can see a list of nations that all those devout Jews were from in verses nine, ten and eleven. They are all Jews and they are all there because it is a Jewish feast day according to the Law of Moses, as in:
Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
Now the feast of weeks in the verse is the feast of Pentecost and notice it says they shall not appear before the LORD empty. That means they were to bring gifts. These men were under the Law of Moses, they were keeping the Law and were zealous of the Law,otherwise they wouldn’t have been there. No Gentiles are they on the day of Pentecost. They are all Jews. Peter is a Jew observing the Law on the Day of Pentecost and all the people he addresses are Jews. Listen to his words:
Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
So what happened in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost is not good news for you. It was about Israel, for Israel and to Israel. Instead of the news being good, it is pretty grim. Peter accuses his listeners of murdering their King. The good news is that GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, according to Peter, to SIT ON DAVID’S THRONE. Nothing at all about Christ dying for your sins.Nothing at all about Gentile salvation. Nothing at all about the church, the body of Christ.

A Jewish Holy Day 3

The Apostle Peter has emerged as the spokesman, so to speak, of the 12 Apostles on a Jewish feast day called Pentecost in Acts chapter two. The Pentecostal ministry and message continues all the way up through Acts chapter seven. The entire ministry of Peter is basically Acts chapter one through Acts chapter twelve. In Acts chapter twelve, Peter goes to another place, he cannot be found, and they all wonder what became of Peter. You might wonder too, because he simply disappears out of the book and the ONLY thing you ever know about Peter is that he wrote two books with a total of eight chapters with 166 verses. Not near the supposed far flung world wide evangelism that popular religion teaches. The truth is Peter’s whole ministry AND MESSAGE was confined to the CIRCUMCIZED JEWS except for one occasion he reluctantly went to the home of a Gentile. The only time in the bible Peter EVER preaches to a Gentile is in Acts chapter ten.

But Peter’s Pentecostal message is not the good news that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures and that he was raised again for our justification, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Peter said nothing of the sort, although thousands, perhaps millions of people believe he did.

In the book of Acts, Peter’s message is SHAME ON ISRAEL. It is a message of gloom and doom and blood, fire and smoke. It is a JEWISH tribulation message, but the good news is that Christ has been raised from the dead, he is coming again and he that endures to the end will be saved, IF he meets the conditions.

Take up your bible and check this out. Read what Peter really said. It is not good. Peter DOES NOT glory in the cross. Instead he preaches the death of Christ as a shame….not as good news. It is a MURDER CHARGE against Israel. Let’s just read:

Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Acts 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Did you know that Peter does not glory in the cross in the book of Acts? Peter doesn’t know the WHY of the cross in the book of Acts. It is a shame and a murder. The shed blood of Christ is only mentioned ONE TIME in all of Peter’s ministry in the book of Acts and it is NOT mentioned by Peter. It is viewed in a negative light by the people Peter preaches against:

Acts 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

Now finally, look at Stephen’s message in Acts chapter seven:

Acts 7:52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

Now was Christ MURDERED for your sins, or did CHRIST DIE FOR YOUR SINS? Jesus said:

John 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

After his resurrection, Christ appeared to Peter and the twelve, not once but on three occasions. He also appeared to the women, to the two disciples on the road, and the bible says to over five hundred people at once. But for all that it was only Paul who said:

1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

It was Paul who received the message of the WHY of the cross.

Saved Miners or Miners Saved?

I am sitting here on a Tuesday night watching the miners getting saved.  Not saved to eternal life, but saved from a hole in the earth.  Everyone is excited and happy that their loved ones and friends are going to be reunited.  I too am thrilled that these 33 men have been rescued (or are being rescued at this time). 

It crosses my mind if these men have even heard the gospel of Christ and if they have, have they trusted that Christ died for there sins, was buried and rose again for their justification. 

We are all trapped in mine with no hope until we have trusted in the completed work at the cross.  Once we have trusted, then we are saved to eternal life not just a hole in the ground.

Have you trusted in what the Lord Jesus Christ did for you?  1 Cor 15:1-4

Does keeping the 10 commandments make you a Christian?

A friend of mine on Facebook posted this question. WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?

This was one of the responses. A Christian is someone who follows the Ten Commandments.

Let’s see if keeping the 10 commandments make you a Christian.

First question: What were the 10 commandments for?

