Chette
I really don't care what you label yourself, hyper, ultra, or just dispensationalists, whatever you want to call yourself. You and others teach there is more than one gospel, and I disagree with this completely and so does Ruckman. I am not a follower of Peter Ruckman, I know very little about him and have only read just a few articles by him since I came to this forum. But I can read, and I have been studying this subject very carefully, and the scriptures tell me there is only one gospel as Ruckman also says.
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
I think these verses are very clear, and easily understood. Paul is saying there is one gospel, and one gospel only. And he warns those who would pervert this. I don't know about you, but I would be terrified to dare teach another gospel.
And I have already shown that Peter was not teaching the restoration of the kingdom to Israel if the Jews repented of killing Jesus. You have not one verse in the book of Acts to support your view. The only verse that could possibly be perceived this way is Acts 3:20. And it is a stretch to do so.
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;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
First, Peter says to repent "that your sins may be blotted out" and does not mention the restoration of the kingdom. Second, yes, he does say Jesus will return, but this is the same message that all Christians have. We today await Jesus's return. But note that the heaven must receive Jesus until the "times" of restitution of all things. This shows that at least two ages or times must take place before Jesus would return. So Peter could not have been promising the immediate return of Jesus if the Jews repented of killing Jesus.
And in Acts 11 Peter confirms that the Gentiles were hearing the same gospel as the Jews in the early chapters of Acts.
Acts 11:17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Here Peter says these Gentiles received the Holy Ghost just as they did on the Day of Pentacost. And these Gentiles received the Holy Ghost by hearing, not baptism. And note in verse 19 that the Gentiles ALSO were granted repentance unto life.
Not one mention here of the restoration of the kingdom. But Peter does mention believeing on Jesus (repentance) to the receiving of everlasting life.
Chette, the trouble with this dispensationalism is that it gives you a pre-determinded bias before you read scripture. So instead of clearly and simply understanding what the scriptures say, you try to interpret them to fit your preconceived bias. And in this case, you have come up with another gospel that is never mentioned in Acts. In fact, the word "gospel" does not even occur in Acts until chapter 8 when Peter and John preach to the Samaritans.
Acts 8:25 And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
This is the first mention of the gospel in Acts. It is not about the restoration of the kingdom, and it is not even to the Jews.
I think you should heed the warning of Paul not to preach another gospel.
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