One distinct theme flows through the entire book of Acts.  If this outstanding theme is not grasped, the significance of the whole book will be misunderstood, and this failure to rightly divide the word of truth will necessarily lead to confusing what is and what is not "truth for today."  It will result in importing an incompatible mixture of "kingdom practices" and "heavenly themes," into the environment of our Christian gatherings, thus distorting God's purposes for us in the present dispensation.  This theme is:

What the book of Acts is not

     The historical record in the Acts is not a 'pattern' or 'blueprint' for Christian gatherings on earth (local churches) in the present dispensation.  Although this statement may appear shocking, please consider the following study like a "more noble" Berean, who "received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11)

1. In the historical period covered by the Acts, God's primary purpose was to make a bona fide offer of His prophesied millennial kingdom to his earthly covenant nation Israel.
2. Subsequent events in the Acts (such as the untimely salvation of Gentiles) are the consequences of Israel's total rejection of that offer of the millenial kingdom and its King, Jesus the Anointed One.

     With this in mind let us briefly explore this 'history of the decline and fall of Israel' as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

Preparation for the offer of the kingdom

1.  The Acts of the Apostles begins with the statement that the book is a continuation of the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus to the nation Israel.  Luke’s gospel records what the Lord Jesus began to do until he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:1).  The Acts, also penned by Luke, records what the Lord continued to do through his apostles on earth, through the power of the Holy Spirit, while the Lord was in heaven.  In the book of Acts the Lord’s message is that of the New Covenant promised to the "House" of Israel and to the "House" of Judah.  But its promises are conditional on whether the Jewish nation, (not just individual Jews), accepts His Messianic claims.

2.  The Lord Jesus taught the disciples for 40 days.  What did He teach them?  He taught them "...the things which concern the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).  "They THEREFORE" (i.e., as a result of what the Lord taught them), "being come together, asked him saying, Lord, is it at this time that thou restorest the kingdom to Israel?  Let us not criticize the disciples for asking this very pertinent question.  The Lord's answer was NOT 'the kingdom will never be restored to the Jewish nation Israel' (as is erroneously taught by so-called 'replacement theology').  Nor was his answer 'NOT AT THIS TIME' (as wrongly taught by some who do not understand the truth that the earthly millennial "kingdom to Israel" was, in fact, the EXACT THING that WAS offered to Israel by the apostles in Acts chapters two and three, (not a "church" comprised of Jews and Gentiles in one body, whose hope and blessing is "in the heavenlies" as per Ephesians 1:3). The Lord's answer was "It is not yours to know times or seasons" (Acts 1:7).  The offering of the kingdom to Israel was to be a bona fide offer.  Whether Israel would receive or reject that offer was known only to God, and, consequently, what God knew about Israel's fateful decision was not revealed to the apostles at that time.

3.  The missing apostle (Judas Iscariot) is replaced, restoring the required twelfth apostle to their number (Acts 1:15-26).  It is necessary (Acts 1:21) to have twelve apostles because the Lord promised that in the Messianic kingdom on earth there would be twelve apostles who would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Mat. 19:28).  Some Bible teachers erroneously claim Peter and the other remaining apostles were mistaken when they chose Matthias; that Paul was the true twelfth apostle.  But the Lord Jesus had given the apostle Peter Divine authority to perform tasks such as this:

     "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Mat. 16:18)

This authority given to Peter proves that he had the God-given authority to choose the twelfth apostle.  Matthias, not Paul, is the twelfth apostle, and the Holy Spirit confirms this fact in Acts 6:2 and in  1 Corinthians 15:5.  Paul is not the twelfth apostle and will not sit on one of these twelve thrones.  He is a very special apostle, born out of due time (1 Cor. 15:8), with God’s commission to go to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13).  Although some erroneously teach that the apostles sinned by using "the lot" to choose Matthias, scripture says,

     "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole decision is of Yahweh." (Prov. 16:33)

Had Saul of Tarsus been God's choice to sit on one of the twelve apostolic thrones, the proclamation of the kingdom gospel on the day of Pentecost (the Jewish Feast of Weeks) would have been postponed several years until the conversion of Paul and his spiritual instruction in Arabia.

