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I trust we have seen quite clearly in these letters, the distinction between those addressed:
( 1 ) to the Nation of Israel, commencing from Genesis 12,
( 2) to saved Jews, (Hebrew Christians) and saved Gentiles during the Acts period, and
(3) “to the faithful in Christ Jesus” the letters written by Paul during his prison ministry, after Israel as a nation had been set aside.
Some may be asking the question “Is there any other company. or are ALL since Paul received the revelation of the Mystery (Secret, hid in God Eph. 3:9) members of the ONE BODY
(Eph. 4:4 and 1:20-23) of which Christ is the Head?”
We shall have to open the Gospel of John to get our answer, where we shall find that John alone of all the N.T. writers speaks of the "Marriage of the Lamb”.
In Matthew 22 we read :
“A certain king made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that had been bidden - or previously called to the wedding (lit. wedding feast)”.
In the O.T. over and over again, God had sent messengers to His People Israel, but in 2 Chronicles 36:16 we read that they mocked the messengers, and despised His words, and scoffed at His Prophets until the wrath of
the Lord arose against His People till “THERE WAS NO REMEDY”. These words occur on the last page of the Hebrew Bible. Four hundred years of silence and then God, in the Parable of the
Vineyard says – “They will reverence My Son”. He had sent His servants in the O.T., now in the New, the Lord Jesus Christ sends His servants to the same people.
Not only did those who were called not come, but they slew those who invited them. Again He sent forth other servants, as recorded in the Acts period, but they gave no heed, and went away, one to his own farm,
another to his own merchandise, and they entreated them spitefully. This resulted in the King's wrath, and in 1 Thess. 2:15, 16, we read that “wrath is come upon them to the uttermost”, referring to
the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in A.D.7O. Those who HAD
been called in the O.T. and re-called or bidden in the New, are now pronounced “not worthy” and the servants are sent into the highways. When the Lord sent out His disciples He said “Go not into the
WAYof the Gentiles, but go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel” (Matt. 10), but NOW
in Matthew 22:9 the command is “Go ye, into the highways” (the word in Matthew 10 “way” and the word “highway” in Matthew 22 are the same Greek word). Through Israel's failure to respond, the invitation is extended to the Gentiles, and the wedding chamber is filled with guests:
“He came unto His own (i.e. the people of Israel) and His own received Him not, but as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become the children of God. even to them that believe on His Name”
(John 1 : 12).
In the A.V. the word translated “son” in this verse is the Greek word teknon - a child, and if we would distinguish between the things that differ we must distinguish between the word for child (born into
a family), and the Greek word huiothesia (sonship), giving the inheritance of the firstborn --- the heir.
There are three Companies in Scripture who have the first-born's position, (referring to inheritance):
( l ) Israel, My Son - My Firstborn (Exod.4:22). Israel according to the flesh (Rom. 9). The earthly Company.
(2 ) The Heavenly City Company who are called in Hebrews 12:23 the CHURCH (ecclesia, i.e. a called-out assembly) of the FIRSTBORN (Gal. 4:5) (the Heavenly Jerusalem).
(3) The Members of the Body of which Christ is the Head. the CHURCH (ecclesia) which is His Body and His Fullness (Eph.1:22,23), predestinated unto sonship (adoption) (Eph.1:4), in the heavenly
places "” al1” at the right hand of God.
To the Gentile, therefore, John has a special message. A message for the WORLD:
“God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting (age-lasting) life” (John 3:l6 ).
The “guests” called, or bidden, to the Marriage feast are not the "wife” (Note Jer. 3:14 and Rev. 19) nor the “bride” (Rev. 21), nor the Body - of which Christ is the Head, but a
special class who are privileged to attend the wedding of the King's Son as GUESTS, during the 1,000 years of His reign over the earth during the Millennium Kingdom.
These must have “life” through His Name: they must have the Wedding garment.
In closing let us read together Revelation 19:6-9:
"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honor to Him, for the marriage (marriage-feast) of the Lamb is come, and His wife (Greek gune) hath made herself ready'. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,
clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me,
Blessed are they which are CALLED (invited) unto the marriage supper of the Lamb".
For fuller understanding concerning this Company read John and the Mystery by C.H. Welch, where Scriptural proof is given to show:
1. The Dispensational place of John’s Gospel.
2. Its “Calling --- Guests of the Marriage of the Lamb.
3. Its relationship to the family of faith --- “children” not “sons”.
4. That the words of Ephesians 2:4-6 are a precious heritage of the Church of the Mystery (secret), and find no place in the writings of John, neither in gospel, Epistles nor Revelation.
“It shall greatly helpe ye to understande Scripture, if thou mark not only what is spoken, or written, but of whom, and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstance,
considering what goeth before, and what followeth”.
Miles Coverdale
“Study (be diligent) to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needth not to be ashamed RIGHTLY DIVIDING the word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
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