God gave the children of Israel the commandments thru Moses about 2500 years after Adam and Eve were booted out of the garden. So under this theory, “keeping the 10 commandments makes you a Christian”, it would eliminate the first 2500 years of mankind. The first chance for there to be a Christian, according to this theory, would be the children of Israel. This theory would be contrary to the Bible. When was anyone called a Christian?

Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

This was 1500 years after God wrote the 10 commandments and 4000 years after the fall of man.

I am going to list all the verses in the Bible which say Christian or Christians. (don’t worry it is only two more.)

Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

1 Peter 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

That’s it, just 3 verses in the whole Bible.
So what is a Christian? Simply, it is someone who follows Christ.

What does Paul tells us the commandments (the law) are for?

Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.


According to the Bible the law was put into place to show us that we are sinners and need a savior. The law shows you that you need to be a Christian (follower of Christ), but in no way makes you a Christian. Once you have trusted in the completed work of the Cross you are no longer under the schoolmaster (the law). It is not even our faith that does anything. It is the faith of Jesus Christ.

Put your trust ON the faith of Jesus Christ (completed work at the cross) and you too will be a Christian.


By the way, here is a list of all the laws that God gave the children of Israel.
http://www.aish.com/jl/m/m/48945081.html        Guess how many?

Completed work at the cross = Died for your sins, was buried and rose again on the third day.

Galatians 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
Galatians 1:14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

Saul was sold out for the Jewish religion. He made money at it, new the law backwards and forwards, kept the law, and went after anyone who he thought was committing blasphemy. In his opinion anyone who said that Jesus was the Christ was a blasphemer.

Here is what the priest did when Jesus told them He is the Son of God. Blasphemy if Jesus was not the Son of God.

Matthew 26:63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Matthew 26:65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
Matthew 26:66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.

Saul had every right to put to death any Israelite that committed blasphemy. In the book of Numbers we are told of a man that was put to death for picking up sticks on the Sabbath.

Numbers 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
Numbers 15:33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
Numbers 15:34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
Numbers 15:35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
Numbers 15:36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Who gave the order for the man to be put to death? The LORD did.
What did the man do wrong? He worked on the Sabbath.
Have you ever picked up sticks on the Sabbath?
Why didn’t the LORD have you put to death?

I have been told many times that we are to do ALL the Bible. We can’t and we are not supposed to. Hebrews 1:1 tells us why.

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

God has dealt with man in many different ways at different times. Paul tells us to rightly divide the Word of truth. (see 2 Timothy 2:15) If you don’t, you might just believe that you must stone someone to death for picking up sticks on the Sabbath.

Keep studying,

Jack

Galatians 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:


Paul is telling the Galatians and us about his past. His whole life was devoted to the Jewish religion. What was the Jewish religion?
• They believe in the God of Abraham (as we do)
• Kept the law of Moses (613 laws)
• Offered animal sacrifices thru the priests
• Were waiting for their King to arrive so they could take their Kingdom on earth

This is what Paul had devoted his life to. The next part of the verse says “beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:” So what was this church of God that Paul as Saul was persecuting and who was part of it? Who was Saul going after? Anyone that believed Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, the Son of God, the King that was to bring in the Kingdom. Read Acts 7 thru 8 and hear what Stephen was telling the Jewish religion leaders and members. Guess who was there? Saul! Saul was going after Peter and the other 11 apostles and anyone that believed Jesus was the Son of God.

This church of God, which Peter was left in charge of, was scattered to get away from the persecutors. It was made up of Israelites and a few believing gentiles. This has now split Israel into two categories: Believing Israel and unbelieving Israel. Saul, while persecuting, was part of unbelieving Israel. What did believing Israel believe in?
• God of Abraham
• Jesus is the Son of God (their messiah/king)

Did this believing Israel have to do anything to show that they believed? YES


• Water Baptized (Read Mark 16:16-20)
• Still obey the law of Moses
• Endure till the end (Jacobs trouble)
• Sell what they had and put it in common. (So they could get thru Jacobs trouble)

Notice this is not the same as “The Church the Body of Christ”. We believe:
• Jesus is the Son of God (Savoir)
• Died for our sins (Paid the death penalty for us)
• Was buried
• Rose again

Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Believe ON the Lord Jesus Christ completed work and you to can be saved.

More later,

Jack