A Beautiful Typology on the Church

The concept of the Church as a distinct body is possibly one of the greatest mysteries in Scripture. Not because of the distinction between the Church and Israel proper, but due to believers being grafted into the nation of Israel.

How do we make sense of this strange dichotomy that also seems to be unified?

There is a typology or metaphor I think many people miss that can help answer this.

The mystery of the gospel is part of the answer, but the metaphorical typology is something with much gold to be mined. Paul mentions the mystery in his letters, a mystery that he had totally figured out during his time as apostle to the Gentiles.

“When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:4-6 [ESV]).

I touched on this before in a theological, in-depth study I did on Ephesians 3 last year.

The question remains, though, why the concept of the Church of Christ and the Israelite identity it bears are simultaneously not and are one and two.

Which is it?

Is the Church separate from Israel or are they the same?

Think of it like the Trinity doctrine. I don’t subscribe to the Trinity, simply because I see God manifesting in more than just the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Angel of the Lord is a perfect example of why the Trinity isn’t necessarily correct and oversimplifies things. The Angel of the Lord is always said to be as authoritative as Yahweh and is even to receive worship.

That’s not where I’m going with this, however.

The core tenets of the Trinity state God is one or “echad” in Hebrew. But He is expressed in three persons who are all God.

The Church is at once not Israel, yet Israel concurrently.

But how is this so?

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29 [ESV]).

The Body of Christ is welcome to partake in the covenants God has offered to those who step into the faith.

This is true regardless of Israel’s status as God’s special possession, chosen from among the nations due to God’s grace and glory.

We do not replace ethnic Israel as a construct, yet we see in the New Jerusalem the Church is welcome through gates only meant for the twelve tribes of Israel.

Here is the beautiful part of the typology, though it isn’t the typical Old Testament to New Testament method, we’re looking backward to make sense of it.

Where is the gate for the Church? The answer is, there isn’t one.

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:10-14 [ESV]).

Notice there isn’t a gate for the Church, as I stated before. The foundations are laid in the name of the twelve apostles, though.

So, the church-age saints can be seen as the foundation of the city of the Great King, the New Jerusalem of eternity.

The apostles started the entity we call the Church of Christ, so it is fitting they are the foundation.

But to enter the city, it would seem—to my reader’s eye at least—that we must choose a gate or tribe to identify with when entering the great and eternal city.

The New Jerusalem perfectly pictures the symbiotic relationship of Israel ethnically, and the Church corporately.

We are distinct from ethnic Israel yet bear the name of the tribes as a corporate body in a physical picture.

We are brothers and sisters of our Israelite co-heirs in Christ.

We hold them up, and they guard the gates to eternity.

Isn’t that an amazing picture?

Blessings and shalom to you!