The Doctrine of Revelation: The Storyline of Scripture (Part 19)

The apostle Paul wrote a rather astounding statement in his letter to the Ephesians. He said:

 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:8-11 ESV)

What’s so astounding about these few verses is that Paul makes clear that the church was part of God’s original plan. It took centuries to come into existence, but finally it was never an after thought in God’s mind. Through the church God is making known the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places the wisdom of His gospel. And this, Paul says, was “according to the eternal purpose.” When we speak of the storyline of Scripture we must not assume that the church is an add-on to that story, it is an original part of that same story from Garden to New Kingdom.

The concept of the church has its roots in the Old Testament people of God. Israel was called out as God’s special people. They were commissioned with the task of communicating God to the world, of being a “holy priesthood” (Exodus 19:5-6; and Isaiah 61:6). Derek Tidball points out that this “priesthood” has been passed on to the church. He writes:

The priesthood of all believers has assumed a richer significance. All believers may now enter the presence of God without need for any human mediator; the purifying effect of the blood of Christ qualifies them to do so.

Of course this intention for Israel, as we’ve seen, does not reflect the reality of their history. Rather than be a royal and holy priesthood they were a nation full of idolaters. Throughout the prophets, then, we find God speaking of a remnant of faithful Israel that he would continue to work through.

As the nation was sent into exile for their disobedience and rebellion God spoke through the prophets to say that his promise and the future of the nation lay now with a remnant (see Isaiah 10:20-22; 37:31-32; Micah 2:12; 5:7-8; Zephaniah 3:12-13; and Zechariah 8:11-12). Paul picks up this same theme in Galatians to say that the church is the true Israel, the true descendants of Abraham (Galatians 6:16). Jesus too identifies this transition. He speaks of His disciples as a family (Mark 10:29-31; Luke 8:19-21); a fraternity (Matthew 23:8); a little flock (Luke 12:32); and a city (Matthew 5:14). These were all images that, as Tidball points out, were once markers of the nation of Israel.

This transition is important for it identifies that God’s people, who have been given God’s mission, are created by God’s Son. The storyline of Scripture, the story of redemption, includes the reality that God’s people are only made God’s people because of the work of Jesus on the cross and in his resurrection. Israel forgot this, but by reading and re-reading the storyline of Scripture the church can remember it!