There are a couple of major hindrances in studying the end times. First is a failure to distinguish between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. With the Lord Jesus Christ and the disciples in the upper room, we were moved into an entirely new relationship with God. That new covenant is based on the blood of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. This gives believers a completely new standing before God “in Christ” and “Christ in us.” A second major hindrance is a failure to distinguish between Israel and the church. A common heresy taught today is that the church has replaced Israel, and that the promises given to Israel now apply to the church. Nothing could be further from the truth!
God has a united but unique plan for both Israel and the church.
Remember when Jesus took the disciples up to Caesarea Philippi and asked, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Pétros means little stone, but “on this rock…” (pétra — which means a mountain) “I will build my church.” He’s talking about Himself. Well, we learn something from that statement. The church wasn’t around yet. “I will build” it in the future. Pentecost hadn’t happened at that point.
What does “church” mean? Church refers to “a called out assembly (ekklēsía).” Ekkelēo is “to call out into a new group.” We have the same idea of church-uniqueness from Ephesians — the idea of “mystery” the idea of “dispensations.” Ephesians 1:9-12 says, “Having made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ.”
The “mystery” refers to New Testament truth that was never revealed before.
Colossians 1:26 says, “The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God will to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The personal indwelling of every believer by Jesus Christ is something that never happened before. A new age with a new people — that’s what the church is.
Now look at Romans 11:25-26a, “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved…” This is a harvest phrase. “The fullness of the Gentiles” has to “come in” before Israel will wake up and turn to Christ. What do you think that “fullness of the Gentiles coming in” could refer to? The rapture of the church!
Just as the people of Jesus’ day could not distinguish between prophecies of His first and second coming, so many today cannot distinguish between His coming for His church and His return to Israel. It’s the same problem of blindness. It’s a failure to distinguish the Old Covenant (i.e., “the time of Jacob’s trouble” predicted in Jeremiah 30:7), and the New Covenant (i.e., the rapture of the church taught by Jesus in John 14:1-3.) What does all this mean? Our depature is close. “Keep looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13)
Maranatha!
Review Biblical evidence for the pre-tribulation rapture of the church here:
https://basictraining.org/rapture
“The Fullness of the Gentiles” is covered in Romans Chapter 11 context and detail here: https://youtu.be/fYlZMqSMKjI
God’s plan for the ages and dispensational interpretation of scripture is covered in a 4-minute video:
https://youtu.be/8SPxhuaWx-k