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Video
Summary
God’s purpose for human history is the refilling of His family, the replacement of fallen angels one for one with believing human beings, until the body of Christ - the Church - is complete. From the Gentile fathers, to the faithful Jewish believers of Israel, to the wave of believers in the Church age, we are all part of Christ’s body, His bride. Thus, the Church is composed not only of believers since the day of Pentecost, but of all believers throughout the first six millennial days (Millennial believers, the “friends of the bride”, are Christ’s “double portion” and not included in the numerical replacement of the devil and his demons).
The first four thousand years of human history (i.e., the Gentile and Jewish ages) passed with only a (relatively) few people saved. Since Satan knows that believing humanity will replace fallen angels to the exact number, and that God’s plan for human history will follow the seven millennial day pattern, then prior to Pentecost he must have felt that God could not fulfill the necessary replacement number on time. Given Israel’s uniqueness and God’s prior focus on them, the calling out of the Gentiles in large numbers after Christ’s victory on the cross must have surprised Satan, despite it being foreshadowed by Old Testament prophecy. The Church - the universal assembly of believers throughout the ages - are the “elect”, those chosen out of the devil’s world because of and for the elect, the chosen One, Jesus Christ.
Content
Audio clip from Ichthys
Given Israel’s obvious uniqueness in the plan of God and her special relationship with Him (Deut.4:6-8; 4:34; 7:6; 1Ki.8:53; Zech.2:8), the calling out of the gentiles in such unprecedented numbers to be part of the family of God, though foreshadowed in prophecy (as documented above), came as quite a surprise – especially to the devil. We can assume that the seven thousand year outline of human history is well-known to him, as is the one for one replacement of him and his followers with believing humanity – a plan that should by rights be completed at the inception of the day of rest. Looking at his no doubt carefully tabulated scorecard before the day of Pentecost, it must have seemed impossible that the necessary replacement figure could possibly be met on schedule, given that in the two thirds of the available time already elapsed (i.e., the Gentile and Jewish ages), only a small fraction of the requisite number had believed and chosen for God. But just as the incarnation and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, God taking on true humanity and dying for Man, is God’s great strategic surprise and victory of the ages, so the filling up of Christ’s assembly of believers with a flood of gentiles during the last pair of millennial days is the great “mystery” that followed in the wake of the victorious cross. Just as the final pair of Genesis days sees the re-created earth filled in earnest with a plethora of inhabitants, so the final pair of historical millennial days fills up the family of God with believers, filling up the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, to its full and complete number – the fundamental purpose for the history of the world from the divine point of view.
The word and the concept of the Church must be seen in these terms. For the Church, properly understood, is ultimately composed not just of those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ since the day of Pentecost, but of all believers throughout the first six millennial days (on the Millennium, see below). Stephen’s mention of “the Church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38 – NIV “assembly”) is a clear indication that the universal assembly of believers antedates what is often thought of as “the Church”. The English word “church” is derived from the Old English borrowing and transformation of the Greek adjective kyriakon, or, “belonging to the Lord”, a clear attempt on the part of believers of an earlier time to distinguish between local assemblies of believers and the universal Church. In the Greek New Testament, the word translated “church” is an entirely different term: ekklesia (ἐκκλησία). Derived from the verb “to call” and the preposition “out of”, this is the same word used for the assembly of enfranchised citizens in the classical Greek city-states. These notions of special selection and special privilege can also be seen in the adjectival form eklektos, cognate in form and meaning with the Latin word from which our English “elect” is derived. That the Church is thus properly the universal assembly of all who choose to faithfully follow Jesus Christ during the first six millennia of human history, a chosen few (by grace through faith, Eph.2:8-9), an elect group called by God out of the devil’s world and into His own family, is a truth not only supported throughout the New Testament (cf. Matt.22:14; Rom.8:33; 1Cor.1:27; 1Thes.1:4; 1Pet.1:1; Rev.17:14), but consistent with the picture given by the Old Testament as well, where ekklesia is the standard translation for Israel’s assembly (קהל), the qahal.<!– — –> Central to the idea of our “election” is the purpose for it. For we who are elect are so because of Him who is the elect, Jesus Christ, and it is for Him that we have been chosen out of the world, to share eternity together with the chosen One (compare Is.42:1 with 44:1; and cf. Lk.9:35; 23:35; 1Pet.2:4):
Though the world hates you, know that it came to hate Me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own. Now because you are not [a part] of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing heaven has [to offer], seeing that even before the world was founded He chose us in Him to be sanctified and blameless before Him.
