But in chapter 23 we come again to positive instructions on this point. The multitude and the disciples are both put on distinct Jewish ground, subjected to Moses's seat; yet they who filled it—all the teachers and the righteous of the nation—put under lawful condemnation. Further, the apostolic mission (vers. 34-36) is presented as “prophets, and wise men, and scribes,” sent to the nation (as the prophets rejected of old had been), their rejection bringing present temporal judgment on that generation. Often would Jesus-Jehovah have gathered Jerusalem's children together-that Jerusalem who thus, in all times, stoned the prophets, and killed those sent to her; but she never would listen. Now her house was left desolate to her; she would not see her Lord till she repented. When, through grace, she was in the spirit of that which God had perfected praise by, in putting it into the mouth of babes and sucklings when Christ was rejected by the nation-namely, the confession of Psa. 118—then, and not before, she would see Christ again. In a word, there must be a prepared people, a people prepared to receive Him, saying, “Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord,” before the Lord would appear to them. Nothing, I apprehend, can be clearer than this, as to the position in which the Lord sets the multitude and the disciples; the character He gives to the witness of these last in Israel, after His decease, and the desolation of Jerusalem and the house, till repentance and a prepared heart had made them ready to receive the Lord, ready for the home here on earth, now to be desolate no more.
The Lord then proceeds to announce the judgment of Jerusalem, and the circumstances of His disciples in connection with the end of the age. The disciples inquire when should the temple be destroyed, what the sign of Christ's coming, and of the end of the age. That the questions here relate to the Jewish people is perfectly evident: the end of the age (it is well known that “world” is a mistake) has no sense or application out of the sphere of Jewish thought. That it referred to this, in the mind of the disciples, is most clear; that the other question, when the temple should be destroyed, had this reference, it is not needed to say. Does the Lord's answer continue on this ground? His answer is divided into two parts; a general warning to the end of verse 14, and particular circumstances from verse 15.
As to the first part, to whom do persons come, saying, I am the Christ? Not to Christians as such, I suppose. It was an expectation that Christ might appear, into which the disciples, with Jewish expectations, might be seduced. The scene, sphere, and character, of deception are Jewish. Many troubles and wars would arise; but the end of which they inquired was not yet. Before that arrived, the gospel of the kingdom, which Jesus, and even John the Baptist, had announced, would be sent to all the Gentiles, and then the end would come. Why even this difference, if the previous part were not Jewish in its sphere?
The latter part, from verse 16, demonstrates, as clearly as any language can do, that the Lord was referring to what was Jewish. The abomination of desolation of which Daniel spoke in a prophecy specially referring to his (Daniel's) people, is the point of departure: it would stand in the holy place. Those who were in Judea were to flee to the mountains; they were to pray that their flight should not be on the sabbath day. What language can be plainer, to show the place, the people, the circumstances, which occupy the Savior's thoughts? the rather because we get the saints, and the nations, and their judgments, in chapter 25.
That is (to resume the evidence this Gospel affords us), it takes up the ministry in Christ's time (chap. 10.), and pursues it to the close—the coming of the Son of man—in an exclusively Jewish character. The Lord takes up the disciples and the multitude (chap. 23.) on definitely Jewish ground, subjecting them to Moses' chair, while rejecting those that sat there; and declares, at the close, that repentance must characterize the remnant before they would see Him again: and then, showing the judgment on the house, shows the nation guilty—iniquity abounding—the testimony of the remnant in the midst of this iniquity—the true witness of the kingdom—and extending before the end to all nations: and, finally, He returns to the last great tribulation and occupies Himself with the godly remnant in Judaea and Jerusalem, previous to His own appearing; warning them that new pretenses would arise of His being there, a suggestion having no application whatever to Christians, properly so called, because they are to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. A person must have renounced Christian hopes before such a pretense could be a snare to him. To an earthly remnant the presence of Christ upon earth is the sum of all their rightful hopes.
As regards the subsequent continuation of this testimony in the midst of Jerusalem, the Lord on the cross (Luke 23:3434Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:34)) intercedes for them, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” To this the Holy Ghost, in witness, responds, saying by the mouth of Peter (Acts 3:1717And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. (Acts 3:17)) “Now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did your rulers. Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that [not “when"] the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus, whom heaven must receive till the times of the restitution of all things, of which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Now, this gracious continuation of the testimony to Israel, as such (see vers. 25, 26—the remnant is distinguished by the reception of the testimony, ver. 23), shows that repentance was called for in order to Christ's return. Those would be cut off who did not receive this prophetic testimony. Stephen bears witness to their always resisting the Holy Ghost; and to Saul, the most active resister of the Spirit amongst them, the willing help of the slayers of the witness, the full doctrine of the church is revealed. The persecuted witnesses are owned to be members of Christ Himself; yet, though the church be set up (and we have it in fact, Acts 2, before Peter's testimony), and Paul be made a minister of it, he preaches first to the Jews only; when they count themselves unworthy of eternal life, he turns to the Gentiles, and pronounces, as witness of this church ministry, as the Lord in His living one, that the judgment pronounced by Isaiah must soon fall upon them; but it is only in Acts 28 that this is finally said-the last scriptural witness that we have historically.
