In the article. I looked at the church as the precursor or forerunner of the kingdom which has been established but is not yet visible because it will come with Jesus Christ in the time appointed only by the Father in heaven. In my earlier posts. I have contended that the Kingdom of God and the Church are related or the same in the sense that the Church is the visible reality of the Kingdom of God. It is in the Catholic Church that we see, we feel, we experience the physical presence of the promise kingdom which is unseen. Now that contention I made is confirmed in 1 Peter 2:9 which may have escaped closer study and understanding of those who continue to oppose the Catholic Church every which way they can. In fact, I too have missed the verse and so are the others. That really makes studying the bible, unlike anything that I have studied. I guess it will take a lifetime to even really and totally cover every verse and understand them.
In tackling the important religious issue of the relations of the church and kingdom to which our salvation hangs I will first focus our discussion to the Church of Jesus Christ in the bible which he founded. But first, let us be cleared about the name of the church. The scripture is clear, the words Church of God or Church of Christ are not names of the church as an organized religion as many Protestants would claim but a description of what the church is, that it is a church attributed to God or Christ, meaning it is church with divine origin not a church founded by man or any man for that matter. Therefore it is a great deception to claim them as the name of the church founded by Jesus Christ and making it appear to be the true church as the common practice of Protestant movement and other non-Catholic churches.
The true church is not registered in any man-made kingdoms and nations. It is founded by God himself who is above all powers in heaven or on earth so there is no need for its registration in any registry book because it exists and has continuously existed by its own power and authority. The true church is not under any authority of man-made governments. It is a holy nation as we will learn later in this article. It is higher than any of the nations that have come and gone through generations as it has even existed before any of the nations and governments in the world come into existence.
The mystery of the true church is that it has survived every nation, every kingdom, every powerful ruler and kings in every generation since its founding and continues to live on. Its survival is a testament for its divine origin and its divine purpose for it is written "...but if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them (the Apostles building the church). You may even find yourselves fighting against God." - Acts 5:39. No other church or any organization has undergone thousands of years of persecution and attacks from its enemies both from within the church itself and from outside the church that if its just an ordinary man-made church it would have been gone a long time ago.
THE CHURCH HIDDEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES
The word church only appeared in the New Testament in its original Greek version and not in the Old Testament in the original Hebrew. Why is this so? Because there is no word church in Hebrew but only in Greek. In Hebrew, the word used is "assembly" which is used in either religious assembly or any other assembly called for other purposes.
In Deuteronomy 4:10 it says "Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me assemble the people to me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on earth, and that they may teach their children.". Again the "assembly" is used in Deut 9:10 "The Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the "day of the assembly." In both instances, the assembly is meant to a meeting called to make announcements and inform the people. God has called the people of Israel to make himself known to them first because Israel is to be the light among all the nations. Note the phrase "that I may let them hear My words" Whether God has spoken to them directly or still through Moses is not clear. The point here is that God calls out people to assemble them for his purpose.
The Hebrew Old Testament called Torah by the Jews was translated into Greek about 250 BC and completed about 132 BC which in the 4th century was called the Septuagint a Latin word. Notice that translation of books comprising the OT into Septuagint abbreviation LXX took more than 100 years to complete and was done by 72 Jewish Scholars in Egypt where Greek was the common language throughout the region. I will have a separate article on this as it is quite a long discussion too. But the point I'm making here is only when the Hebrew scriptures were translated to Greek that we see the Greek word "ekklesia" used for the word assembly in Hebrew. In the two instances above the Assembly refer to the assembly of the people of Israel. This is important for the understanding of the founding of the church as you will learn.
In the New Testament of the Bible, the church appeared 3 times in the Gospels particularly in Matthew where the founding of the church of Jesus Christ was revealed after the confession of Peter who Jesus really is. There Jesus owned the church by his words "On this rock I will build MY Church". Then he ordered his Apostles to be silent about him as the Messiah. Later also in Matthew, he placed more importance to the church by making it the last authority over brothers who committed sins. Specifically teaching them to bring a brother who is at fault to the church if he won't listen to his brothers. After the ascension, the church appeared many times in Acts and in letters of the Apostles about 111 times which means it is a new revelation that is yet to be understood or known even by the Jews at that time. The Apostles thought that Jesus will immediately establish his visible kingdom upon his resurrection instead he founded his church. But even up to the last time of his presence with them before his ascension to heaven, they were asking still asking him "...are you at this time establish the kingdom to Israel?"
