THE CHURCH - HIS BODY
By Charles Pack
What is another "key" to Bible prophecy as it relates to our Lord's return? The answer to that is "The church - Christ's body". (Ephesians 1:22-23) The condition of the true church and the professing church - just prior to our Lord's return is prophesied in the Bible. This "key " opens the door to our understanding and shows us that the coming of Christ is very, very near.
WHAT IS THE (CHURCH)?
To some the word "church" brings to mind a building, as The First Baptist Church at 2nd and Main or a denominational group as "The Assemblies of God". The word in the Bible means local churches. Also, the Greek word, "ecclesia" means ''a called out assembly". Therefore, the true church, is that group of people from the day of Pentecost that have been called out from among both Jew and Gentile to form a "body". When God completes calling out this vast group of people to form "the church", Christ will return. "Symeon hath declared how God first did visit the nations (Gentiles) to take out of them a people for His name ... AFTER THIS I (Christ) will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down" (Acts 15:14-16). 1 believe the church began at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit indwelt all believers for the first time. In Matthew 16:18 the church was still future: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I WILL build my church," said Jesus. In John 14:16-17 Jesus said: "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you ANOTHER COMFORTER, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; . . . . . for He dwelleth with you, and SHALL BE IN YOU". These promises were fulfilled at Pentecost when the Scripture declares: "And they were ALL filled with THE HOLY SPIRIT." (Acts 2:4 - A.D. 33).
Then Christ returned to Heaven: "So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19). Christ is the "head" of the church which is "His body." "And (God) hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the HEAD over all things to the church. Which is HIS BODY, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22-23). "For by one Spirit were we all baptized into ONE BODY, whether we be Jews or Gentiles" (1 Cor. 12:13). In Romans 12:5 Paul says, "So we, being many, are one BODY in Christ and every one members one of another".
CHRIST AND HIS PEOPLE
He became poor that we might become rich (James 2:5). He was born that we might be born again (John 1:14). He became a servant that we might become sons (Gal. 4:6, 4 He had no home that we might have a home in heaven (Matt. 8:20). He was bound that we might go free (John 8:32-36). He was made sin that we might be made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21). He died that we might live (John 5:24, 25).
The church is to be "caught out". All dead and living Christians will leave this earth simultaneously. "For 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 (Christians) who 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" (1 Thess. 4:16-17). "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep (or die), but we shall all be , hanged, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:5152).
WHERE IS TRUE FAITH TODAY?
Jesus indicated that when He returned, the (true) faith would be practically non-existent. "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find (the) faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8) Paul said: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming o our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of the Lord is present. Let no man deceive you by any means; for THAT DAY shall not come, except there come A FALLING AWAY FIRST, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thess. 2:1-3). When Christ comes "the faith" will be rare; there will have been a "failing away" before He comes. What do we see as we took around today?
Dr. W. A. Criswell, pastor of the largest church in the Southern Baptist Conv., Dallas, said in a sermon, "if the present decreasing trend continues, Christianity will represent only 2 per cent of the world population by the year 2,005, and beyond that it will become almost non-existent. In the whole world and among our millions of churches, there are only six congregations baptizing as many as 300 a year and only 16 who baptize as many as 200! This is a colossal indictment. Some 200 years ago, one fourth of the world's population was evangelical Christian."
Paul prophesied "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that IN THE LATTER TIMES, some shall depart from the faith' (1 Timothy 4:1). Also, he said, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but, after their own lusts' shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching cars And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
Paul warned that things would happen "IN THE LAST DAYS". "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God: Having a form of godliness, but DENYING THE POWER OF IT; from such turn away"(2 Timothy 3:1-5).
Paul prophesied saying: "For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with various lusts. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth ... These also resist the truth, men of CORRUPT MINDS, reprobate concerning the faith" (2 Timothy 3:6-8).
Peter prophesied about false prophets saying: "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who secretly shall bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction ... Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls; an heart they have exercised with covetous practices". (2 Peter 2:1, 14). Jesus predicted at the "end of the age": "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many" (Matthew 24:3, 11).
Look at the church today! We have church leaders who advocate pre-marital and extramarital relations in the name of love. We have theologians within the church that are downright atheists. They speak of a "Christian atheism" (That's like speaking about a black-white. How ridiculous!) They insist on the word, "atheism". Of course this is a contradict ion in terms, for either God never was or else He still is. By definition God cannot die. We have homosexual church leaders advocating homosexuality and urging that "homos" should be welcomed into all churches. Several have indicated that men should marry other men and women marry other women. One minister said, "It's not so important what people do to each other in bed as how they relate to each other in the world as human beings". How much worse can we get?
Beloved, the spirit of antichrist is abroad in our beloved America. The end is near! A novel was published in which Jesus was said to have plotted His crucifixion, and had arranged to be drugged so that He would appear to be dead on the cross. Then later He was revived to fake the 'miracle' of the resurrection. It was titled "The Passover Plot". John predicted such as this, saying "By this know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of ANTICHRIST, of which ye have heard that it should come" (1 John 4:2-3). For "best sellers" to mock and ridicule our Savior's crucifixion and resurrection proves that these verses have already come to pass in America, the most Christian nation under heaven.
We are living in the age of which John wrote in Rev. 3:1416, "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: 'These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and NEITHER COLD NOR HOT, I will spew thee out of My mouth."
"Neither cold nor hot", is a vivid description of our nation and world. in America the greatest Christian nation, we have had an increasing crime wave for nearly forty years. What is the matter with the church? "But if the salt (the church) have lost its savor, with what shall it (the world) be salted? it is thereafter good for nothing, but to be cast out" (Matthew 5:13).
In the parable of the ten bridesmaids in Matthew 25:5 Jesus said "While the bridegroom (Jesus) tarried, THEY ALL slumbered and slept". The five who were unsaved went to sleep; but the other five who were saved also went to sleep.
Today, the church is asleep the body has gone to sleep. It is numb and accomplishing nothing. We are "in the latter days." ''the time of the end" and "the end of the age", for these things were predicted for this time. Therefore, the church, Christ's body, is a key to prophecy and shows Christ's return. Arc you ready? He may come today!
How can you be ready when Jesus comes? if you are not a Christian, you must get saved, now. The Bible says, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Prov. 27:1). "Come NOW, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
Jesus said: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). Do it today, for your sake, for my sake, for Jesus' sake!