The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Lorraine Hannaford of Ontario, Canada from the tape, GC 1301-L, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 14."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1980. All Rights Reserved.

Question

I’d like to know what constitutes the Church in view of Revelation?

Answer

What constitutes the Church? The Church is distinguished in the book of Acts from Israel and the Gentiles. Israel unique, the Church unique, the Gentiles unique.

Now, the Church is a unique organism called the Body of Christ, which by the way is a metaphor used for the Church, never used for Israel, although many other metaphors are used of both. The Church is born at Pentecost. It came into existence at Pentecost, it didn’t exist before that, that’s why Paul calls it a mystery, it was something that was hidden and finally revealed. From Pentecost to the rapture constitutes the Church. All believing people, who put their faith in Christ, from the day of Pentecost to the rapture, constitute the Church.

Now, when the Church is raptured out of the world, at the rapture, the calling away, the catching away, 1Thessalonians 4, you know, where we "...meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord." That is the fullness of the Gentiles [Rom 11:25], it’s called the fullness of the Church, it’s completed--then it goes. Then immediately begins on earth, a seven year period called the tribulation, okay? That is a time specifically dealing with what nation? Israel. And that’s why it’s the seventieth week of Daniel. You see you have sixty-nine weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. Daniel predicts sixty-nine years, sixty-nine blocks of seven: four hundred and eighty-three years. Now this period of four hundred and eighty-three years goes from the decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild the city, to the coming of Messiah. Now if you chart the course accurately, mathematically, from the time of Artaxerxes decreed to rebuild the temple when Isaiah said the period begins, to the coming of the Prince, you will find to the very day, that, that four hundred and eighty-three years will land on the very day that Jesus entered into the city of Jerusalem that we know as Palm Sunday. He came as the Prince. He came as the King. Alright?

But at that time he came and what happened? They rejected him that very same week, right? And that was the end of the sixty-ninth week. But there’s one other week of history still for Israel, one other period where they’re going to be redeemed. But it had to be postponed because they rejected the Messiah. And into the slot in that postponement the Lord dropped the Church age, the mystery, the fresh channel. Israel was not available to God as his channel to reach the world anymore because they rejected Messiah. So the Lord, remember, turned to the Gentiles, carved out a Church. When the Church is complete and the Church is taken out of the world, then you go right back to the seventieth week of Daniel. And that’s the seven-year period we know as the tribulation.

God goes right back to dealing with Israel. Israel becomes the focal point of the world, there’s where you have Armageddon and all the things going on that take place in Israel. And then after that, Israel is redeemed, they become evangelists and a multitude of people from all over the world are won to Christ, Revelations 7 says, and then comes the thousand year millennial reign. And in the thousand year millennial reign there will be Israel, and there will be redeemed Old Testament saints, and there will be redeemed tribulation saints and there will be the Church altogether.

But basically the Church is that unique mystery period between the sixty-ninth the seventieth week of Daniel. Old Testament people were not part of the Church. The Church never begins until the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit comes and indwells and makes the body. That’s the Church. And anybody who’s a believer, who’s redeemed, is a member of the Church. People say to me, well what are your requirements for membership in your church? And I always say, "Well if you’re a Christian you can be in our church, because we can’t set a standard higher than God sets. People say, "Well don’t they have to do certain things and believe certain things?" No, we figure we’ll take ‘em like they are and try to make them into what we think they ought to be. Well, if we are looking for perfect people for the church, the church would be rather limited in it’s scope. I wouldn’t be here, that’s for sure.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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