No, they are not.
No, they are not.
Why not?
Because only a few individuals who attend a Christian Church deny themselves, take up their cross, and obey Jesus promptly, completely, and cheerfully for the rest of their life.
What, then, is true of Christianity? It is one of the numerous religions that people embrace today. As is characteristic of most, perhaps all, religions, it place more emphasis on its beliefs and liturgies than it does on righteous behavior.
If I am correct, there are not many true Christians in the world; but there are some.
A true Christian is part of the world culture only as much as necessary. As is true of God, he or she hates the values of the world.
A true Christian is successful in cooperating with the Spirit of God in putting to death the sinful urges present in the members of their body.
A true Christian obeys the Lord Jesus Christ promptly, completely, and cheerfully at all times, day and night.
A true Christian is Israel.
We can understand from this that there is no gray area in which a person is almost a Christian, or a Christian sometimes or under certain circumstances.
A genuine Christian is a child of God; a disciple of the Lord Jesus; a member of the Body of Christ; and a member of the Royal Priesthood.
The Royal Priesthood is the Christian Church. The members have been chosen by the Lord from the beginning of the world. They are God's "elect." The term "church" does not refer to a building but to the fact that the true saints, holy ones, have been called out from the world to be a priest of God.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood , a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (I Peter 2:9,10)
The Apostle Peter, a Jew, is speaking to Gentile believers. We know this from the expression, " Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God ."
I want to pause here, and emphasize an understanding crucial to our presentation.
The true people of the Lord are one in Christ. There are not two "Israels."
There only is one Israel, only one chosen people. As the Apostle Paul stated, "Not all Israel are Israel." Only those who are chosen are true Israel, and there is no difference between Jew and Gentile in "true" Israel. If we do not understand this, then we do not understand the Kingdom of God or the Christian Church.
It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. (Romans 9:6)
The Jews have made a religion of that which came and operated by Divine revelation. The Gentiles have made a religion of that which came and operates by Divine revelation. But, as in case of both Jews and Gentiles, the hand of man is on the Ark, so to speak.
In the sense in which I am speaking, both Judaism and Christianity are man-made enterprises. Because they are man-made they do not have the power to arrest the slide into Hell that is taking place in the world today. They can perform a few charitable works; but the power sufficient to reverse the works of Satan unfortunately is not available.
So there is no hope! Or is there?
A Christian who knows the Bible, and is listening to the Spirit of God, is aware that the Lord Jesus Christ is totally in charge of all people and incidents taking place in the world. Absolutely nothing occurs without the knowledge of God and His Christ. In fact, everything is working together for good to those whom God has called to be members of His Royal Priesthood.
The thirty-seventh chapter of the Book of Ezekiel tells us about the "dead bones" of Israel. By Israel, remember, we are speaking of the one Seed of Abraham, that is, of all who belong to our Lord Jesus.
These bones, though "dead" in the present hour, are destined to stand on their feet. There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, male and female. This is the "whole house of Israel."
If I am not mistaken, the Spirit of God is beginning to speak to the "bones."
This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: "I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord." (Ezekiel 37:5,6)
There may be significant ecumenical movements in the future, in which Christian denominations join together. They will accomplish nothing except to increase the size of Babylon. The only true ecumenical movement is described in the passage above.
The human-inspired construction of a vast religious organization indeed will take place. But the Spirit of God will not be in it, so it is destined to perish in God's time. But Ezekiel's army will never perish. It is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Royal Priesthood of God.
How Hell must tremble when they consider this chapter, for it describes the means by which the Lord will put an end to sin in the earth.
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. (Ezekiel 37:10)
As we look about us today we could become discouraged; or filled with anger because of the arrogance of the wicked and the stupidity of their plans.
But there really is no need for either discouragement or vexation to take hold of us while we are reading the newspaper. A little common sense and good will would avert World War Three, even though it is doubtful that ego-driven men will listen to good counsel.
There probably will be a civil war or world war. Then think of the destroyed resources that could have been employed in benefiting the lives of so many people!
God has told us in His Bible that He is going to make an end of sin. He is going to accomplish this deliverance through a Royal Priesthood.
First, the Priesthood must come to maturity. We see this portrayed in the allegory of Ezekiel's dead bones.
Once the Spirit of God enters the Lord's Army, they will be led by Him who is Faithful and True against all wickedness, both human and satanic.
First, the Jewish heroes of faith must be brought to perfection along with God's victorious Christian saints.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39,40)
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