| The Hope of the Ages page 2 |
| The Hope of the Ages -- Part 2 -- by Dr. Mike Stallard This article is the second in a multi-part series outlining the Bible’s message of prophetic hope as it pertains to the future of this age, the Church, the nation of Israel, the Gentile nations of the world, and the created universe. In particular, it will expand upon the discussion begun in the last article concerning prophetic hope as it pertains to the Church. However, before we sketch out the hope of the Church, it is necessary to show the distinction between national Israel and the international body called the Church. In this way, it will be harder to make the mistake of confusing the prophetic hope for these two distinct institutions within God’s overall masterful plan to bring history to its divine goal. While Israel and the Church share some important things, such as the Messiah and a place of rulership in the coming kingdom, these are nonetheless two distinct institutions in God’s overall plan. Notice the contrasts below: • Israel is an ethnic nation; the Church is a non-ethnic body. • Israel is political; the Church is non-political. • The promises to Israel are tied to a specific piece of real estate centered in Jerusalem; the Church has no land promises. • For Israel, there is the framework of the Jewish Law (Gentiles are included by surrender to the Law); for the Church, there is a framework for life apart from the Jewish Law (Gentiles included apart from the regulations of the Law). • Another way to say it is that for Israel, life is based upon regulations during Old Testament days; for the Church, life is based upon the presence of the Spirit for divine enablement. • The focus of Israel’s position is the earth; the focus of the position of the Church is heaven. • For Israel in the Old Testament, there is no baptism of the Spirit; for the Church in the New Testament, there is a baptism of the Spirit. • Israel is composed of Jews and Jewish proselytes; the Church is composed of Jews and Gentiles. • Israel is founded in the book of Genesis; the Church is established in Acts 2. The distinction between the two comes from a clear understanding of what the Bible says about each. In the Old Testament, Israel is an ethnic, political, national entity that has been promised a particular piece of real estate centered around the city of Jerusalem (Gen. 15; Isaiah 2, 11; Dan. 2, 7, 9). The Church is a body of believers in Christ that is international in scope and non-ethnic, non-political, and heavenly-centered in orientation (Eph. 1-3, Gal. 3:28). It is quite easy to show that the Church is something brand new even without referring to the Ephesians passages which are quite strong by themselves on the matter (especially Eph. 2:11-3:10). The Church is a new institution, which began on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. It is not a continuation of, or replacement for, Israel in any sense. To demonstrate that the Church began on the day of Pentecost involves the following line of reasoning: 1. Both the baptism of the Spirit and the start of the Church are viewed as a future event in the Gospels (Matt. 3:11; 16:18; Acts 1:5). The last passage (Acts 1:5) notes that the baptism of the Spirit will occur in a few days from that time. 2. The Holy Spirit comes in power in Acts 2. Its seems likely that this event fulfills the Acts 1:5 prediction. However, neither the baptism of the Spirit or the Church are explicitly named in Acts 2. 3. Peter’s rehearsing of the events surrounding the preaching of the gospel to Cornelius looks back to the day of Pentecost as the beginning of the baptism of the Spirit (Acts 11:15-16). 4. The Apostle Paul teaches that the body of Christ is formed by the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). In this way, the placing of individuals into the body of Christ by the Spirit is part of the definition of the baptism of the Spirit. 5. The body of Christ is referred to as the ecclesia or Church by Paul in Ephesians 1:22-23 and Colossians 1:18. In this way, the baptism of the Spirit can be clearly associated with the Church. Thus, when Spirit baptism begins, the Church begins. Then, according to # 3 above, Pentecost is the start of the Church. Thus, the Church is a brand new institution, which God births into existence on the Day of Pentecost as described in Acts chapter two. We can now look at the unique elements of prophetic hope, which are associated with this extraordinary international body of Christ. Two essential areas of hope can be discussed with respect to the future expectations of the Church. The first is the rapture of the Church. This refers to the catching up of Church Age believers in the air to meet the Lord prior to the seven-year tribulation period. The word rapture comes from the Latin word meaning to catch up. This idea is revealed in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. When we say that Church Age believers are the ones raptured, it is clear that both Christian believers who have died during the Church Age as well as those alive when the Lord comes to rapture them will be included in this astounding event. > |
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