This, then, is the true meaning of the Church, the select assembly of Christ, formed and chosen for Him from every age of human history to be His special unique possession.
Summary points
Overview
Given Israel’s uniqueness and God’s prior focus on them, God’s calling out of the Gentiles in large numbers (though foreshadowed in prophecy, like we talked about before), came as quite a surprise, especially to Satan.
If Satan knows that believing humanity will be a 1:1 replacement of the fallen angels, and that God’s plan for human history will follow a seven millennial day pattern, then before Pentecost, he must have felt like he was “winning”. With four thousand years having passed (i.e., the Gentile and Jewish Ages), and only a small number of humans having believed (in a relative sense), then Satan must have felt like there would be no way for God to make up the rest of the numbers.
But just as the incarnation and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ—God taking on true humanity and dying for Man—is God’s great strategic surprise and victory of the ages, so the filling up of Christ’s assembly of believers with a flood of Gentiles during the last pair of millennial days is the great “mystery” that followed in the wake of the victorious cross.
Just as the final pair of Genesis days sees the re-created earth filled in earnest with a plethora of inhabitants, so the final pair of historical millennial days fills up the family of God with believers, filling up the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, to its full and complete number – the fundamental purpose for the history of the world from the divine point of view.
The Church is composed of all pre-Millennium believers, not just post-Pentecost believers
The word and the concept of the Church must be seen in these terms. For the Church, properly understood, is ultimately composed not just of those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ since the day of Pentecost, but of all believers throughout the first six millennial days (on the Millennium, see below).
Stephen’s mention of “the Church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38 – NIV “assembly”) is a clear indication that the universal assembly of believers antedates what is often thought of as “the Church”.
Greek and Hebrew vocabulary related to the word we translate as “Church”
The English word “church” is derived from the Old English borrowing and transformation of the Greek adjective kyriakon, or, “belonging to the Lord”, a clear attempt on the part of believers of an earlier time to distinguish between local assemblies of believers and the universal Church.
In the Greek New Testament, the word translated “church” is an entirely different term: ekklesia (ἐκκλησία). Derived from the verb “to call” and the preposition “out of”, this is the same word used for the assembly of enfranchised citizens in the classical Greek city-states. These notions of special selection and special privilege can also be seen in the adjectival form eklektos, cognate in form and meaning with the Latin word from which our English “elect” is derived.
That the Church is thus properly the universal assembly of all who choose to faithfully follow Jesus Christ during the first six millennia of human history, a chosen few (by grace through faith, Eph.2:8-9), an elect group called by God out of the devil’s world and into His own family, is a truth not only supported throughout the New Testament (cf. Matt.22:14; Rom.8:33; 1Cor.1:27; 1Thes.1:4; 1Pet.1:1; Rev.17:14), but consistent with the picture given by the Old Testament as well, where ekklesia is the standard translation for Israel’s assembly (קהל), the qahal.
Our election is intrinsically tied to Christ
Central to the idea of our “election” is the purpose for it. For we who are elect are so because of Him who is the elect, Jesus Christ, and it is for Him that we have been chosen out of the world, to share eternity together with the chosen One (compare Is.42:1 with 44:1; and cf. Lk.9:35; 23:35; 1Pet.2:4):
Though the world hates you, know that it came to hate Me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own. Now because you are not [a part] of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing heaven has [to offer], seeing that even before the world was founded He chose us in Him to be sanctified and blameless before Him.
This, then, is the true meaning of the Church, the select assembly of Christ, formed and chosen for Him from every age of human history to be His special unique possession.
