The Doctrine That the Church Is The Body of Christ, the Elect

[tulsa 2011]

The Doctrine That the Church Is The Body of Christ, the Elect

John Wyclife, of Yorkshire, England, translated the first Bible into English in 1382, not from the original languages, but from the Latin. Wyclife translated the Latin word ecclesiam into chirche (in old English spelling):

"And Y seie to thee, that thou art Petre, and on this stoon Y schal bilde my chirche, and the yatis of helle schulen not haue miyt ayens it." (Wyclife Bible, 1382)

But William Tyndale in his 1526 New Testament translated ekklesia consistently as congregation, except for Acts 14: 13 and Acts 19: 37 where he used churche, meaning a pagan place of worship. Tyndale broke with Catholic tradition and used congregation for ekklesia, something which might have contributed to his being strangled at the stake by the Catholics.

Then, Church was used by Theodore Beza in 1556. Beza took over Calvinism after the death of John Calvin at Geneva. More than did Calvin, Beza believed in the church as being an institution that rules over the doctrines and to some extent the behavior of its members, in a hierarchical form of church government and the church run by a clergy class. So, Beza used church for ekklesia instead of congregation as William Tyndale translated ekklesia in his 1526 New Testament. William Whittingham's Testament of 1557 followed Beza's usage of church and was actually the first edition of the Geneva Bible, supposedly a revision of the Tyndale New Testament. The King James Version followed the Geneva Bible in translating ekklesia as church.

I Peter 5: 2-3 says "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3. Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."

Any doctrine is established by the original meaning of the Hebrew or Greek words used to express that doctrine. A translation into English should not change that doctrine. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines ekklesia, number 1577, as "a calling out, i.e. (to) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation..."

The old English word circe, chirche, kirk or churche is said to have meant the house of a lord, a place of pagan worship, or circe, the Greek goddess. But circe, or churche was redefined by the clergy. Neither churche as a house of a pagan lord or circe as the Greek goddess have the same meaning as the Greek word ekklesia.

Most often in the New Testament ekklesia is used to mean a local assembly of Christians. However in Colossians 1: 18 and in Colossians 1: 24 Paul appears to use ekklesia to mean the body of Christ.

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Colossians 1: 18

"Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:" Colossians 1: 24

Is Paul here creating the doctrine that the ekklesia is the body of Christ in the sense that all in the body of Christ are saved and are the elect? Paul was the one who wrote many of the New Testament texts on a coming departure in the churches from the truth.

II Thessalonians 2: 3, I Timothy 4: 1, II Timothy 3: 5, 7-8, II Timothy 3: 13, and II Timothy 4: 3 are all by Paul and are all about a departure from sound doctrine in the churches.

During times of falling away from the truth in the churches a large percentage of the church members would not be of the elect. There was an earlier falling away in the period from Origen (184 –254 A.D.) to the establishment of the false doctrines of the Catholic Church. And even in times when the churches were teaching doctrines closer to the truth, there would be some members not of the elect. This is supported by the parable of the sower in Matthew 13: 24-43. Christ said in Matthew 13: 29 that his followers were not to pull up the tares, but to let them grow together with the wheat - until the harvest when the wheat would be separated from the tares.

Rather than use church to mean all those who are saved, the body of Christ, the elect, the Israel of God (Galatians 6: 16) or the saints should be used. We could use Sion to mean the elect, if Sion is understood to mean Zion transformed or reborn in Christ. See: Romans 9: 33, Hebrews 12: 22, I Peter 2: 6 and especially Revelation 14: 1. "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads."

Mount Sion is metaphoric in Revelation 14: 1. There is a literal Mount Zion, the highest point in old Jerusalem. And Mount Sion uses it as in a metaphoric way, meaning a high spiritual condition though having Christ forming in us. "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: " Ephesians 2: 5-6

We sit with Christ in spiritual high places, that is, having Christ in us, we are raised up spiritually to a high level. So being with Christ on Mount Sion not only means these people are of the elect, being in Sion, but from other verses in Revelation 7 and 14, this remnant can be seen to have been raised up spiritually to an even higher place in Christ Jesus. Both in Zephaniah 3: 13 and in Revelation 14: 5, the remnant is said not to speak lies and is not deceptive. The remnant that is called the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14 may be raised up to a higher level in Christ than the remnant in Zephaniah 3 or even in Revelation 12: 7. Both remnants might be compared to John the Baptist, who came before Christ and announced his appearing. "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Matthew 3: 3

The identity of the remnant called the 144,000 is in Christ, and it could also be said that their identity is in Sion, as Zion born again in Christ. Sion is Israel transformed in Christ.

The remnant of Israel reborn in Christ in Revelation 12: 7 is metaphorically out in the wilderness and they have the testimony of Christ out there, who is with them. John the Baptist spoke prophecy, for example in Matthew 3:10-12, but it is not recorded that John healed the sick or raised the dead, something Christ did. and some of Christ's apostles after him healed the sick and raised the dead. Likewise, the remnant at this point in time opens prophecy but does not heal the sick or raise the dead.

