On With Acts!

 

Acts is a transition book, between the time when Jesus said He was only sent to Israel (Mat 15:24) and the time He said through Paul that there is no difference between Jew and Greek. (Rom 10:12) When did God make this change?

 

As we have seen, Acts starts out with God dealing exclusively with Israel. Then in Acts 7:51-53, God declares Israel to be uncircumcised, no better than the heathen nations. (Rom 11:32) Next we’ll see Paul get saved in Acts 9, and sent to the Gentiles with a new message. That is when the change started. But even after that, God still lovingly deals with individual Jews throughout Acts, but not with the nation of Israel.

 

Now let’s apply what we have learned so far in Acts. Acts 1-7 is full of miracles, baptisms, and prophecies fulfilled. Is this a model for the church of today? NO! Acts 1-7 is about the fulfillment of Israel’s prophecies involving God’s coming wrath and kingdom of heaven on earth. It is not about the church of today, which was not prophesied, and is composed of Jews and Gentiles on equal footing, with a future in heaven, not earth. (Eph 3:1-6; 2:6,11-16) Therefore we should not expect the signs and miracles of Acts today. We are in a different dispensation now. (Col 1:25,26) Acts is a transition book, remember, from one dispensation to another.

 

But Paul, who is our pattern, (I Tim 1:16) was water baptized, spoke in tongues, prophesied, healed people, and did other miracles for some years after Israel fell. WHY, if God is not doing these things in our dispensation? Because the transition did not happen over night. Paul explains in I Corinthians 13:8-12.

 

“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (stop); whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be (revelation of) knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophecy in part. But when that (knowledge) which is perfect (completed) is come, then that which is in part (tongues, prophecy and revelations) shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now (before Paul got all the information from God) we see through a glass, darkly; but then (when all is revealed) face to face; now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

 

I Corinthians is an early book, written by Paul in about Acts 19. He was expecting to get a lot more information from God. And he did. By II Corinthians, he had received an “abundance of the revelations.” (II Cor 12:7) Then later still, he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon which completed (fulfilled) the word of God. (Col 1:25,26) Now, all scripture is given “that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Tim 3:16,17) That says the scripture is now all we need. Therefore prophecies, tongues etc have ceased.

 

But think for a minute, before Paul’s letters were written, how could believers Bible study and grow? They only had Old Testaments. That is what prophecy was for. God revealed Paul’s message to prophets who then taught the people. (I Cor 14:3,19,20,29-31)

 

In contrast, tongues were not for believers, but were a sign promised for Jewish unbelievers. (I Cor 14:20-22; Is 28:11) Tongues, healing and casting out demons, were signs to Israel that her kingdom was at hand. (Luke 11:20) But in Acts we see those signs being continued for a time after the nation Israel has fallen and the kingdom was no longer at hand. Why? There are 2 reasons.

1. To provoke the Jews to get saved.

2. To prove the new message of Paul was from God.

 

Paul explains why he provokes the Jews in Romans 11:11-14. “I say then, Have they (Israel) stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come to the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

914) If by any means I may provoke to emulation (rivalry) them which are my flesh, (the Jews) and might save some of them.”

 

Israel did not stumble at Christ (Rom 9:32,33; Is 8:14) just so they could later fall and be thrown out of the way. Rather God had another plan with 2 purposes. Through their fall God (1.) sent a new message of grace to the Gentiles and (2) that new message could also save Jews who would otherwise be doomed because they had blasphemed the Holy Ghost in Acts 1-7. (Mat 12:31,32) God used Israel’s sign gifts to prove to the Jews that Paul’s new message was from Him, and to provoke them to want what the Gentiles believers had, and get saved.

 

For example, in Acts 18:1-11, Paul’s message was greatly opposed by the Jews in the synagogue, so he moved next door to the house of a believing Gentile. Then the Jews were seeing their scriptures and their signs being used by the Gentiles next door. Pretty soon the leader of the Jews’ synagogue was next door too.

 

The sign gifts were needed to prove the authenticity of Paul’s message because it was so radically different from Israel‘s. No Jew would believe it without proof. (I Cor 1:22) Paul taught that circumcision was no longer important, that they were not under the law, that Jews were no longer God’s chosen people. (Gal 6:15; Rom 6:14;Gal 3:28,29) Wow, the Jews came unglued at that! Even among the Gentiles, miracles were used to prove that Paul’s message was from God, (eg. Acts 28:1-10) before that message was completely revealed, written and included in scripture.

 

Just remember that the book of Acts is not about us. It’s main focus is on how Israel responded to God’s 2 offers, the one from the 12 apostles, and the other from Paul. With that in mind, let’s get on with Acts!

 

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