18
The Hope.
The revelation given in the four prison epistles is something perfectly new. The hope of the Church is not so
much the coming of the Lord to the earth, nor to the air, but of being manifested with Him in glory. This
manifestation will take place at the moment when Christ Himself is made manifest - apparently at the first of the
series of movements that culminate in His parousia on earth. This takes us back to Colossians 3:3,4, where we read:
`Ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ Who is our Life, shall be made manifest, then
shall ye also be made manifest with Him in glory' (Author's translation).
Parallel with this is Titus 2:13:
`Looking for that blessed hope, and the manifestation of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ'
(Author's translation).
The hope of Israel according to Acts 3 was connected with a purpose made known since the ages; whereas the
Church of the Mystery is connected with a purpose which had been hidden since the ages and not made known until
Israel as a nation had been set aside.
In the case of baptism, Ephesians 4 teaches that instead of two baptisms (as there were during the Acts) there
is now only one. Colossians 2 and 3 indicate that all ordinances and observances, being but shadows (for no
enlightened believer will call the Lord's Supper anything more than a memorial), find no place in the dispensation of
the One Body.
The Epistles of the fulness.
As the revelation of the fulness of Christ increased, so the external shadows and types, sabbaths, fasts and feasts
decreased.
Those
who
have
realised
their
completeness
in Him have need of none. Christ and His Word are all-sufficient.
Enough space has been devoted to this comparison of Colossians with Ephesians to enable the interested reader
to continue the happy and enlightening task. To the prayerful meditation of these two epistles we commend the
reader.
We will conclude these pages with a brief summary.
CHAPTER 7
A SUMMARY
We have endeavoured to show in the foregoing chapters of this booklet that the Church of the One Body of
Ephesians has a special:
(1)
SPHERE ...........
Super-heavenly.
(2)
TIME-PERIOD ...
Before the foundation of the world.
(3)
MINISTRY ........
Paul, and those with him.
(4)
DISPENSATION .
That of the grace of God to the Gentiles.
(5)
UNITY .............
One of the Spirit, where the middle wall has been abolished.
(6)
STATUS ...........
That of a perfect man.
(7)
REVELATION ...
That of a mystery never till then made known.
These seven peculiar features, coupled with the seven items of the unity of the Spirit, separate this company of
the redeemed from all others.
God alone knows who they are whom He has chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. He can use
this little booklet to bring some of such to a knowledge of His wondrous grace, and to build up those who have