THE TRUE SIGN (part 2)

In part 1 we pointed out that Jesus was referred to in several scriptures as the "Sign", and we said a sign is meant to direct us toward some destination. We suggested that what Jesus was meant to direct us toward could be the "True Church", that He said He would build, (Matt 16:18). This Church is referred to as different things in scripture, including the "Body of Christ", which is the present visible representation of Jesus Christ on earth. He is presently in heaven, and will remain there until the Father gives Him permission to come to earth again to receive the Church as His "Bride". This Bride will become His "Wife", or ministry partner, to reign with Him throughout eternity! (Rev 21:9). This would seem to be the ultimate plan of Father God, to obtain a perfect eternal partner for His Son!

This great mystery of the True Church was kept a secret by God, until it was revealed to the apostle Paul. He explains this mystery in (Eph 3:1-7), and (Col 1:24-27), which is that God intended to include Gentiles as well as Jews in this Church, which is the Bride for His Son Jesus Christ! As we know, the Jewish Nation was established by God through Abraham to be a pattern nation on the earth. He gave them distinct laws through His servant Moses, to direct them into a lifestyle that would reflect His Holiness. He made a covenant with them which they promised to live up to, however they failed to keep these laws, and followed the sinful practices of their neighboring nations. This failure to keep God's laws resulted in their being defeated by their enemies,and brought under bondage to various nations from time to time. They were under the control of Rome at the time Jesus came to earth to ransom humanity from the hand of the enemy. They knew about the promise of a coming "Messiah", but expected he would be a conquering king like David. When Jesus came as a humble babe in a manger in Bethlehem, not many people accepted Him for who He really was. Through the Gospel writers, and the various letters in our Bible record, we can get the overall plan that God had in mind to redeem mankind from their sinful condition resulting from the disobedience of Adam. (Rom 5:12). This plan culminated in the death of Jesus on the cross, and His resurrection three days later. Then followed a period of 50 days, during which He appeared to many people, and promised to send "The Gift" of the Father to them (Luke 24:49) if they waited prayerfully in Jerusalem. (Acts chapter 1 and 2) give us the details of the beginning of the Church, which is the Body of Christ. We believe this to be the fulfillment of the Sign as mentioned above.

Sincerely submitted

Gramp