Hello and welcome to the conclusion of this little series on understanding the New Testament timeline. We've only touched the surface of these things. However, as I mentioned before, I was saved when I was 12 years old and I got a tremendous interest in studying the Word of God. As I got looking at New Testament stories and studying in the book of Acts, I would Over the years, I've asked many preachers and many different people some questions that nobody would answer for me. I've mentioned them before. I'll just go through the list quickly. Why did Jesus say not to go to Samaria in Matthew 10 and then go and preach there? And John chapter 4 spent several days and a lot of people got saved. Why? Why, at least seven years after the Day of Pentecost, at least seven, and many scholars of the Scriptures think it was 12 years, but we'll say at least seven, why did Peter tell Cornelius that it was unlawful for him to fellowship with Gentiles. Acts chapter 10 verse 28. I thought that all got settled on the day of Pentecost. At least that's what I was taught. Number three, why were the apostles at Jerusalem upset with Peter for fellowshipping with a Gentile all that time after the Day of Pentecost. You can look at that in Acts 11, 1 through 3. Those apostles were upset. What are you doing going in there and eating with that Gentile all those years after Pentecost? I was taught they were all one accord and that the church started back there. Number four, why did Jesus refuse to answer the question The disciples asked concerning whether or not he would restore the kingdom at that time, Acts 1 and 6. Why didn't he just tell them? Peter said that women would prophesy in the last days, Acts 2-17. Should we have women preachers today? Why did Peter command his listeners to be baptized for the remission of sins? Acts chapter 2 verse 37 and 38. Baptized for the remission of sins? The Bible mentions that quite a few times in the early part of the book of Acts. What's that all about? Why did Peter say if they were baptized they would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost in Acts 2 and 38? I thought that happened when you got saved. Were they eating meat at a communion service in Acts chapter 2 and 46? And why did Ananias and Sapphira die for lying when many others in the Bible lied? Rebekah lied, Jacob, Abraham, Rahab lied, and she ended up getting in the great Hebrews chapter on faith. chapter 11. And Peter, he lied three times the night that Jesus was crucified, and he was the one the human instrument used to put Ananias and Sapphira to death. They died because they lied. What's that all about? And then why did Paul give 14 qualifications for deacons in 1st Timothy Peter only gave three for the men chosen in Acts chapter 6 and none of them are compared. None of the qualifications in Peter's list are included in Paul's list and vice versa. And then why did Paul travel over a hundred miles to Arabia after he was saved to receive instructions of the Lord? A hundred miles! Why couldn't he get instructions where he was? Well, some of these questions are important, some not so important, but they need to be answered. Now, we're going to look at these conclusions. First of all, this is so important, and I've put it in red letters here, two messages were being preached in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and until at least Acts chapter 8. Two messages were being preached. It wasn't either or. We also have seen in our study that Jesus began his earthly ministry preaching about the earthly kingdom. It's very, very plain if you look at it in the Word of God. Very plain. He also preached about salvation. That's another message, but just because one portion of scripture is not focusing on that, Doesn't mean another portion of scripture can't. Jesus, following his resurrection, instructed his apostles for 40 days, and if you look at it in the early part of the book of Acts, he instructed them to preach about the kingdom that was offered to Israel. This does not mean the local churches were not already meeting. It means that portion of scripture isn't focusing on that. The kingdom message was strictly for the nation of Israel. The message concerning everlasting life was for everybody. The kingdom was being offered to Israel at that time, but both Jews and Gentiles were getting saved in the early part of the book of Acts as well. Two messages were being preached, very important to understand. The phrase the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are obvious concerning the meaning when they are studied in the light of the context in which they appear. The kingdom mentioned in Acts 1 and 6 very obviously refers to a literal kingdom for Israel. The Holy Spirit was to be in charge of everything in the transitional period covered in the book of Acts. We did a whole series on that. The Holy Spirit had not yet descended when Peter held the meeting choose an apostle to replace Judas. Even though local churches were meeting, nothing in chapter 1 has anything to do with local church doctrine. Nothing. In the account of Acts chapter 2, it begins in the temple in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. It is not a local church setting. They are in Solomon's porch. They are in the temple and it is the Day of Pentecost. No Gentiles were allowed at that Jewish feast. None. would be impossible for them to be with one accord. If Gentiles were present, Gentiles were considered dogs. Now, if they all got saved there and became Christians, they could be of one accord. But why, after seven years and maybe 12 years, was Paul in