The Purpose of the Body of Christ in Eternity?

What do you think the purpose of the body of Christ is in eternity?

Also...

What do you think the purpose of Israel is for eternity?

Your thoughts?

God bless

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Ephesians 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

This applies to the gentiles and the Jews.

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

Ok, won't argue with that - good verse.

How about for the Church, which is his body:

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

For Israel:

Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Anybody else got any other thoughts?

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Greetings AVBunyan,

No, you are trying to separate God's plan of salvation, as though He had one purpose for the church and one for Israel. This is not so. You refer to Exo 19:6, but we MUST look to the NT for the fuller revelation:

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

This is speaking to both Jew and Gentile, in fact the highlighted portion above has direct reference to:

Romans 11:30-31 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Here in Romans Paul is speaking directly to the Gentiles, and it is THEY who shall take the Gospel to Israel, so that they too shall share in God's mercy.

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

1. Yes, exactly - Peter is referencing:
Deu 14:2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

God's plan for Israel for eternity is to have an earthly kingdom from whence they will be a nation of kings and priests dispensing God's blessings to the Gentile nations.

The church, which is His body, will be far above all principaities, etc. in heavenly places (Eph. 1-3) - not on earth where the Jews and Gentile nations will be.

Yes, Dad, I believe God has two distinct plans for both - that is why I believe the body of Christ is so unique in God's plan. We will be a heavenly people (Eph. 1-3; 2:6) and Israel will be an earthly people (all through the OT). This teaching of Paul was so strange that even his own folks left him during his second imprisonment in Rome and Peter said Paul said things that were hard to be understood!

2. The Gentiles will take Paul's gospel to whosoever right now but when this age ends then God will resume His dealings with Israel and bring them into the land He promised to Abrahman and they will be made a kingdom of priests as He intended them to be (Ezek. 37; Isa. 66:8; Jer. 31:31; Heb. 8:8, etc.).

Nice chatting with you - may God bless -

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And this is the heresy of Darby's dispensationalism . .


Peace in Him!

Go shake your fist at God not Darby - I Tim. 2:15 - for God laid the book out that way not Darby.

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No, I am content at pointing out Darby's errors, thank you.

Through whom did God give you that book AV? Did it fall out of the sky complete?


Peace in Him!

You know, I had always wondered where the contempt for history has come from among fundamentalists when it comes to Christianity, now I understand:

Darby wrote into the doctrinal platform of the Brethren one innovation which still marks the dispensational school today. We refer to his disregard of and actual contempt for history. In his book, Prophecy and the Church, p. 26, Allis quotes Darby as having said:

I do not want history to tell me Nineveh or Babylon is ruined or Jerusalem in the hands of the Gentiles. I do not admit history to be, in any sense, necessary to the understanding of prophecy.

http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/full.asp?ID=174

Oh well . .


Peace in Him!

Here is some more information about Darby and dispensationalism

Following his break with the Church of England and his joining the Brethren movement, Darby, along with the rest of the Brethren, claimed to have been given many "rediscovered truths." These alleged truths supposedly had been taught by the apostles, then lost sight of. Even the great Reformers had not known of these doctrines. These "rediscovered truths" were, in fact, the direct opposite of all historic Christian teachings proclaimed by the Reformers and extant commentaries. Notice was given to the world at large that everyone should look on all previous postapostolic teachings as false, and that only the "rediscovered truths" of the Brethren should be embraced.

The main teachings of dispensationalism, which will be dealt with in subsequent chapters, contrasted with the historic Christian beliefs. Perhaps a summary of their beliefs would be in order at this point. The following quotation (Arnold Black Rhodes, editor, The Church Faces the Isms, p.95) is pertinent.

In brief, the teachings of dispensationalism are as follows:

1. The Jews are to be saved by repentance; they are to be left here on earth as God's earthly people
2. The Gentiles are to be saved by faith; they will be taken to heaven after the Rapture.
3. The church is a parenthesis in God's plan and will end in apostasy.
4. The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are sharply differentiated, the first being the Davidic kingdom and the latter being God's universal world-wide kingdom.
5. God deals with men according to seven dispensations.

Only one of these five major doctrines of dispensationalism (number 2 above) in any way agrees with historic Christian teachings. Even that one would have to be explained, since historic Christians teach that, after the Rapture, Christians are to be taken to heaven permanently, whereas dispensationalists say it is only temporary at that time. Dispensationalists go on to teach that, after seven years, the church will be returned to earth, where it will take part in an earthly millennium. During the millennium, according to dispensationalists, the church will have a position inferior to that of Israel. They teach that, after the millennium, the church will be returned to heaven the second time, there to spend eternity while Israel remains forever ore the earth. None of this, of course, is in agreement with historic Christian beliefs. And, whereas the dispensationalists include only the Gentile Christians in the Rapture, historic Christians would include all believers from every age and nationality

That first main doctrine above is pretty intersting, making a distinction between repentance for the Jews and faith for the Gentiles . .

Paul says

Rom 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

The Jews BY faith and the gentiles THROUGH faith

Justification for the first originating "IN", for the second channeling, passing "THROGH" the same thing . . faith . .


Peace in Him!