Clearly, the Apostles were themselves a bit confused about the church and the kingdom because all through the 3 years of Jesus public ministry, he was all the time preaching about the kingdom of God which for the Jewish Apostles meant to be the restoration of the kingdom of Israel according to the prophets. Judas Iscariot joined Jesus' public ministry of the thought that Jesus is the Messiah that was to come to restore the kingdom of David to Israel. His betrayal of Jesus was to force him to declare his mission having seen the power Jesus has, he thought it best to put his master on the spot where he may finally declare revolution against the Roman Empire and lead the Jews as their new king restoring Israel. When he realized his mistakes, it was too late and he was bothered by his conscience of betraying his master he committed suicide.
Why was there confusion in the minds of the Apostles and Disciples that were left still supporting the Lord regarding the kingdom? Because it is now evident to us the salvation plan of God is not given in full details but based on the need to know basis. It is likened to a top-secret military operation where the information is compartmentalized and not fully revealed even to the top officers but only the Commander in Chief and his ground commander. They call it "time on target". The information is given only at every phase of the operation. Not everyone and not all people is given the knowledge of everything. This is how God works with regard to his salvation plan for man.
Here is the mystery of why God seems to not advance all the knowledge of his salvation plan even to his church everything that they need to know but only based on the need to know basis. It is compartmentalized. I believe this is because we are in the midst of war against Satan who also has his plans to destroy the salvation plan of God. That is why the truth is not given comprehensively but only on piecemeal. When asked by his Apostles when the end will come, Jesus answered them with an enigma, "No one knows, not even the son nor the angels know, but only the Father". How can the son who is God and speaks of the Father is one with him not know when he will come again for the end times? As God, of course, Jesus should know the will of the Father but he defers his own power in union with the Father's will. Jesus repeats his attitude toward the Father in his prayer in Gethsemane where he said: "Not my will Father, but yours be done". That only shows that God keeps to himself his entire plan in his own time and that keeps Satan getting the upper hand in the war over souls.
Going back to the Apostles, Jesus knew they were still lacking of understanding and he promised them that he will ask the Father to send the Paraclete so they will not be left alone but that he will be with them until the end through the Holy Spirit that will guide them TO ALL THE TRUTHS. With that assurance, Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit to come before they make any action with regard to the building of his church. Only then they will understand that the founding and establishment of the church were hidden in the prophecies of the coming kingdom. They are tied together and Apostles Peter and James will speak about it in the Council of Jerusalem. Clearly, God's ways in battle is a proven strategy in secret wars, the "Need To Know Basis". Even in Jesus' preaching he always speaks in parables then explains it to those that need to know what he meant because he said the knowledge is not for all but only for the chosen few.
Of the Apostles, St. James has given us the revelation of the church in the Old Testament which means it has been part of the plan of God from the beginning. But St. Peter who is the most Orthodox of all the Apostles and the appointed head and leader of the church by Jesus himself has given us the best definition of the Church including it characteristics which actually match that of the prophecies.
The "Tabernacle of David" is the Church
The tabernacle is used throughout the Bible as a picture of God’s presence among his people, among his congregation. David said in Psalm 15:1-4:
The Tabernacle is likened to a dwelling place on a holy hill and only the righteous and upright people will dwell who can follow and obey the rules of the Tabernacle. The tabernacle is clearly not just a place but a place with rules.
In Psalm 122:1 David said, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.’ The Tabernacle is likened to the house of the Lord. We know that the church is also called a house of God which directly connects the tabernacle of David directly to the church.
Back to Psalm 15 in verses 23-24 we read "Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day-to-day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”
From the Psalms we learn that the Tabernacle of David is the House of the Lord. In the New Testament the church is also called the house of God. The Psalm refers to the Lord God of Israel but not only of Israel because in both verses 23 and 24 the Lord God is to be proclaimed among all nations and among all peoples. This is a clear prophecy that the tabernacle or the church will house all the nations and all the peoples not just limited to the Jews that are called out.
We read in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that
will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.” Interesting to note that there was no temple yet at the time of David, it was built by Solomon… It’s interesting to read what
happened at the time the ark was being delivered to the tent of David. We read
in 2 Samuel 6:16, 17 :
“Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it….”
Note: The Tabernacle is also called the House of the Lord. St. Paul also called the church of God as the House of God.
“Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it….”
Note: The Tabernacle is also called the House of the Lord. St. Paul also called the church of God as the House of God.
To make a clearer connection of the Tabernacle and the church, let’s read first what Amos the prophet says in Amos 9:8-15 as it will help us understand:
"Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth, yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,’ says the LORD. "For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say, 'The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.'”
Note: Again here the "house" is used in the House of Israel.
"On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ says the LORD who does this thing. Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the threader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,’ says the LORD your God.”
