Mid Acts Dispensationalism, Pushed by Terry Mcclean, One of Its Chief Promoters, Relies

TERRY AND THEM ARE MAD! John 1:11, 12 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Mid Acts Dispensationalism makes a big ado about Gentile salvation versus Jewish salvation. They make their first huge mistake of not understanding that receiving Christ qualifies one to be a son of God or child of God BEFORE THE CROSS. MAD is a form of hyperdispensationalism, which is promoted by Terry McClean, one of its chief promoters, in his newsletter “McNuggets.” MAD relies heavily on the semi-silence of the Pre-Pauline scriptures in regard to Gentile salvation. MAD is really an extension of Cornelius Stam and Bullinger type Hyper-dispensationalism. Hyperdispensationalists are called by other names such as Bereans, Pauline Followers, Grace Believers, and Right Dividers. Much of Hyperdispensationalism rejects the Great commission, water baptism, and even the Lord’s Supper for this present dispensation and even tends to hold to dual churches in Acts, namely, the Jewish Church and the Gentile church, each with different plans of salvation for each church. Most Hyperdispensationalists teach that the Gentile Church must use only the Pauline epistles for doctrinal belief and practice. MAD gymnastics, in regard to the word “Gospel” or good news or glad tidings, forces multiple gospels and multiple plans of salvation not only into the O.T. but also into the four Gospels and Book of Acts per their Mid Acts Dispensational repertoire. Hyperdispensationalism, whether it starts with the church in Acts 2 (Pentecost), Acts 9, Acts 13, or Acts 28, is still Hyperdispensationalism. MAD totally ignores the successive and progressive revelation of the salvation theme throughout the scripture, old, new, and transitional, while rejecting the culmination of such biblical revelation in John the Baptist’s preaching the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the WORLD. Nevertheless, the Bible message of salvation winds its way through successive, progressive, transitional phases, and application throughout the Bible. By ignoring this progressive revelation, MAD fails to produce anything but a vague, nebulous assumption and innuendo, without any specific proof texts, as to where its dispensation specifically begins, the noteworthy weakness of its unscriptural and extra scriptural doctrine. The Beginning of the Whosoever Gospel Mar 1:1 – 4 The BEGINNING of THE gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. And from the days of John the Baptist UNTIL NOW [John the dispensational dividing line] the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the LAW prophesied UNTIL JOHN. --Matt. 11:12, 13 Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were UNTIL JOHN: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Luke 1:17, 76, 77And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to TURN THE HEARTS of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to MAKE READY A PEOPLE PREPARED FOR THE LORD . . . And thou, child [John], shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give KNOWLEDGE OF SALVATION unto his people by the REMISSION OF THEIR SINS . . . But in EVERY NATION he that feareth him and WORKETH RIGHTEOUSNESS, is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel , PREACHING PEACE by Jesus Christ . . . THAT WORD, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and BEGAN from Galilee, after the baptism which JOHN PREACHED . . . to him give all the prophets witness, that through his name, WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH in him shall receive REMISSION OF SINS.-- Acts 10:36, 37 The beginning of THE gospel of Jesus Christ began with John the Baptist’s preaching. This gospel was the Gospel of remission of sins and the Son of God, rather than the Gospel of the King. John made a people ready for the Lord Jesus. It began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached. The word of peace by Jesus Christ was preached to Israel, and it is and was preached to every nation. Grace and truth and the gospel pf the remission of sins came by Jesus Christ not by Paul or by the Pauline epistles. Jesus Christ preached repentance for the remission of sins in conjunction with John the Baptist’s introduction of the gospel pre-picture of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, namely, water baptism. This gospel of the remission of sins is appropriated by receiving and believing on Jesus Christ and is identified with receiving the revealed knowledge of salvation and being translated into the kingdom of heaven/God (which was preached and suffered violence in the Four Gospels). Believers then and now were translated into this Kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13). This more consistent Bible dispensationalism does not have the problems that MAD theory has and is able to find both the gospel of the remission of sins and also Jesus’ church (MY CHURCH) in the four gospels. This form of dispensationalism bypasses the Book of Acts, Pentecost, and the Pauline Epistles to find its beginning in the Four Gospels