The doctrine of “The Church” is one that must be thoroughly understood by all Christians, for it has a lot to do with where our focus, and interests are centered; whether on Christ, the family of God, and the great commission given to us as believers, or whether on buildings, and edifices. The modern phenomena of the “Mega-church” has caused thousands of would be Christians to lose their way, because there is the tendency to become lost in the maze of 10,000>20,000 plus congregants.
And along with the mega-church often comes a shift away from the basic, fundamental principles of true godliness, because the buildings, the theatrics, the bling, and glamor inherent in many services all have the effect of drawing away our attention to the human and the earthly, instead of to the Divine and the heavenly. But this current state of things in our day is headed for an abrupt halt, when the testing times spoken of in the book of Revelation, will soon begin to unfold. Let’s read:
Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
[Last Day Events pp. 180] Soon God's people will be tested by fiery trials, and the greater proportion of those who now appear to be genuine and true will prove to be base metal. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place.
In the days of Christ, even the disciples had fallen into the snare of undue admiration of the temple, and it required numerous concerted efforts on the part of Christ to turn back their attention from the temporal to the eternal. The pride and joy with which they revered the temple were encapsulated in their conversation with Christ, pertaining to the large granite and marble stones which had graced its foundations. Let’s read:
Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, so it’s obvious that their hearts and minds had been deeply impressed by the extravagance, and magnificence of the buildings and architecture. It’s worthy of note that the “People” are not once mentioned in in their exclamations, for it’s evident that their priorities and focus had become caught up in the building itself, which was the pride and joy of every Jewish person then living.
To substantiate this fact, we only need to observe the reaction of the Jews when Christ said He would destroy the temple and in three days, build it again. He was obviously referring to His death on Calvary, but just the very mention of interfering with the building was enough to stir indignation in the minds of the Jews. Let’s read:
John 2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
Mark 14:7 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
Mark 13:1 And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!
2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
This leads us to our very first point on the doctrine of the church:
[1] The church is not about buildings and edifices, or magnificent structures, it was, and should always be the worship and service of God, and about people, who comprise the church. Let’s read:
Exodus 25:1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
And then we move over to the New Testament where the same concept is reiterated, for nothing has changed as far as the church is concerned. It is supposed to be dead focused on Christ, His people, and the great commission given to all Christians, not on expensive, magnificent buildings or architectural achievements. Let’s read:
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
1st Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
It was not the building Paul was persecuting, it was people. We read nowhere in the Bible where Paul sprayed paint on the temple doors to deface them, nor did he scrawl graffiti on its walls. The heavy emphasis on buildings and edifices, as is now the norm here in America, with mega churches of glass, and pipe organs made of gold, are symbolic of a tectonic shift from the spiritual to the temporal, and with this shift comes a very conspicuous void that is commensurate with the absence of The Holy Ghost.
[Last day Events pp. 148] Let those who desire to be refreshed in mind and instructed in the truth study the history of the early church during and immediately following the Day of Pentecost. Study carefully in the book of Acts the experiences of Paul and the other apostles, for God's people in our day must pass through similar experiences.
Thus it becomes necessary for us to pull together several passages of scripture, so that we may be able to trace as with a pen of fire, the early history of the Christian church, just before, and after the outpouring of The Holy Spirit. We begin with the Thursday night, just prior to the arrest of Christ. He is having the last supper with His disciples and there is in-fighting amongst them, right at the communion table, and in consequence there is alienation and bad feelings, right in the very presence of Christ.
Similarly, just prior to the time of the outpouring of the latter rain, we may expect an increased amount of in-fighting within the church body, for there must be a terrible sifting process whereby the wheat will be separated from the tares. In the precedent being used of Christ and His disciples, the “tares”…(Judas) will be separated from the “wheat”… the remaining eleven apostles. This ordeal which is about to take place accurately mirrors what takes place in the 7th chapter of Revelation, for out of the twelve original sons of Jacob, only one is missing, Dan, and because there is nothing new under the sun, and because God teaches us by repetition, eleven of the original apostles will remain whilst only one is sifted out, by his own choice. Let’s read:
Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the one tribe missing from the original twelve sons of Jacob, Judas accurately mirrors the same characteristic of Dan, hence the reason why in his final benediction to his sons, Jacob, under the power of the Holy Ghost makes mention of what both Dan and Judas would do, blending with his prophecy, a sort of riddle, which juxtaposes Judas’ character with the salvation which was soon to be revealed in Christ. Let’s read:
Genesis 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.
