Jesus said, "I spoke openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, where the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing" John 18:20

There is something about the Bible that is often overlooked among otherwise biblically astute believers. It certainly alluded me for the longest time. And that is the fact that God's Words is very straightforward.

Our Lord's words -and the teaching of the apostles - point to a certain simplicity and straightforwardness that is so intense (by comparison to our modern Christian environment) that we overlook it. We are trained to see hidden programs, 70 "weeks" that are not really consecutive, whole kingdoms (Millennium) that are darkly hinted at. We are taught about prophets of the OT who couldn't see the intervening "valley" of the church age as they gazed from the promise to the endtime Kingdom.

The straightforwardness of Christ's teaching is quite simple:
* What we (elect believers) are taught we are to go and teach others, making disciples. (Matt. 28)

* As we do this, Christ will be with us - even to the end of the age. No room for a supposed plan B (National Israel and Tribulation saints). When He comes, it is over - OVER.

* When He comes, it will be to reward the righteous and punish the wicked (those who don't know God & those who don't obey the gospel - 2nd Thes. 1:6- 10).

* But the Kingdom already, in a very real sense, starts in the time of the Christ's Incarnation and ministry (Luke 10:9). He also said that "The kingdom is among us" and "does not come with observation". Paul says that the kingdom does not consist of "eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit". Rom. 14:17

The confused teaching of modern Dispensationalists has muddied all of this. They have muddied the clear water with their clumsy dispensational dividing of the simplicity of God's truth. Seeing double, they teach double. They very often fault other teachers for "not rightly dividing the word", but what they mean is "not seeing things double"! One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism! - Eph 4:5-6 - One God and Father of all (Jew and Gentile). All dispensationalists need to see that that wall went down (Eph 2:14) when our Lord was crucified, when He rose again for our justification, when he openly made fools and mocking display of principalities and powerless powers. These are all things that should be front and center in our preaching of Christ, not this weird halfway-house sort of heaven that is the Millennium. But the Bible teaches that everyone who has, or will have at any time future any saving faith (Jew or gentile) is part of our one and only household of the people of God. There are no two people of God. Scripture is straightforward about this.

There are other things that are just as plain in Scripture:
* We have faith in Christ because God chose to give us that faith (Eph 2:8- 10).
* But there are some who are not given this faith (2nd Thess. 3:2).

* We come to the Son because the Father has given us to the Son. (John 6:37)
* But there are many who never come, cannot come, because the Father never gave them.

* We believe savingly because we are sheep, having been chosen by God. (John 10:26- 27)
* Some don't believe because they are not sheep but goats. It isn't our doing at all - or our foreseen supposed ability to do - but God's sovereign decision to choose some and not others.

* God loves some (Heb 12:6- 8), the Son prays for some (only those who were given to Him, John 17:9 with 6:37).
* He doesn't love others (Heb 12:6- 8) and doesn't pray for others ("I do not pray for the world" - John 17:9).

These are all awesome truths.
For awhile I was successful in keeping them compartmentalized: Eschatology versus soteriology ("study of salvation"). But, more and more, the second is swallowing up the first. It seems now that it is all about salvation, eschatology is a mere subtopic in that main theme of our salvation in Christ. The breadth and depth and height of that calling in Christ swallows up all that.