Can you believe that the Church, which is
the called-out people of God going back to Abraham
(Ge 12:1, Gal 3:7-8, 16, 29; Ro 4:16, 11:16-17; Eph 3:6; 1Pe 2:9-10),
the one body of Christ and the singular vessel (Eph 1:22-23, 2:11-22, 3:6; 2Co 1:20;
Col 1:16-20; Rev 11:15; Mt 12:28; Lk 17:21; Heb 12:22; 1Pe 2:5, 9-10),
the one tree (Ro 11:17-24),
the one fold (Jn 10:16),
the true vine (Jn 15:5),
the new creation (Eph 2:10),
wherein God demonstrates the wisdom of his counsels, for the instructing of the angels
(Eph 3:10-11; cf 1Co 4:9, 11:10; 1Pe 1:12; 1Ti 5:21; Heb 12:22; Lk 15:7),
the New Jerusalem, the holy city; Mount Zion, the holy mountain (Heb 12:22),
the circumcision (Php 3:3),
the Israel of God (Gal 6:16, 3:29; Ro 4:11),
the chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation (1Pe 2:9),
the seed of Abraham (Ro 4:11, Gal 3:29),
in whom God's eternal purpose from before the foundation of the world has been
to prepare her as a bride, without spot or blemish, to present her radiant to the Lamb, his
only-begotten Son (Eph 1:4-5; 5:25-32; Rev 19:7-8, 21:1-2, 9-14,
is called a parenthesis in God's plan?
It staggers one's spirit.
All of history and all of time are for this single purpose of God--to prepare a bride for his Son.
The OT revealed the plan in types and shadows (Ge 18:18; Ex 15:17; Ps 45:9-15, 48:1-14;
Isa 2:2-3, 11:9, 24:23, 25:6-10, 26:1-2, 42:6, 49:6, 55:3-5, 56:6-8, 60:1-22, 62:1-5,
65:1, 17-25, 66:20-24);
Christ secured the plan on the cross (Eph 5:23, 25; Tit 2:14);
and the NT reveals the plan in full (Ro 16:25-26; Eph 1:9-10, 3:3-6, 8-11, 5:32;
Col 1:26-28, 2:2-3; Rev 10:7, 11:15, 16:17, 21:6).
So that all those not called to that single purpose (Ro 8:28-30; Eph 1:9-11, 3:10-11;
Php 2:13; 2Ti 1:9); i.e., all those not included in the bride of the Lamb (a.k.a. the Church,
the body of Christ, Mount Zion, the holy mountain, the New Jerusalem, the holy city,
the kingdom of God, the new creation--Eph 2:10), are eternally lost "outsiders" (Rev 22:14-15;
cf Ro 11:32; 1Co 6:9-10; Eph 5:5, Gal 5:19-21).
because they are not part of that eternal plan secured by the sacrifice of the Lamb
(Eph 1:22-23, 5:23-32; Ac 4:12).
And which is why John Gerstner states the following:
Dispensationalism teaches a salvation outside the bride of the Lamb, which is the singular body of Christ
in the one enfleshment of marriage (Ge 2:24, Eph 5:31-32).
Whereas, the revelation spoken by the Son in these last days (Heb 1:1-2), through the
NT writers, presents God as having only one purpose in history (Eph 1:8-11),
and that purpose is his church, the bride of the Lamb, which is the body of his Christ,
the goal of all his counsels (Ro 8:30, 9:22-24; cf Ex 12:36; Dt 4:37-38; 1Chr 17:12-14;
Pr 13:22, 21:18; Isa 43:3-4; Rev 21:6)
the showcase of his wisdom (Eph 3:10-11)
and the crown jewel of his new creation (Rev 21:1, 11, 18-21).
It alone is the true Temple (Eph 2:19-22) and the singular residence of his glory (Rev 21:22-23).
In the light of the revelation spoken by the Son through the NT writers (Heb 1:1-2), we see that
the prophetic types:
the promised land (Ge 17:8, 48:4),
the kingdom (2Sa 7:16; Isa 9:7),
Mount Zion, the holy mountain (Ps 68:16; Isa 2:2, 24:23),
Jerusalem, the Holy City (Jer 3:16-18; Rev 21),
the bride (Eze 16:32; Isa 62:5; Jer 3:6-20),
the Temple (Eze 40-44; Zec 6:12-13),
the priesthood (Isa 61:1-7, 66:19-21), etc.
just as the prophecy of Amos 9:11-12 (Ac 15:13-18),
have their fulfillment and completion in Christ, and in his body, the Church,
either in time on earth, in eternity in the new creation (2Pe 3:13), or both,
for the Church is that new creation both of time (2Co 4:16, 5:17; Gal 6:15)
and eternity (Rev 21:1, 4-8), which is the restoring (renewal) of the original creation
(Ge 1:27 w/ Col 3:10, Eph 4:24, Tit 3:5;
Ge 1:28 w/ Mt 17:11, 19:28, 1Co 6:23;
Ge 2:24 w/ Mt 19:8-9;
Ro 8:19-23 w/ 2Pe 3:12-13).
It is in the light of the revelation spoken by the Son in these last days (Heb 1:1-2)
through the NT writers, that we see the marvelous unity of the divine plan (Eph 4:4-6),
as well as of the Bible,
and we see that Biblical restoration is the restoration of the original creation in the new
creation (Ac 3:21; Eph 1:9-10), and not the restoration of Israel, which was fulfilled in
their return from Babylon under Ezra and Nehemiah, and which is a type of the
restoration of all creation in Christ.
The fulfillment of the ages is in the church (1Co 10:11), not in a future restoration of Israel.