____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ April 10, 2005 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) The Establishment of the Church (1 of 2) (James P. Needham) 2) The Bible Idea of a Christian (anonymous) ____________________________________________________ -1- The Establishment of the Church (Part 1 of 2) by James P. Needham Introduction Understanding the facts surrounding the establishment of the church becomes very vital when we recognize them as distinctive marks of identity. Any church established under other circumstances than those found in the Bible cannot be the Lord's. Prevalent misconceptions as to WHEN the church was established are the days of: Adam, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, and (probably the most prevalent) personal ministry of Christ. That all these are erroneous will become abundantly clear in the course of this study. It is certain that all of these varying dates cannot be right. One cannot be born at more than one locality. It would be foolish for me to say I was born in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles! There is no conceivable way this could be true. Most people have fallen for the propaganda that the Catholic Church is the oldest church in the world. (The average person is very much uninformed in the field of church history.) The Catholic Church is the oldest human denomination, but not the oldest church. The Catholic Church came to full bloom in 606 A.D. when Boniface III was crowned as the first pope, but the Lord's church had already been in existence for some 573 years when this occurred. This will be seen clearly later in this study. In any study of the establishment of the church, we need to understand that the church and the kingdom are the same. The church was not known by that designation in the Old Testament. It was almost always designated as the kingdom. Hence, we need to understand when we study prophecies concerning the establishment of the kingdom that they are speaking of the church. As we look at our New Testament it becomes clear that church and kingdom are used interchangeably. In Matt. 16:18, (the first use of the word church in the Bible) we find Jesus promising to build his church, and in the same breath saying, "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom...." It is evident that Jesus was using the words interchangeably. Then further, we have the Lord locating his table in his kingdom (Luke 22:30), but Paul wrote "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth..." (I Cor. 1:1) and corrected their abuses of the Lord's Table, or Supper (I Cor. 11:20-34). Hence, the Lord's Table was in the church at Corinth, but the Lord said it is in his kingdom. Therefore, the church and the kingdom are one and the same. Again we note: Jesus said that by a birth consisting of water and the Spirit enters one into the kingdom (John 3:3-5). But Paul said that "By one Spirit are we all baptized (in water) into one body..." (I Cor. 12:13), which is the church (Col. 1:18). The same birth puts us into both. If we are in the "church age" now (as the premillennialists claim) and the kingdom will not be established until Christ returns, then how can one act enter us into both? It is evident, therefore, that the church and the kingdom are the same institution. PROPOSITION: The Lord Established the Church on the Day of Pentecost 33 A.D., in the City of Jerusalem as Recorded in Acts 2. In support of this proposition I submit the following lines of proof: 1. Old Testament Prophecy Pointed to This Date and Location: A. Isaiah 2:2-4 -- Read this passage and note the following points which could have been fulfilled only ON or AFTER Acts 2: 1. "Latter (last) days" -- The passage speaks of something that was to transpire in the last days. Joel 2:28,29 also spoke of something that was to occur in the "last days." But Peter quoted Joel 2:28,29 in Acts 2:15-21 and said "this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel." Hence, the last days began on Pentecost, 33 A.D. Therefore, Isaiah's prophecy had to be fulfilled on or after this day. 2. "The Lord's house shall be established." -- But Paul says in I Tim. 3:15 that the Lord's house is the church. Therefore, Isaiah was prophesying of the establishment of the church. 3. "All nations shall flow unto it." -- This could not have had reference to the House of God in the Old Testament for it was not for all nations. But Jesus said the church is for "all nations" and "every creature" (Matt. 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16). There are also many other passages which indicate that the church has no national boundaries (See Acts 2:39; Acts 10:34,35; Gal. 3:26-29; Col. 3:10,11). Hence, Isaiah referred to the church, the New Testament, universal institution. 