The personal words I share today may not be remembered or quoted a century from now. However, the words of the prophets, spoken thousands of years ago, still resonate and are frequently cited today. Unlike the prophets, I have never been guided by the Holy Spirit to write (2 Pet. 1:21). When the creator of all existence communicates a word to this earth, and it is recorded for us to read, it demands our attention. The prophets were God’s chosen instrument to document His will and His plan for humanity.
A significant part of God’s plan is referred to in scripture as the church or kingdom. The church was not established until after Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. It was spoken of by the prophets long before. As Jesus walked this earth, He told of the church to come. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church.” This indicates that the church had not yet been established. Jesus states in Matthew 16:19, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” In this context, Jesus is using the church and the kingdom synonymously. This is important because the prophets of old had much to say about an everlasting Kingdom that would stand under the oversight of an eternal King. In Acts 2, we see that Peter had taken the keys and opened the doors of the Kingdom. He did this by presenting information that every human needs. Peter declared that we can have our sins removed by the power of God. It is clear that the church has now been established because of the words found in Acts 2:47 “… And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” Those who obeyed the God-given instructions spoken by Peter were added to the church that the prophets of old had prophesied. “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
The following are some of the passages found in the writings of the prophets concerning the Church / Kingdom. The prophet Isaiah clarified that the house of God would be established and all nations could be a part of it. “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it” (Isa. 2:2). Today, everyone in Christ can be a part of the church He established. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:27-28). The church that Christ established is truly the house of God. Paul wrote these words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:15, “but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” The Book of Daniel gives a clear prophecy of an everlasting Kingdom. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Dan. 2:44). As the prophet Nathan speaks to David, he prophesies of an everlasting Kingdom that would come from the seed line of David. “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Acts 13:23 Confirms that Jesus Christ was from the seed line of David.
These are a few of the God-given words that the prophets have delivered to mankind concerning the church. Christ, from the seed line of David, was successful in establishing His everlasting church/kingdom (Rom 16:16). The opportunity to be part of this church is not confined to the past. If we have obeyed the Gospel (Rom 6:1-17) and live faithfully unto death (Rev 2:10), we can be a part of Christ’s church today. Thank God for His Prophets and His church!