Some people say, this is not an important question to answer and that we are living in The Church Age and so it does not affect us. Yet, it does affect us and is affecting this generation in regards to the true Gospel of Grace, which is not of works in any manner to be saved nor to remain saved. Answering this question is actually very important for us today, living in the dispensation of the Grace of God as Apostle Paul taught. Understanding the answer from Scripture also affects how one interprets the Sheep and Goats Judgment of Christ. A passage of Scripture that many preachers are telling us is about The Church, when in fact it is NOT about the Church Age believers of today but about survivors of the Tribulation Period. The Church will already be in Heaven BEFORE this takes event takes place. How one answers this question about Old Testament believers can even affect if one will believe the false ‘works for salvation’ gospel that is rampant in this End Time Generation.Yes, the answer is very important to understand today!
DISPENSATIONS – A Quick Overview in regards to this question.
God gave Daniel a 70 week prophecy which is an overview of human history and it shows us different dispensations wherein God is working His purpose with humankind for salvation. Not to get into the great detail that the Bible shares about different dispensations (that is different time periods in human history where God relates to humankind in a slightly different perspective and manner), in this article of discussion. A study of the Dispensations is a vast topic. In this article, I will present a summary about the topic of dispensations to help in answering the question of the article.
There is the Old Testament believers and the lives they lived up until the Messiah, Jesus The Christ, was crucified and rejected. This included the Prophets of old and the age of the Law given to Moses. Then there is the dispensation of the Grace of God as Paul described it, which we call The Church Age in which we today are living within. It is a time from Pentecost after the cross of Christ until the Harpazo Rapture event takes place. And there is a future Dispensation coming soon. We see Apostle Paul discuss these in Ephesians as ‘times past’, ‘and now’, ‘to come’.
God gave the prophet Daniel and Prophecy of 70 weeks of 430 year time spans that will happen in human history. Much of it Daniel did not even understand himself but God told him to write it down and that in the Last Days it will be understood. Well, here we are with great understanding of the prophecy and living in the End Times indeed. Daniel states in Daniel 9:26, that at the end of the 69th weeks of 430 years each, the Messiah would be “cut-off”. This is precisely what happened at this appointed time by God when Christ was rejected as the foretold Messiah that would come to bring the Kingdom Age promises to come to pass. Yet, that is not what happened because although God did His part and Christ came, the Jewish Pharisee leaders rejected Him as the foretold Messiah. Due to this rejection, God’s discipline was instead going to be on Israel as God had done many times in Israel’s past when they fell away from God and turned to Idols; a time of discipline would now befall them.
Once the Pharisee leaders accused Jesus of doing His miracles by the power of satan, they utterly rejected Him (Matthew 12:24-26) and then we see Jesus foretelling of the Temple being destroyed where not one stone would be left on another (Matthew 24:2). We see Jesus change in His purpose teachings against the Pharisees because of their great rejection of Him as Messiah. In Matthew 23, Jesus calls the Pharisee leaders out with harsh words such as hypocrites, vipers and serpents. Jesus said,
“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”
(Matthew 12:33 KJV)
Judgment is now all they will have to look forward too. God’s great discipline is going to fall upon the nation of Israel now. This of course, happened in 70 AD after the cross event just as Jesus foretold. The Jews were dispersed into other nations around the world ever since. God foretold that Israel would one day again become a nation and that the dispersed Jews around the planet would one day return to their reborn nation (Amos 9:14-15, Jeremiah 30:1-31:40, Isaiah 11:12, Deuteronomy 30:3, Zechariah 12:3). We see this has come to pass in our time! This happened on May 14, 1948.
Israel Is Still God’s People But Were Put Aside In Discipline
Because they rejected Christ 2000 years ago, God had put Israel aside and focused on building His Church in the dispensation of Grace in which we now live. Because Israel rejected Christ, God put a pause on when the Kingdom Age promised to Israel would occur. A pause in Daniel’s 70 weeks of 430 years prophecy. The Church Age dispensation began and we have been in this dispensation since Pentecost, 50 days after the cross.
Once the Pre-Tribulation Harpazo Rapture occurs, then the Tribulation Period will begin which is Daniel’s Prophecy of the 70th week beginning. The Church Age pause will be over once the Rapture occurs. God will now turn back to save the remnant believers of the nation of Israel. This is the Tribulation Period as God gave Daniel to write down as a End Time prophecy. Then after the Tribulation Period, Christ will return to setup His Earthly Kingdom Age that was promised to the Jewish peoples. That is just a very brief summary.
