Jesus said: “Upon this Rock (Himself) I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Mat. 16:18). Why did Jesus build a church (ekklesia–congregation)? What is its purpose? Why are there so few people in it (Mat. 7:13,14; 20:16)? What is His church doing in preparation for His return? Are her present day activities in any way connected to her future activities? To summarize the answers to these questions I offer the following: It is through His church that God is preparing the future rulers and teachers who will live in, rule and teach in the Kingdom of God. Question: teach whom? The answer is the focus of this series.

In Revelation 5:10; 22:5 we are told that God’s true saints will rule and reign on earth for ever and ever. But during the early part of that time they will ALSO be doing something else; THEY WILL BE TEACHING BILLIONS OF PEOPLE. Before we delve into the future professorships of God’s Very Elect, peculiar, holy, royal nation of priests (1 Pet. 2:9) we will study a little more about those who today make up His tiny church. Though this tiny group is part of the billions-strong religious entity commonly called “the church,” they are spiritually separated from that globally-known organization and have no spiritual association with it. Read “My People Who Are Called By My Name.” Key word–My. That series explains the difference between the two churches God’s church and Satan’s church which, together is known as “the church.” Read The Hebrew and the Door. Key word–Door.

In Malichi 3:1 Jesus proclaims that at the time of His Second Coming He will return to His TEMPLE. In First Corinthians 3:16,17; 17:2, Second Corinthians 6:16 and Ephesians 2:19-21 He identifies that temple as His church. That spiritual body today consists of true Christians who are led by and obey the voice of God’s Holy Spirit which resides within them (Rom. 8:14). The people in this church all believe, embrace and obey Christ’s Gospel, therefore they are “all framed together” and “built together” (Eph. 2:21,22). They are both hearers and doers of the Law and are therefore not deceived by man (Mat. 24:4,5). Such framing and building refer to the church’s doctrines and practices (His Law) by which He governs His people. He teaches them through a variety of leaders and administrators as stated in Ephesians 5:11-13.

God’s people do not establish their own doctrines and practices. Such policies are administered by the apostle or prophet whom THE LORD, NOT THE PEOPLE, PLACES AT THE HEAD OF EACH LOCAL BODY. Every saint in every true church believes the same Gospel and conducts himself in the same way–the way of God’s one and only Gospel which is in perfect unison with His printed Word (1 Cor. 1:10). The Lord states in Second Peter 1:20 that the Holy Scriptures are of “no private interpretation.” Neither are they to be interpretated by any group of people. The doctrines found within God’s Gospel come from Him through Jesus Christ who spoke to the prophets and apostles (and still does) by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:5). Modern day apostles and prophets teach the ministers under their supervision who in turn teach the people in God’s church around the world. Read Ephesians 4:11-16.

The purpose of the true Church today is to not only prepare her members for future salvation, but also to prepare them to be teachers/professors of God’s Truths to the vast majority of human beings who have lived on earth since the Garden of Eden. The series titled Who and Where is Israel Today? (key word–Who) reveals that the nation of Israel was scattered throughout the world because of her rebellion against God’s Law. After having heard Christ’s Gospel at the mouths and pens of His apostles, some of them believed, obeyed and became His church which remains unto this day. As prophesied by Jesus, these are few in number (Mat. 7:13,14; 20:14) and are despised and rejected by the other 99% within “the church.” These are His true saints whom He calls His “remnant,” His “little flock,” His “Very Elect,” His “firstfruits” who will rise to meet Him in the air upon His return to earth. Following their descent to the Mount of Olives, they will follow Him into Jerusalem to establish His Father’s kingdom in the Promised Land where they will live with Father and Son forever. Read The Kingdom of God (key word–Kingdom) and First Thessalonians 4:14-18.

