photo #5640536

PROGRESSIVE REVELATION Terms like "advanced revelation" and "progressive revelation" drive the non-KJV people and non-dispensational people batty, because both terms suggest that God gives more truth, or light, as time progresses, something that fundamental Pharisees despise because that puts truth out of THEIR control and into GOD'S control where it belongs. Folks who follow these people spend their entire lives in Laodicean darkness while true Bible believers feast on the endless riches of God's word. Dispensational truth is not that hard to grasp, if folks would only make an effort. For instance, the kingdom mentioned in Acts 1:6 was offered to Israel through Acts chapter 7. Then, with Israel’s official rejection of the gospel by the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60), God made it clear that His focus would now be “in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). He did this by saving members of each of the three major races in the following three chapters: the Ethiopian eunuch in chapter 8, Saul of Tarsus in chapter 9, and Cornelius’ household in chapter 10 (Africa, Asia, Europe). Israel had rejected God the Father in the Old Testament, God the Son in the gospel period, and then God the Holy Spirit during the apostolic ministry, which is why Israel was specifically told by Stephen “ye do always resist the Holy Ghost” (Acts 7:51). In fact, Stephen seeing Christ “standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56) might very well be because Jesus was standing to come back, IF Israel believes Stephen’s message and receives Christ. They DIDN’T believe the message, so Christ sits down for the next 2,000 years as the gospel goes into all the world, as does Israel after losing her homeland and becoming the “wandering Jew.” Such truths are gleaned from the Scriptures not by straining gnats, nor by hopping around to favorite verses here and there, but rather by taking in every word of God and then standing back to meditate on the bigger picture as a whole, sometimes watching the picture come together as the narrative progresses. Any good artist will give attention to details, but he will also view the larger picture. We must do likewise, if we are to adequately learn the Scriptures.