The Journey of Israel 4

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (I Corinthians 12:27—NIV)

In the late 1940s or thereabouts there began to grow in the Christian consciousness the concept of the Body of Christ. An awareness of the importance of the Body, as distinguished from self-contained denominations or independent churches, keeps increasing. The understanding that the purpose of the various gifts and ministries given by the Holy Spirit is to bring the members of the one Body to the fullness of Christ has been enlarged, although not nearly enough in our opinion.

The emphasis on the Body of Christ, its importance in the plan of God, corresponds to the construction of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

Numerous aspects of the Kingdom of God are symbolized by the parts and construction of the Tabernacle. It was during the study of the Tabernacle given by Oliver Ellenwood over fifty years ago that the present author first began to gain a vision of the plan of redemption.

Salvation by faith in the blood of the Lord Jesus, reliance on the Holy Spirit for the wisdom and power to witness and also to lead a holy life, and a recognition that the churches of Christ are part of one Body—the Body of Christ, are now in the possession of the Lord's people, although varying in comprehensiveness from one Christian assembly to another.

After the construction of the Tabernacle of the Congregation the Lord organized His people into an army in preparation for the invasion of Canaan. This is where we are today. It is time now to begin to develop the concept of the army of God. We can read about the organizing of the Israelites into an army in the early chapters of the Book of Numbers.

Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. (Numbers 2:2)

Do you see, from the above verse, that the army of the Lord could not be organized until first the Tabernacle was constructed?

First the construction of the Tabernacle (representing the building of the Body of Christ). Then the organization of the army.

But why an army? We do not need an army in order to enter Heaven!

The redemption of the Church and of the nations of the earth can take place only as the enemy, Satan, is driven out. Just as Canaan had to be invaded and conquered, so it is true that our land of promise, which includes the nations of the earth and the entire material creation, and also our own personality, must be invaded and conquered under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

The day of redemption is a time of warfare!

The feasts of the Lord constitute one of the four great types we mentioned previously. The fourth feast is the feast of Pentecost typifying the work of the Holy Spirit. The fifth feast is the blowing of Trumpets, which typifies the coming of the Lord Jesus, the Commander in Chief, to declare war against His enemies and to organize His people into an army.

Continued. The Journey of Israel 5