I. The Prophetic Argument (two perspectives) There are two perspectives of prophecy: the first coming from the Old Testament prophets, and the second coming from those of the New Testament. Whereas the prophets of the old order were given revelation concerning Israel, those of the New Testament (Paul, Peter, and John), were given revelation primarily concerning the Church Age. It is often difficult to synchronize these perspectives. In fact, the Scriptures tell us it was not always an easy task—even for the prophets themselves. A. The Prophets’ Dilemma—1PE 1:10-12; 2PE 3:14-16 In 1PE 1:10-12, Peter (a prophet himself) tells us of the struggle of Old Testament prophets to comprehend their own writings. This was due to the fact that many passages show the first and second coming of their Messiah—the Lord Jesus Christ—as a continuous sequence of events. If we consider such passages as ISA 61:1-3; JER 33:14-16; DAN 9:24-27; and ZEC 9:9-17 (to cite just a few), we see the two great events of His first and second coming without interruption. Thus, the prophets wondered, “What kind or manner of time will this be, in which Messiah can both be rejected and slain, and yet come in glory and victory?” But it was not only the prophets of old who faced this dilemma. In 2PE 3:14-16, we have Peter referring to Paul (the greatest of the New Testament prophets) saying, “In all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” B. Moses Anticipates the Problem—DEU 29:29 Even Moses, author of the first five books of the Old Testament, saw this apparent problem. As he prepared the children of Israel to go into the Promised Land, he warned them of a coming time of national dispersion. This would be due to their widespread apostasy and idolatry. Because of this, they would be scattered into every nation under Heaven, and the land of Israel would become a wasteland (DEU 29:14-28). Yet, still God’s everlasting covenant with them, to bring them into their land and to send their Redeemer, would be fulfilled. It would be natural for the believer of that time to question how this could be, and how God could both scatter and, at the same time, secure His people. To this question, anticipated by Moses, came the answer: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” DEU 29:29 In essence, he was declaring that they were accountable for what had been revealed to them. It was not for them to worry about what God had yet to reveal. In this text, Moses declared that the revelation would be kept secret for another (future) age. Paul calls this revelation “the mystery” (EPH 1:9-10; EPH 3:1-6). What could not be known to the saints of old has been made known to believers living in this present Church Age. C. A People Who Are Not A Nation—DEU 32:21 As Moses continues to warn Israel of their future defection from the Lord, he declares that they will provoke God by their idolatry (DEU 32:15-22). Though they were richly favored and blessed by God (the meaning of “Jeshurun,” v. 15), yet they would “provoke Him to jealousy with foreign gods” (v. 16). In response, the Lord declares, “But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation” (DEU 32:21b). According to the Apostle Paul, this prophecy anticipated a new creation—the Church (ROM 11:11-14). From the viewpoint of the Old Testament believer, the Church was a “missing link” in how God would ultimately accomplish His promises to Israel. D. Did David Give a Hint?—PSA 102:13-22 Moses was not alone in anticipating this new revelation. In Psalm 102, David writes of the coming of the Messiah and of Israel’s future deliverance. Of particular interest is PSA 102:18, where he says, “This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.” If we take “the people who are not a nation” of Moses and “a people yet to be created” of David—and see them as a prophetic reference to the Church—we can begin to resolve some of the problems in the interpretation of biblical prophecy. E. Jesus Introduces the Solution—MAT 16:18; JOH 14:1-3 When the Lord Jesus entered onto the stage of history, this prophetic dilemma continued to result in confusion. The expectation was that if He were the Messiah, He would immediately drive the Romans into the sea and establish His Messianic kingdom. It was because He did not meet this expectation, that many rejected Him. He gradually began the process of correcting this confusion when He introduced the concept of “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (MAT 13:11) in a series of parables. In essence, these parables introduced a concept of the hidden working of God in a world of good and evil, which would ultimately result in His promises to Israel being fulfilled. But before there could be a Messianic kingdom on this earth, He must first allow the “kingdom of heaven” to develop. Finally, the Lord Jesus directly identified those “who are not a nation” and the “people yet to be created.” In MAT 16:13-20, we have the incident where Jesus asked the questions “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? … But who do you say that I am?” Here Peter boldly declares, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And in response to this expression of faith, Jesus responds, “on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades [Hell] shall not prevail against it.” The “Rock” is, of course, Christ Himself, and His “church” are those who confess Him in faith as Christ, the Savior. This is made very clear by Peter’s repeated reference to Him as the “living stone … cornerstone … stone … rock” in 1PE 2:4-8. The Church of Jesus Christ is then the “new creation” which is built on the secure foundation which God alone has laid—that is His Son Jesus Christ (cf., 1CO 3:11; 2CO 5:17). F. The Disciples’ Continuing Confusion—Acts 1:6-8 The spiritual transition from the promised kingdom to Israel and the “kingdom of heaven” was not easy to make, even for His faithful disciples. After His crucifixion and resurrection, the disciples still asked, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (ACT 1:6). They had, thus far, failed to grasp the significance of what had been taught, or what was about to come. I’m sure if we had been in their place, we would have done no better. It was simply too great a shift from all they had been taught to expect—based on the prophetic structure of the Old Testament and their instruction in the synagogues. This spiritual confusion would continue into the new dispensation, ultimately resulting in the Jerusalem Council (ACT 15:1-41), where an attempt was made to resolve the seemingly conflicting doctrines of Law versus Grace, of Old Covenant versus New Covenant. At that time, it was Paul—the apostle to the Gentiles—who became the champion of the Church and of the doctrines relating to this “new creation.” G. The Revelation of the “Mystery” Doctrine—EPH 1:1-23, EPH 3:1-21 Because Paul had been specifically chosen by God to become the apostle to the Church, it was to him that God gave a new revelation for a new people and a new age. This body of truth, which we call the “Mystery Doctrine,” is directed to those who are “in Christ.” In this two-word phrase coined by Paul, we recognize a unique people of a heavenly kingdom. In EPH 1:7-14, Paul writes of the revelation of “the mystery of His will” which was given for “the dispensation of the fullness of the times” (this present Church Age), concerning all who are “in Christ … in Him.” This new revelation speaks to a new people (the Church) concerning a new eternal inheritance of “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (EPH 1:3). Then, in EPH 3:1-13, Paul further amplifies the truth concerning “the dispensation of the grace of God,” which he says, “in other ages was not made known to the sons of men.” This new revelation was primarily directed toward the Gentiles, who would form a new company known as “the Church.” This is “My church” of which Jesus spoke in MAT 16:18, and which is a spiritual entity separate from, but related to, Israel. The means of entrance into the Church is by believing the Gospel message “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (JOH 20:31) and the resulting baptism and sealing of the Holy Spirit (1CO 12:13; ROM 6:1-8; EPH 1:13-14, EPH 4:30). Conclusion of the Prophetic Argument Because of failure to recognize the prophetic significance of the revelation of the Mystery Doctrine, many Bible students and scholars continue to confuse Israel and the Church, and to try to force New Testament truth—which applies to the Church—into a framework of God’s working with Israel. The result is a belief that God is done with Israel, and all her promises and provisions have now shifted to the Church. This is a dishonor to both entities, but even more so to God, whose plan has been clearly made known—particularly by Paul—the apostle of the Church Age.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:27:44 +0000
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