We must take note of the "Remnant of Edom" and "all the Gentiles who are called by My name". I will not discuss it here thoroughly suffice it to say that the Remnant of Edom is the Remnant of men of Israel. If you are to understand it, you may check ii in my other posts of the same title. But Amos prophecy seems to be pointing to a time when the Tabernacle of David will be raised up again from its ruins and "rebuild it as in the days of old". What is the Tabernacle of David and what happened to it? The tabernacle refers to the temple which started out in tents during the exodus and became the house of prayer of David where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. David did not build the temple but Solomon. The temple built is the same pattern as the Tabernacle. It is there where the rites and worship due to God was celebrated by the authorized priests to perform them such as the daily sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
What is the relevance of the Tabernacle of David in Amos to the Church founded by Jesus Christ? In the Council of Jerusalem, James had the inspiration to resolve the issue of the Gentiles joining the church of God using Amos when he said in Acts 15 verses 12-17:
"Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth, yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,’ says the LORD. "For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say, 'The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.'”
Note: Again here the "house" is used in the House of Israel.
"On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ says the LORD who does this thing. Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the threader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,’ says the LORD your God.”
We must take note of the "Remnant of Edom" and "all the Gentiles who are called by My name". I will not discuss it here thoroughly suffice it to say that the Remnant of Edom is the Remnant of men of Israel. If you are to understand it, you may check ii in my other posts of the same title. But Amos prophecy seems to be pointing to a time when the Tabernacle of David will be raised up again from its ruins and "rebuild it as in the days of old". What is the Tabernacle of David and what happened to it? The tabernacle refers to the temple which started out in tents during the exodus and became the house of prayer of David where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. David did not build the temple but Solomon. The temple built is the same pattern as the Tabernacle. It is there where the rites and worship due to God was celebrated by the authorized priests to perform them such as the daily sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
What is the relevance of the Tabernacle of David in Amos to the Church founded by Jesus Christ? In the Council of Jerusalem, James had the inspiration to resolve the issue of the Gentiles joining the church of God using Amos when he said in Acts 15 verses 12-17:
“Then all the multitude kept silent and
listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had
worked through them among the Gentiles. And after they had become
silent, James answered, saying, ‘Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of
them a people for His name. And with this the words of the
prophets agree, just as it is written: “After this I will
return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will
rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of
mankind may seek the LORD. Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
says the LORD who does all these things.” ’ ” –
James not only found a way through the scriptures to resolve the issue between the Jews and Gentiles both members of the church but also revealed that the rebuilt Tabernacle of David is the church! The rebuilding of the Tabernacle of David is a prophecy of the end time revival of the House of Israel, the kingdom of David which no longer confined to the Jews but now include the Gentiles as has always been the intention of God in his salvation plan.
James not only found a way through the scriptures to resolve the issue between the Jews and Gentiles both members of the church but also revealed that the rebuilt Tabernacle of David is the church! The rebuilding of the Tabernacle of David is a prophecy of the end time revival of the House of Israel, the kingdom of David which no longer confined to the Jews but now include the Gentiles as has always been the intention of God in his salvation plan.
The Gentiles were pagans and according to Jewish beliefs once a pagan always a pagan. But the Gentiles as testified by St. Peter who made the first baptism of the entire household of a Gentile Cornelius and to whom the vision was given where God said "What is made clean, you should not call profane" also believed in Jesus Christ giving credence to a new ministry to the Gentiles advanced by St. Paul in the meeting of the council in Jerusalem. What baffled the first Jewish Christians who at first thought that the church was only for the Jewish Christians were the report that when many of the Gentiles believed, the Holy Spirit would come upon them just as the Holy Spirit had come
upon the Jewish believers on the Day of Pentecost. They were speaking in
tongues; they experienced the power of God; and there were many signs and
wonders happening in the midst of the Gentiles converts to Christianity in the same way as what happened to the Jewish converts. The Church is truly universal or Catholic and not limited to one race of people and religious beliefs but open to those that will believe in Jesus Christ.
Indeed Amos prophecy came true as James saw it. The remnant of Edom that is the preserved of Israel according to Isaiah 49:6 and all the Gentile nations called out by God are now under one house. The House of Christ which is the Tabernacle of David rebuilt which we have connected as the church founded by Jesus Christ.
KEEP READING FOLLOW TO PART II
By Bro. Manny OTFS Chief Apologist
Indeed Amos prophecy came true as James saw it. The remnant of Edom that is the preserved of Israel according to Isaiah 49:6 and all the Gentile nations called out by God are now under one house. The House of Christ which is the Tabernacle of David rebuilt which we have connected as the church founded by Jesus Christ.
KEEP READING FOLLOW TO PART II
By Bro. Manny OTFS Chief Apologist
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