For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy 4:3-4
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
Christian’s responsibility is clear: We are to learn God’s truth by searching God’s Word. We must carefully evaluate every teaching according to God’s unfailing standard. What passes the test is sound doctrine, and what fails the test is false doctrine.
Having no concern with consistency in biblical doctrine, hyper-dispensationalists teach there are different ways of salvation. Some dispensationalist spokesmen continued to hold to this heresy.
E. W. Bullinger, Sir Robert Anderson, and Charles Welch were among the leading hyper-dispensationalist teachers of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Men such as J. C. O’Hair, Charles F. Baker, and C. R. Stam continued to promulgate the two-gospels view later in the 20th century.
In the 21st century, Arnold Murray, Les Feldick, Peter Ruckman, and Geoffrey Grider, to name just a few, are the leading proponents of these heretical views. Present-day advocates of these teachings generally refer to themselves as members of the deceptively-named “Grace Gospel Movement.” Hundreds of churches in the United States and other parts of the world now identify with it.
Christians who are true to the Word of God must mark and avoid these wolves in sheeps clothing, who take the Bible and use it for their own agenda.
Peter Ruckman and Geoffrey Grider teach more than two gospels.
Ruckman’s teaching of six different plans of salvation in the Book of Acts alone: “The book of Acts consistently presents the same keys, the same plan of salvation. It does if you are as blind as blind Bartimaeus on a weekend drunk—just as blind as a bat backing into a blizzard. There are SIX “plans of salvation” in the book of Acts, as God continued to reveal more light on “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) (which was not revealed to Peter; it was revealed to Paul—Gal. 1, 2). Peter himself testifies to Paul’s “plan of salvation” in Acts 15:11. Read it. I said, “Read it.” Read it or shut your big, tongue-wagging blabber mouth.”
Salvation by repentance and water baptism with NO tongues as evidence in a single convert (Acts 2:38).
Salvation by belief and water baptism without any convert speaking in tongues (Acts 8:12).
Salvation by grace through faith before water baptism or tongues (Acts 10:44).
Salvation by grace through faith after water baptism (Acts 19:2–6).
Salvation by belief and baptism without getting the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:16).
Salvation by grace through faith without tongues or water baptism (Acts 8:37) and without tongues or laying on of hands (Acts 8:38).” (Bible Believers’ Bulletin January. 2007, p. 16)
“Tribulation saints is faith plus works and the plan of salvation in the Millennium is works alone: Before the Rapture, you could have been saved by gracee through faith plus nothing (Ephesians 2:8-9), but one minute after the Rapture took place you must get out the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule and start learning them, because you’re going to be judged by them (Matthew 25:31-46).” (Peter Ruckman, Millions Disappear. 1989, p. 23)
“ALL THE GOSPELS FROM EVERY DISPENSATION AS LISTED IN YOUR KING JAMES BIBLE FROM GENESIS 1 TO REVELATION 2
The idea that there is only ‘one gospel’ is categorically false, and worse than that, it will lead you to errors large and small whenever and wherever you open the Book.
One of the things in the Bible that can trip up even the more mature Christian is understanding that the gospel that saved your soul in the Church Age, the gospel of the grace of God, is the very same thing that can damn your soul in the time of Jacob’s trouble. Is that shocking to you? Does it sound like heresy? How about this one, Paul’s gospel is not the only gospel in the Bible, far from it…” Geoffrey Grider, NTEB Radio Bible Study, November 3, 2021.
The idea that the church Jesus founded, and that was inaugurated at the day of Pentecost, is different to what Paul established is absolute heresy. To even suggest that when Jesus said “I will build my church”, he meant a temporary, Jewish only church is to put it kindly, ridiculous. The Lord’s very statement that “…the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” Matthew 16:18 is a clear statement of permanence – He was not building something temporary and inferior that would be replaced by something more superior, not built by the Lord Himself, but by a man!
To say there are different gospels would be to say that there is more than one way to the one true God, the living Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Gospel, the Good News, and the only way to God.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:6-9
Where Did The Old Testament Saints Go After Death?
“Abraham’s Bosom
Before Jesus died on the cross and opened the gates of Heaven, where did people go when they died? What is Abraham’s Bosom?”
As it s only by Jesus’ finished work on the cross that anyone, in any time period, goes to Heaven. That includes Old Testament saints. They did not go to Heaven when they died, because Jesus had not come to earth and lived the life we could not live and died the death we should have died. His work, alone, opened the way to the Father in Heaven.