such serious trouble for having a meal with Cornelius, who, of course, was a Gentile? They were not of one accord even at all that time after the Day of Pentecost. That is, the Jews and the Gentiles were not of one accord. The context and the content of Peter's message here was for the Jews only. Peter referred to Joel chapter 2. when he explained what was happening there, and Joel chapter 2 speaks of the nation of Israel being delivered from her enemies, and says nothing about individuals being saved from their sins. When Peter referred to the last days, he was talking about the last days of the dispensation of the law at that time when he was preaching. When Peter said, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, it happened 2,000 years ago exactly as Joel said it would happen. Being saved is not always referring to going to heaven. Many times it speaks of a physical salvation. The content of Bible messages preached to individuals concerning being saved from their sins is very different. from the content of Bible messages concerning the nation of Israel being saved from her enemies. You can go back and listen to those if you want to. We have, I think it's 12 other sessions that we've done on this portion of Scripture. The nation of Israel being saved from her enemies is what is happening here, and it's very plain that that was the focus. Breaking of bread is not always referring to a communion service in a local church. The word church in our King James Bible comes from the Greek word ekklesia, which means assembly. Sometimes it is used concerning assemblies which have nothing to do with a local church. In fact, in Acts it talks about the church in the wilderness, and that has, of course, we know that wasn't a local church as we know it today. Although local churches were meeting at the time of Acts chapter 2, have found nothing in Acts chapter 2 that refers to the local church, nothing. The word church in Acts 2, in context, refers to the assembly that was organized as a result of what Peter was preaching, just as the word church in the wilderness means the assembly that they had in the wilderness. Peter's message was not even close to being in line with local church doctrine. The focus, most important to understand that word, the focus of of Acts chapter 3 is on the Temple in Jerusalem. miracle of the cripple and the comments made by Peter. That's the focus of that chapter. Peter's comments were all directed to the nation of Israel and their relationship with the Messiah. Because the nation of Israel had killed their prince in ignorance, a prince is someone in line for the throne, because they did it in ignorance and we looked at scripture after scripture and the Old Testament talks about that, They could have taken advantage of the Old Testament law that allowed them a pardon when they sinned through ignorance. Nothing Peter says has anything in common with a local church doctrine. There is no focus whatsoever on the local church in Acts chapter 3. This does not mean that churches were not meeting. It means this portion of Scripture has nothing to do with local church doctrine. Ananias and Sapphira died because they were deceitful. The meeting that they had had nothing to do with a local church. To suggest that that happened in the Garden of Eden would be to completely take it out of context. To suggest that it happened in a local church setting is also to take it out of context. It happened in Solomon's Porch. Nothing like this happens in the local church age. It was common in the Old Testament dispensation for people to be put to death for deception. And keep in mind that the Bible very says that Jesus was born of a virgin under the law. The law didn't just quit at the last verse of the Old Testament. And then, you know, we have that transitional period there where they could have still had their kingdom if they would have accepted Christ. It is impossible to genuinely repent and be deceptive at the same time, and that is why Ananias and Sapphira died. Genuine repentance was necessary for those who believed in the kingdom message. The focus on that chapter is completely Jewish. The local church or local church doctrine is not the focus of Acts chapter 5. Again, this does not mean there were not local churches there. As a matter of fact, in Acts chapter 9, when Paul the Apostle got saved, it said, then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Samaria. If there were no churches, how could they have rest? They were obviously churches back there. In Acts chapter 8, the focus changes. Seven men were chosen. They were not deacons. As we said before, the list for the deacons in 1 Timothy and the list for these seven men have absolutely nothing in common. Multitudes of priests were believing in the kingdom message, and why not? Those priests, there's one thing they had in common. Peter James and John and those disciples was they'd like to kick out the Romans and set up the kingdom. And so some of them believed that. Quite a few did. Stephen's message, as we found here in Acts chapter 8, was totally Jewish. Nothing in his message focused on being saved so as to go to heaven. Stephen was offering the kingdom of Israel to the nation of Israel and they rejected it for the last time. They rejected what is referred to here as the Holy One of Israel, and we saw scripture after scripture after scripture in that session concerning their Messiah being the Holy One of Israel. Following this rejection, the message focus changes to whosoever will may come, and we get into it as a plan of salvation and not the message for Israel. Saul, later