From this modest beginning came the formal, institutionalized, religious entity we call “The Church,” which is referred to as “Christendom” with all its denominations trappings that exist in the world today. But, is this what happened on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection? Was what happened on the day of Pentecost about Yehovah - God creating “The Church?” Or, was Pentecost about Yehovah’s – God’s continuing love story with Israel under a New Covenant, which would replace the Old Covenant, as the rule of law for the Israel of God.
The Unfortunate Misuse of the Greek Word Ecclesia
The word “Church” is intentionally used in most Bible translations when the word “Ecclesia” is found in the Greek text. But the use of “Church” is a distorted translation of “Ecclesia.” The Greek word “Ecclesia” has been misused through the centuries to create a worldwide network of religious institutions known as the universal “Christian Church” - whether they be Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Protestant, non-denominational, or any other “Christian” grouping. The result has been divisiveness and strife and is contrary to what actually happened on that first Pentecost after the Messiah Jesus' resurrection.
The Greek word “Ecclesia” simply means “a called-out assembly” or “congregation.” It could be referred to as: “the called out of darkness assembly” of believers who make Jesus the Messiah their Lord. Yes, there is a “called out assembly” of believers in the Messiah Jesus whose roots began after his resurrection on the day of Pentecost.
Notice:
1Corinthians 12:13: For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body; Jews or Greeks, slaves or free; and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Ephesians 5:23: For the husband is the head of the wife even as the Messiah is the head of the called out Assembly, his body, and is himself its savior.
Colossians 1:18: And he is the head of the body, the called out Assembly.
However, it was not “The Church” whose beginning was rooted in the day of Pentecost. Yehovah - God did not create the religious institution(s) called “The Church,” that makes up “Christendom” today, men did. Yehovah - God did what He had foretold through the prophet Jeremiah.
Yehovah made a New Covenant with Israel:
Jeremiah 31:31-34: 31: Behold, the days come, says Yehovah, that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, says Yehovah. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says Yehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.
Hebrews 8: 6-13:6-13: ... now has he [the Messiah Jesus] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them [Israel], he said, behold, the days come, says the Lord [Yehovah], when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, says the Lord [Yehovah].
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord [Yehovah]; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord [Yehovh]: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
As a result, many in Israel believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and those who did were baptized and became members of the body of the Messiah - the called out Assembly and were sanctified – set apart as the “Israel of God.” This is what had its roots on that day of Pentecost – the New Covenant Israel of God.
What The Day Of Pentecost Revealed
As we dig a little deeper, we’ll see that this first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection is proof of several things: that Jesus the Messiah is on his throne ruling over the Kingdom of God from heaven. That God’s New Covenant with Israel has been enacted. That Paradise lost due to the rebellion of Adam and Eve has now been regained. The indwelling Holy Spirit is being poured out bringing eternal life to the Israel of God that has been reoriented and redefined. This particular day of Pentecost reveals when all these things began.
Pentecost also known as the Feast of Harvest or Feast of Weeks in Israel was observed yearly. The feast was celebrated in Jerusalem the seventh week and one day after Passover in grateful recognition of the wheat harvest [Interesting that wheat is represented in the parables as people]. The first fruits of harvest [the wave sheaf offering] were presented to God at this time. As we’ll see, this Old Testament feast was a shadow or type of reality that would be fulfilled on this first Pentecost/Feast of Harvest after the Messiah Jesus' resurrection. The first fruits of a harvest of believers took place on that Pentecost.
Pentecost and the Promised Holy Spirit
Adam and Eve had sinned and rebelled against Yehovah and as a result, were kicked out of the garden of Eden. The consequence of their sin was a corrupted world. Adam and Eve’s rebellious sin brought both physical and spiritual death upon themselves and the entire human race. To be spiritually dead is to be dead in trespass and sins:
Ephesians 2:1: And you did he make alive when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins,
Man is now spiritually dead. But God had also promised a Savior to redeem the world (Genesis 3:15). By his sin-offering sacrifice, he reconciled mankind to Yehovah – God.
