The Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 "Moreover, brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;" "By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;" "And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

 

Justification

Romans 3:23-27 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory God;" "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;" " Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." " Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of law faith."

Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

 

 

 

 

 

How to be saved?
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Romans 3:24 – “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 6:14 – “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

Romans 10:9-11 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." " For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." 

Baptism
Romans 6:3-4
" Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

 

Colossians 2:12 "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."

1 Peter 3:21
" The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:"
 

Baptism does not save a person or wash away sins. Instead, it is an outward symbol of the salvation that has already taken place through faith. First Peter 3:21 tells us it gives us good conscience meaning, it gives us reinsurance knowing that we are saved.

Repentance

Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Acts 3:19 – “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” 

True repentance is to feel sorrowful, and turn from your unbelief, and trust the gospel.

Websters 1828:

REPENT'ANCE, noun

1. Sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct.

2. In theology, the pain, regret or affliction which a person feels on account of his past conduct, because it exposes him to punishment. This sorrow proceeding merely from the fear of punishment, is called legal repentance as being excited by the terrors of legal penalties, and it may exist without an amendment of life.

3. Real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical repentance and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life.

Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God.

Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. 2 Corinthians 7:9. Matthew 3:8.

Repentance is the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it has offended God.

 

Rapture

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed," "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ," "Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."

John 14:2

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

John 14:3
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

Matthew 24:27
"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." 

Matthew 24:36
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." 

Matthew 24:44
"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

Matthew 25:13
"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

Luke 12:40
"Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not."

Revelation 22:12
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

So we have a better understanding. Let's have a look at the Jewish wedding customs.
 
The 7 steps of the ancient Jewish wedding
 
step 1: The Covenant and Price (Betrothal) The groom traveled from his father's house to the home of the bride. He negotiated a purchase price (mohar) to secure her, and a legal covenant was established. The parallel: Jesus left His Father’s house (Heaven) and came to earth to purchase His bride (the Church). The price He paid was His own blood (1 Corinthians 6:20).
 
Step 2: The Cup of acceptance to seal the covenant, the groom poured a cup of wine. If the bride drank from it, she accepted the proposal. They were now legally married, but they did not live together yet. The Parallel: at the last supper, Jesus passed the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you." (Luke 22:20). Christians accept this covenant when they partake in communion.
 
Step 3: The groom departs to prepare a place after the covenant was sealed, the groom returned to his father's house. He spent months building a private bridal chamber—often a new room built directly onto the father’s house. The parallel: right after the last supper, Jesus told His disciples: "In My Father’s house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2).
 
Step 4: The bride waits and watches while the groom was away, the bride did not know the exact day or hour he would return, as only the groom's father could decide when the building was complete. The bride remained faithful, wore a veil when out in public to show she was spoken for, and kept an oil lamp ready in case he arrived at night. The parallel: the church is commanded to stay spiritually alert, holy, and faithful, waiting for a return where "no one knows the day or hour... but only the Father" (Matthew 24:36).
 
Step 5: The abduction (The Catching Up) when the father gave the word, the groom and his best man would travel to the bride's house, usually at night. As they approached, a shout went out and a ram's horn (shofar) was blown. The groom would literally "snatch away" his bride, lifting her up to take her back to his father's home. The parallel: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says Jesus will descend "with a shout... and with the trumpet of God," and believers will be "caught up" (translated in Latin as rapturo, where we get the word "Rapture") to meet him.
 
Step 6: The seven days in the bridal chamber upon arriving at the father's house, the bride and groom entered the bridal chamber. The door was shut. They consummated the marriage and stayed hidden away inside that room for seven full days. The parallel: proponents of this view believe that while the earth undergoes seven years of tribulation (based on the "seventieth week" of Daniel 9), the Church is safely hidden away inside the Father's house in heaven.
 
Step 7: The public feast and feast presentation after the seven days, the groom emerged from the chamber with his bride, lifting her veil so everyone could see her face. A massive public wedding feast (Chuppah) was thrown, and the couple began reigning over their new life together. The parallel: At the end of the tribulation, Jesus returns physically to the earth (the second coming), and Revelation 19 depicts the bride returning with him, clothed in white linen, to celebrate the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb" and rule on earth.
 
