by Dr. Lehman Strauss
THE CHURCH'S RAPTURE
T hese are days when the whole realm of prophetic teaching has been thrown into confusion. Some Bible schools and seminaries have sought to explain away or to spiritu alize Scriptural passages which re late to our Lord’s second coming. While there has been an increased interest in p ro p h e tic teaching throughout evangelical circles, the liberals or neo-orthodox theologians have not had time for the subject. Peter declares, under the Spirit’s inspiration, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming?” (II Peter 3:3-4). That the Lord Jesus is com ing again is generally admitted among all who accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God. One would hardly expect anything else since the Scriptures are replete with refer ences to this great event. The fre quency with which our Lord’s return occurs in the Bible is numbered in the hundreds. Considering the su b je c t, “The Rapture of the Church,” we need to define what we mean by “the Church.” Here is where confusion has existed. It is characteristic of some to assume that the word is all inclusive, synonymous perhaps with the terms “saint” and “elect.” This causes the erroneous conclusion that all saints, whether among Israel in Old Testament times, or those who are the redeemed in this present age, are automatically included. To be wrong in ecclesiology (the Church) will lead to erroneous interpreta tions in eschatology (end times). The Church had its beginning, with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The statement of our Lord to Peter is sufficient to show that the Church was not yet formed when Christ declared, “And 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 16:18). The Church is Christ’s. He is the head over it according to such verses as Ephesians 1 :22. Moreover, it is Christ who places us in His Church. The Church must stand upon His shed blood, according to Acts 20:28 and be sustained by His life, according to Ephesians 5 :23 to 32. The term “Church” then, as used by our Lord, applies to the body of redeemed saints in this present dis pensation. The Christian usage of the word is distinct from both the Jewish and the heathen. A passage bearing this out is taken from the inspired writing of Paul in I Corin thians 12:13, “For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, wheth er we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” It is apparent that a new thing has been formed into “one body” of which He is the head. This relation-
Biola student George Jones has the opportunity of working his way through school as he serves on the maintenance staff caring for some of the many lawns about the campus. Water is drawn from a small creek which flows through the Campus to irrigate some of the fields.
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