Luke 22: 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
21 But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.
22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!
23 And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.
24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.
25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.
26 But ye shall not be so”…
29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
[The Desire Of Ages pp. 643>644] On this last evening with His disciples, Jesus had much to tell them. If they had been prepared to receive what He longed to impart, they would have been saved from heartbreaking anguish, from disappointment and unbelief. But Jesus saw that they could not bear what He had to say. As He looked into their faces, the words of warning and comfort were stayed upon His lips. Moments passed in silence. Jesus appeared to be waiting. The disciples were ill at ease. The sympathy and tenderness awakened by Christ's grief seemed to have passed away.
His sorrowful words, pointing to His own suffering, had made little impression. The glances they cast upon each other told of jealousy and contention. There was “a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.” This contention, carried on in the presence of Christ, grieved and wounded Him. The disciples clung to their favorite idea that Christ would assert His power, and take His position on the throne of David. And in heart each still longed for the highest place in the kingdom.
They had placed their own estimate upon themselves and upon one another, and, instead of regarding their brethren as more worthy, they had placed themselves first. The request of James and John to sit on the right and left of Christ's throne had excited the indignation of the others. That the two brothers should presume to ask for the highest position so stirred the ten that alienation threatened. They felt that they were misjudged, that their fidelity and talents were not appreciated. Judas was the most severe upon James and John.
When the disciples entered the supper room, their hearts were full of resentful feelings. Judas pressed next to Christ on the left side; John was on the right. If there was a highest place, Judas was determined to have it, and that place was thought to be next to Christ. And Judas was a traitor. Another cause of dissension had arisen. At a feast it was customary for a servant to wash the feet of the guests, and on this occasion preparation had been made for the service.
The pitcher, the basin, and the towel were there, in readiness for the feet washing; but no servant was present, and it was the disciples’ part to perform it. But each of the disciples, yielding to wounded pride, determined not to act the part of a servant. All manifested a stoical unconcern, seeming unconscious that there was anything for them to do. By their silence they refused to humble themselves.
Not a week has passed since the last supper, but for some strange reason all the strife and in-fighting has suddenly ceased, for upon the first day of the week after Christ came forth from the tomb, the eleven disciples are found huddled together in the one room, with no one arguing or quarreling about who should be the greatest. Instead, in somberness and trembling they have now come together, and have put aside their differences, since they are convinced that they are faced with a common danger which will threaten their very existence.
Their conclusions stem from the fact that Christ, being so badly beaten, bruised, humiliated, and crucified, their fate seems to them to hang in the balance, and as far as they are concerned it’s only a matter of time before the authorities smoke them out, and execute them just as they did to Christ. Similarly, all of the in-fighting which is now taking place in several churches, will come to an abrupt halt when we are faced with a common danger threatening our very existence.
In times of peace lions and hyenas will hunt and kill wild deer and buffalo, because their instinct to kill each other for food is in their very nature. But when they are faced with the common threat of a raging wildfire, all killing, and all animosities will suddenly cease, because, like the disciples, they too become quite concerned for their lives, and they do not have the time nor the will to fight, whilst death is staring them in the face.
The mark of the beast, which will strip us down to bare bones will be that common threat faced by all of Christendom, and the world at large, and thus, in the face of that common, mortal danger, all those who decide to remain faithful will come together as one, as a tightly knit unit, just as it took place with the disciples of old. Let’s read:
John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
From this point forward in the disciples’ experience, (The period of fear and consequent unity), up to, and after the pouring out of The Holy spirit, the Christian church becomes dead focused on people, and new converts who, by the power of The Holy Spirit are joining the newly formed Christian faith by the thousands. The apostles’ focus is not now on buildings and edifices, for the Bible teaches us that persecution scattered the disciples, forcing them to flee, preaching the good news as they fled, and it was through persecution and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the gospel was then taken to every inhabitable place on the globe.
Similarly, it will be through the outpouring of the latter rain, coupled together with persecution, that the last day believers will be impelled to carry the last message of God’s grace to a dying world. Let’s read:
Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.