In dispensationalism there are two groups of God's people, Old Covenant Israel and the capital C Church. Christ says in John 10: 16 that there is one fold, not two, and Romans 12: 4-5 there is one Body of Christ, not two. The church is the meeting, the assembly or the congregation of the Israel of God (Galatians 6: 16). So, for dispensationalism one people of God are those who Christ declared, as a house, to be left desolate (Matthew 23: 38) and the other group is just a meeting or assembly.

 

[B-A-C]

soma - as in Rom 12:4-5;, as well 1 Cor 10:16-17;
Also the same word is used in 1 Cor 12:12-15; It's actually used 13 times in 1 Cor 12.
Eph 4:4; Eph 4:12; Eph 4:16; and Eph 5:23; are a few more good examples of this.

ekklesia - is most commonly used to denote a smaller/community type congregation.
soma - is most commonly used to denote the corporate body of believers. This word occurs 146 times in the King James.

I do agree, there is ONE body of believers. Not two.

I don't believe everyone in the Old Testament went to hell.
There were some people who made it under the old testament. I have to think that Esther, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel and others made it to heaven.
Even after Jesus came, there was a transitional period of time, most of the world didn't know the Messiah had come.
While it's true most Jews didn't accept who Jesus was, some did, and some are today. I personally don't believe only 144,000 Jews will be in heaven. ( all male ?)
I take it to mean exactly what it says, these are the ones unstained by women and the world. I don't believe this means women are dirty, simply that many men
have been in relationships that did not meet Gods requirements. ( Rev 14:3-5; )

 

[B-A-C]

I would like to go off on a bit of a tangent here, and talk about Mount Zion. How it might relate to the New Jerusalem.

Mount Zion and the New Jerusalem are seemingly used interchangeably in certain parts of scripture. More about that later.
The first time we hear of Zion it is fort of sorts inhabited by the Jebusites. (2 Sam 5:6-7)
The physical Mount Zion is a hill that inside the current Jerusalem city, but back in Biblical times, when Jerusalem was much smaller, it likely would
have been outside the city gates. Sometimes it is simply called Zion. The word Zion appears 163 times in the Bible. The words Mount Zion together
only 23 times.
Psalms 9:11; Psalms 76:2; Psalms 132:13; Isaiah 8:18; Jer 8:19; Jer 31:6; Joel 3:16-17; Joel 3:21; say his dwelling place is there.
Isa 28:16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. Also see Rom 9:33 and 1 Pet 2:6
We know the Temple mount on Zion was destroyed. But it was prophesied that it would be rebuilt. Zec 8:3; Zec 2:10; Micah 4:7
So what does all this have to do with anything?
Rev 14:1 says that Jesus and 144,000 (Jews) will stand on Mount Zion
Heb 12:22 talks about either several places or one place which may be the New Jerusalem.
Psalms 3:4; Psalms 2:6; Ezek 20:40; Dan 9:20; Joel 2:1; Zec 8:3 talk about a Holy Mountain (there are other verses also)
Isaiah 27:13 talks about the Jews who are in Assyria and Egypt coming back to worship at his Holy Mountain.
If you believe the being talked about Ezek 28 is Satan, then he also dwelt there at one time.
So the thought here is, if Mount Zion is in Jerusalem, and the Lord has dwelt there, and will dwell there again some day...

The New Jerusalem.
Salem means peace. Melchizedek was the King of Salem, which could be an actual city, or it could be, King of peace.
Jehovah shalom, or Jehovah-salem means God of peace.
Jeru means new. So Jerusalem mean "new peace". Ironically, I think very few cities have seen less peace than Jerusalem.
New Jerusalem means new-new peace.
Virtually everything we know about the New Jerusalem is in Revelation 21.
It will come down out of heaven from God. verse 2

It will be a square city. 1500 miles long by 1500 miles wide by 1500 miles tall. (2400 by 2400 by 2400 kilometers) verse 16.
This is a HUGE city city. To put this in perspective, draw a line from Bismarck North Dakota, to Salt Lake City, to San Antonio, then to Indianapolis, then back to Bismarck.
This bigger than the state of Alaska. This is roughly the size of the continent of Australia!!! One city!!! Now imagine it being 1500 miles tall!!!!
The tallest mountain on the earth is Mt. Everest, which is about 6 miles high or 8800 meters. To further put this in perspective, the diameter of the earth is slightly less than 8000 miles or about 12,700 kilometers. There is some speculation about whether it will be a square cube shape, or mountain shaped something like a pyramid. Either way, this is a huge structure.

Isa 2:1; The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isa 2:2; Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.
Isa 2:3; And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4; And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

Isa 35:8; A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.
Isa 35:9; No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,
Isa 35:10; And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

The river and street mentioned here in Isaiah are remarkable similar to the following in Revelation.

Rev 22:1; Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
Rev 22:2; in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Rev 22:3; There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;