4.  The Lord Jesus ascends into heaven (Acts 1:9), and the Holy Spirit is poured out upon believers (Acts 1:8 & 2:1-4), thus "gathering" them into a very special spiritual body of believers known as the ekklesia, ("gathering" or “called-out-ones”), a word commonly translated "church" or “assembly.”  This church is not a religious denomination or a building, but a special gathering of people chosen by God as a distinctive spiritual group of believers and marked by His Holy Spirit for His Divine purposes.  The Lord Jesus had promised to build such a "church" in Matthew 16:18.

     "And I also, I say unto you that you are a stone, and on this rock I will build my ekklesia, and hades' gates shall not prevail against it." (Mat. 16:18)

    What is the nature of this "church" that the Lord Jesus prophesied He would build?  In the writings of the Hebrew prophets the Lord God had promised to "gather" His covenant people Israel in the last days (Jer. 32:37-42; Ezek. 11:17-20; 36:24-28, etc.).  From of old, the prophets of Jehovah had promised to gather His people Israel, and to put his Spirit upon them, so they might worship Him in holiness (Isa. 44:3; Ezek. 36:27; 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28, etc.).  In Acts 2 and 3 this prophesied physical and spiritual 'restoration' (Acts 1:6) is exactly what was about to happen to Israel, provided they would willingly submit to His Divine will. They would be part of God's prophesied "gathering." In other words God's prophesied gathering was the ekklesia (gathering) promised by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16:18-19.

    Some believe it is necessary to distinguish between "Israel and the church."  This, however, wrongly presupposes that the characteristics of the church in Acts 2 and 3 are identical to those characteristics and specificities of the church described in Ephesians and Colossians, and that they are unlike those characteristics seen in the Hebrew prophetic writings. When the apostles preached the gospel to the "house of Israel" (Acts 2:36) the intent was that if that nation (Israel) would turn to the Lord, they would comprise both the "gathering" (ekklesia) and the "kingdom" promised by the Lord in Matthew 16.  As it turned out, only individual Jews, (not the officials who sit in "Moses' seat"), would believe the gospel.  Because of this, Christ's ekklesia became composed of a remnant of individual Jewish believers who had ceremonially purified themselves by water baptism from the evil religious system maintained by the unbelieving Jewish clergy.

    What is a "church" (ekklesia)?  In New Testament language Local churches are simply local gatherings of people who have been sovereignly drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ by the Father (John 6:44). We ought not to 'officialize' the word "church" or attach specific doctrinal terms to it.  An ekklesia is simply a "gathering."  For example, Acts 7:38 speaks of the "ekklesia in the wilderness," referring to the Israelites gathered at Mount Sinai.  (See Hebrews 2:12). The old Testament looks forward to the day when God's covenant people will be sovereignly drawn or "gathered" from their various scattered locations   This gathering is certainly an ekklesia.

(We must not confuse the characteristics of the "church" as defined in the epistles of Paul, particularly his later epistles, with the character of the "church" which existed on the Feast of Weeks [Firstfruits or Pentecost].  In other words we must not force Ephesian truth into the message of the book of Acts).

Some remarks as to when Christ's "gathering" began

     Although some may disagree, it seems apparent that the ekklesia (gathering) that the Lord promised to 'build' in Matthew 16 had its beginning on the Jewish feast of weeks (the day of Pentecost) when the Lord Jesus poured out [the] Holy Spirit upon believers.  This same ekklesia continued intact throughout the entire book of Acts, and we believe it continues today.  However, when Israel rejected God's offer of their 'regeneration' and their 'restoration,' God changed his revealed plan.  The offer of the earthly kingdom was withdrawn, Israel was temporarily set aside as a covenant nation, and God's grace was presented to sinners without regard to previous covenant promises.  Under God's new plan, no longer would believers expect millennial (earthly) blessings; instead they would be promised "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).  Thus, Israel's unfortunate response to God's offer of earthly blessing became "we will not have this man to rule over us."  When their rejection was final and complete (Acts 28:28) the earthly promises made to Christ's gathering  (ekklesia) were withdrawn, and new heavenly hopes, promises, and expectations were given by grace to this same gathering.  These expectations far exceeded those prophesied blessings previously promised to His earthly covenant people.

