The Finished Word

The Antichrist Spirit is working to destroy the church from within, especially through deception propagated by false teachers . In popular preaching, the  Antichrist  is a political tyrant intent on conquering the world. However, Jesus and his Apostles were more concerned with the  deceivers  who spread false teachings inside the Church than they were with outside political powers. The New Testament applies ‘ Antichrist ’ and related terms to false teachers that infiltrate the Body of Christ and distort the Apostolic Teachings.

The Apostle Paul was adamant. No longer could there be “ Jew or Gentile ” for those who belong to Jesus Christ. The old distinctions were inappropriate among the One People of God. By his shed blood, he “ dismantled the middle wall of partition ” that separated Jews and Gentiles so “ he might reconcile them both in one body for God through the Cross .” God is building Jews and Gentiles into one building, one habitation of God “ in the Spirit ” in Jesus.

The New Testament applies temple language from the Hebrew Bible to the Body of Christ, the habitation of the Living God . Except for contacts between Jesus and the early church with the priestly authorities, the New Testament shows little interest in the Jerusalem Temple. Instead, we find that terminology and imagery from the Temple are applied to the New Covenant community of Jesus. What the Temple and earlier Tabernacle foreshowed has come to fruition in Christ and his Church.

Writing to the Assembly in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul refuted false claims about the coming of Jesus, arguing that the “ Day of the Lord ” would not come until the “ Apostasy ” and the “ revelation of the Man of Lawlessness ” occurred “ first .” Moreover, that day would be when Jesus “ gathered ” Paul and his fellow believers to himself.

In Galatians , the Apostle Paul compares the Mosaic Law to a “ pedagogue ” in its supervision of Israel “ until the seed came .” That “ Seed ” was Jesus. In Greco-Roman society, the “pedagogue” was usually a slave with custodial and disciplinary authority over an underage child until he reached maturity. The minority status of the child and the authority of the custodian over him were both temporary.

The Book of Acts lays stress on the theme of fulfillment . Things foreshadowed in the Hebrew Scriptures were actualized when all members of the young Assembly were “ filled with the Spirit and spoke in other tongues ” on the Day of Pentecost. This was the seminal event that marked the inauguration of the Church, the Age of the Spirit, and the commencement of the Final Harvest.

Jesus will not “ arrive ” to gather his “ elect ” until two events occur - The “ Apostasy ” and the “ Revelation of the Man of Lawlessness ,” and they are inextricably linked. It is not just the presence of this figure but his unveiling in the Assembly that will signal the imminence of the “ Day of the Lord .” Not only will he cause many to apostatize, but his identity will be unveiled when he “ sits down ” in the “ Sanctuary of God .”

The New Testament usage of the term “ assembly ” is based on the language and imagery of Israel when the nation was assembled before Yahweh for worship in front of the Tabernacle. The Greek noun rendered “ church ” in many English translations is  ekklésia . It means “assembly, congregation, convocation.” In secular Greek, it could refer to an “assembly” of citizens gathered to conduct matters of state. However, that is not the sense found in the Greek New Testament.

The Assembly of God is the battlefield where the final war is being waged between the Lamb and the Ancient Serpent, the Devil . The  Book of Revelation  is addressed to seven first-century congregations in the Roman province of Asia. It deals with their real-life situations and trials. In the process, it presents messages relevant to all the assemblies of God throughout the present age, the period known as the “ Last Days ” which began following Calvary. The daily struggles of the Asian churches provide a microcosm of the great cosmic battle that is being waged between Jesus and the Devil.

The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all nations until the moment Jesus arrives  – Matthew 24:14. Jesus commanded his true followers to announce the same message that he preached, which he summarized as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” His Church would spread this message  to all nations without exception  and in unexpected and paradoxical ways. Christ’s sovereignty over humanity must be established! Until his return, we are commanded to proclaim his Gospel to the “ ends of the Earth .”

The present sovereignty of Jesus is based on his past Death and Resurrection, and His disciples participate in his reign on the Earth. Like him, their position is paradoxical. It is characterized by self-sacrificial service rather than the suppression of unredeemed humanity. The shedding of his blood is what consecrated them as “ priests ,” and priestly service for others IS how they rule with him.