Re: Mike Plunkett (26 Dec 2021)
“Excellent Question Donna Dana”
Mike: I appreciate your comments to
Donna’s question. I realize that your response required a
considerable amount preparation time. Your biblical
knowledge is broad and passionate. I also appreciate your
use of the King James Bible as your source of authority. I
share your passion. I would like to share my observations
and comments concerning your commentary on Pentecost.
The premise of your response is “most of
Christendom believes that the Church came into existence at
the first Pentecost” following Jesus’ resurrection and
ascension.
First, I believe that the “Church”
formation event is an interesting theological question. You
do not believe that the Church was formed as an organic body
on the first Pentecost. You believe that Church formation
occurred following the Council of Jerusalem after Paul’s
conversion.
I believe that the organic body known as
the Church of God was formed at the First Pentecost
described in Acts 2. I believe this because:
1.
In 1 Corinthians 15:8, Paul said, “For I am least of the
apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because
I persecuted the church of God.” If the
Church had been born at the Council of Jerusalem, following
Paul’s conversion, he, writing, under the authority of the
Holy Spirit, in the above verse would be contradicting
Scripture. Paul persecuted the Church of God before his own
salvation. Therefore, the Church of God existed prior
to Paul’s conversion.
2.
In the NT there are three classes of people: Jew, Gentile
and Church of God. (1 Corinthians 10:32). One who alleges
that the Jews/Hebrews, in Acts 2 who were reborn (John
3:3-7, Psalm 22:32) having been baptized by Jesus,
constituted a fourth class of Jewish/Hebrew Church. Clearly,
this fourth class was not recognized in 1 Corinthians 10:32.
3.
You raise five questions about Peter’s speech in Acts 2
suggesting that his lack of knowledge about the cross, blood
of Christ, forgiveness of sins base on death, burial and
resurrection constitute a prerequisite to the Church of God
formation on Pentecost. You necessarily limit God’s work
based on Peter’s prior knowledge and understanding. God
works in mysteries and has never been limited by man’s
knowledge.
4.
In Christ’s prayer in John 17, he prayed for Peter, James,
and John (present at the prayer) to have the same position
in Him that Paul occupied in Colossians 1:27-28; 2:10, that
of being “one in perfection”. If Peter, James, and John were
not “in the Church which is His Body, then Christ’s prayer
would have been ineffective.
5.
Following the same theological course as suggested in
paragraph 4 above, Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 states:
12 For as the body is one, and hath many
members, and all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body: so also, is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized
into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to
drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
Continuing in
this discourse, in 1 Corinthians 15:
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy,
we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that
is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where
is thy victory?
This
means that the Body of Christ will depart this earth, “in
a moment in the twinkling of any eye” because there is ONE
baptism which puts the believer into the body of Christ.
If Peter, James, and John were ONE in Christ as suggested
in John 17, then THAT body is the same body inhabited by
the Church of God. The same body is subject to the
mystery of the resurrection/rapture event.
6.
Finally, we should consider the Hebrew pilgrimage feast of
Shavout or Pentecost. There is symbolic evidence of the
Church in this feast, a shadow of things to come, but the
body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)
We are necessarily led to understand the “shadow events”
associated with the first resurrection, the resurrection
of righteousness described by Paul in 1 Corinthians
15:20-24. Christ, the first fruits [of the first
resurrection] was raised out of the grave on the festival
of First Fruits during the feast of Unleavened Bread. On
the day of His resurrection, the Temple priests were
raising up the sheaf of grain offering (Leviticus 23:11)
typifying the first order of the resurrection of Christ
along with the OT Hebrew saints under the law (Matthew
27:50-54). If Christ and these OT saints were typified by
one sheaf, what are we to make of the TWO loaves
(Leviticus 23:17) offered up at Shavuot/Pentecost? The
future loaves surely represent the second order of the
first resurrection (verse 23) where one loaf represents
the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the other loaf
represents the catching out [rapture] of the living in
Christ. Then comes the end (verse 24) where we will see
[from glory] the completion of the first resurrection [the
third order] when the tribulation saints will be raised.
(Revelation 20:4-5)
7.
The Temple “wall of partition” was torn in two at the time
of Christ’s crucifixion. By implication, we may infer that
the wall between Jew and Gentile was also broken down 50
days prior to Peter’s Pentecost speech. The fact that no
one is aware of this transitioning dispensation is
irrelevant. As late as Acts 3:19, Peter was not aware of
the finished blood atonement for salvation of the
individual. However, his lack of knowledge or even
suggesting that it was not an accomplished fact, would be
dispensational silliness.
Because
of the foregoing proof, I believe that Acts 2: 1-4 was the
beginning of our era [Church age] which will terminate at
the second order of the first resurrection/rapture event,
likely a Pentecostal event, on a future day and hour known
only to our Lord and Savior.
In
Christ,
Greg
Wilson