The Church Age is not mentioned because it was a secret held in the mind of God, revealed only through the Apostle Paul.
The Old Testament and Gospels focus entirely on God's dealings with Israel and the prophetic program. The Church Age, a parenthetical period among Gentiles, was hidden until Paul received it as a special revelation. Consequently, no prophecy or Gospel passage speaks of the Church, the rapture, or the age of grace.
Ephesians 3:9 — Paul reveals the mystery which was hidden in God from the beginning, referring to the Church.
The Bible itself indicates that the Church was a mystery hidden in God. In Ephesians 3:9, Paul writes, "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ." Similarly, Colossians 1:26 speaks of "the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints." In the Old Testament, prophecy is consistently directed to Israel and the coming Messiah. For instance, Psalms 2 foretells the rejection of the Messiah and the subsequent tribulation, but it gives no hint of an age of grace or a Body of Christ. The Gospels and Acts likewise focus on the offer of the Kingdom to Israel, with Jesus telling His disciples in Acts 1:7 that it was not for them to know the times or seasons which the Father had put in His own power.
Les Feldick repeatedly emphasizes that the Church Age is completely absent from Old Testament prophecy and the Gospel accounts. He states that all prophecy was directed to the nation of Israel, and not a word is breathed about a Church comprised of Gentile believers. He teaches that this age is a parenthetical period, an undetermined time slot slipped into God's prophetic program between Israel's rejection of the King and the future tribulation. Les explains that the Church Age was a secret held in the mind of God. Even Jesus knew of it from His deity, but He never revealed it. The Church is strictly a Pauline revelation—only the Apostle Paul writes about the Church, its doctrine, and the rapture. Therefore, looking for the rapture or Church in the Gospels or Old Testament is futile; it's simply not there.
Yes. Les points out that even in the Gospels and the Book of Acts, there is no indication of the Church Age. In Acts 1:7, Jesus responds about the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, but He says it is not for them to know the times or seasons. Les notes that Jesus knew from His deity that Israel would be dispersed and that God would turn to the Gentiles, but He never indicated it. The Gospels consistently present an offer of the Kingdom to Israel, with no hint of a future Church Age.
Les describes the Church Age as a parenthetical period inserted into God's prophetic program. Old Testament prophecy laid out a timeline for Israel—from the coming of Messiah, their rejection, and then the tribulation, followed by the Kingdom. The Church Age, however, was not part of that prophetic timeline. It is an undetermined period when God turned to the Gentiles to call out a people for His name. This age is 'slipped in' between the prophetic events, and since it is not prophesied, it is entirely absent from the Old Testament.
Les emphasizes that the Church is strictly a Pauline revelation. Since the Church Age is a secret hidden in God, it could not be revealed until the time God appointed. Paul, as the apostle to the Gentiles, was the one through whom God revealed the doctrines of the Church. This includes the rapture, which Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4. Les states that only one writer in Scripture writes concerning the Church, and that is the Apostle Paul.
Introduction
Les introduces the study, setting the stage for discussing hidden truths in Scripture.
The Church Age Not Mentioned in Prophecy
During prophetic periods dealing with Israel, the church age is never mentioned—not a word about the age of grace or God calling Gentiles.
Don't Look for the Church in the Gospels or Old Testament
Les explicitly tells viewers not to look for the rapture, Church doctrine, or the gospel of grace in the Gospels or Old Testament, because it is a secret held in God's mind.
No Hint in Gospels or Acts
Even after Christ's ascension, the Gospels and Acts give no specific indication of the church age; Jesus knew it but never revealed it.
No Prophecy Mentions the Church
All prophecy is directed to Israel, and no prophecy gives any indication of the Church, a spiritual body of believing Gentiles and Jews.
Old Testament Program Skips the Church
The Old Testament program, as in Psalm 2, goes from Israel's rejection of Messiah to the tribulation and kingdom, with no mention of the church age.
Church Age Is a Parenthetical, Pauline Revelation
The church age is a parenthetical period inserted between prophetic events; its doctrines come from Paul alone, and nothing about the Church is in the Old Testament.
Rapture Is a Church Age Doctrine
There is not even a hint of a group being taken off the scene in the Old Testament, Gospels, or Acts; the rapture is church-age doctrine revealed only by Paul.
Ephesians 3:9: And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Paul reveals that the Church (the mystery) was hidden from the beginning of the world but now is made known.
Colossians 1:26: Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
This verse echoes that the Church is a mystery hidden from ages past but revealed in the present.
Acts 1:7: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Jesus did not reveal the times or seasons, including the church age, to His disciples.
Yes, Paul writes in Ephesians 3:9 that the mystery of the Church was hidden in God from the beginning. This indicates the Church Age was not revealed until Paul's time.
According to Les, Jesus knew of the Church Age from His deity, but He never revealed it. The Gospels focus on the offer of the Kingdom to Israel, and the Church was a secret held in God's mind until after Christ's ascension.
No, Les teaches that there is not even a hint of the rapture in the Old Testament or the Gospels. It is a Church Age doctrine revealed only by Paul.
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