The general doctrine of a remnant in Israel is clearly stated in the Epistle to the Romans; an elect remnant spared, who, not continuing in unbelief, will be grafted in again, and that into their own olive tree; not into the Christian assembly, which was not their own olive tree—they had never been broken out of that, nor had the believing branches continued in it. There is an elect remnant of Israel which shall be brought to believe, and be grafted into their own olive tree, and become the nation—the “all Israel.” There are many passages in the prophets, as Joel 2, Zech. 9, to which it may suffice thus to refer.
We will now proceed to take up the other capital point of which we desired to speak—that in which God shows the sovereign fullness of His grace. The historical development of the doctrine we have hinted at, and we will briefly state it here. We have the largest and fullest warrant for saying, that it was entirely unrevealed in the Old Testament. Speaking of the mystery, the admission of the Gentiles to be of the one body in the assembly of God, Paul says (Rom. 16:25, 2625Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: (Romans 16:25‑26)), “The preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest and by prophetic scriptures [not “the scriptures of the prophets"], according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith,” etc. In Eph. 4; 5, “The mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs and of the same body"; and (ver. 9), “the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world was hid in God: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus.” So (Col. 1:2424Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: (Colossians 1:24)), “For his body's sake, the church, whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God; the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.” This doctrine, of which Paul, as he states in the Colossians, was a minister, as well as of the gospel, in order to complete the word of God, was thus wholly unknown to the saints of the Old Testament. Much more was utterly obscure; but this was hid in God. Other things they might have were for an age to come, not for themselves, as the promise of the Spirit and the Messiah's glory and redemption; but this they knew not at all. When the Father had revealed to Simon Bar-jonas the truth of the person of Christ, that He was the Son of the living God (not merely the Christ), Christ could then speak of the church; for it was to be founded on that. But He spoke of it only prophetically, and as a future thing— “on this rock I will build my church.” It was by resurrection He was declared Son of God with power; so that Satan's power was of no avail; and His death was needed to gather together in one the children of God, wherever scattered abroad-His departure, that the Comforter might come.
Except the corn of wheat fell into the ground and died, it abode alone. When Christ had died—had gone up on high—the great foundation was laid for all blessings, and in particular for the church. And the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, came down according to promise; and the assembly, the church, was formed; and the Lord added daily to the Church such as should be saved (the residue, the σωζομένους). That was the way He now disposed of them, though His promises to Israel remained sure. The doctrine of the church, however, was not taught as far as scripture informs us. The Christians remained strictly attached to Judaism, zealous of the law; priests were obedient to the faith, nor seem to have ceased to be priests. Peter never even teaches that Jesus is the Son of God; his doctrine is, “Him whom ye have crucified, God hath exalted to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins:” God had made Him both Lord and Christ.
What will, perhaps, surprise the reader, the church is never named in the Epistles but by Paul. A particular assembly is named by John; but the assembly or church, as a whole, the body of Christ, is spoken of by Paul only; nor, consequently, I may add, the rapture of the saints before the appearing of Christ. God raises up, we learn in the Acts, a free ministry outside the college of the apostles. This brought out the fullest hatred of the Jews; and Stephen, an eminent instrument of God in this ministry, is put to death. Heaven receives its first-fruits of the power of the Holy Ghost, of the church; heaven itself is opened, and a heavenly Christ is seen—a man in glory is seen. Conformed to Christ, the spirit of Stephen joins Him on high, and the final tale of Judaism was told in blood: they always resisted the Holy Ghost. God did not dwell in a house made by hands. This changed everything; a heavenly gathering before Christ's return was actually begun.
This, however, was individual; but the enmity of the Jew was to assume a yet more active and violent character. Not content with making havoc of the church at Jerusalem, Saul must persecute them to strange cities; but while occupied with this, and close to Damascus for the purpose, he is arrested by the Lord's revealing Himself in glory to him, and telling him that those he was persecuting were Himself— “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest; why persecutest thou me?” Here, then, sovereign grace abounded over final resistance to the Holy Ghost Himself. The foundation for the gospel of the glory was laid, and the identification of all the saints on earth with their glorified Head in heaven was made the starting-point for Paul's testimony as to what His church was. Of this he became minister. For a heavenly, glorious Christ, Jew or Gentile were all one; they were all one in Him.
The reception of Cornelius was entrusted to Peter, that the new truth might not be a separate one; but unity, as manifested on the earth, continues, with a new element of truth introduced. The unity of Jew or Gentile, as one body in Christ, was entrusted as a testimony to Paul. He was minister of the church to complete the word of God. He who alone verbally speaks of the church, what does he teach? “God hath put all things under his feet [Christ's, exalted on high], and gave him to be head over all things to the church [assembly], which is his body, the fullness of him who filleth all in all.” Such, then, is the church. It is an assembly which, when Christ is exalted on high and fills all things, is His body, the fullness or completion of the Head.