Now there is a whole bunch of prophetic events in each of these dispensations that I am not even mentioning as this is not to be viewed as a detailed Biblical Prophetic timeline of the specific events the Bible gives us information about. The purpose here is to explain a general overview of dispensations in light of the topic of this article, which is whether or not Old Testament believers were indwelt and sealed in salvation from the moment they believed. Understanding this overview will clear up some misconceptions, especially regarding the Sheep and Goat Judgment of Christ on people at His 2nd Coming Event. So many are teaching falsely that it is about Church Age believers when it is not. And believing so, turns the true Gospel of Grace into a false works based salvation, which contradicts Scripture.
How The Holy Spirit Operated In Old Testament Times
In Old Testament Scriptures we have a hind sight view because it is in the past and we now live in the Dispensation of Grace. So when we read Old Testament Scriptures, we do so by the filter of what Christ did on that cross. In Old Testament Scriptures we see that the Holy Spirit did work with people, and at times even withing people. Yet, it is always under the idea of the Holy Spirit coming “UPON PEOPLE”.
For example. in Exodus we read,
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have FILLED HIM WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.” (Exodus 31:1-5 KJV)
No where in this passage does it state that Bezaleel was sealed in salvation nor indwelt by the Holy Spirit with permanence of Eternity. Instead it states that the Holy Spirit filled him with wisdom and knowledge to build the Tabernacle. The Holy Spirit came upon him to accomplish what God wanted. Without this, Bezaleel would never have been able to do this exactly the way God purposed.
In Numbers 11, we can see that the Spirit was upon Moses and that part of the Spirit given to him was placed upon the 70 elders who were ministering with Moses. Again, it is God making his will happen exactly as He purposed and the Holy Spirit of God moved within all of them to accomplish this. If they were sealed and indwelt forever by the Holy Spirit as Church Age believers are today, then why would this happen in this way. The 70 elders would have already had the indwelling Holy Spirit. Instead, the Spirit gave Moses, and also them, what they needed individually to accomplish God’s purposes in their specific lives. A portion of knowledge given the by the Holy Spirit to empower them to do God’s work through their lives.
Another small and clear verse is found in Psalm 51. King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, got her pregnant and then had her husband killed to cover it up. Not a very Godly thing to do. He fell into a great sin that spiraled out of control. This progression of sin did not go without notice of God. And David was faced with that. We see David pleading to God,
“Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:11 KJV)
If David knew he was sealed by the indwelling Holy Spirit why was he pleading for God to take away the Holy Spirit from him?
There are many other examples in Old Testament Scripture that show that the Old Testament believer was not sealed by the Holy Spirit in salvation. What we instead find, is that the Holy Spirit came upon the people, temporarily filling them for God’s purposes. Even under the Dispensation of The Law of Moses, the animal sacrifices did not take away their sins. It was only a temporary covering of the sins of the Jewish people. It was a remembrance of how terrible sin is and that one day the promised Messiah would come and become the final, once for all blood atoning sacrifice (Hebrews 9 and 10) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). It was their BELIEF that Messiah would come and become this atonement for all sins that drove them to sacrifice animals as they looked in belief for that day when they would be permanently be set free from the penalty for sin. This temporary covering had to happen year after year. The people were not permanently sealed in salvation with the Holy Spirit indwelling them.
How The Holy Spirit Operates In New Testament, Church Age Times
Within the dispensation we now live within, a person who believes on Christ and His once for all blood atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world and His rising again, is sealed in salvation and indwelt permanently by the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of eternal life. Jesus said that,
“…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18 KJV)
Jesus is gathering members of His church. A group of people called out by God, in belief on Christ, who will become The Bride Of Christ. This group of people called The Church, includes any person who believes on Christ as the only begotten Son of God, who is God, that came born of the Virgin Mary, and lived a perfectly sinless life in thought and deed. Who as a sinless person who is God, willingly died on the cross and paid for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), was buried and rose again on the third day (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Anyone that believes this, regardless of race, Jew or Gentile, has become a member of the Church; The Bride Of Christ. From the very moment they believe this, such a person has been sealed in eternal life. In Ephesians, Apostle Paul states this,
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER THAT YE BELIEVED, YE WERE SEALED with that HOLY SPIRIT of promise, Which is the EARNEST of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV)
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, WHERBY YE ARE SEALED unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30 KJV)
What is this day of redemption?
