In 1Thes 4:13-18, Paul wrote of the Rapture “by the word of the Lord” (v15) to the members of the Gentile “body of Christ” (Eph 3:1-5), concerning their being “caught up” to “meet the Lord in the air.”

Paul wrote his great doctrinal letter to the Romans saying “I (Paul) am THE Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom 11:13). The word “THE” is the “definite article.” Grammatically, the definite article indicates this person is uniquely specified. In this case “THE” refers back to “I (Paul)” as the uniquely specified one. This means Paul is “THE (sole) Apostle (Gk., apostolos, sent one) to the Gentiles.”

To this some may say, “What about Peter?” Here below is what Paul wrote to highlight the difference between his and Peter’s callings – they had two (2) different gospels for two (2) different people groups. Paul was sent unto the Gentile “Church, which is the His body” (Eph 3:1-5) with “the gospel of (pertaining to) the uncircumcision” (KJV). Peter and “the twelve” were sent to only “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5-6) – with “the gospel of the circumcision” (see below). This is clear from the King James Bible only.

“But CONTRARIWISE (as opposites), when they saw that “THE GOSPEL (good news) OF (pertaining to) the UNcircumcision (the Gentiles)” was committed (entrusted) unto me (Paul) as “THE GOSPEL (good news) OF (pertaining to) THE CIRCUMCISION (Israel)” was (committed) unto PETER” (Gal 2:7, KJV)

Our modern corrupted Bibles, the NIV, NASB, ESV, RSV, etc. stray from the Greek text making it sound like Peter and Paul were two messengers of the very same gospel – but they had two different gospels for two people groups. Earlier, in Gal 2:2, we have the context of Gal 2:7 (above) accentuating Paul’s unique “gospel” referring to it as “THAT GOSPEL’ WHICH I (Paul) PREACH among the GENTILES.” Paul said this “gospel of the uncircumcision (Gentiles)” supersedes “any other gospel” (Gal 1:9) during this age of “the “dispensation of the grace of God” extending to the Rapture of “the body of Christ.”

Note In Peter’s 2^nd epistle, written just before his death, how he acknowledged Paul’s unique “wisdom.” Peter warns the children of Israel, to whom he was sent, to learn from the “wisdom” Paul had written.

“… account that the longsuffering (patience) of our Lord (the delay in His 2^nd coming for Israel) is (opportunity for) salvation (before the judgments); even as our beloved brother PAUL also according to THE WISDOM GIVEN UNTO HIM hath written unto you; ¹⁶… IN ALL HIS EPISTLES, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which They That Are Unlearned and Unstable Wrest (twist), as they do also the other scriptures, UNTO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION. (2Peter 3:15-16)

Also, by the inspiration of God, Paul here claims the unique place of his “gospel of grace of God” (Acts 20:24), explaining that he had “Received It… By Revelation… Of (directly from) Jesus Christ”

“… I (Paul) certify you, brethren, that THE GOSPEL which was preached of me is not after (according to) man. For I (Paul) neither RECEIVED IT of man, neither was I taught it, but (I received it) BY the REVELATION of (unveiling by) JESUS CHRIST” (Gal. 1:11-12).

“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that The Things That I (Paul) Write Unto You Are The Commandments (Grk, entole, prescription) Of The Lord.” (1Cor. 14:37)

From the time of his Christ-given ministry on earth unto this very day, Paul’s gospel and doctrines have been attacked, marginalized, or largely set aside by the church-at-large. The Protestant Reformers of the 1,500’s established the ‘Five Solas,’ that is five Latin phrases that summarize five core Pauline gospel doctrines for this age of grace. The ‘Five Solas.’ drawn from Paul’s unique epistles, are these:

1) “Sola Scriptura” (the Bible Alone) is the source that proclaims salvation is available …

2) By “Sola Gratia” (Grace Alone),

3) Through “Sola Fide” (Faith Alone),

4) In “Solus Christos” (Christ Alone),

5) Unto “Sola Deo Gloria” (the Glory of God Alone).

Having established Paul’s place and unique Christ-given gospel of grace for the Gentiles, let’s now consider what I call the ‘Lost & Found’ truths of Paul’s ‘mystery gospel.’ This “mystery” had been “kept secret” until it was “first” revealed to Paul for the “church, which is His body” (read Eph 3:1-5). “to him that is of power to stablish you according to MY (Paul’s) GOSPEL, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, According To The Revelation of the Mystery (God’s secret plan), which Was Kept Secret Since The World Began,” (Rom 16:25)

Three key Pauline truths (below) were Revealed to Paul, then Lost, and then Recovered again later. Most Christians today are Biblically confused because they’ve not yet seen the uniqueness of Paul’s ministry and of his “mystery” gospel that Christ from heaven… gave to Paul for the Gentiles.

