Mystery of the Church: Part II

Intro

ESCHATOLOGY Lesson 4

The Mystery of The Church: Its Inclusion and Conclusion Part 2

We have seen how the birth of the Church stopped God’s time clock for the nation of Israel. The Church was birthed and Daniel’s 70th week was put on hold until the times of the Gentiles could be fulfilled.

THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES

Biblically, there are only three categories of humans on earth: Jew, Gentile, and Saint (born- again Christian). Until the Day of Pentecost, God dealt with mankind through the Jews. However, after the Jewish nation rejected their Messiah, God broke off the Jews and began to engraft the Gentiles. Two thousand years later, the church is still predominantly made up of Gentile converts. This is known as the “Times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). Let us look at how the Gentiles have become God’s people.

Luke 21:24 ESV

They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Here, Peter quotes a promise God made to Israel in Exodus 19:5,6. At the time Israel was God’s people; however, their rejection of the Messiah caused God to move on to a people who were not a people (Gentiles) and caused them to be His people (Christians). He now extends this Old Testament promise to us.

Exodus 19:5–6 ESV

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

Romans 9:25–26 ESV

As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ” “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ”

God spent one dispensation building a relationship with Israel (The Dispensation of the Law). Now He is spending one dispensation working to build a relationship with Gentiles (The Dispensation of Grace). We have now become His people.

Romans 11:13 ESV

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry

Romans 11:17–25 ESV

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Paul reveals in this passage part of the reason Israel has been blinded to the reality of Jesus Christ is so the Gentiles could come to the saving knowledge of Him. The Jews were broken off because of doubt and in doing so, they have made room for the Gentiles to, by faith, be grafted into Jesus Christ. God the Father is allowing the Jews to be blind so the “fulness of the Gentiles” can come in.

Luke 21:24 ESV

They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

THE RAPTURE WILL STOP/START TIME

The rapture is the catching away of the saints of God, by the LORD Jesus, to be with Him in the air.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 ESV

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

“Caught up together”: Greek- harpazo: to catch, to snatch, to lead something away. Once the church is taken away, Jewish time will resume again. It is necessary for the

Church to be removed out of the earth so the Anti-Christ may rise to power.

2 Thessalonians 2:3–7 ESV

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

The Church is the “he” who withholds the Anti-Christ from manifesting. And the Church is the “he” who will soon be taken out of the way. The “he” cannot be the Holy Spirit for He will still be here during the Tribulation, empowering the two witnesses, the 144,000 Jewish witnesses, and drawing people to Jesus. The “he” is the body of Christ—the Church.

The Rapture of the Church will accomplish several things:

The Rapture allows God to gather all of His children to Himself at once. It will allow the righteous dead to acquire a glorified body. The Rapture will change corruptible bodies in to incorruptible bodies (1 Corinthians 15:50-54).

1 Corinthians 15:50–54 ESV

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

The Rapture will preserve the church from the Great Tribulation (Matthew

24:21, Luke 21:22).

Matthew 24:21 ESV

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

Luke 21:22 ESV

for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 ESV

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Rapture will bring an instantaneous end to the Church Age and allow Jewish

time to resume.

It will produce a chaos that will necessitate a leader to arise. It will release the Anti-Christ to arise, operate, and manifest.

As it stands, the Church has been given all power and authority. The Church is the great restraining force keeping the Anti-Christ from being able to fully manifest.