It is the day that Church Age believers will receive their new glorified eternal bodies. It is the very day of the Harpazo Rapture. Paul explains it more in 1 Cor. 15. Our Spirit has been born again and fully redeemed from the moment of belief on Christ and His finished work on the cross. Our new Spirit of God is eternal and heaven ready, right now. Yet, our body and mind is not yet redeemed. It is corrupt with this thing called SIN. That is why we need new glorified eternal bodies like Christ now has to enter Heaven. There is NO SIN in Heaven. So, when we die physically, our Spirit, which is fully redeemed and has no sin (1 John 3:9), will go to Heaven and at the Harpazo Rapture we will receive new resurrected glorified bodies as Jesus has, allowing us entrance in physical form into the New Jerusalem, the home of the Bride of Christ. A physical place that Jesus said He is going to prepare for believers (John 14).
A person who has come to believe in Christ has been sealed in salvation forever from the very moment they believe on Christ for righteousness by faith. Such a person’s Spirit is IN CHRIST and CHRIST IS IN THEM. They have become the very righteousness of God, IN CHRIST (2 Cor. 5:17-21) and are now complete in Christ (Read Colossians 2, so amazing!) This is the very good news of the Gospel! During His Earthly ministry, Jesus was teaching the Gospel of The Kingdom to the Jewish peoples.
“But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
(Matthew 15:24 KJV)
The Kingdom Age is what the Jewish people knew all about and were looking forward too with hope, as it was prophesied to them in the Torah, which we know as the Old Testament. For Church Age believers today, we are looking toward The New Jerusalem, which is the future home of The Bride Of Christ. They are not the same thing.The Church is headed for the place Jesus is preparing for His church (John 14) and that is The New Jerusalem, that heavenly city. It is not an Earthly city but a Heavenly one.
What About After The Rapture Event? What About Those Living In The Tribulation Period To Come? How Will The Holy Spirit Operate In The Tribulation Period?
Once the Rapture takes place, The Church Age pause in Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy will end and the 70th week will begin. A 7 year period of time. God will now turn back to save the remnant in Israel. This is what the Tribulation Period is all about; ISRAEL. For the most part in our current Church Age, Israel is pretty much a non believing nation in Christ. Yes, there are Jewish people who have come to salvation in Christ but overall as a nation, it is an unbelieving nation in salvation through Jesus. They still reject Jesus as Messiah. In Matthew 23, Jesus stated emphatically to the rejecting Israel at the time of His first coming,
“For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 23:39 KJV)
God is going to bring back a remnant of Israel who will indeed say and believe this very much and it all starts with the Tribulation Period. Unfortunately, it is going to have to happen through the toughest, harshest time in all of human history to accomplish this. God will fulfill His promises. Jesus said,
“I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” (John 5:43 KJV)
This indeed is what will happen in the Tribulation Period. The Antichrist is coming on the scene of the world and he will at first make peace in the Middle East and that means with Israel. “Him shall ye receive”. God made a reborn Israel happen. God made it so that the Jews who were scattered under discipline have returned to Israel (and still are returning to this very day of writing this). Yet, in stubbornness, they still reject Jesus as Messiah and they are looking for Messiah to still come and setup his one world Kingdom Age government. Unfortunately, this will be the Antichrist. He will show his true colors mid way in the Tribulation Period and start persecuting the Jews and Christians and all who would refuse to take his Mark.
What About The Sheep And Goats Judgement At Christ’s Return To Earth? Is This About Church Age Believers Or Israel?
Now, let’s turn to Matthew 24 and 25. These chapters are being taught by some preachers and pulpits as being about The Church. Yet, the very context of Jesus’ own words shows us that He is addressing the Nation Israel. The whole text is about Israel and not the Church. Jesus talks about ‘the Temple’ being destroyed which we now know happened in 70AD as the first thing we read. Remember, chapters were introduced for our easy referencing. Matthew 23, 24 and 25 should be read as one continuous work.
In Matthew 23, the Pharisees rejected Christ and Christ moves and talks about the discipline and judgement they will now be receiving for their unbelief. Jesus tells them what will now befall the nation because of their unbelief. Matthew 24 then starts with,
“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1-2 KJV)
The Church has nothing to do with the Temple. The Temple is all Jewish. Jesus is about to talk with the disciples about Israel in a private conversation. The disciples only knew of the promise of the Kingdom Age. Jesus had previously sent them out, in pairs, to preach The Gospel Of The Kingdom. This is the promised Kingdom Age to come when Christ is ruling on the Earth. Jesus also told the disciples to only go to the Jews and not Gentiles. The Gospel Of The Kingdom is for the Jews only. This promise is still going to happen! God promised Israel this Kingdom and it is still going to happen. In fact, it will begin after the Tribulation Period when Christ comes again to Earth and lands His feet on the ground.