This reconciliation would allow men and women to choose to come back to God. Jesus Christ was the Savior mentioned in Genesis 3:15. He was born into the tribe of Judah, the descendant of Abraham. Jesus was sinless, and perfectly fulfilled every aspect of “The Law.” This was what the nation of Israel did not do because they were not filled to the full of God’s Spirit without measure. Jesus the Messiah kept God’s law perfectly and was without sin. He became the only perfect man who has ever lived. As a result of his sin-offering sacrifice, Jesus the Messiah became the representative and advocate for all people who place their faith in him as the one who paid the debt of sin on their behalf.
Upon the Messiah’s resurrection to the right hand of Yehovah our God the Father in heaven, the promise of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost for the benefit of all mankind (Acts 2:17-39). Jesus the Messiah had been exalted to the right hand of Yehovah his Father, who gave him the promised Holy Spirit, that Jesus then poured out for the benefit of the whole world, starting with the Jews assembled for the Feast of First Fruits in Jerusalem). Yehovah’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled - that all nations/people of the world would be blessed through his seed - Jesus the Messiah (Galatians 3:16). Through the Messiah, mankind’s sin debt had been paid, which allowed the promised Holy Spirit to be poured out. “... in the Messiah Jesus, the blessing of Abraham has come to the Gentiles so that they with the Jews might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith... if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise... because you are sons. God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts...” (Galatians 3:14, 29, 4:6). This “promised blessing” is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that brings eternal life (John 7:38- 39 / 6:33).
Eden had been lost because of the rebellion against Yehovah by Adam and Eve. They were separated from God, which results in the loss of eternal life, and cut off from access to the tree of life. They no longer walked hand in hand with God. They were now spiritually dead in trespass and sins. They faced physical death. The ground was cursed. As a result, the entire human race became spiritually dead in trespass and sins and will all die and return to dust. Humanity as a result of Adam’s sinful rebellion has been separated from God, unable to obtain eternal life in their present condition.
Let’s look at eternal life and what it means. Eternal life is not simply “forever and ever” that begins when we die. Eternal life is a “quality” of existence that begins right now, in this life, if a person has the indwelling power of God’s Holy Spirit. Eternal life is “intimately knowing” God the Father and Jesus the Messiah (John 17:3). However, it's not just having knowledge of God. Eternal life is our spirit is directly communicating with God’s Spirit which enables us to do His will. It is God’s Spirit interacting with our spirit in an intimate relationship. The word “know” found in John 17:3, is the same “know” found in Old Testament language (KJV) describing a husband “knowing” his wife intimately which results in the birth of a child (Genesis 4:1, 25; 1 Samuel 1:19-20).
Mankind's spirit is lifeless/dead. But when we surrender to the Kingship of Yehovah – God and receive His indwelling Spirit, our spiritually dead spirit is regenerated and brought to life - eternal life (Titus 3:5). Our spirit is made alive by the Holy Spirit of God who interacts with our spirit and gives birth to “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5: 17). It is the Holy Spirit of Yehovah – God within us that now leads us and produces the “fruit of the Spirit” within us to become more in the likeness of His son Jesus the Messiah (Galatians 5:16-18; 22-25). God’s Holy Spirit is a deposit of great things to come for those who are His heirs with His son the Messiah. We have a “new resurrection spirit”, but our bodies will have to wait until the resurrection to be completely transformed.
On the day of Pentecost after the Messiah Jesus's resurrection, God’s Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples of Jesus the Messiah. The Holy Spirit is the “living water” (John 7:38) and “it is the Holy Spirit that gives “life eternal” (John 6:33). On this day of Pentecost, Paradise that was lost was now regained. Not in totality, but to a stunning degree as God made a “down-payment” - the gift of the Holy Spirit that was given to believers when they were baptized (Acts 2:41; Ephesians 1:13-14.). The Spirit of God came to reside in human beings. This relationship with God had existed before the rebellion of Adam and Eve. The Holy Spirit brings believers resurrection life - eternal life. As a follower of the Messiah Jesus. God’s Spirit now interacts with our spirit.