     Did this radical change in God's purposes mean that He abolished the first ekklesia (church) and created a new "gathering" when He withdrew the millennial blessings and substituted blessings "in the heavenlies in Christ?"  We see no convincing scriptural evidence that any such new "church" began subsequent to Pentecost.  In fact, we are convinced that several passages of Scripture indicate that the "church" at Pentecost continued unbroken throughout Acts, and continues today.  Please refer to the Appendix at the end of this article for more details on this subject.

The millennial kingdom offered to Israel at Jerusalem

5.  On the day of Pentecost Peter warned that the terrible “day of Yahweh” prophesied by Joel had actually begun (Acts 2:16-21).  When the assembled Jews interpreted the gift of tongues poured out on the apostles as evidence of a drunken state, Peter corrected their mistake:

     "For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
     "But this IS that which was spoken by the prophet Joel." (Acts 2:15-16)

     In Acts 3:19 the Lord, through Peter, healed the lame man in a striking fulfillment of Isaiah 35:6 which previews the day when the lame man (a picture of Israel) shall “leap as a hart,” a prophecy that also promises that “The wilderness and the dry land shall be gladdened; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isa. 35:1).  Peter’s message was:

     “Repent therefore and be converted, for the blotting out of your sins, so that times of refreshing may come from [the] presence of the Lord,
     "and he may send Jesus Christ, who was foreordained for you,
     "whom heaven indeed must receive till [the] times of [the] restoring of all things, of which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since time began.” (Acts 3:19-21)

     This was a direct, literal, promise of the return of the Lord Jesus to restore the physical kingdom on earth at the time of the millennium as foretold by Yahweh's holy prophets over and over throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.  But, this promise was conditional on Israel's “repentance” (Acts 3:19) because they had denied “the holy and righteous one,” and because they had slain “the originator of life” “in ignorance” (Acts 3:14,15,17).  It was conditional on Israel’s “conversion” (Acts 3:19).  Again, no Gentiles are mentioned as being present either at Pentecost or at the healing of the lame man.  In fact, Peter distinctly identifies his audience as being Jewish:

     “Ye are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God appointed to our fathers…” (Acts 3:25).

6.  But Israel began to resist and to reject the gospel of the kingdom as soon as Peter finished his message in Acts 3.  Acts 4 records this opposition, as does Acts 5:17 and Acts 6:9-15.  And so, it is not surprising that, at Acts 8, after the stoning of Stephen, "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5), a "great persecution" arose.

 "And Saul was consenting unto his death.  And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." (Acts 8:1)

     As a result of this scattering those who fled Jerusalem continued to preach the Word to "none but the Jews only" (Acts 11:19).  Thus, from Acts 2 through Acts 7 God's message of the kingdom was presented to Israel alone.  But as a result of the slaying of Stephen by Israel, God began a new phase, a new dispensation, a new administration, a new economy, in his relationship with His people Israel. 

The kingdom in "mystery" form

     One feature of this new dispensation was that God now began the process of breaking off the natural olive branches (Israel) from their rightful new covenant blessing, and grafting into their place “wild” (Gentile) branches (Rom. 11).  This was done to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. 11:11).  God’s prophetic purposes were still in effect at that time (Rom. 11:25-29).  Before Acts 28:28 Israel was still "first" in God's purposes (Rom. 1:16 & Rom. 2:9-10 as was the case in Acts 3:26 and in Acts 13:46).  According to Scripture, God's prophetic purpose will one day be fulfilled by saving Israel and making them His covenant missionary arm for the salvation of Gentiles (see Zech. 8:23).  But, at this point in the historical record of Acts, Israel sadly embarks on their perilous voyage of unbelief.

