I often notice things in the bible that I had read before but somehow it hadn't registered before. It's always good to go back and be refreshed in the word. We grow in it. And it has a way of "washing" (sanctifying) us.....the washing of the water of the word.
If the early church was literally unblemished and spotless, would they have needed to hear the gospels and letters of the apostles for instruction and admonishment and encouragement etc? Especially since Paul said after he died wolves would come in not sparing the flock...to me that sounds like more wrinkles coming in, not less, and he died a few years before 70AD.
When or how did the Lord judge the world (Gentiles)..?
Hello Lizbeth,
In the writings of the Apostle Paul, he addressed his contemporaries regarding the spiritual condition and future of the Church. As recorded in
Ephesians 5:27, Paul wrote:
“He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.”
There was also a period during which certain individuals claimed that the resurrection had already taken place. This is evident in Paul's second letter to Timothy, where he states:
2 Timothy 2:18 – “They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith.”
These occurrences were unfolding in real time during Paul’s era. Although many today apply these passages to our present circumstances, it does not necessarily validate such interpretations.
Paul’s depiction of the Bride of Christ as being without spot, wrinkle, or blemish was specific to that generation, so she might be received and spared from the coming wrath that was to befall that nation, contemporaneous with the return of Yeshua.
From a present-day perspective, every individual is destined to face death at their appointed time, after which each will be judged based on the integrity of the heart. Yahavah, in His sovereignty, will assign to each person their place according to His will. Those who lived by faith will receive rewards from Him, including distinct degrees of glory—as discussed by Paul in
1 Corinthians, presumably chapter 15—pertaining to the resurrection and the transformation into a spiritual body.
I do not believe that God is poised to judge the world, as many claim. Rather, I hold that He has already reconciled the world to Himself through Yeshua. The only judgment that was foretold, I believe, was directed specifically toward that nation, and it is my conviction that God utilized the Gentiles as an instrument to bring about the downfall of Israel.
Scripture also references the release or "dumping" of souls from hell—a form of judgment already rendered. Notably, the term "sea" is mentioned, which some interpret to symbolize the Gentiles.
Although I acknowledge that my understanding may be incomplete, as I have not studied this in depth for some time, I find it difficult to comprehend the prevailing expectation among many believers that a future, global judgment still awaits.
This is the reality in which I live. I do not concern myself with judgment, for I know it will come in due time. My focus remains on being faithful and striving, through Christ, to love my neighbor as myself. It is not by my own righteousness, but through His righteousness, that I live and walk in grace.