1)  Salvation by Grace alone, through Faith alone, in Christ alone, Without any works requirement (Eph 2:8-9), was recovered during the Reformation through men such as John Wickliffe, John Hus, Martin Luther and John Calvin. This ‘light of God’ ended what we call “the Dark Ages.” Paul wrote, “ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14b). Sadly, much of Christianity today has apostatized (a “fallen away” 2Thes 2:3), just as Paul predicted; “falling from grace” (Gal 5:4) and going back to “the Law.” Many today cling to some form of “the Law” that God gave Moses for Israel along with manmade religious laws, rituals and rites. Today Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” (Act 20:24) is mostly NOT seen because Paul’s unique calling and ministry “to the Gentiles” has been marginalized. Many today think Paul was ‘just one of the Apostles.’ Actually, Paul’s mystery gospel of “the grace of God” is for ALL who would believe today, both Jew & Gentile (Gal 3:28), since under grace “all are one in Christ” (Gal 3:28).

2) The dispensational distinction between “Israel” and “the Body of Christ” – This truth was still somewhat held after Paul’s death by Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and other 1^st – 3^rd century theologians. But this was later undermined by Origen and Augustine’s teaching in the 4^th century. Thus the darkness of the middle ages set in until Martin Luther and others recovered Paul’s core doctrine of “justification by faith” (Rom 3:28) in the 16^th century. More truth was then more fully recovered later.

Being deprived of the distinction between “Israel” and “the Body of Christ,” makes the Bible what seems to be a confusing hodgepodge of contradictory information. Thus most who ignore this distinction between “Israel” and “the Body of Christ” would say all of us are under “the law,” God gave Israel, but Paul says… “ye are NOT under the law” (Rom 6:14). Today, this Pauline distinction has been largely lost by the church.

3)  Just as Paul received multiple progressive “revelations” (1Cor 12:1, 7) from the Lord, the recovery of these key Pauline doctrines has been progressive during and after the Reformation. The doctrine of the ‘Rapture’ of “the body of Christ” was recovered not by the Reformers, but later by men such as E.I. Scofield, J.N. Darby (who also translated the very accurate Darby Bible), E.W. Bullinger, C.H. Spurgeon, R.A. Torrey, J.C. O’hair, Clarence Larkin, Cornelius Stam, Charles Baker, and others.

Though these doctrines were revealed and recovered again since the Reformers of the 1,500s, many in the church today are “falling away” from the Pauline truths of “the faith” (1Tim 4:1, 2Cor 13:5; Col 1:23, 2:7), including the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of “His body.” With the loss of “faith” in that “blessed hope” of the Rapture at “His appearing,” many today are “shaken” and insecure when considering world events today.

“¹Now we beseech (desire for) you, brethren, By The Coming Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and By Our Gathering Together Unto Him (Rapture), ²(So) That Ye Be Not Soon Shaken In Mind, or be troubled, Neither By (a pretending) spirit, nor by word, NOR BY letter (as if it were) from us, as (if) that ‘The Day of Christ’ Is At Hand.

(Note: Some in Paul’s day were spreading error under Paul’s name, saying the 2^nd coming was at hand and they had obviously then missed the Rapture. Below Paul corrects the error; they had confused the ‘2^nd coming’ with the ‘Rapture.’)

³Let No Man DECEIVE YOU by any means: for THAT DAY (of the 2^nd coming) Shall NOT Come, except (until) 1.) there come a Falling Away First, and (then) 2.) that Man Of Sin (Antichrist) Be Revealed, The Son Of Perdition; ⁴ Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thes 2:1-4).

(Note: Rapture hadn’t yet occurred and Antichrist was not yet sitting in the Temple, so the lies couldn’t true. The actual “abomination of desolation” (Dan 11:31) will occur mid-Tribulation, beginning of the ‘Great Tribulation’ (Mat 24:21, Rev 7:14).

The members of “body of Christ” today should not to be looking for the Antichrist; Paul says we are to be looking and waiting for “the glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ” at the Rapture. (Titus 2:13). We encourage believers to wait patiently; “… the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the Patient Waiting For Christ. (2 Thess. 3:5)