Basics to Bible Understanding

 ​​ ​​​​ The greatest fact that I know is that God has spoken! ​​ Thus making Himself known. There​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ was no reason for Him to do so; He did not have to. No necessity was laid upon Him: He​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ was not compelled to do so. Oh, what grace!​​ 


 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ All that He has said that He wants us to know is found in His written Word. All that He​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ spoke to His creatures is not recorded, but all that we need to know is. The great problem​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ in understanding​​ what He has said is found in the fact that people attempt to reason from​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ the particular to the general. The foundational principle in the science of logic, which will​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ meet all difficulties, is this: “We cannot reason from the particular to the general.” The​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ violation of this principle of logic is the root cause for men to misunderstand and misapply​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ what God has said.

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 
 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ Confusion results from looking at particular passages of Scripture and attempting to​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ generalize God’s purpose and plan for all time. His speaking should be looked at from the​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ general and then reasoned to the particular.

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 
 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ ​​ It is by faith in what God has spoken that we understand that the ages were adjusted and​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ administered by Him, so that what is seen by​​ the naked eye is not the result of what​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ appears on the surface and cannot be judged or explained by the outward appearance.​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ In plainer words, “things are not always what they seem to be.”

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 
 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ He has made known through His Word the things from which history springs in order that​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ we may know some of the things pertaining to the ages and dispensations, as they​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ succeed each other. Thereby, we can learn to understand something of His principles of​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ administration suited for each age and​​ dispensation.


 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ GOD HATH SPOKEN ​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ DIRECTLY HIMSELF - There was a time when He spoke directly to individual men. He​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ spoke directly to individuals, such as Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Moses. The​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ book of Genesis tells us what He said to​​ individuals as He spoke directly.  ​​ ​​​​ 

 

 ​​ ​​​​ ​​ BY THE PROPHETS - From Exodus thru Malachi up to Matthew 1:1-3:12 we notice what​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ God spoke to the fathers of the Hebrews. However, He spoke to “the fathers” by THE​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ PROPHETS of Israel (Hebrews 1:1). The great fact is that He chose to speak to the​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ ancestors of the Hebrews by the prophets – not by the priest. The prophets spoke to the​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ Hebrews, not to the Gentiles. What God spoke by the prophets, from Moses to John the​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ Baptist, was confined to​​ Israel. Dr. Bullinger well said, “If we read that people and those​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ principles of administration into this dispensation, we are taking what God spake by the​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ prophets to and concerning the fathers and read them as though they were to and about​​ 

 ​​ ​​​​ ​​ ourselves, the result: CONFUSION.”

 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ BY HIS SON - After God spoke by the prophets He spoke again, in “these last days”

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ (Hebrews 1:2). Not the last days in which we live, but in the days of that dispensation. The​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ speaking BY HIS SON was “unto us” Hebrews, not us Gentiles. The Son’s words were not​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ His words but the Fathers (John 7:16; 8:28; 8:46-47; 12:49; 14:10: 24; 17:8). He only​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ “began (Acts 1:1) this wondrous speaking which ended in His death. What the Son spoke​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ is recorded in​​ the Four Gospels. The Hebrews to whom He spoke rejected the Kingdom​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ and crucified their King.

 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ BY THEM THAT HEARD HIM- God continued speaking by them that had heard the Son​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ (Hebrews 2:3). The prophets had spoken “unto the fathers.” The Son had spoken “unto​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ us.” They that had heard Him “confirmed” what He had said “unto us,” i.e. to those​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ Hebrews to whom Paul was writing. Those could be none other than the Twelve. The​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ ministry of the Lord was carried on by them after the​​ Ascension. Paul, later in Acts, was​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ one who had heard the Son after the Ascension. The Acts, and the epistles of the Acts​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ period records what God spoke by them that had heard the Son. God speaking by them​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ ended at Acts 28:30.

 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ BY PAUL​​ THE PRISONER- After Acts God ceased speaking to the Hebrews and even the​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ Gentiles as they were associated with the Hebrews. He then spoke to Gentiles by Paul the​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ prisoner of Jesus Christ. Paul’s imprisonment was for the express purpose of God​​ 

 ​​​​  ​​​​ speaking to Gentiles ​​ apart from Israel. God’s eternal purpose, The Mystery, was revealed​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ to Paul the prisoner and is recorded in the prison epistles. Truth for today is bound up in​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ the testimony of the Lord’s prisoner.

 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ God speaks to us today, not audibly, but thru a form of sound words which is recorded in​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, I and II Timothy and Titus.

 

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