THE BODY OF CHRIST
THE BEGINNING -
LESSON 4.
The Body in Preparation
In our previous lessons, we have learned that the church is best described by the Apostolic reference “The Called out” (from the Greek, ‘ Ekklesia ') or by the most prolific illustration in the New Testament; “The Body of Christ”. We also learned that “The Body of Christ” was not a substitute for something else, as though God could fail! It was in fact, what God had purposed in Christ from the very beginning (Ephesians 3:10-11).
With this clear understanding, we looked at The Body of Christ in promise and prophecy. All of these promises and prophecies revealed the nature of this kingdom (another synonymous term for The Body of Christ), and its King. These pointers came many hundreds of years before the coming of the events they spoke of. What we want to do in this lesson is move forward to the prophecies of The Body of Christ that existed while this kingdom was [at hand] (very near).
Both, during the work of the prophets of God under the Old Testament and at the close of that work; God gave a marker to His people, so that they would know when it was that He was going to bring forth all that was spoken of concerning the Messiah and His kingdom.
Isaiah 40:3-5
“The voice of one crying in the
wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our
God. 4
Every valley shall be exalted And
every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made
straight And the rough places smooth;
5
The glory of the LORD shall be
revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the
LORD has spoken.”
See: Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6; John 1:23.
Malachi 3:1
“Behold, I send My messenger, And
he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will
suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you
delight.
Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts.”
See: Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2.
Malachi 4:5-6 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
See: Matthew 11:14; Luke 1:17.
Prepare the Way: In these prophecies during and at the close of the work of the prophets and before the years of silence (from the close of Malachi to the coming of John the Baptist – about 400 years), we see that a messenger, in the similitude of Elijah (a powerful prophet of God – 1 Kings 17:1 - 2 Kings 2:18, whose image is synonymous with all the work of the prophets – Matthew 17:3-4), would come and prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.
When we drive to a large city with freeways, and we have to navigate to a specific destination, we have to know the exit we need, and look for the sign. This messenger was to literally be that sign for Israel to know that the coming of the Lord was upon them!
He would not only prepare the way for the coming of God's Messiah, but also for “the great and dreadful day of the Lord”. This is the language of the prophets for national judgment (Isaiah 13:9-10; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 10-11; Obadiah 1:15; etc…). This messenger would make a path for the coming of the Messiah and introduce the coming of a national judgment, a curse on those who will not turn their hearts.
If you will notice, I included under each of these quotes of scripture, the location of fulfillment in the corresponding New Testament passages. If you have already read these, you know that the New Testament prophets have revealed beyond a shadow of a doubt that this messenger was in fact, John the Baptist.
John's Work was Preparatory.
- John's message to Israel was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” – Matthew 3:2.
- His Baptism was a baptism of repentance – Acts 19:4.
- He would live and die under the Old Law and not see the coming of the kingdom in the flesh; thus prompting the words of the Lord concerning the least in the kingdom being greater than John – Matthew 11:11.
- He would however, fulfill His specific role to the exact detail. He would point the way to Jesus being the Christ of prophecy – John 1:6-8; 29-34; 3:22-36.
- John came only as a fore-runner to witness, guided by the Spirit of God to Jesus being the Christ, and the kingdom being near. He was expected to diminish as the Lord began to increase. John stated, “It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose” – John 1:27. John's work was exactly what it was supposed to be, the one who would prepare the way for the Lord!
The Way of the Lord was also Preparatory.
- The message of the Lord, during His earthly ministry, was also preparatory in nature – Mark 1:14-15.
- All His teaching concerning the coming of the kingdom would be prophetic in nature – use this link for an extensive list of His teachings concerning the coming kingdom: http://www.plvcc.org/Luke-PostLuke.htm
- The disciples of the Lord were sent out to the children of Israel to preach “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” – Matthew 10:7; and “The kingdom of God has come near you” – Luke 10:9.
- The Lord told His disciples that they “shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God come with power” – Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27.
- Finally, after His resurrection and having done all He came to do in the flesh, He commanded His disciples that they wait in Jerusalem until they were “endued with power” – Luke 24:49. This was for the previous command that “repentance and remission of sins was to be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” – Luke 24:47.
For the preparation of the coming of The Body of Christ, God sent forth His messenger (John the Baptist) before the coming of the Son of God in the flesh. This marked the nearness of the kingdom as foretold by God.
Jesus came in the flesh, as God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23; John 1:1, 14), to begin the redemptive work God had given Him (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; Hebrews 10:5-10).
- The sign has come!
- The Lord has come!
- The redemptive work God gave His Son, as the acceptable Lamb of sacrifice for the sins of man, is complete!
- His disciples have been instructed before His ascension, where to wait, what to wait for, and what to do with it, when it comes.
All is prepared; all is ready for the coming of the kingdom, The Body of Christ, The Called Out!
What would be the scope of the work of the kingdom?
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Mark 16:15-16 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
Luke 24:46-49 “Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Next: “The Body in Perfection”