PAUL’S GOSPEL TEACHING:
IT STANDS ON ITS OWN!
PAUL’S GOSPEL TEACHING:
IT STANDS ON
ITS OWN AND IS ENTIRELY
COMPLETE REGARDING
OUR SALVATION BY FAITH!
JAN LILLEBY
And Paul’s Gospel is found only in Ephesians and Colossians.
These two epistles are the only writings after the closing of Acts 28, which contains Doctrine of Faith for the Church, the ‘One new Man’ in Eph. 2:14, 15. Its reveals to us that Christ killed the Law of Moses on the cross, - thus creating the two – Jews and Gentiles (by faith) into that ‘One new Man’ – the Church. (But this was kept secret during Acts period, so that the believers are seen keeping the Law).
Philemon is also written after Acts 28, but has no direct Doctrine of Faith.
The Church did not become a reality before Paul was having the revelation of the Mystery, as we read Eph. 3:3, NASB,
“..that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.”
This was written in 63-64 CE as Paul sat in jail in Rome.
Our salvation by faith is ENTIRELY BASED on the revelation which was entrusted to Paul, Christ’s Apostle to the Gentiles.
Put shortly: This salvation by faith according to the revelation of the Mystery, is in no way affiliated with any other Scriptures in the Bible Canon, whatsoever.
It was hidden in God since before the creation of the world, and no one had any idea of this, until Paul was told by Christ in 63-64 CE!
THIS PAULINE REVELATION HAS NO TIES
TO ANY OTHER REVELATION WRITTEN IN THE BIBLE
Also in this regard I find that great parts of Christianity are in confusion.
They read of God’s judgements and interventions in the Book of Revelation, and confuse what is written there with what is written to the Church, the ‘One new Man’ according to Paul.
Let me tell you right away, NOTHING FOUND IN REVELATION BOOK CONCERNS THE CHURCH.
Rev. 20:12-15, NASB, speaks of the dead taken back from the sea, and from graves and so forth. But those are people who died without faith in Christ or God, and it is NOT people from this side of the Millennia, but they are found as unbelievers IN SPITE of them having seen and heard Christ during the time of the Millennia. So they are judged accordingly. But nothing of this teaching/revelation given to John applies to us who lives or dies this side of the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus. It goes,
“12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Jesus, as He reigns in the Millennial kingdom (1000 years, see Rev. 20:4), will establish a NEW LAW according to Is. 2 and it will implicate among other details, that people living sinfully and in disbelief in Jesus, will have a punishment such as we read above, being thrown into the Lake of fire.
Notice: The Revelation Book does not say here everlasting fire and torment. The death and Hades – it says – will itself be cast into this lake. So it is rather a description of annihilation…to become non-existent. Thus the Bible word that…the DEAD KNOWS NOTHING…are proven true, even logic.
WHAT OF THE UNSAVED ONES THIS SIDE OF
THE MILLENNIA?
Here we have the ‘Million-Dollar’ question, to some.
People who dies without having believed on Jesus during the dispensation of the Church, will NOT be taken back from the dead to be investigated and having their lives checked whether they had done good or bad. (Like we read from Rev. 20:12-15).
These unsaved dead people will simply be let alone, in everlasting death and not resurrected in any manner. They are gone forever, and they will NOT end up in any horrific burning torment in fire or such.
We cannot find any such teaching (of punishment and torment) in Paul’s two Church epistles. There simply exist no such punishments from God and Christ. Paul has the final word in this matter. Saved ones go to heaven, and unsaved ones go into everlasting death…into a non-existing status, as if they never were born. The dead knows nothing, Ecc. 9:5, 6, NASB,
“5 For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.
6 Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.”
King Solomon lived 848 – 796 BCE, and died at the age of 52. He ruled as king for 40 years. He lived thus UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES.
And one cannot find anything in the Tora or in writings of other prophets, including King Solomon, which teaches eternal punishment in tormenting fire and such. Solomon taught that which I quoted above. If one is dead (and unsaved) they can no longer feel anything or having a ‘life-after-death’ or things that fits fine with the occult and with Spiritism. There is no ‘automatic life’ after death.
But when Jesus Christ has come back to reign in His kingdom in Israel, that will certainly change the game what concerns punishment and rewards.
My best tips to other preachers will be: Do not confuse the Church dispensation with that of Acts era, nor that of the coming millennial kingdom of Christ on earth. And do not try to drag Revelation Book into Paul’s Gospel, written in Ephesians and Colossians. Nothing inside the Revelation Book has anything to do with us, the Body of Christ. Paul’s teaching in the two epistles to the Church, stands on its own and are in no need for any support from other Scriptures.
Paul’s own words in this matter are clear, Col. 1:25-27, NASB,
“25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,
26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,
27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Paul explicitly wrote that he had made the WORD OF GOD (to the Church) FULLY KNOWN TO THEM, verse 25. Paul gave us a COMPLETE teaching, a non-negotiable Doctrine of Faith, which we, the Church, has to observe. We are in no need for other kind of Bible doctrine regarding our salvation. Paul gave it all to us, and there is nothing missing.
We are already POSISSIONED IN HEAVEN WITH CHRIST, and given ALL spiritual blessings with Him. We died with Christ, and thus we are hidden with Christ in God (Col.3:1-4; Eph. 1:3-6; 2:5).
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