The Elect Church

 •  6 min. read  •  grade level: 7
 
In Fellowship with God and also in its Place in Relation to Time.
THE two leading facts—as to the elect Church of God which we through the word are given to know; and through the Spirit are enabled to realize, are, FIRST, OUR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD—THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY ,GHOST ; SECONDLY, OUR PECULIAR PLACE IN RELATION TO TIME.
As to the FORMER we read, that " GOD IS LOVE; AND HE THAT DWELLETH IN LOVE DWELLETH IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM" (1 John iv. 16); clearly showing forth the blessed truth of the Church in the Father, and in the Son; also the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in the Church ; that is the CHURCH IN GOD AND GOD IN THE CHURCH. Then, as to the ratter, the Church, chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1: 4), linked in the thought and purpose of God with Him
who was set up from everlasting, has, in this sense, a being without a beginning, and at the same time without end, yea, an eternal existence: And not only so, but as to her present position, dwelling, as we have seen, in the bosom of Him who inhabiteth eternity, whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting, she holds the same relation to time as Himself. The whole system of suns, of planets, and stars may revolve around God, the bright center of all things, but the Church has NO PLACE EITHER IN TIME, OR IN THAT PART OF CREATION OUTSIDE OF HIMSELF: Hers is a central position, inside the inner circle of glory, where the times and the seasons are known, it is true, but known among things passed away—things which she bad to renounce, when she was called to give up everything for Christ. (Gal. 4:1010Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. (Galatians 4:10); Col. 2:1616Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: (Colossians 2:16); 1 Thess. 5:11But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. (1 Thessalonians 5:1).)
As to the elect seed of ISRAEL it is different. In connection with them,, the sun, the moon, and the stars were set by God as signs in the heavens—signs of His faithfulness' (Jer. 31:35-3735Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: 36If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. 37Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:35‑37)), showing them to be a people, CONNECTED BOTH WITH THIS EARTH, AND WITH TIME a portion of that which revolves outside those regions of rest, where God and His Church are dwelling together in light inaccessible. In Gen. 1:1414And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: (Genesis 1:14) we read, "GOD SAID LET THERE RE LIGHTS IN THE FIRMAMENT OF THE HEAVEN TO DIVIDE THE DAY FROM THE NIGHT; AND LET THEM BE FOR SIGNS, AND FOR SEASONS, AND FOR DAYS, AND YEARS:" words which, while they link these ordinances of heaven with Adam, yea, with the earth, and all the dwellers thereon, have especial respect to the Jews, whom the Lord had in view from the first, who in after times were brought out into light as the elect nation of God, and who in the end will be the medium through which blessing will flow forth to the rest of the world. (Gen. 22:1818And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:18); Isa. 56:6,76Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:6‑7); Mic. 4:22And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Micah 4:2); Zech. 8:21, 22; 14:16, 1721And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also. 22Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. (Zechariah 8:21‑22)
16And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. (Zechariah 14:16‑17).)
Such is the distinction between. ISRAEL and THE CHURCH. The land promised to Abraham of old is the hope of the one; heaven, on the other hand, yea, God Himself; is the home of the other. True it is what is here said of the CHURCH is known only to faith: we are still in the body, and so far are connected with time; but soon, translated to heaven, the bride, the Lamb's wife, will be displayed to the rest of creation as the peculiar treasure of Him who so loved her as to shed His blood, to give His life, for her sake; and then it will be seen that "life eternal" is hers, because of her union with Him, who, being God, is eternal Himself. Then again as to ISRAEL, the times and the seasons, the new moons, the Sabbaths and jubilees, those signs between them and their Lord, which they have lost for the present (Lam. 1:7; 2:67Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths. (Lamentations 1:7)
6And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest. (Lamentations 2:6); Hos. 2:1111I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. (Hosea 2:11)), will he restored in the end; the Sabbath in Israel will truly be kept, because the Lord of the Sabbath, whom they once nailed to a tree, will be there, and known by His people at last as their King, their Deliverer, their God, as the One who' died for them, in the same way that He died for the Church. (Ezek. 44:24; 46:324And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths. (Ezekiel 44:24)
3Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the Lord in the sabbaths and in the new moons. (Ezekiel 46:3).) And not only so, but the GENTILES, the nations on' earth, will share in these blessings; the times and the seasons, the new moons and the Sabbaths, will speak to them, as' well as to Israel—the sweet language of grace, will tell in that day of the ONE SEED, in and through whom this earth is to be blessed; "from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come up to worship before me, saith the Lord" (Isa. 66:2323And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 66:23)), to do homage to Him in that place of which the Lord said, "My name shall be there." (1 Kings 8:2929That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. (1 Kings 8:29).) Well may we say, as we speak of these things, as we dwell on God's grace in that day to the true seed of Abraham, even ALL THE REDEEMED BOTH IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who bath been his counselor? or who bath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? for of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. AMEN." (Rom. 11:33-3633O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (Romans 11:33‑36).)
INSPIRATION.
"I HAVE yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the-Spirit of truth, is come, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he Shall„ hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and 'shall 'show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said' I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.”
This was true of the apostles, of Paul, and the other writers of the New. Testament; the whole mind of God, "ALL TRUTH," was made known to them, to be dispensed by them to the Church. Hereafter, when we are taken to heaven, and know as we are known, all truth will be equally ours, as theirs; but in the meantime we are learners—we believe through their word. This marks the distinction between INSPIRATION and that ILLUMINATION which is the portion of all.