to be named Paul, appears in the book of Acts for the first time here in Acts chapter 8. He causes a lot of persecution for God's people. Philip travels to Samaria with a plan of salvation for individuals. One of the reasons that he is referred to as Philip the Evangelist. Peter and John came to Samaria and laid their hands on the new converts that they might be empowered for service. Philip takes the plan of salvation to the eunuch there in the wilderness. Philip then moves on and faithfully does what he's here to do concerning his duties to evangelize. Local church doctrine is becoming now the major focus in this chapter. And so, just this chart again, we looked at it before, following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, We read in Acts chapter 1 and verse 38, he was seen of them forty days speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Acts chapter 1 and verse number 3. And then we read in Acts 1 and 6 when they therefore were come together and asked him, saying, will thou this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He said, it's not for you to know. Focus on what is being done here, and that is, they were simply to go out and preach it. pertaining to the kingdom of God. Now here's this little chart I put together here. You look in the book of Matthew, that book focuses completely on the kingdom that was there for Israel. If you study the book of John, you'll find that the focus there is on eternal life, not just for Israel, but whosoever will. John chapter 3 verse 16, God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The kingdom message was still being preached, along with the salvation message for everybody, and it was being preached until Acts chapter 7. Then we find, and it's important to understand this when you study the book of Acts, that it is a transitional period. No longer proclaiming the kingdom message after the stoning of Stephen. It says in Acts 7 59 they stoned him Well, then we see Paul the Apostle getting saved and then we have all these epistles that tells how to get the churches organized the Bible says here that when Paul started preaching he said I write these things unto thee and that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And once again, we see here, then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied. Paul got saved in Acts chapter nine, then, all these churches rest well they had to be there if that's the case well it's important as we conclude this series don't believe anything I've said until you search the scriptures daily whether those things are so I hope this has been a help it's not been out there to try and cause trouble we're putting this series together to well thank you you know we mentioned before if you if you're afraid to think outside the box If you're afraid of what people are going to think about you because you dare to come up with something a little bit different. Uh, if you do not want to admit that maybe you were wrong, I did it for years. If I was saved, uh, in, uh, in 1955 and, and then I got listening to, uh, Dahan on the radio, uh, M.R. Dahan, what a great man of God. He really understood the Bible, but you know, I said, wow, whatever Dahan says, I believe it. then I was told to get a Schofield Bible, and I think Schofield Bibles are great study Bibles. I don't believe with everything Schofield came up with in those studies, but they're a good study Bible. But my problem was, if Schofield said it, then I believed it. Well, then I would find something Schofield and DeHaan didn't agree on. I'd say, oh, what am I going to do now? Then I got all wrapped up in Jack Hiles and all that stuff that he was going on. And oh, well, Jack Hiles said it, it must be true. And one day I stopped and I said, whoa, I know what this guy believes and that guy believes and 12 different people believe. What do I believe? And I just put everything in neutral and I said, all right, I am going to find out what I believe about everything. And I started on every subject you can think about, whether that subject has to do with local churches or whether it has to do with missions or Christian schools, whether it has to do with separation or music. I just went through every one of those things and searched the scriptures. Now, I didn't throw up my commentaries. It can be very helpful, but you should search the word of God before we believe what commentaries say, including what all the comments we've made on this program. Don't believe any of it until you search the scriptures to see if these things be so. Once I started to do that, well, in order to do that, I had to get rid of the peer pressure. of what my peers would think. Oh, what if I don't go along with the party line? I'll tell you right now, they'll get their branding iron out and they'll brand you if you don't have enough courage to stand up for what you believe. But when you stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, and when I stand before him, We are not going to give an answer for what they believe. We're going to give an answer for what we believe. And so have a look at this with this there to, you know, for your consideration, there's some interesting questions that do get answered. If you look at this timeline, the way it is presented here. However, let me conclude by saying they received the word of God with all readiness of mind. Number one. then they searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so. If they did that concerning what Paul the Apostle preached, we better do it concerning what anybody preaches today. I hope this series has been a help.