     Thus, as God began to blind Israel, believers could now preach Christ to the Samaritans, a people of mixed Israelite-Gentile race (Acts 8:1).  Peter and John travel to Samaria to turn another of the “keys of the kingdom” mentioned in Matthew 16:19.  The signs, wonders and works of power of the millennial kingdom then fell upon this new group of half-Jewish Samaritan believers (Acts 8:14-17).  These signs and wonders were God’s stamp of approval upon the message, upon the messengers, and upon the people themselves who received the message.  They were the Divine credentials of the works of the Holy Spirit, particularly on display to unbelieving Israel, to provoke them to jealousy.  These signs and wonders now displayed amongst the despised Samaritans warned Israel that God had begun to turn away from them because of their unbelief.  At the same time it was a renewed call to Israel to believe the glad tidings and partake of the prophesied blessings promised to them.

     The next step in the process of breaking off the natural olive branches was the salvation of the household of Cornelius the previously "unclean" Gentile (Acts 10 & 11).  Again, Peter was on hand to turn yet another of the “keys of the kingdom.”  And, again, the gift of the Holy Spirit fell on the household of Cornelius, fulfilling the signs and wonders promised by the great commission, (Mat. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18), and astonishing even the Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter:

     “While Peter was yet speaking these words the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were hearing the word.
     "And the faithful of the circumcision were astonished, as many as came with Peter, that upon the Gentiles also the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out:
     "for they heard them speaking with tongues and magnifying God. Then Peter answered,
     "Can any one forbid water that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as we also did?
     "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.  Then they begged him to stay some days.” (Acts 10:44-48)

     Even before Peter preached to the Gentiles, the dead, unbelieving heart of a great persecutor of Christ's gathering, Saul of Tarsus, was quickened by the Lord (Acts 9:1-31), because he was elected and destined to become God’s chosen vessel, a special apostle to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13, 2 Tim. 1:11).

7.  Yet, although Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, whenever he ministered, as recorded throughout the book of Acts, he always went to the Jew first (Acts 13:46; 18:5-6; Rom. 1:16; 2:9-10).  Yet each time Paul preached to these Jews they rejected the message.  As a result, when a particular city rejected the glad tidings, Paul turned away from them, shaking the dust of that city or house from his feet (Acts 13:51 - see Mat. 10:14, etc.), and went to the Gentiles.  Why?  Because God was slowly breaking off the natural branches of Israel's new covenant tree of blessing and grafting in wild branches. Throughout this book we observe the millennial miracles and signs of the "great commission" pertaining to the earthly kingdom (Mark 16:17-18), because God's message at that time still consisted of those prophetic promises made specifically to Israel.  Once this New Covenant message was withdrawn from Israel there would no longer be a need for such signs.  Some teachers hold that such signs only occurred the first time the gospel was presented to a new group of individuals, but one has only to read Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians to see that that theory is without merit.  That epistle points to "gifts of healing...operations of miracles...prophecy...discerning of spirits...kinds of tongues...interpretation of tongues," (1 Cor. 12:8-10), multiple gifts so numerous and commonplace that they had gotten completely out of hand.

8. For the full period covered by the Acts of the Apostles, God's message continued to be the message of the millennial kingdom under the spiritual terms of the promised New Covenant.  At this point in time, "the hope of Israel" was still the message proclaimed by the Holy Spirit (See Acts 26:6 and 28:20).  As that dispensation drew to a close, and as Israel at Jerusalem and throughout the world willingly placed themselves outside of the Divine purpose, additional features of God’s message, known as the "mystery," were revealed.  This message had been kept secret from the beginning of time and was about to replace Israel's prophesied millennial kingdom blessing on earth.

The kingdom rejected in finality

9.  We now reach Acts 28:28, the tremendously important dispensational boundary line that marks the temporary end of God’s ‘prophetic’ program with Israel.  Up until this point both Jews and Gentiles were partakers of Israel's promised New Covenant blessing, a blessing that would have taken place had Israel accepted their Messiah.  [This blessing that Israel forfeited will take place on earth during the future millennium after Israel shall look on Him whom they have pierced (Zech. 12:10)].  During the Acts period, Gentiles were blessed because of the "mystery" of Israel's blindness, rather than as part of prophecy in which a faithful, believing, Israel would be God's instrument for Gentile salvation.  (This "mystery" was part of God's program ‘hidden’ from the foundation of the world).

