Saturday, June 28, 2008
Ephesians 2:14
Saturday, June 28, 2008 |
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
This is a very important passage of scripture that we have selected for our devotional reading for today. It will reveal how “two peoples”, Jews and Gentiles, became “one”. Verses 11-12 explain that in times past these two peoples were apart, “at enmity with each other”. But today when both are in Christ, both are believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they are now close.
This happens because of the “blood of Jesus”. In fact, Jesus is the One who brought peace between Jews and Gentiles, verse 14, by taking out the "wall of partition" that was between the Jew and the Gentile.
The phrase, "wall of partition" is speaking of a "wall" around the Jewish Temple when it stood in Jerusalem to keep the Gentile from entering the sacred area of the Jewish Temple.
The Lord, with His death, burial and resurrection took out the “wall of partition” between Jew and Gentile and when the Temple was destroyed, as Jesus said it would be, the wall of partition was also destroyed at the Temple.
In the Messiah's Temple, the one described in Ezekiel 40-46, there is no "wall of partition," indicating that both Jew and Gentile have access to the Lord Jesus Christ when He sits upon His throne in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. This Temple will be erected at the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the one thousand year Millennial Kingdom yet to come.
With the wall of partition gone between Jew and Gentile, now we both have access to Jesus. We have become "one in Christ," verse 15. There is not a "Jewish church" and a "Gentile church." There is one Church made up of Gentile and Jewish believers.
There are those who today endeavor to try to put the wall back up between Jews and Gentiles. We must not allow that to happen. There can be no division between the members of the body of Christ, the Church.
The "Church Age", after the Day of Pentecost and until the day of the Rapture, is a time when Jews and Gentiles who trust Christ become one. They are called Christians. Jews and Gentiles, when they are saved, are not Jewish Christians or Gentile Christians, we are Christians.
Before Pentecost and after the Rapture, Jews and Gentiles who believed in Jesus were, or will be "believing Jews" or "believing Gentiles." This is a key principle in understanding Bible prophecy.
It is also important that we understand this principle so that we do not divide the Body of Christ. Jesus took the wall out, we must not try to put it back and divide the Church.
The Lord has a special program for Old Testament Jewish and Gentile saints and those who are Tribulation saints made up of Jews and Gentiles. He also has a special program for Christians and this program and where it is carried out are totally different.
The Lord has given the Jews and Gentiles who come to Christ a peaceful relationship, verse 15, having slain the enmity between the two, verse 16.
PRAYER THOT: Thank You Lord for Your plan that brings Jews and Gentiles together as one.
For further study - Ephesians 2:11-18
This is a very important passage of scripture that we have selected for our devotional reading for today. It will reveal how “two peoples”, Jews and Gentiles, became “one”. Verses 11-12 explain that in times past these two peoples were apart, “at enmity with each other”. But today when both are in Christ, both are believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they are now close.
This happens because of the “blood of Jesus”. In fact, Jesus is the One who brought peace between Jews and Gentiles, verse 14, by taking out the "wall of partition" that was between the Jew and the Gentile.
The phrase, "wall of partition" is speaking of a "wall" around the Jewish Temple when it stood in Jerusalem to keep the Gentile from entering the sacred area of the Jewish Temple.
The Lord, with His death, burial and resurrection took out the “wall of partition” between Jew and Gentile and when the Temple was destroyed, as Jesus said it would be, the wall of partition was also destroyed at the Temple.
In the Messiah's Temple, the one described in Ezekiel 40-46, there is no "wall of partition," indicating that both Jew and Gentile have access to the Lord Jesus Christ when He sits upon His throne in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. This Temple will be erected at the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the one thousand year Millennial Kingdom yet to come.
With the wall of partition gone between Jew and Gentile, now we both have access to Jesus. We have become "one in Christ," verse 15. There is not a "Jewish church" and a "Gentile church." There is one Church made up of Gentile and Jewish believers.
There are those who today endeavor to try to put the wall back up between Jews and Gentiles. We must not allow that to happen. There can be no division between the members of the body of Christ, the Church.
The "Church Age", after the Day of Pentecost and until the day of the Rapture, is a time when Jews and Gentiles who trust Christ become one. They are called Christians. Jews and Gentiles, when they are saved, are not Jewish Christians or Gentile Christians, we are Christians.
Before Pentecost and after the Rapture, Jews and Gentiles who believed in Jesus were, or will be "believing Jews" or "believing Gentiles." This is a key principle in understanding Bible prophecy.
It is also important that we understand this principle so that we do not divide the Body of Christ. Jesus took the wall out, we must not try to put it back and divide the Church.
The Lord has a special program for Old Testament Jewish and Gentile saints and those who are Tribulation saints made up of Jews and Gentiles. He also has a special program for Christians and this program and where it is carried out are totally different.
The Lord has given the Jews and Gentiles who come to Christ a peaceful relationship, verse 15, having slain the enmity between the two, verse 16.
PRAYER THOT: Thank You Lord for Your plan that brings Jews and Gentiles together as one.