The doctrine of the Church

1. Nomenclature. The Church is designated by other words than the Church.

a) Positional sanctification is described under two biblical words: ‘saint’ and the phrase ‘in Christ.’ These two words are used to designate the Church as the royal family of God in this dispensation.

b) Two words which form another concept: ‘body’ and ‘bride.’ This nomenclature relates us to the angelic conflict. The body is the Church on earth during this dispensation, the intensified stage of the angelic conflict. The bride is the Church in heaven after the Rapture. These two designations are very important and they cover many concepts of doctrine.

c) The English word ‘church.’ The Greek word, again, is e)kklhsia. Five different meanings of e)kklhsia:

i) The Attic Greek use, since this word first in the Classical Greek of Athens where it was used for the assembly Athenian citizens convened to conduct the affairs of state. The e)kklhsia was all of the citizens of Athens coming together to make a decision.

ii) It was used in Old Testament usage for the assembly of Israel — Acts 7:38. Whenever in the New Testament the Old Testament assembly was mentioned e)kklhsia was used. Every time Moses hauled the people together to chew them out during the period of the Exodus, whenever they were together, they were called e)kklhsia. In other words, ‘assembly’ which is the literal meaning of e)kklhsia.

iii) Whenever Jews came together in a synagogue they were also known as e)kklhsia or an assembly — Matthew 18:17.

iv) Under Hellenistic culture and the governments that grew out of the Alexandrian empire we have the assembly of a Hellenistic city state, as in Acts 19:25. Again, the citizens are called e)kklhsia.

v) The one found in the epistles of the New Testament and often in the book of Acts in its technical sense. There are two technical concepts. The most important, and the one that we find in Ephesians 5, is the universal church. E)kklhsia is used for the Church universal, that is, for all believers on the earth today — Ephesians 1:22,23; 5:25-27. It actually refers to the residence of the royal priesthood. The second technical use is the local church, the classroom for the royal priesthood — 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; Revelation 2:3.

2. Dispensational orientation. ‘Mystery’ is the concept here. The dispensation of the Church is the mystery age. According to Romans 16:25,26; Ephesians 3:1-5; Colossians 1:25,26 the mystery refers to the fact that all doctrine pertaining to this dispensation was unknown in Old Testament times, never revealed. Starting with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and going all the way to the Rapture, and everything in between — the whole concept of the royal family, members of the family of God but royal family, the universal priesthood, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of the Spirit, the indwelling of Christ, are all doctrines pertaining to this dispensation only and they simply were not known in the Old Testament. The first reference to the Church was the prophesy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:18. So this is why we have the word ‘mystery’, something previously not understood but now known to those who are believers.

3. The beginning of the Church Age.

a) The Church Age interrupts the dispensation of Israel seven years short of its completion. The Church Age is an interrupting dispensation.

b) The reason for the interruption of the Jewish Age is the glorification of Jesus Christ as a part of the strategic victory of the angelic conflict. Therefore the Jewish Age must be interrupted in order to call out a royal family identified with Christ forever. Once Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father He is alone there. He in King of kings, Lord of lords. He is our high priest, He is the last Adam. ‘Not good that Adam should ever be alone.’ Jesus Christ said this about the first Adam; God the Father says this about the last Adam. So the last Adam isn’t alone because He has us, His very own royal family.

c) The Church Age did not begin in Abraham’s tent. This was taught by covenant theology; this is the reformed theology system which came from John Calvin, John Knox, and others who started the Church in Abraham’s tent. We know this from the very statement of Jesus Christ for the Church was future when He said in Matthew 16:18, “I will” — future active indicative of o)ikodomew — “build my Church.”

d) The Church Age begins with the baptism of the Holy Spirit by which the royal family is formed. This is something that happens to us at the moment that we believe in Jesus Christ. Acts 1:5; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2:1-3 which doesn’t mention the baptism cf. 11:15,16 which does mention it.

e) The Church Age began on the day of Pentecost in 30 AD.

4. The termination of the Church Age.

a) The Church Age terminates with the resurrection of the Church, called technically the Rapture — 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 3:1,2.

b) By comparing the original text of Colossians 2:15 with Revelation 19:6-8; Zechariah 13:2 plus 1 Thessalonians 3:13, it is concluded from the original languages that the body of Christ will be completed when the number of believers in the royal family is equal to the number of demons operating under the command of Satan today. This is predicated on the fact that the believer bumps one demon when he returns with Christ for that glorious victory of the second advent.

c) At the time of the Rapture of the Church it is transferred by resurrection to heaven. That means that the living believers go up, they are changed in the moment of a twinkling of an eye. The body is completed and therefore it becomes the bride. The bride goes through a period of preparation in heaven while the Tribulation runs its course on earth.

d) The preparation of the bride for the second advent is threefold. i) Every believer of the royal family receives at the same time a resurrection body — the dead believers and the live believers on earth — 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; ii) The removal of the old sin nature in compatibility with ultimate sanctification — Philippians 3:21; iii) The destruction of all human good accumulated during the believer’s life on this earth. It is burned — 1 Corinthians 3:15.

5. Synonyms for Christ and the Church are seven. Each one of these synonyms teaches an entire doctrine:

a) The last Adam [Christ] and the new creation [the Church] — 1 Corinthians 15:45-47; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15.

b) The head and the body — Ephesians 1:22,23; 2 :16; 4:4,5; 5:23; Colossians 1:18,24.

c) The Shepherd and the sheep — John 10; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4.

d) The vine and the branches — John 15.

e) The chief corner stone and the stones of the building — Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:4-8.

f) The high priest and the royal priesthood — Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1:6.

g) The Groom and the bride — 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:6-8.

6. The uniqueness of the Church Age.

a) Members of the royal family of God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, leading to positional sanctification, called by the title of nobility ‘saints.’ This is the only group of believers who are members of the royal family of God forever.

b) The universal priesthood of the believer.

c) The indwelling of the Holy Spirit for every royal priest. Every believer is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit.

d) The indwelling of the person of Christ for fellowship as long as you are growing. If you stop growing and turn into a reversionist He leaves you and starts knocking on the door, as per Revelation 3:20.

e) Instructions to the royal family in writing, the completed canon of scripture. When it comes to the royal family God speaks through His Word.

f) We have a supernatural way of life for the royal family with a supernatural means of execution. This is experiential sanctification. Execution through the filling of the Spirit and the intake of Bible doctrine.

g) Every member of the royal family of God is an ambassador representing Christ on earth.

7. The objective of the Church Age believer is to be filled with the Spirit consistently, to function daily under the principle of GAP so that he reaches the supergrace as quickly as possible. Supergrace is the normal function of the priesthood as well as the spiritual circumstances which glorify God. Supergrace is the tactical victory of the angelic conflict, therefore on to supergrace!

The Church

1. This is the accusative singular of the direct object of e)kklhsia.

2. The church here refers to all believers of the Church Age, the royal family of God, a kingdom of priests.

3. The church is analogous to and compared to the right woman.

4. Because of the baptism of the Holy Spirit the believer of this dispensation has a very perfect and very intimate relationship with Christ. This is called positional sanctification.

5. Therefore the church and/or the royal family occupies a very unique place in the angelic conflict.

6. There was no royal family until Christ was glorified at the right hand of the Father.

7. The royal family is directly related to the strategic victory of Christ on the cross, and all the way from the cross to His session.