     At the end of the book of Acts, God completed the process of breaking off the “natural branches.”  Israel (temporarily) ceased to be God's potential vehicle for the salvation of the Gentile world, a commission announced in the prophetic writings.  Corporate Israel at Jerusalem had rejected the works of the Holy Spirit, and demonstrated this by stoning Stephen.  Now, at Acts 28:28 the representatives of the Jewish dispersion also rejected Him.  At Acts 28, with an air of finality, Paul quoted the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10 pronouncing final blindness upon the entire corporate nation Israel, thus officially ending their former covenant position that had previously required Paul to minister "to the Jew first."

     In Acts 28:20 Paul met with the official representatives of Israel and immediately set the record straight as to the purpose of his ministry thus far in the Acts.  He clearly emphasized that his every endeavor had been to bring about Israel’s blessing in the millennial kingdom under their Messiah, saying to the Jews, “For on account of the hope of Israel I have this chain about me.”  Even unbelieving Israel held that this "hope" was a resurrection to prophesied millennial blessing for a restored Israel.  But Israel rejected the resurrection of the King who would rule that kingdom.  To Paul the true hope of Israel was the Lord Jesus Christ, and the resurrection of believers from the dead that was made possible through Him (see Acts 23:6; 24:14-15, 21).  In Acts 28:22-23 the Holy Spirit was careful to stress that this meeting in Rome was no inconsequential five minute dissertation to a small handful of unimportant Jews.  His exposition of the Scriptures was to “those who were the chief of the Jews,” it was to a “great number” of Jews, and his message lasted perhaps eight or more hours, “from morning till evening.”  This was Paul’s final opportunity to present the claims of Israel’s Messiah to the final outpost of the Jewish dispersion, and it was Israel’s final opportunity to hear it.

     “But we desire to hear of thee what you think: for as concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against.
     "And when they had appointed him a day, they came to him into his lodging in great number; to whom he expounded the matter, testifying the kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning till evening.
     "And some believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.
     "And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spoke the Holy Spirit through Isaiah the prophet unto your fathers, saying,

‘Go thou unto this people, and say, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:                          

                        For this peoples heart is waxed gross,
                            And their ears are dull of hearing,
                                And their eyes they have closed;
                                Lest, haply they should perceive with their eyes,
                            And hear with their ears,
                        And understand with their heart,

And should turn again, And I should heal them.’

     "Be it known therefore unto you, that this salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles: they will also hear.
     "And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much disputing among themselves.” (Acts 28:22-29)

10.  The preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom as set out in the “great commission,” (Mat. 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-18), had included the same signs of authentication which had earlier confirmed to John the Baptist that the Lord Jesus was the Anointed One, the Messiah.

     “But John, having heard in the prison the works of the Christ, sent by his disciples,
     "and said to him, Art thou the coming one? or are we to wait for another?
     "And Jesus answering said to them, Go, report to John what ye hear and see.
     "Blind men see and lame walk; lepers are cleansed, and deaf hear; and dead are raised, and poor have glad tidings preached to them:
     "and blessed is whosoever shall not be offended in me.” (Mat. 11:2-6)

     These were physical signs that a believing Nation Israel should have recognized as proving that the Lord Jesus was the Divine Messiah.  They were the same signs promised in the “great commission” to the twelve apostles and to all who would believe the Gospel of the Kingdom:

     “And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the glad tidings to all the creation.
     "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that disbelieves shall be condemned.
     "And these signs shall follow those that have believed: in my name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues;
     "they shall take up serpents; and if they should drink any deadly thing it shall not injure them; they shall lay hands upon the infirm, and they shall be well.
     "The Lord therefore, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God.
     "And they, going forth, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs following upon it.” Mark 16:15-20

     With the blinding of Israel, however, all mention of the physical signs of the earthly kingdom would cease (tongues, healing, immunity to poison and snake bite, miraculous powers, etc.). All these signs and wonders had to do with authenticating to Israel the kingdom blessing which was now in abeyance. (Contrast 1 Cor. 12:28 with Eph. 4:11, particularly noting the absence of the special sign gifts that pertain to the particular Nation that requires a sign).

