Why I am an Acts 28:28 dispensationalist

[ac28]

Acts 28 people see a huge change of calling, as opposed to that taught during Acts, in Paul's last 7 books: Eph, Phil, Col, 1&2 Tim, Titus, and Philemon. No other group in the world sees this change, although it is quite obvious once you first see it. The best place to see it is in the 1st 3 chapters of Ephesians.

The Greek phrase, "en tois epouraniois", occurs 5 times in Ephesians and doesn't occur anywhere else in the Bible. In Eph, it is translated 4 times as "heavenly places" and once as "high places". Scholars vary as to their translation of this phrase but most say it means the super or supra heavenlies.

The word "heavenly", epouraninois, appears many other times in the NT, e.g., 1 Corinthians 15:49, Hebrews 3:1, Hebrews 6:4, Hebrews 11:16, 1 Corinthians 15:40, Philippians 2:10, Hebrews 8:5. As I understand it, in all these cases the Greek is Genitive and this denotes origin or character. In the 5 occurrences in Eph and Hebrews 12:22 (heavenly Jerusalem), it is Dative, which denotes location. It is called the "heaven of heavens" in Deuteronomy 10:14, 1 Kings 8:27 and several other places in the OT.

Here are the 5 occurrences in Ephesians:

(1) Ephesians 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ From this, we see that whoever Paul is talking to in Eph, they are blessed with every blessing that is spiritual. Where? In heavenly places.
(2) Ephesians 1:20, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Here we find that Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father. Where? In heavenly places.
(3) Ephesians 2:6, And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Judically, we have been raised and made to sit together with Jesus Christ. Where? In heavenly places.
(4) Ephesians 3:10, To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God Evidently, there are other good creatures already in the heavenly places.
(5) Ephesians 6:12, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Satan must also have some of his minions in heavenly places. Of course, when God repairs the rent to the fabric of the entire universe which was made by Satan and, when God becomes All in All, these evil creatures will be no more.

Some other verses that refer this same heavenly places. Ephesians 4:10, where Christ has ascended "far above all heavens". Colossians 3:1-4, where we are told NOT to think about the things of the earth (Kingdom of Heaven, New Jerusalem, and other Jewish things?). In Colossians 3:4, we see that when Christ appears, we shall appear with him (our rapture?). Where? In Glory. In Psalms 8:1 and other places, we find that Glory is located above the heavens.

Another blessed truth is in Ephesians 1:4, According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: The people in Ephesians are the only human believers said to be chosen BEFORE the foundation of the world. All others were FROM (since) the foundation of the world or beginning - see 2 Thessalonians 2:13.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. When I saw all of this 30 years ago, I had to become an Acts 28 dispensationalist. No other choice. It is the apex of the mountain of Biblical truth believed by the various schools of Christian believers. Nothing is higher than Acts 28:28 dispensationalism, mainly because it's the only one to see the previously unknown calling for everyone in Paul's post-Acts epistles.

There is more unity among Acts 28 people than with any other group I know of. The only split I know of was over "who" was in the Body of Christ where Christ is the Head (head includes the ears, nose, eyes, etc), with a calling of residing far above all heavens, where Christ now sits at the right hand of God. Some say that all of today's believers will, whether they saw the truth in Paul's last 7 epistles, or not. Others (the majority, I think) say that you have to see it to get it. I tend to agree with the latter. Why else would Paul's goal be to "make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ"? Ephesians 3:9. THE MYSTERY was not hid in the scriptures of the prophets like the mystery of Romans 16:25-26. It didn't exist anywhere until after Acts 28:28. Almost everything in Paul's last 7 epistles make up THE MYSTERY.

So, are you going to keep piddling around with all this Jewish stuff in Acts or would you rather have the "better resurrection" that is available to those who see the truths of Paul's last 7 books?

The last shall be first and the first shall be last is how I see it

Just about every important Acts 28:28 book written is available as a free pdf download at:
http://www.charleswelch.net/books.htm

 

[Job8]

Just about every important Acts 28:28 book written is available as a free pdf

The only thing stated in Acts 28:28 is that Paul has turned away from unbelieving Jews to focus on bringing the Gentiles into the salvation of God. So what? When you go through Romans 9-11 it becomes crystal clear that during the Church Age Jews will be blinded (in general) to the Gospel. However after the Church has been completed ("the fulness of the Gentiles be come in") God will resume His direct dealings with Israel and a redeemed and restored kingdom of Israel will be established during the Millennium

 

[Danoh]

The only thing stated in Acts 28:28 is that Paul has turned away from unbelieving Jews to focus on bringing the Gentiles into the salvation of God. So what? When you go through Romans 9-11 it becomes crystal clear that during the Church Age Jews will be blinded (in general) to the Gospel. However after the Church has been completed ("the fulness of the Gentiles be come in") God will resume His direct dealings with Israel and a redeemed and restored kingdom of Israel will be established during the Millennium

Though I hold to A9D, at the same time, just a short while after Acts 28; God allowed Rome to begin its eventual complete leveling of Jerusalem; kill millions of Jews; enslave many, and use profits from the Temple to build Rome's infamous Colloseum using Hebrew slaves among others.

