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THE JEWS
ISRAEL God’s chosen, earthly people Deut.7:6-7, Isa.44:1
DESTINATION The 1000 year kingdom Matt.25:34 A stumbling block 1Cor.1:23, 1Pet. 2:8
TENDENCY Require signs, miracles 1Cor.1:22 The
THE MESSAGE "Repent" (nationally) Matt.3:2, Acts 2:38 The
THE BAPTISM Water baptism Matt.6:10, 9:35, 25:34 John 1:31-33
THE HOPE "Thy kingdom come" Matt.6:9
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THE CHURCH
Gods heavenly people the body of Christ Eph.1:22-23, 2:6.....
DESTINATION In glory, with Christ Phill.3:20,1Thess.4:16-17 Christ Crucified The power of God and the wisdom of God 1Cor.1:24
TENDENCY To preach Christ crucified1Cor.1:23, 2Cor.4:5 THE MESSAGE "Walk worthy" of calling Eph. 4:1-3
THE BAPTISM The "one baptism" of the Holy Spirit Eph.4:5, THE HOPE The rapture, that "blessed hope"
Titus 2:13, 1Cor.15:52
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THE GENTILES All other nations or nationalities Deut.32:8, Acts 4:27
DESTINATION The judgment Matt.25:41, Rev.20:13 Christ Crucified Foolishness 1Cor.1:18, 23
TENDENCY Seek after wisdom 1Cor.1:11-22
THE MESSAGE "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" Acts 16:31
THE BAPTISM Fire (judgment) 2Thess.1:8
THE HOPE "Having no hope" Ephesians 2:12
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The Three Classes Jews, Gentiles, Church In 1 Cor.1:22-23, we are told that, "the Jews require a sign, and the Greek
(or Gentiles) seek after wisdom; But we (the Church) preach Christ crucified." You will find the people of Israel, almost
from their very beginning, seeking after signs, miracles and wonders in order to believe. Even Gideon had to have his fleece.
And God worked signs and miracles as long as He was dealing with Israel, up to the end of the Acts period. But after Acts
28:28, signs and miracles ceased, because Israel was set aside for the present age, and God’s completed Word is
sufficient for men of faith today. By the term "Jews", Israel as a nation is meant, and not the individual Jew in
this present age. The Gentiles are those of all races and tongues, other than Jews, who have not been regenerated by the new
birth. The church is God’s elect company in this present age, and is composed of all born-again humans. Through
the twelve sons of Jacob, God called out unto Himself a special nation of twelve tribes, to be His special testimony to the
nations of the earth. Even in the days of Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, God had this special nation in mind when
He said: "I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee ....and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse
him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:2-3). So Israel was to be
God’s earthly testimony, and through them He eventually brought the Messiah and Saviour into the world. In due time,
Christ will return and God will deal with nations (Matthew 25:31-46). In dealing thus with an earthly nation, many earthly
and physical ordinances and regulation had to be given, especially in the Old Testament. Even the four Gospels are linked
with Jewish promises in the Old Testament. They are not church doctrine. But they are most precious to us as divinely inspired
pictures of the Person, character, and work of our blessed Lord and Saviour. Like the Old Testament, they give us a most precious
acquaintance-ship with our Lord, and also wisdom as to our personal walk as a child of God. The church is a new thing which
began during the Acts period, and was said to be a mystery, hidden from past generations. It is a heavenly company, composed
of both Jews and Gentiles. Satan has sought to confuse the issue by causing many man-made churches to be formed, but the Lord’s
own church is clearly marked out in the scriptures. In Acts 2:47 He added to the Jerusalem assembly those who were saved.
That is still the way He adds members to the church which is His body. His church is destined to leave this world suddenly
one of these days- quite suddenly, (1Cor. 15:51-53). Then God will go back to dealing with His earthly nation, Israel. John
the Baptist came as a minister to Israel, preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Matt.3:2). This kingdom message will be resumed
after the rapture of the church and God goes back to dealing with Israel (Matt. 24:14). The gospel for the present age is
the gospel of the grace of God and is referred to as Paul’s gospel (Acts 20:24; Rom. 2:16; 2Tim. 2:8). We would
have no confusion about the instructions in the New Testament if we would only ask: "To which company is this particular
scripture written?" Many, for instance, ask why it is that James 5:14-15 doesn’t seem to work. A dear one is
sick; they call for the elders, who pray over him and anoint him with oil, but nothing happens, although this scripture promises
that "the Lord shall raise him up." Their error is that James does not write directly to the church, and does not
claim to. In the beginning of his epistle he says he is writing "to the twelve tribes (Israel) scattered abroad."
For church doctrine, present day truth, we must turn to Paul’s epistles. In Eph. 3:2-10 Paul says this special revelation
of the church was committed unto him. In Gal. 2:9, he says that he and Barnabas were sent unto the Gentiles, while Peter,
James and John were sent unto the Jews. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed,
RIGHTLY DIVIDING the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15)
It is always a joy to a babe in Christ to begin to see these differences, for it brings him out of the fog of confusion,
making the blessed old Book an intelligent and living reality. Protestantism, to say nothing of Rome, is almost totally ignorant
of this simple but important secret in "rightly dividing" the Word of truth (2Tim. 2:15). For that reason, they
grope about in darkness, trying to make Jewish ordinances and Jewish promises work on church ground, "which say they
are Jews, and are not" (Rev. 3:9). They try to inherit the kingdom promises that are for the nation of Israel, and not
for the Church. They expect the unsaved Gentile to behave like a believer, who has been made a "new creature" in
Christ, and wonder why things don’t seem to work.
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
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