The blind debating with the blind. Two people that have not yet uttered a shred of truth in 14 boring, repetitive pages. One guy uses colored big letters, like he thinks what he's saying is important. The other guy just has to use a ridiculous numbering system, like he thinks he's laying out the steps of the truth, 1,2,3.... Yet neither has any idea of the real truth. Everything they've said does nothing other than occupy space. Sad. Christendom is a "nation" of sheep, most all operating under false interpretations of the Bible.
If you want the Biblical truth for today that applies directly to you, you're looking in the the wrong place. The only place you'll find it is in Paul's last 7 books. The only exception I can think of is Paul's Gospel, as told in 1 Cor 15:1-4. Everything during Acts was for the past. All in Acts is gone and not for us today - Israel, all the gifts, the rapture, the New Jerusalem - everything!
There was only one purpose during Acts, to get Israel, as a nation, to accept Christ as the promised Messiah. Everything was given for that purpose ONLY - the gifts, the bringing of Gentiles into Israel's kingdom. The ONLY purpose of bringing in the Gentiles during Acts was to provoke Israel to jealousy so they might accept Christ as the Messiah.
Had Israel accepted Christ, the rest of prophecy would have been fulfilled, starting immediately. This didn't happen, which resulted in this 2000 year parenthetical period never mentioned in prophecy and a time where no prophecy has EVER been fulfilled, no matter how much ignorant Christians attempt to make the 1948 establishing of modern Israel to be a fulfillment. However, since Israel doesn't occupy the total land promised to Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and David, the prophecy has been definitely not been fulfilled
If you take part of what was preached during Acts, you have to take it all, including the gifts. No cafeteria style pick and choose. If Acts is truth for today, everybody would have at least one gift - but they don't. The gifts are seen right up until the end of Acts - Acts 28:3-9. The gifts aren't found after Acts. In fact, the gifts totally ceased. After Acts, Paul couldn't heal Trophimus, 2 Timothy 4:20, or Timothy, 1 Timothy 5:23. If the gifts stopped, then so did everything else written during Acts. Have you ever given a thought to why they ceased at Acts 28:28?
ac28,
1. If the only truth for us today is Paul's letters you might as well throw out the rest of the bible. So you are wrong on this point.
2. We may differ but that doesn't mean we are the blind leading the blind. We have given scriptures that are true and we have agreed on some things even though we disagree with the hermeneutical views that bring a different context and meaning to a passage.
3. False interpretations? You shouldn't be so quick to judge because your take on the rapture, Israel, the gifts etc is not scriptural at all. Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 about the rapture whether one believes in pre, mid, or post.
If the gifts are gone then so is the body of Christ for the gifts are for the body of Christ which is the church. Read 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 and they are to be done in love in chapter 13. Israel still has to fulfill and will fulfill their covenants with Christ when they repent for they are eternal covenants conditioned on obedience by the generation that will repent in the tribulation. Roman 9-11 Paul talks about it that Israel's gifts and callings are without repentance.
4. You are wrong about the purpose for Israel in the book of Acts. It was not about giving them a second chance to inherit the KOH for Jesus said it wasn't for them to know, only the Father knew.
Jesus also prophesied in Matthew 24 about the temple and the city being destroyed and that was before Acts started and was because of their rejection in Jesus ministry Matthew 23:37-39.
5. Had Israel accepted is a hypothetical and there is no place that said they would believe, only that they would reject the Messiah.
The gentiles were grafted in because of Israel's rejection and gentiles were to provoke them to jealousy.
It was because of Israel that gentiles could be saved in the old testament and this is why they were to be kind to the stranger at the gate because they had the covenants.
Paul said in Romans that the Gentiles were to provoke them to jealously.
6. Who said anything about a 2000 year parenthetical? The church has its place and it has been over 2000 years since the Day of Pentecost.
7. I know there are scriptures that jews use to prove 1948 was prophesied but I can't remember them right now.
Your basis for that not being true is because they don't have all the land God promised them through the Abrahamic Covenant right now. It is true they don't have it and it is true they are still backslidden as a nation but that doesn't mean 1948 was not prophetic.
In the tribulation the nation will birth the man child and the remnant will flee but the rest of the nation will be preserved in the wilderness for the last half of the tribulation and that will be because of the nation being birthed in 1948. So you are wrong in your assessment about Israel.
8. Gifts didn't cease otherwise Paul wouldn't have mentioned their purpose for the church in Corinthians. You are deducing that from not being mentioned as people in the act of doing it. He said to desire spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 14.
Gifts are still used today and are effective when used properly. The Holy Spirit is still with us and so are his gifts and the church is still here and the reason churches are so weak and not in unity is because they are not properly using the gifts. Many don't move in the supernatural and that is why they can't defeat the devil half the time.
9. Paul left him at Miletum sick, not that he could not heal him and it says nothing specific about healing being gone.
Smith Wigglesworth the great apostle of faith raised people from the dead by Christ power and people would be healed in his shadow etc. but then he had some people in his own family that didn't get healed and he couldn't understand why but it didn't mean that healing was gone.
10. Acts 28:28? Are you serious? Paul wrote to the gentiles about the gifts in his epistles not the nation of Israel.
Listen your doctrine is not new and it is still wrong as when it started.
Your reasoning and deducing is incorrect hermeneutically, historically and just downright illogical to say the least. And to say that we have said not truth and act like you have the ultimate truth when it is plain to see your using more of you wrong doctrine and wrong stinking thinking and have no basis in the truth of the word in the overall context. Jerry kelso