The Church and Prophecy

It is perhaps necessary at this point to briefly discuss the position of the church with respect to prophecy. The church was not, and is not, the subject of prophecy. Prophecy is occupied with God’s dealing in government on the earth, at the center of which is Israel. It is important for believers to understand this, else much in the Bible will cause confusion. The church is an entity quite distinct from Israel: “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God” (1 Cor. 10:3232Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: (1 Corinthians 10:32)).
In Matthew, the church is a future thing. Peter was a stone (“Peter” in Greek is petros, a “stone”), but it is the truth of Peter’s confession, “Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mat. 16:16), that forms the foundation—the rock—upon which Christ would build His assembly. He is the builder, and the building is His. It is perfect; the gates of hell cannot prevail against it (Matt. 16:15-1815He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:15‑18)).
The decay that has come in is spoken of in 2 Peter, the Epistles of John, and Jude. In the addresses to the seven churches in Revelation, we have a view of Christendom in its various phases of decline. It is not the church itself that is the subject, but the moral ruin of professing Christendom in this earthly scene. While the bride, “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph. 5:2727That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)), will be called away at the rapture, the apostate empty profession that remains (the great harlot; Rev. 17:1 JnD), will be spewed out of His mouth (Rev. 3:1616So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16)). The Lord will then again take up Israel—the natural branches (Israel) being grafted into their own olive tree (Rom. 11:2424For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? (Romans 11:24)).