Follow-on topics
That the Church includes pre-Pentecost believers is theologically significant in terms of how we Gentiles view ourselves in relation to the Jews
In the last lesson, we went over the building analogy, saying “the Church is built upon the foundation of believing Israel”, or something to that effect. In how the words are often used, this can make it seem like believing Israel is somehow not part of “the Church”. This wording is rather unfortunate (even though it is extremely common and is probably not going anywhere any time soon), in that believing Israel is and always has been part of “the Church”. So we just need to be clear when we talk about these things, to make sure we head off misunderstandings.
The reason why this matters is that drawing a sharp line between believing Jews and Gentiles in the Church Age is huge interpretive mistake. There is much unfulfilled prophecy concerning unbelieving Israel and her return to the Lord, but believing Israel is already united with believing Gentiles within the Body of Christ. Compare Galatians 3:28. Believing Jews may still maintain a unique Jewish ethnic identity (and this is well and good, just as Gentile believers also need not try to completely rid themselves of their own cultures upon belief), but they are spiritually united with us, which is the important point.
It is characteristic of certain flavors of dispensationalism to try to fully separate Israel and the Church in their theology. Adherents say they reject “replacement theology”, or the notion that the Church has somehow replaced Israel. From a certain way of looking at things, we reject that too. We are not saying the Church replaced Israel; we are saying that Israel has always been part of the Church (even from the very beginning), once one properly defines what exactly “the Church” is. In fact, we say the same thing about the believing Gentile Fathers too, going all the way back to Adam.
All this makes perfect sense when we understand that the Church is going to be God’s 1:1 replacement for the fallen angels
The Bride of Christ will be a perfect numerical match for the number of fallen angels. We are God’s replacement for them in His eternal family.
Once you have made this connection, then it would actually be decidedly strange for the Church to be anything other than what we have suggested, namely, the collection of all believers from the beginning of human history through Christ’s return in glory.
Consider for a moment if we tried to say that the Church was only composed of post-Pentecost believers. Then are we saying that pre-Pentecost believers (both the Gentile Fathers and the Jews) aren’t part of God’s plan to replace the fallen angels? What are they then, in God’s family?
Millennial believers, “friends of the Bride”, are not part of this numerical replacement. They will be Christ’s “double portion”. But they come after Christ’s return in glory, so that actually makes sense.
The same cannot be said for trying to separate believing Israel from the Church.
The Church with a capital C needs to be our focus. We ought not be cliquey
Israel’s assembly was composed of all believing Jews, at least conceptually speaking. Were they always all there in the temple in Jerusalem at the same time? Of course not. Not even during the busiest of festivals. But as a nation, they were very clear about what the assembly was. They would never have confused a particular local synagogue with God’s assembly, because there was one temple.
Unfortunately, we English speakers use the same word for local assemblies of believers, and the global assembly of believers worldwide. In normal usage, the former is lowercase “church” and the latter uppercase “Church”, but nonetheless the point remains that we use the same word for both, which tends to muddle the important points we are making in this lesson in the eyes of many modern Christians.
Biblically speaking, we are all One Body, not multiple bodies plural, so we ought to act like it. In this I do not mean we should be ecumenical in the sense some push for—sacrificing truth for unity in a misplaced attempt to follow this ideal. No, rather what I mean is that we should do away with the preoccupation many Christians have with physical buildings and all the trappings therein. A building is not an ekklesia in the Greek sense of the word; only a collection of people can be an ekklesia. And ultimately, only one Christian ekklesia should rate first place in our priorities: the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, composed of all believers past, present, and even future. Not just the specific group of nice people who meet in the building down the street from us.
What about the Catholics and the Orthodox?
The Catholics and the Orthodox claim that they are this “One True Church” we are talking about here. The problem is that they define membership in terms of belonging to their groups rather than believing in Jesus Christ.
That is, somehow, to them, the proposition “Jimmy believes in Jesus Christ” and “Jimmy is part of the One True Church” are not the same thing. To belong to the One True Church, you see, Jimmy would have to identify as Catholic (e.g.).
This is why their conception of the global Church is flawed. The Church of Jesus Christ has nothing to do with human institutions. It only has to do with saving faith in Jesus Christ.