Thus, what was actually the Apostle Paul's third pronouncement in Acts 28 (see also Acts 13 and Acts 18) that God had TEMPORARILY turned from Israel (Rom. 11:25-29) was far more than Paul's turning his focus to the Gentiles

The Acts 28er sees that as having happened at Acts 28:28.

I don't I see it took place in Acts 7:51, see Romans 1-3.

Paul was then dealing with Israel, not in their one nation under God status, but as individuals, now that their nation had been TEMPORARILY concluded in spiritual UNcircumcision, or "under sin" with the Gentiles; just one more "heathen" people in need of Paul's "gospel of the UNcircumcision" Gal. 2:7-9.

 

[ac28]

Though I hold to A9D, at the same time, just a short while after Acts 28; God allowed Rome to begin its eventual complete leveling of Jerusalem; kill millions of Jews; enslave many, and use profits from the Temple to build Rome's infamous Colloseum using Hebrew slaves among others.

Thus, what was actually the Apostle Paul's third pronouncement in Acts 28 (see also Acts 13 and Acts 18) that God had TEMPORARILY turned from Israel (Rom. 11:25-29) was far more than Paul's turning his focus to the Gentiles

The Acts 28er sees that as having happened at Acts 28:28.

I don't I see it took place in Acts 7:51, see Romans 1-3.

Paul was then dealing with Israel, not in their one nation under God status, but as individuals, now that their nation had been TEMPORARILY concluded in spiritual UNcircumcision, or "under sin" with the Gentiles; just one more "heathen" people in need of Paul's "gospel of the UNcircumcision" Gal. 2:7-9.

I see not even a hint of Israel being set aside in Acts of the apostles 7:51 or Romans 1-3. We see that Israel was bad news, yes, but set aside, no.

Until Acts 28:28, all saved Gentiles were a part of Israel, grafted into the olive tree. The curse/warning directly from Jehovah to Israel in Isaiah 6 was pronounced to the Pharisees in the Acts of the apostles 28:25, for the 7th and last time (7 is the number of completion) that it appears in the Bible. Isaiah 6:9-10, Matthew 13:14, Mark 4:12, Luke 8:10, John 12:40, Romans 11:8, Acts of the Apostles 28:25-27. If Israel had already been set aside why would Paul still be preaching to the Jews and why would he have quoted Isa 6. Immediately after pronouncing Isa 6 in Acts, Paul says in Acts 28:28: Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it (what is that "therefore" there for?) At this point, Israel ceased to exist as a nation, saved Gentiles are no longer tied to Israel, and, starting in Ephesians, we find that they had a new hope previously unknown as a hope in all of scripture, which is far above all heavens.

I admit that Israel was losing ground during the later part of Acts especially. However, they were not fully set aside until the final utterance of Isa 6:9-10 and, as a result, Paul's statement in Acts of the Apostles 28:28.

Until Acts 28:28:
(1) Israel were still God's people.
(2) All saved Gentiles were still grafted into the olive tree, which is Israel.
(3) Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles was still preaching to the Jew first and primarily to the Pharisees, the spiritual leaders of Israel. Had the Sanhedrin accepted Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, the nation would have followed suit, the Day of the Lord would have started, Christ would have returned, and the present 2000 years would not have happened, at least not the same way. There is never a plan B. In God's infinite foreknowledge, it always comes out 100% the way He designed it.
(4) The final hope of those Jews and Gentiles that believed in Christ during Acts was the New Jerusalem, that Jewish city with 12 gates named after the 12 sons of Jacob and foundations named after the 12 Jewish apostles.
(5) The 4 ordinances imposed on saved Gentiles were still in play. We are told in a round about way that these were eliminated in Paul's post-Acts epistles. 1 Timothy 4:3 and Colossians 2:16

To me, it would take a lot of scripture manipulation to say that Israel was set aside earlier than this and that the Body of Christ, of which Christ is the Head, started before Acts 28:28. In reading the last part of Acts 28, it is so very obvious that this was the crisis point where everything changed abruptly and powerfully. When Paul pronounced Isaiah 6:9-10 for the 7th and last time in the Bible, Israel as a nation became history (temporarily).