Ephesians 4:13
13 Till [mechri] we all [pas] come [katantao] in [eis] the unity [henotes] of the
faith, [pistis] and [kai] of the knowledge [epignosis]
of the Son [huios] of God, [theos] unto [eis] a perfect [teleios] man, [aner] unto [eis] the measure [metron] of the
stature [helikia] of the fulness [pleroma] of Christ: [Christos] KJV-Interlinear
13
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the
fulness of Christ. NASB
Now this is a very
interesting verse. For in it is stated
the duration of the gifts that have been described in the previous verses.
Until, ‘mechri,’ means as
far as, up to a certain point. This word indicated a space of time in which
something will occur and then when it does occur, it will cease.
The office of apostle and
prophet ceased in the first century when the scriptures were completed. That leaves three remaining offices as far as
the instruction of the word of God is concerned – evangelist, pastor and
teacher.
These offices will
continue until something happens, which is until we all come in the unity of
faith.
Faith often times refers
to a trust in something unseen. But here,
faith is a reference to a belief in something that is known, or in something
that is based on fact or knowledge.
Faith is not empty, but is fulfilled in the knowledge of the work of
Christ on the Cross. Therefore faith is
not an empty hope or wish, but is supported by a confidence through the
knowledge of Christ.
This is salvation.
And since salvation will
not be relevant in eternity, for only believers who obviously have already
believed in Christ will exist in eternity, then these offices will no longer be
necessary.
But there is another
principle in view here. In the
Tribulation, there will be again prophets.
Two of which will stand out, and 144,000 of them that will all be evangelizing
and warning the entire world. As the world
is crumbling all around everyone, there will not be local churches as all
churches will be under attack and most folks will be in hiding and just trying
to survive.
So this emphasis is on the
Church Age, which is our current dispensation.
There will be a specific number of people who will believe in Christ
during our dispensation. That number is
known by God alone, for obvious reasons.
When that number is
reached, then all believers will be removed from the world in the Rapture and
thus the removal of all memberships of local churches and study groups and so
forth.
Faith has already been
defined as one faith. There are not many
faiths that need to be brought into alignment, but rather one faith, of which
many people will use in order to be saved through the knowledge of Christ. That is, faith in Christ, or believing in
Christ.
Unto the perfect man,
unto the measure of the fullness of Christ, is a reference to the spiritual
growth process to spiritual maturity and the subsequent completion of the
individual.
Doctrine, the written
word, is Christ. Doctrine is that which
is learned from the teaching or instruction of evangelists, pastors or
teachers. Just because one person has a
particular gift, evangelist, does not mean that they cannot teach as well.
Perfect man, is a phrase
that refers to the flawlessness of that which is flawed. Fullness of Christ, is a phrase which refers
to the completion of that which is incomplete.
Doctrine is the
fundamental material that is used in the construction of the soul. Ones daily application of doctrine and the principles
it teaches, become the production that finishes or puts the finishing touches
on the spiritual life of the individual spiritually mature person.
While there will be those
who will advance to spiritual maturity during the Tribulation, the emphasis
obviously will be placed on the salvation of as many people as is possible
during those days of terrible hardship. Weekly classes or even online studies
will not likely be available during the Tribulation, given the high level of disasters
that are going to occur.
During our dispensation
there are many opportunities for a daily study, even in the worst of
situations. Life now, regardless of how
difficult things might be at any given time during our dispensation, will not
be anywhere near the hardships that people will face during the Tribulation. So now, opportunity thrives for people who
have a positive attitude and want to grow in their spiritual life.
There are two completion
concepts. The first is for the
individual who pursues his spiritual studies, day in and day out during their
life. The second is in reference to the
completion, in total numbers, of the body of Christ or the Royal Family as we
are often times referred to, during this dispensation.
When our numbers are
complete, then the Rapture will occur and we will all stand before the Judgment
Seat of Christ, and there receive our evaluation and reward, thus completing
our completion in readiness for eternity.
Thus ends the earthly
gifts as we have come to know them. The
Tribulation and the Millennium will have similar but different sets of gifts
unique to them for the purpose of teaching those populations, the things they
will need in order to sustain them and allow them to grow spiritually in their respective
periods.
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