rather than in the Book of Acts, Pentecost, or the Pauline epistles. The scripture gives a clear, specific dispensational dividing line and beginning of the NOW dispensation and NOW gospel which began with John the Baptist and continues with Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul and modern day Baptists that are really Baptists. The law and the prophets were UNTIL John but not Pentecost or the Book of Acts or the Epistles. The Gospel to the WORLD The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which TAKETH AWAY THE SIN of the WORLD . . . This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be MADE MANIFEST to Israel, THEREFORE am I come baptizing with water [not to get you saved through this water picture]. -- John 1:29, 31 John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: He that BELIEVETH on the Son HATH everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. -- John 3:36 Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight . . . ALL FLESH shall see the SALVATION of God. -- Luke 3:4-6 The same [John] came for a witness, to bear WITNESS OF THE LIGHT, that ALL MEN through him might believe. -- John 1:7 John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 3:15, 16 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved THE WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The ultimate purpose of John the Baptist was to witness to the Light of Jesus Christ and to make a people prepared for the Lord that ALL MEN through him might believe and that ALL FLESH shall see the salvation of God. In Acts 19, it is still the Jesus Christ that John preached that folks were to believe upon and not merely Jews. In Acts 13, it was the WHOSOEVER to which the same word of THIS salvation was sent that John first preached. In Acts 10, it was true that he that believeth on Him shall receive the remission of sins, and all the prophets give witness to that. In John 1:12, He came to His own, who did not receive Him, but AS MANY AS RECEIVED Him, to them gave he power to become the SONS OF GOD. It was true then, during the time of John, and it is true now that he that believeth on the Son HATH everlasting life. Of course, the Jews and even the apostles did not recognize the unlimited scope of this salvation at first. Still, John the Baptist preached that the Lamb of God would take away the sin of the WORLD. Jesus, Himself, prophesied that He would be given for the WORLD and not merely for Jew or Gentile. The Church Mat 10:1 -2 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Mat 18:17 --20 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Luke 9:1 - 2 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. Eph 2:12-17 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us . . . for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 1 Cor 12:27, 28 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, FIRST apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, THEN gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Eph 4:4, 5 There is ONE BODY, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM, The Church, like the gospel of the remission of sins, began in the four Gospels and consisted first with 12 commissioned Jewish disciples and later followed by seventy prophets. Gentiles were added to the church later in a reconciliation of BOTH Jew and Gentile IN one body BY THE CROSS or by the baptism of the Holy Ghost or Paul. They were made nigh by the blood of Christ, without a distinction between a Jewish church and a Gentile church. Peace is preached to both Jew and Gentile through Jesus Christ. MAD makes a false distinction between a Jewish church and a Gentile church – TWO churches, TWO BODIES (three counting the so called invisible church). MAD also makes a difference between water baptism in the Gospels and our water baptism now. MAD hold to as high as twelve baptisms (April/May/June McNuggets), as opposed to Dr. Peter Ruckman’s seven baptisms even though the scriptures tells us that there is only ONE valid, legitimate, baptism (other recorded baptisms not withstanding) and ONE legitimate body today, since Ephesians 4. The Basis of Salvation Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the FIRST testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. No one gets saved without the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ as a BASIS of salvation, whether O.T. or N.T. MAD’s mistake is to not realize that although the exact BASIS of everyone’s salvation is not specifically revealed until Second Corinthians by Paul. Still, the death of the Testator is the basis of ETERNAL salvation for those under the O.T. who believed as well as those in the four Gospels and also the N.T. Epistles. The death of the Testator is also the basis of Christ being the Mediator of the N.T. Notice that it was Christ’s death that redeemed the transgressions of those under the FIRST Testament to an eternal inheritance. Of course that death also includes all who believed and received Christ, from the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry through Christ’s ministry through Paul’s ministry and has nothing to do with the Book of Acts. To put all your dispensational eggs in the historical basket of Acts being a transitional period is to ignore the Book of Corinthians as a transitional period for formulating New Testament doctrine and practice as well as some of the other epistles. Repentance . . . Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots GO INTO the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you IN THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots BELIEVED him [John]: and ye, when ye had seen it, REPENTED NOT afterward, THAT YE MIGHT BELEVE him. -- Matt. 21:31-32 . . . REPENTANCE . . . BE PREACHED IN HIS NAME among ALL NATIONS . . . -- Luke 24:47 . . . I . . . shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at JERUSALEM, and throughout all the coasts of JUDEA, and then to the GENTILES, that they SHOULD [1.] REPENT [2.] TURN to GOD, and [3.] DO WORKS MEET FOR REPENTANCE. --Acts 26:19, 20 Testifying BOTH to JEWS, and ALSO to GREEKS, REPENTANCE toward God, and FAITH toward our Lord Jesus Christ. -- Acts 20:21 Repentance belongs to both Testaments; it belongs to the Gospels, the Epistles, the Book of Acts, and the Revelation. Neither Christ nor His apostles gave any indication that repentance was opposed to grace or mercy or that it was to be separated from the remission of sins or separated from the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Repentance is the very recognition of one's unworthiness, sinfulness, hopelessness, helplessness, and need of grace and mercy. It is the sinner's acknowledgment of his lost estate and desperate need of deliverance. Such self judgment, in the light of God's holiness, results in a readiness to receive with meekness the engrafted word and belief of the truth. Dissatisfaction with self and self effort causes one to long for deliverance. In repentance, the sinner views himself as helpless to save himself and casts himself at the Saviour’s feet. The Kingdom of God Still Connected with the Salvation Gospel Act 14:21, 22 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a SAVIOUR, Jesus: WHEN JOHN HAD FIRST PREACHED before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel . . . there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. Men and brethren to you is the WORD of THIS SALVATION sent, children of the stock of Abraham, and WHOSOEVER among you feareth God. -- Acts 13:23-26 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, SAYING unto the people, that they should BELIEVE ON HIM [Christ] which should come after him [John], that is, on Christ Jesus. -- Acts 19:4 Act 20:21 – 27 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ . . . But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Act 28:23 -- 28 . . . there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening . . . For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. MAD makes too strong a distinction between the Gospel of the kingdom of Heaven/God and the Gospel of salvation and grace, ignoring the references to the kingdom of God later in Acts and in the Pauline epistles. Paul views the Gospel and the Kingdom of God as one in the same and preaches it at Lystra and calls it the gospel of the grace of God as late as Acts 20. He also preaches repentance towards God to Jew and Gentile and faith towards Jesus Christ and counts it as the whole counsel of God. Although the Jews rejected this salvation that Paul preached, Paul prophesied that the Gentiles would be sent the same salvation and word and that they would hear it. Jew No Different Than the Gentile Act 10:43 - 47 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name WHOESOEVER BELEIVETH IN HIM SHALL RECEIVE REMISSION OF SINS. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Act 15:7 – 11 . . . Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The big reason that the MID Acts Dispensationalists call it that is because they cannot specifically pinpoint their so called change in the dispensations. In Acts 15, Paul tells us that Gentiles should hear the word of the Gospel and believe. He also tells us that there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile and believes that Gentiles will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ EVEN AS JEWS are so saved. The kingdom of God was still a reality in Galatians 5:21. In Conclusion MAD is in confusion about its dispensational claims, because unlike real Baptists, they are confused about: 1. The Beginning of the Gospel; 2. The Gospel; 3. The Basis of all salvation (O.T. and N.T.); 4. Salvation without works; 5. Repentance; 6. The Church or body of Christ; 7. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost; 8. The transition period from Law to Grace; 9. The Mystery; 10. Law versus Grace; 11. Old Testament Salvation 12. Salvation in the Gospels; 13. Jew versus Gentile salvation. 14. Invisible churchism. MAD merges all this confusion and doctrinal error into one false, composite, dispensational scheme and system by inference, assumption, and innuendo, much of which cannot be covered in this brief article. But they are still MAD!

-- by Herb Evans