So in Col. 1 “He is the Head of the body, the church, the firstborn from the dead.” So in detail (Rom. 12), “We being many are one body in Christ, and members one of another.” So 1 Corinthians 12. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.... Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
Another character as to the formal existence of the church on earth is, that we, Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2), are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. The manner of its building is the breaking down the middle wall of partition, and to make of twain one new man; or, as is expressed in a passage already quoted, the mystery is, that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs and of one body. The baptism of the Holy Ghost, by which it was formed, took place on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:88But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)), which it was the distinctive title of Christ to confer (John 1:33, 3433And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (John 1:33‑34)), and which for the saints He ascended up on high to receive. (Acts 2:3333Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (Acts 2:33); compare John 16:77Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (John 16:7)).
In a word, the church, or assembly, is the body of Christ, formed, when the Head was exalted, by the Holy Ghost, which He then sent down to gather together the saints into unity. Before Israel's being owned as a nation, the saints walked in individual faith; when Israel was owned, they were individual members of a nation owned as such as God's people, but of which the vast mass were unconverted, the unity of which, such as it was, was in the flesh—a unity with which the Spirit had nothing to do, and which, consequently excluded Gentiles. After the death and exaltation of Christ, who gave Himself, not for that nation only, but to gather together in one the children of God which were scattered abroad, all was changed in this respect; the distinction of Jew and Gentiles effaced; both alike (through faith) reconciled to God, and gathered into the unity of one assembly by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which assembly is the church, i.e., the assembly of God, the body of Christ, the dwelling-place of the Holy Ghost on earth. We are not inquiring here how far it could be corrupted or ruined, viewed as the house of God, or dwelling-place of the Holy Ghost on earth; but what it is in the primitive scripture view of it. Nothing is that but itself.
This assembly is, as may be seen (Eph. 5), the bride of Christ. The word is applied to the particular assemblies of Christians in different places, because they formed the assembly of God in that place; but if the word be taken as scripture uses it, it is not possible to attach any equivocal sense to it. It is God's assembly, formed by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, when the Head had been exalted as man on high. It is His body and His bride. Translate the Greek word by the natural English one, and no one would have a moment's hesitation as to what it meant—the assembly, or the assembly of God. The Lord added daily to the assembly. He set some in the assembly; first, apostles; secondly, prophets.
It is called to participate in the sufferings of Christ, and He will present it to Himself as His bride, as Eve to Adam, a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. When the Lord added to the assembly such as should be saved, it is quite clear that it was not to that to which they belonged already; and their adding to it, an act which showed they did not belong to it as members of the Jewish nation, not even if they were previously pious. It was a newly instituted body, formed in unity by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, and united to the Head, Christ, who was there.
We have now to inquire what the testimony of God is as to joining Him there. The church's joining Christ has nothing to do with Christ's appearing or coming to earth. Her place is elsewhere. She sits in Him already in heavenly places. She has to be brought there as to bodily presence. Christ would not remain with His disciples here, and tells them, “I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am there ye may be also.” The thing she has to expect for herself, then, is not, though sure of that also, Christ's appearing, but her being taken up where He is. And so the apostle, speaking of it in detail, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
We go up to meet Christ in the air. Nothing clearer then, than that we are to go up to meet Him, and not await His coming to earth; but that this coming to receive us to Himself is not His appearing is still clearer, if we pay attention to Col. 3, which shows that we are already with Him when He shall appear. “When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” This identification of the church's hope and glory with Christ Himself is of the essence of the church's blessing. He is our life, our righteousness; the glory given to Him He has given to us: we are members of His body, we are of His flesh and of His bones. We reign with Him, suffer with Him, are glorified together, being like Him-conformed to His image. He is hid in God: our life is hid with Him in glory; but for this we must be caught up to meet Him, and that before He appears at all—when He does, we are already with Him and appear with Him. This does not state the epoch of the rapture of the church, but, what is far more important, it does clearly show the entire difference of relationship of the heavenly saints with Christ, and of those who only see Him when He appears. The one are blessed under His reign, and are connected with the earth; the others are identified with Himself—with Him who reigns—appear and reign with Him. Wherever this is enfeebled, Satan is at work.
There are truths common to all, such as being manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ. There are those which are the prerogative of faith; and such is our association with Christ, the Firstborn among many brethren, the being His bride and His body. He who awaits Christ's appearing, as the time in which he is to go to be with Him, has denied the proper hope and proper relationship of the church with Christ. On this point there can be no compromise. Ignorance of privilege is one thing (it is our lot, all of us, in one shape or other), the denial of it another. When once we have seen that we are to appear with Christ, and that, consequently, our hope of Christ's coming for us is not properly His appearing, all our habits of thought and our spiritual affections are changed. Our proper hope is not even the glory in which we appear with Him, wonderful as that is, but this, “I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also.” “So shall we ever be with the Lord.”
(continued)
(To be continued)