The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Church and the World

And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. (Revelation 21:24)

Today's understanding of the Kingdom of God is that there will be two groups of people in the ages to come: the saved, and the lost. This is not the case. There will be three groups of people in the ages to come: the Church, the nations of the saved, and the lost. The Tabernacle of the Congregation is a model of the Kingdom of God portraying the saved who rule (Israel, the elect of God), and the saved who are ruled (the saved nations of the earth—Revelation 21:24). In addition there will be those (hopefully few in number) who are lost forever to God and His saints.

Notice the verse above: "Shall walk in the light of it."

"The nations of them which are saved."

"It" is the Tabernacle of God, the new Jerusalem, the Church of Christ.

"The nations of them which are saved" are the inheritance of Christ and His saints—the people of the world who are not part of the elect but whom God has found worthy of eternal life.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (Matthew 25:34)

Until this design is grasped the Hebrew Prophets are not readily understandable. The current perception of the Kingdom of God is that it consists of a happy group of Gentiles living in mansions in Paradise and having nothing significant to do.

The truth is, the members of the Church will be serving God as His representatives throughout the saved creation—especially in the earth. The Church is the Body of Christ, the Body of the Servant of the Lord. As such it will be performing the work of the Servant described in Isaiah, Chapter 42 and in similar passages.

The victorious saints will govern the saved nations of the earth with a rod of iron—a stern rule that shall crush all resistance.

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (Revelation 2:26,27)

At the conclusion of the thousand-year Kingdom Age the saints will face an angry populace but God will intervene.

And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:9)

During the past two thousand years, being saved and being part of the Church have meant much the same thing. This is because the purpose of the Christian Era has been the calling out and perfecting of the Church, the Wife of the Lamb, the Body of Christ.

. . . And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:47)

When the Church, the Israel of God, has been perfected, God will use the Church as His instrument for judging, delivering, blessing, teaching, and ruling the nations of saved peoples of the earth.

To be continued.