 
 

 

Dispensations

1. Innocence timeframe: from the creation of Adam and Eve to the fall. Setting: The garden of Eden. Responsibility: to tend the garden and abstain from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Failure/End: Adam and Eve disobeyed God, resulting in expulsion from paradise.

2. Conscience (Moral Responsibility) Timeframe: from the fall of man until the great flood. Responsibility: To follow an internal moral compass and do good while avoiding evil. Failure/End: wickedness filled the earth, leading God to judge humanity with the worldwide flood of Noah's time.

3. Human government timeframe: from the flood until the call of Abraham (and the Tower of Babel). Responsibility: to preserve human life and institute civil order, including the rule of capital punishment for murder. Failure/End: humanity rebelled against God's command to scatter and built the Tower of Babel, prompting God to confuse their languages.

4. Promise timeframe: from the call of Abraham to the giving of the Law under Moses. Responsibility: to believe God's unconditional promises and live in the land of Canaan. Failure/End: The patriarchs and their descendants struggled with faith and eventually wound up enslaved in Egypt.

5. Law timeframe: from Mount Sinai to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Pentecost). Responsibility: To obey the comprehensive Mosaic Law given to the nation of Israel. Failure/End: Israel repeatedly failed to keep the law and rejected their Messiah, culminating in the crucifixion.

6. Grace (The Church Age) timeframe: From the day of Pentecost until the Rapture of believers. Responsibility: to accept salvation freely offered through faith in Jesus Christ. Failure/End: The current era is marked by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and will close with a period of tribulation.

7. The Kingdom (Millennium) Timeframe: A future 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth. Responsibility: To submit to the direct, physical rule of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem. Failure/End: Satan is bound and released, leading to a final rebellion, the final judgment, and the creation of the new heaven and new earth.

Salvation has always been by grace through faith in every dispensation, meaning God's method of saving people has never changed from works or law.

Genesis 15:6 – "And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

Romans 4:3 – "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

Habakkuk 2:4 – "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith."

Hebrews 11:6 – "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

     

     

    Church

    The Mission of the Church

    Matthew 28:19–20 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." 

    Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

    Matthew 5:14–16 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

    Christ's Love for the Church

    Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."

    Ephesians 5:27 "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

      Qualifications for Leaders

      1 Timothy 3:1–2 "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;"

      1 Timothy 3:8 "Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;"

      Titus 1:5–6 Titus was left in Crete to ordain elders in every city, selecting men who are blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly."

      Responsibilities of Leaders

      Acts 20:28 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."

      1 Peter 5:2–3 "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."

      The Congregation's Response to Leadership

      Hebrews 13:17 "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."

      1 Timothy 5:17 "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine."

      Expressing Brotherly Love

      Hebrews 13:1 "Let brotherly love continue."

      1 Peter 3:8 "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous."

      1 Thessalonians 4:9 "But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another."

      Edification and Peaceful Living

      1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."

      Romans 14:19 "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."

      Romans 15:7 "Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God."

      True Charity

      1 Corinthians 16:14 "Let all your things be done with charity."

      1 Peter 4:8 "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."

      Colossians 3:14 "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."

      Restoring with Meekness and Compassion

      Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an honourable one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."

      Jude 1:22–23 "And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh."

      2 Thessalonians 3:15 "Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother."

         

         

           

           

             

             

               

               

               

               

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 

                Israel

                Genesis 15:18 "In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:"

                Exodus 23:31 "And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee."

                Psalm 122:2, 6 "Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem." "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee."

                Isaiah 45:17 "But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end."

                Romans 11:1-5 "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." "God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying," "Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life." "But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace."

                Romans 11:26 "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:"

                Revelation 7:4 "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."

                Revelation 14:5 "And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."

                John 1:47 "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"

                Psalm 32:2 "Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."