The Church Age

6. The Church Age

Jesus first                         Israel 1948                                              1000 year
coming         2000 yr. church age        7 yrs tribulation         reign of Christ       eternity

Timeline

In God’s timeline, the church age was a mystery not revealed in the Old Testament.
When Peter said to Jesus: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.) Mat.16:16

Jesus said to him “upon this rock I will build my church” He wasn’t saying Peter was the
rock ( Peter later denied Him 3 times) confession of faith in Him would be the rock on
which He would build His church.

Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of
the living God.

Matthew 16:18 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.

Gates of hell would not prevail against the church. The church is still thriving.

The church is not any one particular denomination, but is the universal body of Christ composed of born again believers from all over the world. We assemble in local congregations for the purpose of worship, the preaching and teaching of God’s word, and fellowship.

The Church

God’s continuing timeline was put on hold during the church age; just think of it like this "as He hit the pause button."

Between the 69 and 70 week of Daniel is the church age, which has been going on close to 2000 years. It is in this space of God’s timeline that He is building His church from people all over the world through faith in Jesus Christ.

from Jesus 1st. coming 7 year tribulation
2000 year church age

Purpose of the Church

God’s plan through the church

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

v In the great commission to the church, the Lord Jesus commanded his disciples to preach the Gospel to the lost, baptize the believers and then teach them. From the book of Acts we find that the early Christians did just that and that God confirmed His word with signs and wonders, just as He said He would do in the following:

Mark 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

God’s plan to the church

v God has supernaturally enabled the church to minister to people whether they be in the church or out in the world, by the power of the Holy Spirit. All through the scriptures we find the Holy Spirit enabling people to accomplish God's will and purposes.

Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit.

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

According to the Apostle Peter this was for all Christians of every era.

Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (see all of Ch. 2)

By the Holy Spirit, God has blessed the church with gifts and callings to effectively minister to peoples spiritual needs as well as to the physical needs.

1Corinthains 12:4-11 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

1Corinthians12:28-31 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Ephesians 4:11-12 And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

A few examples
Ministry to:

The youth
The elderly - homebound etc.
Unmarried people
Married people
Christians that have needs -food, clothing etc.
The incarcerated

The Individual Christian – a few things

v Be a light to the lost and others, by our manner of life, maintaining a good testimony of God’s grace.

Matthew 5:13-16 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, where
with shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Philippians 2:14-15 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

v Maintain a godly life – striving towards holiness

1Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

v Remember who we are

1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him
as he is.

2Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

1Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

v Individual responsibility

1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

2 Thessalonians 3:12-13 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

v Assembling ourselves

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

v Watch for the return of our Lord

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

v Love not the world, nor allow is to conform us to it’s image

1John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The Church's blessed Hope

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him
as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Philippians 3:20-21 For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we are looking for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who shall change our body of humiliation so that it may be fashioned like His glorious body, according to the working of His power, even to subdue all things to Himself.

Hallelujah!

The Rapture of the Church

1Thessalonians 4:13-17 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Our mortal Bodies changed

1Corinthians 15:52-57 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Judgments Seat of Christ for his Church right after the rapture

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

1Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

This Judgment Seat is for rewards.