We don’t go to some building to be in the presence of God. As disciples of the Messiah, we are in God’s presence every second of every day by way of His indwelling Spirit. His breath - spirit is as close to us as our breath - spirit. God is with us, walking hand in hand with us. Yet, as wonderful as all this is, the Holy Spirit we have now is but a down payment, a deposit a seal of even greater inheritance believers will one day share with Jesus the Messiah (Romans 8:16-17). This is the most amazing thing that happened on that Pentecost, and it is wonderful indeed.
The Jews were the first to receive God’s Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost after the Messiah Jesus' resurrection. The Apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit and then Peter stood and proclaimed the “good news” to other Jews from around the world that has come to keep the Feast of First Fruits at Jerusalem. Thousands of Jews received the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit after their baptism on that day of Pentecost. Now all men and women have the opportunity to receive the Spirit of God if they are willing to die to self, be crucified with the lord Jesus in baptism, and be raised up in newness of life, becoming new creations in the Messiah Jesus.
God’s New Covenant with Israel Enacted
Let’s keep going because this isn’t all that happened on that day of Pentecost. God’s Old Covenant with Israel had been growing old and obsolete and was ready to disappear in the days of the prophet Jeremiah (Hebrews 8:13). With the death of Jesus, the Messiah on the stake, the New Covenant that God made with Israel was enacted (Hebrews 9:15). The Old Covenant that existed with Israel before the death of Jesus, was now gone. This New Covenant with Israel is a better covenant and was enacted on better promises (Hebrews 8:6-13). God’s New Covenant was brought into being by Jesus the Messiah through his sin-offering sacrifice on the stake that reconciled all of humanity to God.
This New Covenant would be based upon covenant faithfulness, which involves a total commitment to obey all the words that Yehvoh – God gave to His son to give to us. With that covenant faithfulness in Jesus the Messiah and the grace of our God and Father Yehovah, Israel would remain God’s Chosen people.
However, after the Messiah’s death and resurrection, God redefined what it meant to be His Chosen people and who would be included as His Chosen people – the Israel of God. Not all who were descended from Abraham or were physically circumcised would necessarily be part of Israel: “... they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants” Romans 9:6-8: But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
Romans 2:28-29: For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Instead, those who have placed their faith in Jesus the Messiah as Lord and Savior, and received the promised gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, become part of the Kingdom of God - the Israel of God - the Chosen people of God. If a person does not surrender to the Kingship of Yehovah – God and the lordship of the Messiah Jesus and has not received the indwelling Spirit of God, he/she is not part of the Israel of God.
The death, resurrection, and resurrection of the Messiah have changed everything. A new and better Covenant had been enacted and is now in place. The Old Covenant of Israel is gone. The New Covenant of Yehovah – God has been put in its place. The Old Covenant He gave to Israel through His servant Moses has now been replaced. It is the kingship of Yehovah – God that now matters, and it is the indwelling of His Spirit that circumcises the heart and brings disciples of the Messiah Jesus eternal life. Since that first Pentecost after the Messiah’s resurrection, the only way to be a Chosen person of Yehovah in the Israel of God is through Jesus the Messiah. This is true whether Jew, Samaritan, or Gentile.
John 6:44-45: No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me, draws him: and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. Everyone that has heard from the Father, and has learned, comes unto me.
So, what have we seen so far in this Pentecost event? That Jesus the Messiah had ascended to his throne at the right hand of our God the Father Yehovah and is ruling as the head of the called out Assembly. The Paradise lost as a result of the rebellion, and the sin of Adam (separation from God’s presence) had now been regained through the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit that now indwells believers and brings new age life to them. The New Covenant with Israel has been implemented which redefines who is now has a place in the Israel of God.