Jesus warned that Satan’s false prophets would deceive many into believing that they are in God’s church and are following Him (Mat. 7:13,14; 22:14). These deceived masses comprise the vast majority of those in what is called “the church” today. In First Peter 4:17,18 the Lord tells us that only the righteous few among the many within “the church” will be saved, and they just barely. The problem is that the vast majority of church people reject the true Gospel, just as has been the case since the days of the original apostles (Rom. 10:16). Note that Paul was writing to the church about the church. All of the prophets and apostles spoke and wrote TO the church and ABOUT the church. This included “the church (ekklesia–congregation) in the wilderness” of Sinai as they wandered for 40 years (Acts 7:38). And who led that church as its older generation died off? The Rock, who would later come to earth as Jesus of Nazareth. Note in First Corinthians 10:4 that this was the same Rock Who had followed them as they came out of Egypt. Read The God of the Old Testament. Key word–Old.

The ancient Israelites heard the true Gospel directly from God’s (the Word’s, Christ’s) lips from atop Mt. Sinai and agreed to obey what He told them to do (obey the Ten Commandment Law), which He wrote in stone with His finger, thereby making His Law permanent for those who would come to Him in the future. The Israelites failed to obey Him. Those 12 tribes, after hearing His Words from His mouth and seeing the evidence of His presence with their own eyes, immediately rejected the Law they had just vowed to obey. Their spiritual descendants carry on that tradition today as they follow in the spiritual footsteps of their original parents–Adam and Eve–who set the pattern of sin by rejecting God’s Law. Where there is no Law, there is no sin. No sin=no punishment. God punished Adam and Eve BECAUSE THEY BROKE HIS LAW. Lucifer and one-third of God’s angels were cast out of heaven for breaking the Law. Is man better than angels?

Because of their rejection of His Law, God (the Word/Jesus) blinded the ancient Israelites to His Truths (the Law). Later He would send His apostles to them with the same Gospel He, Himself had preached to Abraham (Gal. 3:8), which is the same Gospel preached in His true church today (Heb. 4:2)–the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mk. 1:14). Nothing–not God, not His will, not His way, not His commands has ever changed. He meant it when proclaimed: “I am the Lord; I do not change” (Mal. 3:6). Jesus Christ (the God of the Old Testament) “is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

The Holy Bible was written to, for and about Israel–God’s chosen people whom He chose, not to lord it over the Gentile (heathen) world, but rather to serve as a “light” to them, some of whom would “come to their light.” (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). That light was God’s Word (Jn. 1:1-4,14) which came to earth in human form and lived His Word/Law. before mankind. As long as He was on the earth He was the light of the world (Jn. 9:5). Upon His departure His disciples became the light of the world (Mat. 5:14 ). The Apostle Paul states this as only he could: “Christ is the end (telos–end result/outcome) of the Law (Word of God) for righteousness” (Rom. 10:4). Simply put, Jesus was the Law (Word/will of God) manifested in human form. The Holy Bible is God’s Law (His standard by which He governs His saints) in written (Word) form. The Ten Commandments comprise the Holy Bible in condensed form. Jesus lived His Father’s Law. Therefore, He could honestly say that when men saw Him they saw His Father. They saw the Father’s will manifested in a man–they saw the Law (God’s will) lived perfectly.

Nothing has changed. Those who would join Him in His earthly paradise must “walk as Jesus walked”–in obedience to that same Law (1 John 2:6) and thereby overcome Satan’s temptations to sin as did Jesus of Nazareth (Rev. 3:21). In Romans 5:21 and 6:22 Paul tells us that the END RESULT of righteousness and holiness is salvation. Now back to ancient and present day Israel, including the Jews, who are of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi. This is brought out in the series titled Who and Where is Israel Today?

As stated earlier, ancient Israel refused to obey God and spiritually blinded themselves (Rom. 10:16,18,21). In Romans 11:8, 25 and 32 we are told that God allowed them to remain blind to His Truth–His Word (Jn. 17:17). Incredibly, they saw what He had done to the Egyptians, had crossed the Red Sea on dry land, had received water from a rock and manna from heaven and had heard His audible voice from Mt. Sinai (also called Mt. Horeb). Yet they rejected His Words and therefore rejected Him, proving that they despised both Him and His Father. Nothing has changed. Their religious descendants do the same thing today (Lk. 10:16). Unless true conversion on a massive scale takes place between now and Judgment Day, hell will be overflowing with church people. This is where God’s saints come in as we will see in the next posting. L.J.