     But, now that Israel at Jerusalem and throughout the world has abdicated their spiritual birthright, and has flatly rejected their Messiah (Acts 28:28), and the Divine judgment of blindness has fallen upon that nation, will the Gentile's sphere of blessing continue to be identified with Israel's millennial sphere of blessing on earth?  And now that the offer of the New Covenant has been withdrawn from Israel, will those New Covenant blessings enjoyed by Gentiles be taken from them also?

The kingdom in abeyance

11. After the blinding of Israel at Acts 28:28, Gentiles continued to be saved in spite of Israel’s unbelief.  Israel's blinded eyes, deaf ears and hardened heart coincided with God’s prophetic program being placed on hold and all features of the "mystery" previously hidden in God would now be revealed in all their fullness.  As part of this new program, instead of the Jew was no longer "first," as was the case during their previous covenantal relationship with God.  The Holy Spirit, through Paul, revealed new non-prophesied blessings for all believers (whether Gentile or Jew, without any distinction or superiority.  This new sphere of blessing was not a millennial blessing on earth, but spiritual blessings "in the heavenlies," plus blessings completely unknown in the prophetic writings.

    After the final blinding of Israel at Acts 28:28, Luke's historical record of the Acts closes without specifying a doctrinal basis for the message that would follow Israel's spiritual demise.  The unfolding of this new revelation is left to the letters written from prison by the apostle Paul (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus).  Therein are contained the doctrinal basis for our spiritual blessing following the suspension of Israel's New Covenant.  It is thankfully true that many of the precious foundational truths of the New Covenant also appear in those prison epistles, such as the truth of redemption by the precious blood of Christ.  But some features are missing, such as physical signs and wonders.  These physical manifestations are replaced by spiritual blessings not previously revealed in that prophesied covenant.  In summary, rather than lose blessings, believers previously saved under the New Covenant have moved upward, and have gained blessings beyond measure.  To God be the glory!

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Appendix - Was there more than one Church?

     Specifically when does Scripture say this church (ekklesia) began?  In Matthew 16:18 the Lord describes it as future (“I will build my church”).  Since Christ's "gathering" is bought by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28) it could not come into existence before His precious blood was shed.  Moreover, since Christ baptized believers into His ekklesia by [the] Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), it could not have existed until the Holy Spirit descended from heaven to do that work to believers on earth.  Furthermore, before the Holy Spirit could come, Christ said he must go away, i.e., ascend into heaven (John 16:7).  All these conditions appear to have been fulfilled on the Jewish Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).  The sacrifice of Christ had been accomplished, the Lord was in heaven, and the Holy Spirit had made His presence known on the earth, and had been poured out upon believers, fulfilling John's prediction that the One following him would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Mat. 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 1:5, 11:16, see Acts 2:1-4).  And on that day of Pentecost the Lord added to their company “about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).  In Acts 2:47 and in 5:11 this company is called a “church,” (ekklesia), or “assembly” or “gathering.”  By Acts 4:4 the number of new believers in this church had grown to about “five thousand.”

     Some teachers believe that because the early church was composed of Jews only (Acts 2:5), and no Gentiles, and since they correctly understand that the revealed "sphere of blessing" of the early church was a millennial blessing on earth and not a blessing “in the heavenlies,” that this early church was a separate church from that body of Christ described in Paul’s early epistles, and was particularly distinct from the church described in the “prison epistles” (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 2 Timothy).  Others believe there were two churches, two bodies, existing concurrently, one having an earthly kingdom blessing, and another with a heavenly calling. Those who hold these views tend to place the birthday of the present-day church either at the conversion of Paul (Acts 9), or at the beginning of Paul’s ministry (Acts 13) before he wrote his first epistle, or after the final blinding of Israel (Acts 28:28).  There are also a few teachers who place the creation of the present day ekklesia at Paul’s second imprisonment.

