4. Do the believers of the Old Testament also belong to the Body of Christ?

Characteristic of the ekklesia, the Body of Christ (Col.1:18), is that Christ is its Head.

“…He is the Head of the body, the ecclesia, Who is Sovereign, Firstborn from among the dead, that in all He may be becoming first.”
— Col.1:18 (CLNT)

This means that this ekklesia began with the “Firstborn from among the dead.” It goes without saying that the believers in the Old Testament did not know Christ as Head, since Christ had yet to come.

Snatching away before the 1260 days

The believers who are part of “the Body of Christ” will be snatched away to God and His throne before “the great tribulation” of 1260 days (“the male son”; Rev.12:5,6). When Paul writes about this snatching away, he says that “the dead in Christ” will rise first (1Thes.4:16). Those who died before Christ came do not fall into that category. The believers of the Body of Christ are firstfruits, and for them (even literally) the highest place is reserved: in the heavens with God. They are, as an organic unity (=one body), connected with Christ who is seated at God’s right hand (Col.3:1–4)!

Resurrection after the 1260 days

The believers of Israel have a magnificent expectation, and they shall (like Daniel, for instance) rise “at the end of the days,” which is the final day of the 1335 days following the “abomination of desolation” (Dan.12:11–13). This is 75 days after the end of the great tribulation, which will last 1260 days (Rev.11:2,3; “a time of distress,” Dan.12:1).

The lesser in the Kingdom greater than John

Yet as glorious as the status of the Old Testament believers will be, it cannot compare to that of the believers who know Christ as the Risen One. In Matt.11:11, Jesus declares that among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. But He immediately adds: the lesser in the Kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. In Jesus’ days, the Kingdom had drawn near (Matt.3:2; 4:17; etc.), and it officially began with the accession of the King—that is, when Christ was exalted to God’s right hand (Acts 2:32–36). With the enthronement of the King, the Kingdom began, even though (to this day!) it remains hidden (Luke 19:11). The first to enter this (hidden) Kingdom receive the highest place: becoming part of the Body of the King. A position that even surpasses that of John the Baptist (= the greatest since Adam!).

Summary

The ekklesia as the Body of Christ could not begin before Christ’s resurrection. This means that the believers prior to that time do not belong to this Body. The Body of Christ is a distinct selection of people whose position is based (solely) on the fact that they belong to the firstfruits of the Kingdom.

Delen: