Of the Stability, Durability, and Visible Characteristics of the Church of God

That this church, from the beginning to the time of David, was always visible, discernible, and distinguished from other nations, is clear and plain, and, as far as we know, doubted by nobody. There remains, then, only this to be proved: that after the time of David it has always been discernible in the same way, and will continue to be so to the end.**

To show this, David's song about the city or church of God, Psalm 46, verses 3 and 4, serves an excellent purpose. "Though the sea rage and roll, so that through its tempest the mountains fall in, Selah! The city of God shall nevertheless remain glad with her fountains, where the holy tabernacles of the Almighty are." This passage, beginning with the preceding verse, reads as follows according to the original text: "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains shake with their swelling. Selah. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved. God shall help her, and that right early."

Who is so poorly versed in the Word of God as to suppose that by the words the city of God and the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High, and so on, he is to understand the city of Jerusalem in the land of Palestine, and the Temple which was built in that city? For this city and the Temple that was in it were laid waste and completely demolished and destroyed, first by the Chaldeans, in the time of Jeremiah, and afterward by the Romans, who conquered the land of Canaan and Jerusalem, so that, according to the prophecy of Christ, not one stone was left upon another. [n27-2] We must, therefore, understand this as relating to the church of God, which is called, in the holy Scriptures, the city of God. Hebrews 12, verse 22; for of the same it is said that God is in the midst of her, and that therefore she shall not be moved, and so on, as shall appear more fully from the following testimonies, Isaiah 2, verse 2: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountains* of the Lord's house shall be established . . . and all nations shall flow to it." [n27-8] It is beyond dispute that here, by the words the Lord's house, we are to understand the church of the Lord, unless someone holds with the Jews that it must be understood as referring to the house of stone which Solomon built in former times, to the honor of God, on Mount Moriah; which house now lies in ruins, but was to be rebuilt. But this cannot be expected, for the prophet Daniel says clearly of this desolation that it shall be poured upon the desolate, even until the consummation (that is, the end of the world): Daniel 9, verse 27, compared with Matthew 24, verse 15:

No small proof of this is furnished by the fact that about forty years after the ascension of Christ this very house was destroyed, demolished, and burned by Titus Vespasian, and has not yet been rebuilt, though about sixteen hundred years have passed since; and, because of the continual quarrels of the Palestinian and other eastern rulers, it is, viewed from a human standpoint, not likely that it ever will be.

Since it is true, then, that by the words "the house of the Lord," we must understand the church of the Lord, there follows also what is said in connection with it, namely, that the same shall be firmly, that is, invincibly, established on the mountain, that is, Christ, the immovable foundation.

Besides the prophecy already brought forward, Isaiah 2, verse 2, showing the firmness and immovability of the house (or the church) of God, which is founded upon the mountain of the Lord, Christ Jesus, the same prophet, treating of the durability, glory, and divine dignity of this church under the type of the New Jerusalem, brings forward various commendatory testimonies for this purpose, saying among other things, in chapter 60, verse 11: "Your gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night."

This is a comparison drawn from a peaceful city which has neither fear nor concern that enemies will attack her, and therefore leaves her gates open by night as well as by day, for the convenience of the citizens, and of the messengers and strangers who are traveling in the night. So, he would say, will it also be with the future church of Jesus Christ.

Then, in verse 14, speaking of the enemies of the church of God, and of those who had slandered her, he says: They "shall bow themselves down at the soles of your feet; and they shall call you the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel."

When a city has become so great that even her deadly enemies, who had intended to lay her waste and destroy her, come bending their knees and, as though begging for favor, bow down before her, as is shown here of the enemies of the city and church of God, there is no likelihood that such a city will easily be conquered, laid waste, or subdued. So it is, in a spiritual sense, with the city and church of Jesus Christ; for it is this that this prophecy refers to.

Immediately after, in the fifteenth verse, the prophet declares that God will make this city or church an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

And, as though the durability and excellency of this city, well beloved of God, were not yet sufficiently expressed by this, he adds these words, verse 19: "But the Lord shall be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory."

And, lastly, verse 21: "Your people, O God, shall also be all righteousness; they shall inherit the land forever." Here no further explanation is required, since the text plainly and clearly expresses our meaning; and we will therefore let it suffice.

We then proceed to what Christ, the Son of God, Himself testifies concerning this matter. Matthew 16, verse 18: "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Christ, in another place, speaking in a parable of a man who built his house upon the sand, adds this explanation: that the man was foolish, because such a foundation, and therefore also the building which is founded upon it, cannot stand before the floods, rains, and storms which beat against it.

On the other hand, He commends as wise and prudent the man who built his house upon a rock, since that house, being well founded, is able to withstand all dangers.

But the foundation of which the Lord speaks here, that He will build His church upon it, is much firmer than any material rock, for these must all pass away with time; but the foundation which is Christ Himself remains, shall remain, and shall never decay; for "the foundation of God stands sure" (Second Timothy 2, verse 19).

Yet not only the foundation, but also the building of the church shall not decay, though in nature it is otherwise; for a house, church, or tower resting on an immovable foundation, but not being sufficiently firm or strong in itself, finally decays, indeed falls to the ground; but here it stands so that no opposing power, not even the devil himself, can prevail against it, which is clear from these words: "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

In or under the gates, councils were customarily held; and the gates were the strength and power of the cities. Compare Zechariah 8, verse 16 with Psalm 147, verse 13. Hence, by the words, "The gates of hell," and so on, we are to understand the council and power of the fiend of hell. Yet, according to the passage of Scripture last mentioned, these shall not prevail against the church of Christ;* and consequently no other opposing powers either, for these are the most powerful and the worst enemies.

We pass on to other Scripture testimony written for the same purpose. Matthew 28, verse 20: "And, lo, I am with you all the days, even to the consummation of the ages." Nearly all translators, in order to follow the Dutch way of speaking, render the last words of this sentence: "to the end of the world." But we have, for good reasons, kept the Greek mode of expression, since it serves better and more clearly for the end we have in view. For we have found that, according to the common translation, the words, "to the end of the world," have been misinterpreted, and stretched beyond their meaning, by some inexperienced persons, so that they explain what was spoken of the consummation of time as referring to the end of a place; even as though Christ had not here promised His apostles to remain with them till all time should have come to an end, but only until, for the spreading of the Gospel, they should have traveled to the uttermost parts of the earth, which, because it is not possible to travel farther by land, are called the end of the world.

This is a great error, for, according to his explanation, this promise would have belonged to the apostles alone, and been limited to their lifetime, since they traveled everywhere to preach, so that their sound went into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.** Compare Mark 16, verse 20 with Romans 10, verse 18. [n27-4]

But in order that all true followers of Christ and His apostles, to the end of time, might comfort themselves with this promise, the Lord has expressly spoken of the consummation of the ages, and declared that so long (understand: spiritually) He will be with them.

We arrive now at the point we had in view from the beginning, and which we shall now present more plainly and fully. It is certain that the Lord has spoken here of the preaching of the holy Gospel, of faith, of baptism, and of the manner of establishing and building up His church, as it was His will that the same should be built up and maintained through all ages. After saying this, He gave the promise mentioned before.

It is settled, therefore, that the visible church of Jesus Christ (for this is the one in which the preaching of the holy Gospel, faith, baptism, and whatever else there is besides, have their place) shall exist through all time, even to the consummation of the ages; for otherwise the promise, "Lo, I am with you all the days," and so on, cannot be fulfilled in her.

Just as, besides preaching and faith, baptism shall continue in the church to the end of time, so also the holy supper. This appears from the words of Paul, First Corinthians 11, verse 26: "For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you show forth the Lord's death until He comes."

Thus, if mention is made here of the eating of the bread, the drinking of the cup, and the showing forth of the Lord's death, with the added clause that this shall be observed, and continue, until the Lord comes (that is, the end of time, to judge the world), it follows that there will be, throughout all ages to the end of the world, a church which will observe the external ordinances of Christ, not only with respect to holy baptism, but also to the holy supper, and the showing forth of the Lord's death; unless it can be shown that the words, "until He comes," have another meaning, such as we have never yet met with in any commentator, since the text is not only too clear, but also too conclusive.* Compare this with Matthew 25, verse 31; John 14, verse 3; Acts 1, verse 11; First Thessalonians 4, verse 16; Jude, verse 14; Revelation 1, verse 7; Revelation 22, verses 12 and 20. [n27-9]