Notice that Church Age believers were already Raptured and met the Lord “in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) and not “on the Earth”. Two events for two groups of people. The Bride will be involved in the Kingdom Age as Kings and Priests, but our home is The New Jerusalem, which will be hovering over the Earth during the 1000 year Kingdom Age to come. It is the beloved “heavenly City”. See how watching the words closely shows the truth by context?
As we follow through in Matthew 24, we see exactly what will happen during the Tribulation Period. Jesus gave signs of it coming and then describes the horrible things that will happen within this period of time; Daniel’s 70th week. Then in Matthew 24:29, Jesus switches a little bit to what will happen right after the 7 year Tribulation period as He states,
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:” (Matthew 24:29 KJV)
Everything Jesus said after that in Matthew 24 and 25 are all about those living in this time period. It is addressed to the survivors of the Tribulation Period and not Church Age believers. Some are associating The Parable Of The Ten Virgins with the Rapture of Church Age believers, but they are very wrong and the context is clear. Matthew 25 starts with the word “THEN”. We need to understand this!
I ask you, WHEN IS THE THEN? Well, we obviously go back into Matthew 24 as one continuous writing, and that goes back to Matthew 24:29; after the tribulation of those days. This parable talks about Bridemaids and not The Bride. It is not about Church Age believers at the Rapture. It is again, all about the nation Israel.
Then as we continue in Matthew 25 we see The Sheep and Goats Judgement. This is why I explained all the previous context in relation to whether Old Testament Saints were indwelled permanent by the Holy Spirit. Because this judgment shows that during the Tribulation and after, the Holy Spirit will not be indwelling a believer from the moment they believe in Christ. The Holy Spirit will be working the same way as he did in Old Testament times. This is why we read that the believers must ENDURE UNTIL THE END. This is why we see in the Sheep and Goat Judgement on the nations, that the works of the Tribulation survivors will show that they either believed or did not believe on Jesus as The Christ, the true Messiah. People either believed and refused the Mark of the Beast, refusing to worship the Antichrist as God, and endured the immense persecution of the Antichrist, helping each other survive, visiting their fellow believers who were imprisoned by the Antichrist etc. These are the Sheep who will inherit the Kingdom Age along with Resurrected Old Testament Saints at Christ’s Second Coming. The Sheep will enter the Kingdom Age time period of human history in mortal bodies, and will repopulate the Earth for 1000 years. The Church Age believers are not found in mortal bodies repopulating the Earth. Instead, they have immortal bodies as Jesus now has. The Church will have no more SIN PROBLEM and no corrupt body. In fact, the Church Age believers were already in Heaven WITH CHRIST during the Tribulation Period.
The Goat nations and people are seen as those who helped in persecuting the Jewish people and Christians and all who oppose the Antichrist. They did not visit believers in prison; they put them in prison. They did help them;they persecuted them. These will be put to death by Christ and will await their final judgement at The Great White Throne Judgement of the unbelieving which happens after the 1000 year Kingdom Age on Earth.
What is my point here?
My point that those teaching that the Sheep and Goat judgement is for the Church Age believers are very wrong.
They even use this passage to teach that it is our WORKS that save us and keep us saved. They use this passage to teach that salvation is not eternal and that the Church Age believers are not sealed in salvation from the moment of belief on Christ. They use this passage out of proper context and teach the very false gospel that Apostle Paul warned about in Galatians and that Jesus warned about in Matthew 7:15-23. Works do not save anyone! Context matters. Context is important!
Quick Summary Points:
1. Old Testament Saints were not sealed nor permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit, in salvation. The Holy Spirit came unto them and worked in them, but not woth permanence. This could not happen until our Spirit was born again by Christ in their future. Their belief in the coming Messiah who would pay for all sins kept them saved. They had to remain in belief until their death.
2. Church Age believers are sealed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the very moment of belief on Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4, Ephesians 1:13-14) and salvation is not by our works. nor deeds, before nor after this moment of salvation (Galatians 3, 5:4-5).
3. Tribulation Saints Will Not Be Permanently Indwelt By The Holy Spirit As The Church Is. After the Harpazo Rapture of Church Age believers, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (which is holding back even more evil than we see today) will be taken off the Earth and the Holy Spirit will be working with people and nations as he did in Old Testament times.