Is the Church a New Thing,
Not Seen by the OT Prophets?
In 6 Parts
Most Bible scholars and teachers believe the Church was birthed on the day of Pentecost, when power fell upon them [Acts 2]. In a sense, this is correct. However, in truth, what we call the Church, was conceived in the heart and mind of God before “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The Ekklesia of Christ was chosen of God in Messiah “before the foundation of the world.” This means that the Israel of God was conceived of God before He spoke forth anything of this creation [Eph. 1:4-6].
What happened at Pentecost, when the Spirit fell upon the body of disciples, was the manifestation of the Ekklesia of Christ to the world. It was birthed in the sense that the Life of God by His Spirit flooded the community of disciples, as a whole body, like it never had before. They began operating and living as a single body in a realm that was new to them. They began living as the Israel of God, a fellowship of new creations in Christ.
When a child is born, the birth is not the beginning of life. It is simply manifesting what was previously unseen. When the child takes that first breath, we say it is alive. However, the child was living long before that first breath. Life began at conception. So the life of the Israel of God began when He conceived it within His mind. However, the Ekklesia of Christ took its first breath in this world on that day when God’s Spirit filled it with Power.
Also, there are many who hold the opinion that what we call, Christianity, owes its being to Judaism, i.e., Christianity grew out of Judaism. However, this cannot be the case. Why? In the chapter, A New Humanity, we will see that the creation of the covenant people known as Israel, was a step in His ultimate plan to bring forth the Israel of God, a new creation humanity.
Those “chosen in Him,” before the foundation of the world, were at the fountainhead of God’s plan for man. Sinai’s Israel came into existence as the shadow. The substance, Christ and His Body, are the Israel of God. The shadow cannot exist unless the substance is already present. Hence, if the Law was a shadow of good things to come [Heb. 10:1], then the good things must have already existed. Those good things have now come in Christ, who is the substance.
We will say then, that the Israel of God, the Ekklesia of Christ, the “Church,” or whatever name we might use, existed in God long before the Israelites ever gathered at the base of Sinai to become Israel, the shadow.
The Mistaken Mystery
Because the above is true, Clarence Larkin’s following position cannot be correct. He states that the Church is a “new thing,” never seen before and unknown to the prophets.
The argument he makes for the “Church” (as he defines it) being unknown to the “Old Testament patriarchs and prophets,” is taken from Paul’s statement concerning the Mystery that God had made known to him. Paul says this mystery,
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; [Eph. 3:5]
Paul does not say the “Old Testament patriarchs and prophets,” did not know about the mystery. There are two things wrong with that statement. First of all, Paul says that the mystery was not made known to the sons of men, “As it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” The mystery was known to the ancient sons of men, but not with the clarity that it came to the New Covenant apostles and prophets. The ancient sons of men saw the mystery in shadows and types, but not in the clear light of day.
The second thing wrong with this statement, is the mystery spoken of by Paul was not a new thing, called the Church. The mystery that was not seen in its fullness by the sons of men, was,
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: [Eph. 3:6, KJV]
The ESV Translation gives us this rendering,
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
The mystery, not fully revealed to the ancient sons of men, was that God would bring both believing Gentiles and Jews together into one body. They would share equally in the covenant promises realized in Christ Jesus. This one body, the Israel of God, conceived of God and chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, was the new creation of humanity, with Christ Jesus, the Last Adam, as its Head.