4. "Out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." -- This could not be speaking of the Law of Moses because it had already gone forth from Mt. Sinai. Jesus said, "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations (note similarity to Isa. 2:2-4), BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM" (Luke 24:47). After Christ's resurrection the Apostles were told to wait at Jerusalem (Acts 1:4), which they did (2:14); and it was there that "repentance and remission of sins" were first preached in the name of Christ (Acts 2:37,38). This was the law that went forth from Jerusalem. In later years, Peter referred back to this incident as "the beginning" (Acts 11:15). Thus, Isaiah was speaking of Peter's sermon in Acts 2. 5. "Neither shall they learn war any more." -- This part of the prophecy speaks of the peaceful nature of those entering the "house of God." This is specifically said of members of the church (Rom. 12:19; 2 Cor. 10:1-5). The church is the only thing on earth that will fit this prophecy; Jerusalem in Palestine is the only place that will fit it; Pentecost 33 A.D. is the only time that will fit it; and Acts 2 is the only chapter in the Bible that will fit it. B. Daniel 2:31-45. -- Read this passage and note the following considerations: 1. Four kingdoms: In the image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream Daniel sees four world empires: (a) Babylonian under Nebuchadnezzar -- the head of gold (vv. 37,38), 626-536 B.C. (b) Medo-Persian under Darius and Cyrus -- 536-331 B.C. (c) Grecian or Macedonian under Alexander the Great -- 331-321 B.C. (d) Roman empire under the Caesars -- 63 B.C. to 476 A.D. 2. "In the days of these kings (the Roman Caesars) shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom." Jesus lived in the days of the Roman Caesars (Luke 2:1,2) as did Peter when he spoke on Pentecost in Acts 2, hence the church was established "in the days of these kings." 3. "Which shall never be destroyed." This speaks of the permanence of the kingdom of God. Jesus said, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18), and the Hebrew writer says the "kingdom cannot be moved" (Heb. 12:28). This could not have reference to the Old Testament kingdom because it was destroyed, shaken, or moved, and the Hebrew writer contrasted what he was talking about with that fact. 4. "It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms." This expression is identical in meaning with Isaiah's "all nations shall flow unto it." It simply means that men from every nation would be members of it, and there would be no national boundaries in it (Cf. Matt. 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16). C. Daniel 7:13,14. -- Read this passage and note the following points: 1. Daniel saw "one like unto the son of man" (Christ) come "with the clouds of heaven TO (not from) the Ancient of days (God) to receive": (a) Everlasting dominion and (b) an everlasting kingdom. He further said, "All people, nations and languages shall serve him." 2. All these points are found in the other two prophesies mentioned above with the exception of the peculiar expression about when the kingdom would be established. It would be when Christ came to God with the clouds of heaven. That could only be his ascension. This again pinpoints the beginning of the kingdom as being AFTER his ascension as recorded in Acts 1. This prophecy could not possibly be true had the kingdom been established previous to this time, as is claimed by many. SUMMARY: The Old Testament prophets spoke of the coming kingdom, or the establishment of the church, giving us the following information: TIME: "Latter days," sometime following the ascension of Christ, and in the days of the Roman Caesars (Isa. 2:2-4; Dan. 2:44; 7:13,14). PLACE: Jerusalem (Isa. 2:2-4). DURATION: Everlasting (Dan. 2:44; 7:13,14). SCOPE: World wide (Isa. 2:2-4; Dan. 2:44). NATURE: Peaceful (Isa. 2:2-4) FOUNDER: Son of man (Dan. 7:13,14). II. John the Baptist Saw the Kingdom as Future: Matthew says, "In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, Repent ye: for the KINGDOM of heaven is AT HAND" (Matt. 3:1,2). The argument is sometimes made that "at hand" means that the kingdom had already been established. It was "at hand" in the sense that it was accessible. The best way to learn the meaning of biblical expressions is to see how they are used in other passages. In 2 Tim. 4:6, Paul said "The time of my departure is at hand." If "at hand" means that something has already taken place, then Paul had already departed! That seems hardly possible! "At hand" means it is close by, about to happen. (Concluded next week) -- Via Truth Magazine XI: 1, pp. 6-10, October 1966 ____________________________________________________ -2- The Bible Idea of a Christian In faith -- He is a believer. In heart -- He is obedient. In character -- He is a saint. In relation -- He is a son. In conflict -- He is a soldier. In the world -- He is a pilgrim. In the darkness -- He is the light. In earth's pollution -- He is the salt. In the Vine -- He is the branch. In his walk -- He is a living epistle. In expectations -- He is an heir. At all times -- out-and-out for Christ. -- Selected ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________