God’s Reconstruction of Israel
As we dig a little deeper, we see that on that day of Pentecost, the Kingdom of Israel was about to be reoriented. Jesus’ disciples had asked about such an event on many occasions. But, the reorientation of Israel was unlike anything the disciples of the Messiah Jesus could have imagined. After God’s Holy Spirit was poured out, the Apostles were better able to understand as it was revealed to them.
The Israel of God - the Kingdom of God, is not about a piece of land or territory. The Kingdom of God is about the kingship of God within the hearts of men and women, those who submit themselves to the one who God has made to be the lord and Messiah of the Israel of God, the Messiah Jesus. Today, Jesus Christ rules from his throne on high the head of the called out Assembly and as the King of Israel. The territory is the hearts and minds of men and women around the world who have placed their faith in Jesus the Messiah as Lord and Savior and who have received the presence of the Holy Spirit of God within themselves.
In countries all around the world, wherever a disciple of the Messiah resides, there the Kingdom of God – the Israel of God, also exists. In countries all around the world, wherever a disciple of the Messiah lives, an “outpost” for God’s Kingdom – the Israel of God exists to counter the influence of darkness and evil, and shine the light and hope of the Messiah.
The Kingdom of God – the Israel of God is not limited to the borders of man-made countries because it spreads and conquers for the Messiah within the hearts and minds of men and women everywhere.
The Israel of God is not the tiny landmass in the Middle East known as the nation of Israel. The Israel of God is boundless because it is a people – a Chosen people scattered throughout the world who follow Jesus the Messiah as their King. They submit to the rule of God and the Messiah in their hearts and lives and have God’s Holy Spirit and the Spirit of the Messiah Jesus indwelling them.
As we look at the reorientation of Israel on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection, it wasn’t a restoration of Old Israel under the Old Covenant that involved only the descendants of Abraham and those Gentiles who joined Israel by being circumcised and keeping the Old Covenant laws.
No, the Israel of God established on the day of Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection was established involved all those who accepted Jesus as the one whom Yehovah had sent, whether they were Jews or Gentiles.
Jesus Christ was of the tribe of Judah. It was to the Jews/Judah that He first took the “good news.” Jesus said, “salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). Jesus as a Jew most assuredly proved this statement true in His death and resurrection and bringing salvation to the whole world.
The Apostle Peter, also a Jew, was at the center of opening the gates of the Kingdom of God to Jews, and Gentiles. Peter brought the “good news” to countless individuals. On that day of Pentecost after the Messiah’s resurrection, Peter stood before a group of Jews in Jerusalem and proclaimed the “good news” of the Messiah (Acts 2:5f). Nearly 3000 Jews believed Peter’s message concerning the Messiah Jesus, repented and were baptized, and received the gift of God’s indwelling Spirit. These nearly 3000 Jews became part of the “called out of Assembly” the body of the Messiah and members of his kingdom (Colossians 1:13). They were now the Israel of God as defined by the New Covenant. This was the beginning of what is now called the Israel of God.
On this Pentecost or Feast of Harvest, the “first fruits” of the harvest were being presented to God in the form of all these thousands of Jewish believers who made Jesus their Lord and received the indwelling Holy Spirit when they repented and were baptized. In the coming days, more Jews heard the “good news,” submitted to the Lordship of Jesus, and received the presence of God’s new age life - eternal life through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.
Now in the establishment of the Israel of God under the New Covenant, the Apostle Peter was involved once again. The “good news” had been preached to the Samaritans by Philip and many men and women believed in Messiah Jesus and were baptized (Acts 8: 5,12). However, the Samaritans had not yet received the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. The Apostles Peter and John went to Samaria/the Northern kingdom and through them, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Samaritans who had made Jesus the Messiah their Lord and Savior (Acts 8:14-17). The “good news” was proclaimed to many other villages in Samaria as well (Acts 8:25). All Samaritans who submitted to the Lordship of Jesus the Messiah and received the gift of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit were now part of the Israel of God. They were now part of God’s Chosen people under the New Covenant.