In our day, there is the tendency to put a heavy emphasis upon buildings instead of the people, and in so doing we run the risk of making a very grave error that was made by the Jewish people. After the Romans had besieged the city of Jerusalem in A.D 70, thousands upon thousands of Jews, instead of fleeing to the mountains as The Lord had counseled previously, fled to the building, in which all of their interests were centered, as if the building could save them.
And as they gathered there hoping from protection from the invading forces, the building upon which they had centered their focus was set ablaze, and according to the famed Jewish historian, Josephus, blood flowed down from the temple steps like water, and the invading Roman army plundered and slaughtered without mercy, all those who had made the temple their refuge. Let’s read:
Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
[The Great Controversy pp. 33>34] Titus would willingly have put an end to the fearful scene, and thus have spared Jerusalem the full measure of her doom. He was filled with horror as he saw the bodies of the dead lying in heaps in the valleys. Like one entranced, he looked from the crest of Olivet upon the magnificent temple, and gave command that not one stone of it be touched. Before attempting to gain possession of this stronghold, he made an earnest appeal to the Jewish leaders not to force him to defile the sacred place with blood.
If they would come forth and fight in any other place, no Roman should violate the sanctity of the temple. Josephus himself, in a most eloquent appeal, entreated them to surrender, to save themselves, their city, and their place of worship. But his words were answered with bitter curses. Darts were hurled at him, their last human mediator, as he stood pleading with them. The Jews had rejected the entreaties of the Son of God, and now expostulation and entreaty only made them more determined to resist to the last. In vain were the efforts of Titus to save the temple; One greater than he had declared that not one stone was to be left upon another.
The blind obstinacy of the Jewish leaders, and the detestable crimes perpetrated within the besieged city, excited the horror and indignation of the Romans, and Titus at last decided to take the temple by storm. He determined, however, that if possible it should be saved from destruction. But his commands were disregarded. After he had retired to his tent at night, the Jews, sallying from the temple, attacked the soldiers without. In the struggle, a firebrand was flung by a soldier through an opening in the porch, and immediately the cedar-lined chambers about the holy house were in a blaze.
Titus rushed to the place, followed by his generals and legionaries, and commanded the soldiers to quench the flames. His words were unheeded. In their fury the soldiers hurled blazing brands into the chambers adjoining the temple, and then with their swords they slaughtered in great numbers those who had found shelter there. Blood flowed down the temple steps like water. Thousands upon thousands of Jews perished. Above the sound of battle, voices were heard shouting, “Ichabod!”—the glory is departed.
What is most worthy of note in this particularly dark period of Jewish history, is that every Christian who had not built their hope and faith upon the building, but upon the Lord Jesus Christ, fled, not to the church, but to the city of Pella, and according to the sacred record, not one of them perished, nor did any of their children who had just been born. Let’s read:
[The great Controversy pp. 31] The besieged, despairing of successful resistance, were on the point of surrender, when the Roman general withdrew his forces, without the least apparent reason. But God's merciful providence was directing events for the good of his own people. The promised sign had been given to the waiting Christians, and now an opportunity was afforded for all who would to obey the Savior's warning. Events were so overruled that neither Jews nor Romans should hinder the flight of the Christians.
Upon the retreat of Cestius, the Jews, sallying from Jerusalem, pursued after his retiring army, and while both forces were thus fully engaged, the Christians had an opportunity to leave the city. At this time the country also had been cleared of enemies who might have endeavored to intercept them. At the time of the siege, the Jews were assembled at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, and thus the Christians throughout the land were able to make their escape unmolested. Without delay they fled to a place of safety,—the city of Pella, in the land of Perea, beyond Jordan.
Hear the word of The Lord now, the antitypical Titus is almost here, the Romans are again on the move, and in our day, a spiritual siege, far more dangerous and deadly than that of Titus is coming our way, yet many seem to be incognizant of it. And in our day, just as it took place back then, millions who have placed their trust and their focus in buildings and edifices, will be left without a refuge, when the carpet is pulled out from beneath our feet. At that fearful time, it will be made manifest whether we have built upon The Rock Christ Jesus, or whether we have built upon the shifting sands of buildings, and decorated places of worship.
It is now high time that we awake out of slumber, for now is our salvation much nearer than when we believed. We therefore end with a most sobering passage of scripture which cautions us to center our hopes, aspirations, and faith, in The Son of God who died to redeem us, not in buildings and houses of worship, as is so often the case in our day. Let’s read:
Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word.
God bless!