Old Testament Salvation
While people in the Old Testament were saved by the grace of God when they trusted in Him, their sins were not yet washed away (atoned for) by the blood of Jesus. After God delivered His people from Egypt, and when He first set them on a journey to their inheritance in the Promised Land, He gave them a system of animal sacrifice to be a blood offering to cover their sins. However, the blood of an animal could never fully atone for the sins of man, and the works of man (including sacrificial works) could never fully satisfy God. Therefore, it was necessary that a day would come when God would send His Son, to be incarnated as a man, to live a pure and sinless life, and to die as the perfect Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
In the wilderness God had told His people that the life of man is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11) and therefore only by the blood of a man could the wrath of God’s judgment of sin be satisfied and the penalty for sin be paid. And, it had to be pure, sinless blood. Only Jesus could be that sacrifice and so He laid down His life in submission to His Father’s will and His blood was acceptable in God’s sight.
So where did Old Testament saints go before Jesus’ finished work?
We know that only Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life” and that “no man cometh unto the Father, but by [Jesus].” (John 14:6) Prior to Jesus’ atonement, the way to the Father was not open. Therefore, Old Testament saints went to a place called Abraham’s Bosom.
In Luke 16, Jesus describes two distinctly different places, where man’s soul went at death:
the place of comfort called Abraham’s Bosom and
the place of torment that we refer to as Hell.
1) Abraham’s Bosom Was Not Heaven.
Heaven is defined as the place where God dwells. Geographically we think of it as being “up above,” beyond the heaven that we see, the one in which birds and airplanes fly. The place where God dwells is even beyond the heavens in which the sun, moon, and stars exist. God’s dwelling place is considered to be the highest of heavens (Luke 19:38), the “Heaven of heavens” (Deuteronomy 10:14, 1 Kings 8:27) and is referred to in the Bible as the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2).
Where was Abraham’s Bosom?
Abraham’s Bosom was located “down below” the heavens in the depths of the earth. Jesus referred to it as the “heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40) and it was the abode of the righteous dead prior to Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus also referred to this place as “paradise,” when He promised the thief on the cross next to Him that he would be with Him that same day, in paradise. (Luke 23:43)
What was Abraham’s Bosom?
Abraham’s Bosom was a place of comfort and it was a place of waiting. The sins of Old Testament saints were remitted by the Levitical system of atonement using the blood of animals. Since this was not sufficient to completely atone for sins, those who died in faith went to Abraham’s Bosom and waited until the time their sins would be paid for completely. They waited for the promised Seed, the Rescuer, the One who was promised in the Garden (Genesis 3:15, Galatians 4:4) to their father Abraham (Genesis 22:17-18, Galatians 3:16) and promised again to their most exalted earthly King, King David (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Acts 13:21-23).
When Jesus offered Himself in payment for the penalty of man’s sins, His shed blood made the complete and final atonement for sins. And, when Jesus ascended into Heaven, He led the Old Testament saints from Abraham’s Bosom to their new dwelling place with Him (Ephesians 4:8) in the Heaven of heavens.
2) The Other Place
Since the time of Jesus’ ascension, there now only remains the place of torment within the earth. We call this place “hell,” which is a translation of the Hebrew word “sheol” (meaning the world of the dead, the grave or the pit) and the Greek word “Hades” (meaning the place of departed souls, the grave). Remember, prior to Jesus’ ascension into Heaven both Abraham’s Bosom and the place of torment existed in the earth as the place of the dead. Since Jesus’ ascension, only one place remains Hell. That is why, when we refer to Hell now, we are referring to the place of torment only.
The place of torment is similar to Abraham’s Bosom in that it is a temporary abode for the unrighteous dead (Abraham’s Bosom was the temporary abode for the righteous dead until the saints were fully redeemed). In the place of torment, the unrighteous await a final judgment that is yet to come, which is referred to as the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20:11-15. At that time, all the souls in the place of torment will be bodily raised and judged. They will go to their eternal destination, which the Bible calls the Lake of Fire (Revelations 20:15). The Lake of Fire is certainly not a place of comfort and rest.
Fatherly Comfort
In Abraham’s Bosom, the Old Testament saints were comforted by Father Abraham, but now they are in the comfort and rest of God the Father—the God whom the Old Testament saints knew as the God of their forefathers. Heaven is the eternal resting place of all who die in faith, having had their sins forgiven and washed away by the blood of Jesus. The Old Testament saints awaited Jesus’ atonement and then were taken there. New Testament saints, those who live in the age of the Christian Church go immediately to be with Jesus in Heaven. (2 Corinthians 5:8) at the time of death.” (S. Abbott, Reasons for Hope)
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
1 Peter 1:18-19
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21
In a world full of treachery, lies and deceit it is comforting to meditate on Jesus Christ’s answer to Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” Jesus gave the solution to Pilate’s question in fact before the words even came out of the Roman leader’s mouth. Pilate just refused to hear what Jesus told him. Quoting from John 18:37, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” All who hearken to Christ’s Words will be led to the truth of Life and will receive His promise of salvation and deliverance from the wrath which is soon to come. If you have not turned to the Living Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins (for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23), repent (godly sorrow) and put your complete faith in ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life,” who paid for the sins of the world by His atoning blood sacrifice when He was pierced upon the cross – the Risen Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).”
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