Archive for August, 2011
Luke 1: 13-17
“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
We know that John is the Elias because of a visit that his father Zacharias had before he was born where an angel said that John would have the power of Elias (Elijah and Elias is the same name in different languages)
Matthew 17:10-13:
“And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”
Notice that Christ said that the Elias shall first come and restore all things. He did not say he came and created things. This means that what was promised in Malachi had not happened yet. Also how can you restore something that has yet to be created? Christ’s Church was not established until after Christ’s death. All this information means that the messenger has to come again before the second coming of Christ.
Malachi 4:5-6:
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
God promises in again that he is going to send his messenger. You will notice that he said that the messenger will come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. This day is the judgment day. This day did not occur when Christ came the first time, so it must refer to the second coming of Christ.
Malachi 3: 1-4
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.”
God told us that he was going to send a messenger to prepare the way for Christ’s second coming. Notice he said the messenger was going to cleanse the Son’s of Levi, and that Christ will suddenly appear. This did not happen the first time, so it must happen the second.
Ephesians 4:11-16
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”
The organization of the church is very clear in this passage. Christ even gave a timeline for these positions in the Church and how we should stay on his gospel.
Ephesians 2: 20-21
“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord”
We know that Christ is the head of the Church we also have to figure out how the rest of it is set up. This though is already done for us by Christ, for he decided how his Church was organized.
Colossians 1: 12-18
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence”
When Christ was on earth he set up his church in accordance to God’s plan. The head of the Church is Christ Jesus himself.
Ephesians 4:4-7
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
The key with the Gospel of Christ is that you have to do it Gods way the way he set it up. We cannot add to or change his gospel. There is only one gospel of Christ and only one Church of Christ on this earth.