However, not all Jews accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah were no longer part of God’s Israel. They were no longer considered to be God’s Chosen people. The Messiah’s death and resurrection that brought into being the establishment of the New Covenant had redefined who God’s people were – His Israel. It was now based upon Jesus the Messiah and the Kingship of Yehovah and the lordship of His son Jesus.
But God wasn’t finished “building anew.” The reconstruction of His Israel wasn’t complete and it included a surprise for the Jews and Samaritans. The Gentiles could also become part of the Israel of God – the Kingdom of God. The Apostle Peter would once again be involved. Gentiles had long been excluded from the commonwealth of Israel. They were without hope and without God. But through Jesus the Messiah, they now could become part of the Israel of God (Ephesians 2:12-13). Peter was sent to the Gentiles – to a Roman army officer and his family with the “good news” concerning Christ. The gate was being opened for the Gentiles to become part of the Israel of God (Acts 10:27- 48). As this Gentile family believed in the Messiah Jesus, they also received the gift of God’s indwelling Spirit after which they were baptized and became part of the Israel of God. Peter was involved in opening the gate to the Kingdom of Christ for them. The gate remains open for the whole world to become part of the Israel of God. And all of this wonderful action began on that first Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection.
Fulfillment of a Promise to Abraham
The promise God made to Abraham that through his Seed - Jesus the Messiah, all the world would be blessed, was being realized on this the day of Pentecost after the Messiah’s resurrection. Jesus the Messiah made it possible the forgiveness of our sins, by his sin-offering sacrifice and the receiving the promised indwelling Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit brings us into the presence of Yehovah – God. Jesus the Messiah is now reigning on his throne at the right hand of His God and Father Yehovah. His reign is over the Israel of God – the Kingdom of God.
All persons around the world who have surrendered to the Kingship of Yehovah – God and the lordship of Jesus the Messiah and have received the indwelling Spirit of God are part of the Israel of God. Those who allow the Kingship of God and the rule of the Messiah in their hearts and minds are part of this Kingdom. These are a Chosen people, a chosen race, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, and a People for God’s own possession (1 Peter 2:9-10). Anyone anywhere can become part of this Body – this called out of Assembly of God who desires to follow the Lord Jesus Messiah. This is the Israel of God, the Messiah’s Kingdom.
The Jewish law of agency says whatever the agent says or does it is as if the principal has said it or done it. As Jesus was acting as the agent of his God and Father Yehovah whatever he said or did was as if Yehovah His Father was saying it or doing it. As a result, the Isreal of God is the Messiah’s kingdom and the kingdom of his God and Father Yehovah.
That day of Pentecost after the Messiah’s resurrection wasn’t about the beginnings of a new religious entity known as “The Church.” Instead, it is God’s continuing love story for Israel under a New Covenant and eternal King. Anyone, anywhere who surrenders to the Kingship of Yehovah and the Lordship of Jesus the Messiah and has God’s indwelling Spirit, is part of this Kingdom, the Israel of God.
Notice: All disciples of the lord Jesus are his slaves and as his slaves, we are also slaves of his God and Father Yehovah on whose behalf he did all that he did for our salvation.
1 Corinthians 6:20: For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which is God’s.
1 Corinthians 7:23: You are bought with a price; be not you the servants of men.
Total commitment requires the willingness to be a slave of God. We cannot be spiritual without being poor, which happens when we become a slave of God. As a slave of God, everything we have belongs to God, we own nothing. However, being a slave of God is a wonderful position to be in! God is a wonderful Master who will make sure we have food to eat, clothes to wear, and shelter. He also gives us money to exercise stewardship over for Him. He also by the spirit of adoption has made us to become His sons and placed us in His household. So we first become slaves and then sons.
Written by Dwight Anthony Hernandez and added to and edited by Bruce Lyon
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