True Christianity for Real Believers
Most Christians believe they will be living on the earth after Jesus returns to this world. He has promised He will establish His kingdom down here. Seeing the daily changes taking place all around us today, most of them for evil and sin, we can be comforted in thinking that when Jesus returns, He will fix things. If the believer is going to live here, we want it to change, to be a better place to live.
What the majority of Christians generally believe in is the promised return of Jesus Christ to this world. Well, it is very true that Jesus will return. God has declared so in the New Testament and Jesus Himself has confirmed this with His own words. But how will this “fixing of the world” come about and what all is involved? Please do not be naive, the bible is clear. It will only come through God judging and destroying sin, evil, and corruption.
The book of Revelation informs us that when Jesus returns, God will judge Satan and bind him in a bottomless pit for a thousand years. He will cast the Roman beast and the antichrist into the lake of fire, after He destroys their armies. You may not be familiar with all these characters, but believe me, you can find them in that book. It further says that God will judge the world by judging Israel and the Gentile nations. All this is well documented in Old Testament prophecies and the Revelation. But in all this judgment where do you see the church, the body of Christ?
Jesus returns to establish what the bible calls the earthly kingdom of the Son of Man. It also speaks of a Messianic kingdom that was promised to the Jews and involves the restoration of their nation in the Promised Land during the future millennium. The world will definitely be a better place when this happens. But again, where do you see the church in this? Where in the bible does it say the church will be living on the earth during the millennium, when Israel is exalted as the center of the earth/world?
In the gospels Jesus called Himself the Son of Man. He said the Son of Man would someday sit on His throne to judge and rule over the Gentile nations. Psalm 2 says He will have the nations as His inheritance and the ends of the earth as His possession; He will break them with a rod of iron, He will dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. During the future tribulation, God will save a Jewish remnant 144,000 in number, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. After Jesus returns, He will send out His angels to gather this “elect” remnant to the land, each tribe inheriting their designated portion. As their Messiah King, Jesus will rule over the newly restored nation of Israel. But we still do not find the church in any of this, do we?
I’ve said all the above to show you what one can expect in this world when Jesus returns. And it might be a bit mysterious to you that I’ve left out the church in all this serious activity. Did you know the Old Testament doesn’t speak of the existence of the church? And when Jesus describes believers in the New Testament gospels, why would He say they are not of this world as He is not of it? Why would the apostle Paul teach that the believer’s citizenship is in heaven and that while on the earth we are only pilgrims, sojourners, and strangers? As a true Christian and member of the body of Christ, isn’t it time you begin understanding your heavenly calling? There is great joy and comfort in realizing what is our true Christian hope.
For in-depth discussion and scriptural support please click on the articles below:
THE HEAVENLY CALLING OF THE CHURCH CONTRASTED WITH THE EARTHLY CALLING OF ISRAEL – Certain Christianity (reintgenchristianbooks.com)
THE RAPTURE OF THE TRUE CHURCH – Certain Christianity (reintgenchristianbooks.com)