D
dennisknapp
Guest
Ok, so 1 1/2 Second Comings–one is the air, which is half way to Earth, and one to the Earth. So, 1 1/2…Still not just one.If you allow the Scriptures to speak for themselves, if you allow for a literal delineation of the prophetic Scriptures, you come to realize that the Church Christ is building today, made up of individual believing Jews and Gentiles, is presented in Scripture as a totally separate divine program, totally distinct from that of God’s prophetic program and covenant relationship with national Israel, revealed in the O.T. prophetic writing.
This whole Church age is considered a “mystery;” and in respect to God’s prophetic program with national Israel - parenthetical. In other words, it was not revealed in the O.T. prophets. The Apostle speaks clearly on this. In Eph. 2:20-22 he describes the (true) Church as being built upon the foundation of the Apostles and N.T. prophets, Christ Himself being the corner stone. Even Jesus referred to the building of His Church as yet future to His earthly ministry (Matt. 16:18). He didn’t say “I am building my Church,” but “*I will *build My Church.”
Paul goes on in Eph. 3 to say that “by revelation” there was made known to him this “mystery” He was given insight into the “mystery” of the Christ "which in other generations was not made know to the sons of men (O.T. prophets), as it has NOW been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit To be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs and fellow-members of THE BODY, and fellow-partakers of the promise IN CHRIST JESUS THROUGH THE GOSPEL" (Eph. 3:4-6). Paul was given the privilege of bringing "to light was is the administration of the mystery which for ages HAS BEEN HIDDEN in God, which is NOW made known through the Church and which is in accordance with His eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 3:8-11).
Previously in chapter two Paul, speaking to Gentile believers in Ephesus, says that they were brought near to God through the blood of Christ (2:13). The Church didn’t become the new Israel, but God has, during this administration of the “mystery” (3:9), made the two (individual believing Jews and Gentiles) into “one NEW man, reconciling them both in ONE BODY to God THROUGH THE CROSS” (Eph. 2:15-16). This “one new man,” this “one body” is the Church, the “Body/Bride” of Christ which was not revealed in the Old Testament.
The thought of equality of Jew and Gentile was never mentioned in the great Kingdom passages revealed to the ancient Hebrew prophets. The Jews were absolutely correct by interpreting such passages such as Is. 61:5-6 as indicating Israel’s supremacy in the Kingdom yet to come. Is. 2:1-4 teaches this same truth revealing that the seat government will be in Jerusalem and from Zion the law will go forth. Certainly the Gentiles are promised salvation at that time, material blessings, peace, tranquility and a share in the glory of that coming era. But none of these blessings are extended to Gentiles in these Kingdom passages on the ground of equality with national Israel (see Zech. 8:1-8; 20-23). And this is the point of the “mystery” of this Church age, *i.e., *that individual believing Jews and Gentiles, during this unforeseen Church age, are being brought into relationship with God and His Messiah through a whole new entity, based on equality between Jew and Gentile, called the Body/Bride of Christ.
When the last individual Gentile is brought into the Body/Bride of Christ through the preaching of the gospel message of grace through faith in Christ called “the fulness of the Gentiles” in Rom. 11:25), Christ will come for her as promised (Jn. 14:3). The whole Church/Body (both dead and alive) is taken up to meet the Lord in the air at that moment, graphically illustrated in 1 Thess. 4:15-18 (cf. 1 Cor. 15:51). 1 Thess. 4:15-18 is not stated in the context of Christ’s 2nd Advent TO EARTH. There is only one return of Christ TO EARTH, but He returns “in the air” to receive His Bride before that. I have shown in previous posts that the Church is not destined for the “wrath” to come and she is taken up before this event occurs.
Rome does a great disservice to its devotees by presenting the Church merely as an organization, rather than an organism bought, cleansed and sanctified by the blood of Christ.
Peace