     We completely agree that all of these events, except for Paul’s second imprisonment, are highly significant, because they represent important dispensational turning points in God’s prophetic program for the Jewish nation, as opposed to His non-prophetic program known as “the mystery.” However, while there is abundant evidence that "a church" began at Pentecost, there appears to be no combinatory evidence that a distinctly new church or body began at any of those other specific points in time, (i.e., at Acts 9, Acts 13, or Acts 28:28). The fact that the birthday of the church was Acts 2, not some later time during the book of Acts, in no way disputes the distinctiveness of the present day “heavenly blessing” of the church in contrast to the millennial blessing of the assembly in the early Acts, nor does it contradict the purpose of Paul’s ministry to harden Israel’s heart during the second half of Acts.  Even after the mystery is fully revealed in the “prison epistles” Paul is careful to connect the saints having this higher sphere of blessing “in the heavenlies” (Eph. 1:3) with those "gathered" at Pentecost by saying that these Ephesian believers were “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13). This word, "of promise," vitally identifies the church in Ephesians with that in Acts chapter two. Thus, the church of the present dispensation is the same assembly as that which began at Pentecost, although with an entirely different sphere of blessing and many other differences.

     If the church that existed after Acts 28:28 was a different church than that which began at Pentecost, why did the Holy Spirit through Paul not simply omit the words “of promise” to these Ephesian saints who were blessed, not according to prophesy, but with the truth of the mystery?  “Promise” and “Prophecy” amount to the same thing, but they are both in sharp contrast to the “Mystery,” which was not revealed in the Prophetic Scriptures.  We believe the Spirit of God speaking through Paul retained the words “of promise” because He purposely wished to stress that we are “being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets…” (Eph. 2:20).  Christ Himself is, of course, the chief corner stone.  [Louis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, p. 101, suggests this verse has to do with the flow of authority and doctrine, pointing out that Christ, not the Church, is the one who appointed apostles and prophets].  I would add to Chafer's remarks that neither does the Church appoint evangelists, pastors [shepherds] or teachers, because all of these are gifts of the Lord Jesus (Eph. 4:11), not "offices" appointed by men.

    Besides using the words “of promise”  in Ephesians 1:13 to denote the connection of the local Ephesian gathering with the original gathering at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit also says that the body of truth known as "the mystery" was revealed through Paul “to his holy apostles and prophets” (Eph. 3:5), not just to Paul alone, thus maintaining a connection with the kingdom-oriented church which began at Pentecost.

    When Paul laments the fact that he had once persecuted believers, he identifies those believers as part of "the church" (1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13; Phil. 3:6).  Even in Philippians (a prison epistle) he simply identifies these earlier kingdom believers as part of "the church," (not "a church," thus equating the particular church existing in prison epistle days with the church that began at Pentecost.  Paul was not being imprecise by identifying the church of both eras as one and the same entity.

    We must be careful to make distinctions, where distinctions exist, but we must also observe similarities and connections where these exist.

     The letter to the Ephesians was one of the “prison epistles”, written after final blindness and hardness of heart was laid upon Israel (Acts 28:25-28).  As we have just pointed out, Paul, in that epistle, was careful to connect believers in the present “heavenly” economy with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.  Because of this connection, we hold that there is one church, not two separate churches, (an “early church” and a "church of today" which Paul was supposedly instrumental in forming).  Furthermore, according to the credentials supplied by Scripture, the “birthday” of that one church was on the Jewish "Feast of Weeks" (Pentecost).  Arguments that there was any other “birthday” for a church which God constituted some time after Pentecost are not convincing to us, and we see no Scripturally obvious point in time when any 'new' church, or body, was formed.

     One should not “invent” birthdays of a church simply because we can see that the promises made to Israel at one point in Acts (Acts 2:39) are different from our heavenly portion today.  We understand it to be one church, but with specific blessings that varied depending on God's program for Israel according to His Divine timetable.  Thus, although many of the kingdom gifts and practices of that church on earth differ from the gifts and practices given to us today, it is one and the same "gathering" of God although with obvious dispensational differences.

Be sure to read our article entitled

The Birthday of the Church, When was it? 

Acts 2?  Acts 9?  Acts 13?  Acts 28:28?  Acts 28:18+?
Was there more than one 'church?'
Of which 'church' are we members today?
AND
Must a dispensational change necessarily signal the birthday of a new church?

Also be sure to read our article entitled

Miracles, Signs and Wonders of the Great Commission

This paper presents a graphical display
of the 65 times the various miraculous signs and wonders
of the Great Commission are mentioned in the Acts.
 

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