In Genesis 22:17 Jehovah promised Abraham, “I will surely bless you and will greatly multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens and like the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” God promised Abraham that his descendants would be like the stars of the heavens and like the sand which is on the seashore. This indicates that Abraham would have two categories of descendants, one heavenly and the other earthly.
According to the revelation in Galatians, Abraham’s earthly descendants are the Jews, whereas his heavenly descendants are the New Testament believers. In 3:29 Paul says clearly that the New Testament believers are also Abraham’s seed. According to typology, Abraham has only one seed, Christ (v. 16). Since the New Testament believers are one with Christ, they become Abraham’s seed out of faith, heirs according to the promise that they may inherit God’s promised blessing. Abraham’s natural descendants belong to the earthly Jerusalem, to the covenant of law under the slavery of the law. However, his spiritual descendants belong to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the covenant of promise under the freedom of grace (4:22-26). Faith in Christ, who is the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, enables God’s chosen people, according to His promise, to become Abraham’s heavenly seed as “the stars of the heavens” (Gen. 22:17).
God in Christ enlivened the church from the position of death, raised her up together with Christ and seated her together with Him in the heavenlies, the highest place in the universe (Eph. 2:5-6). This was accomplished when Christ ascended to the heavens, and it has been applied to the believers by the Spirit of Christ ever since they believed in Him. Christ as the life of the believers has saved them into a position that is far above all God’s enemies, to become God’s heavenly people. Thus, as God’s heavenly people, the believers’ commonwealth exists in the heavens, far above all earthly things and their usurpation (Phil. 3:20).
Paul also says in Galatians 4:27, “It is written, ‘Rejoice, barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not travailing, because many are the children of her who is desolate rather than of her who has her husband.’” This is a fulfillment of Isaiah 54:1, showing that the New Testament believers in the church as Abraham’s heavenly and spiritual descendants multiply much more than the Jews, Abraham’s earthly descendants in the flesh.
In Romans 9:23-24 when Paul speaks concerning God’s selection in His sovereignty and says that God “might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory, even us, whom He has also called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles.” He then quotes Hosea 2:23 and 1:10, saying, “As He also says in Hosea, ‘I will call those who were not My people My people, and her who was not beloved beloved; and it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, there shall they be called sons of the living God’” (Rom. 9:25-26). These two verses were originally God’s promise of restoration, spoken through Hosea, to Israel. However, Paul quotes these Scriptures to strengthen a fact in the New Testament that some Gentiles will be selected by God to become His people, the beloved sons of the living God.
In Romans 15:8-11 Paul quotes 2 Samuel 22:50, Psalm 18:49, Deuteronomy 32:43, and Psalm 117:1 and says, “I say that Christ has become a servant of the circumcision for the sake of God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and that the Gentiles should glorify God for His mercy, as it is written, ‘Therefore I will extol You among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to Your name.’ And again he says, ‘Rejoice, Gentiles, with His people.’ And again, ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples speak praise to Him.’” These words show that Christ has become a servant of the circumcision for the sake of God’s truthfulness, and that He has also become a servant of the Gentiles so that they may glorify God for His mercy. Paul’s thought here is that Christ has brought together the Jews and the Gentiles so that the Gentiles can rejoice with the Jews. Since Christ is the root of the Jews and also the Ruler of the Gentiles, He joins both together to become one Body, one new man, which is His church.
In Isaiah 56:6 and 8 the prophet prophesied, “The children of the foreigner who join themselves to Jehovah, / To minister to Him... / The Lord Jehovah, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares: / Yet will I gather others to Him besides those gathered to Him already.” This reveals that God will gather more people to Him. First, He gathered the Jews, and then He began to gather more people to Him from such places as Asia Minor and Macedonia. Today He continues to gather people to Christ from throughout the earth. The Gentiles who are gathered to Him will be joined to Him and will serve Him.
Although the Old Testament prophecies say that God will gain the Gentiles to be His people and His children in the New Testament age, strictly speaking, there is no definite prophecy concerning the church in the Old Testament. The church as the mystery of Christ was not made known to God’s people before the New Testament age. This mystery was revealed in the New Testament age to the apostles, prophets, and all the believers. We, the New Testament believers, are truly blessed to be able to receive the revelation of the church as the mystery of Christ.
There are many prophecies in the Bible, but strictly speaking, the building up of the church is the greatest prophecy. The church is the mystery in God’s eternal economy, the mystery of Christ. The church as a mystery was hidden throughout the ages in God, who created all things. It was not made known to the sons of men in other generations. None of the saints in the Old Testament knew anything regarding this mystery. The church as a mystery was revealed to the apostles and prophets in spirit only in the New Testament age. Moreover, all the saints today have the position and privilege to receive that which was not revealed to God’s people in the Old Testament age.
Since the church was a mystery not made known to the sons of men in the Old Testament age, the Old Testament prophets did not, strictly speaking, clearly mention any direct prophecy concerning the church. The church as a mystery is altogether a revelation in the New Testament.
Although the church as a mystery was not made known to the sons of men in the Old Testament age, God prophesied through the Old Testament prophets that He would gain the New Testament believers as Abraham’s spiritual descendants like the stars in the heavens, that the Gentiles would become God’s people—the beloved sons of the living God, that the Gentiles would rejoice with the Jews, and that the Gentiles would be gathered together to serve God.
In the New Testament age the church as the mystery of Christ has been revealed. We, the New Testament believers, are truly blessed to be able to receive this revelation—the church as the mystery of Christ.