The Old Testament assembly is not the New Testament church; both are called an ecclesia, but they are different entities.
Les Feldick shows from Acts 7:38 that Israel in the wilderness was an ekklesia — a called-out assembly — but that assembly had no church organization and was not the Church which is Christ's Body. The New Testament church, as Paul teaches, is the Body of Christ, a distinct entity.
Acts 7:38 — This is the key verse where Stephen calls Israel 'the church in the wilderness.'
1 Corinthians 10:1-2 — Paul describes Israel's Red Sea crossing as a baptism, showing the Old Testament assembly had its own kind of 'church' language.
The English word 'church' translates the Greek ekklesia. In Acts 7:38, Stephen says of Moses, 'This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us.' This is the only place in Scripture where Israel is explicitly called 'the church.' The context is Israel gathered around Mount Sinai under Moses, having been called out of Egypt. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, Paul also uses church-related language for Israel: 'Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.' These verses use the words 'church' and 'baptism' in connection with the Old Testament assembly, while the New Testament church is also referred to as an ekklesia.
Les Feldick teaches that the Greek word ekklesia simply means called-out assembly, and it is used in the Bible for various groups. Stephen in Acts 7 refers to Israel in the wilderness as 'the church in the wilderness' because Israel was called out of Egypt and assembled at Sinai — not because the New Testament church had already begun. Les explains that this assembly was not a New Testament church: it was without church organization, it was under Moses, and it received the Law. Paul, on the other hand, identifies the actual New Testament church as the Body of Christ. Les also points out that even the riotous mob in Ephesus was called an ecclesia, proving that the word does not always refer to believers. Therefore, the primary difference is that the Old Testament assembly was Israel under Moses, while the New Testament church is the Body of Christ.
In Acts 7, Stephen is preaching to the nation of Israel and retells their history from Abraham. When he comes to Moses, he uses the word 'ekklesia' for Israel because they were called out of Egypt and assembled around Mount Sinai. Les Feldick emphasizes that the word simply means called-out assembly, not a New Testament church. This is why Stephen can say Moses was 'in the church in the wilderness' without meaning the Body of Christ.
No. Les Feldick shows that in Acts 19 the mob in Ephesus was called an ecclesia — and it was an ungodly riot. Also, the Jewish believers at Jerusalem were an ecclesia, called out of Judaism, but they were still under the total umbrella of Judaism. So when you see the word 'church' in the New Testament, you must always check the context; it is not automatically the Body of Christ.
Les Feldick explains that Paul almost always identifies the New Testament church as the Body of Christ. The Old Testament assembly, by contrast, was Israel under Moses, with no church organization and under the Law. Even Israel's Red Sea crossing was a baptism of sorts — 'baptized unto Moses' — but it was not water baptism and did not make them a New Testament church.
Stephen's Audience and Context
Les uses Stephen's sermon in Acts 7 to set the context: Stephen is addressing Israel and retells Israel's history, showing that the 'church' in Acts 7:38 refers to the assembly in the wilderness, not the New Testament church.
Ecclesia Can Mean a Called-Out Assembly
Les points out that Stephen calls Israel the church in the wilderness because Israel was a called-out assembly; Paul later identifies the actual New Testament church as the Body of Christ.
Israel Became a Church Without Organization
Les says that when Israel came out of Egypt and was assembled at Sinai, they were a called-out assembly, but they were not a New Testament church — they were a church without church organization.
Church in the Wilderness Means Called-Out Assembly
Les explains that Stephen's phrase 'church in the wilderness' simply means a called-out assembly, since Israel was called out of Egypt and gathered around Mount Sinai.
What "Baptized Unto Moses" Really Means — 1 Corinthians 10 Explained
No not the word, baptized, but this whole idea of a called out assembly is the Ecclesia, and called the Church in the wilderness, and so forth, but Israel was not baptized to become members of that Ecclesia. Now let me show you what I'm talking about. Go back to Acts chapter 7, otherwise there's a blank if I don't show you what I'm referring to.
Ecclesia Can Refer to a Riot
Les notes that even the Ephesian mob was called an ecclesia, and that the Jerusalem believers were an ecclesia called out of Judaism — showing the word 'church' is broad.
Red Sea Baptism Under Moses
Les says Israel's crossing of the Red Sea was a baptism without water, placing them under Moses, and it did not make them a New Testament church.
The Word Church Means Called-Out Assembly
Les reminds viewers that the word church in the New Testament is not always the Body of Christ, since ekklesia means called-out assembly, and Moses and Israel in the desert were one.
Acts 7:35: This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
Stephen shows Moses as God's appointed deliverer, connecting him to Israel's wilderness journey.
Acts 7:38: This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us.
This is the explicit verse where Israel is called 'the church in the wilderness.'
1 Corinthians 10:1-2: Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
Paul refers to Israel's Red Sea crossing as a baptism unto Moses.
No. Les Feldick explains that Stephen used the word ecclesia for Israel because they were a called-out assembly out of Egypt, but that assembly was not the Body of Christ. It had no church organization and was under Moses and the Law.
It means a called-out assembly. Les shows it can refer to the nation of Israel at Sinai, the Jewish believers at Jerusalem, and even the riotous mob at Ephesus.
Les says Paul almost always identifies it as the Body of Christ — the church which is His body. That is different from the wilderness assembly, which was a called-out congregation of Israel.
Watch the Teaching: What Does "Church" Really Mean? Acts 2 & Ekklesia Explained