THE NAME OF THE TRUE JESUS CHURCH (II)
(2) Why must the church be named "True"?
1. The Lord Jesus Christ knew that many secular churches would rise up in the last days under the guise of proclaiming Christianity and preaching the gospel of salvation. In reality, they are preachers of heresies who deceive many by selling bad wheat (i.e. falsehood and wrong teachings).
Matt. 24:5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
Isa. 55:2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Amos 8:6LP …—Even sell the bad wheat?”
In order to distinguish Himself from these false churches, the Lord must be called by a new name.
2. The Lord is a living stone, a rock.
1Pet. 2:4, 8 4Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 8and“A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
Rev. 2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’
The white stone symbolises the Lord's church. This new name not only signifies that she is holy and without blemish, but also proves that she is His only church.
3. In the last days, God’s righteousness shall go forth as a glorious light and His salvation shall go forth as a burning lamp. The church shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will name. This is the testament of God’s will for His church to be called by a new name since she must be distinguished from all of the other churches which are called by other names.
Isa. 62:2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name.
4. Secular churches left their own names to their own thoughts. But, God shall call His church by a new name. What is this new name? The answer is implied in the book of Isaiah.
Isa. 65:15-16 15You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen; For the Lord GOD will slay you, And call His servants by another name; 16So that he who blesses himself in the earth Shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My eyes.
God was determined to call His church by a new name. He says, He “shall bless himself in the God of truth, … and he shall swear by the God of truth”. Isaiah 65:16 mentions the word “God of truth” twice. Do we still not understand His will? This Bible verse explicitly tells us to seek for the "true" One instead of the false churches that leave their own names. Hence, the new name of the church must also include the word “true”.
5. Today, we are dwelling in the latter rain period. Thus, we must know who the “true” One is and dwell in Him. The apostles of the early rain period were exemplary in their commitment to God and this is something that we must imitate. If there is no presence of false ones to oppose His truth, there is never a need for us to distinguish the “true” One from them. In fact, the intention to differentiate the true church from the others by using the word “true” in her did not originate from us, the true church of
the last days. Rather, it was God, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and all the apostles who had contended earnestly for the word “true” since the foundation of the world.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Isa. 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.
Isa. 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.
John 3:33 He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.
John 8:14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.
1Thess. 1:9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
6. The Lord Jesus Christ describes Himself as a true vine.
John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Why did the Lord Jesus Christ express that He is the “true” vine? Many people have ignored the importance of the word “true”, mistakenly believing that all vines naturally produce good grapes.
Isa. 5:2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.
The Lord Jesus Christ wants to distinguish Himself from the wild grapes, hence, it is emphasised that He is the “true” vine. We must not think that such emphasis is meaningless or unintentional.
7. Paul mentioned how the Lord Jesus Christ would serve as a High Priest in the true tabernacle. This tabernacle is not of the world but is of the heavens. It is the very image of the heavenly kingdom, a place that is glorious, holy and without blemish.
Heb. 8:1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
Heb. 1:2-3UP 2has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person,…
Heb. 9:24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Paul had said that the Lord Jesus Christ would serve as the High Priest of the true tabernacle so that “He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, holy and without blemish”.
Eph. 5:26-27 26that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
In this case, the “true tabernacle” erected by the Lord clearly refers to the True Jesus Church.
8. In his vision, Elder John saw the downpouring of the Holy Spirit and the appearance of a white horse (which symbolises the church) at the hour that is acceptable by God.
Rev. 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
Rev. 6:2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
“He went out conquering and to conquer” because the one who sat on the white horse was called “Faithful” and “True”. Therefore, the white horse signifies the true church of the Lord Jesus Christ who has the True One dwelling in her.
9. The new name of God is “Jesus”.
Rev. 3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
This city is a “true” city because she came down out of heaven from the true God. Therefore, the true church of God must be called the "True Jesus Church".
Isa. 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
~ The End ~
(The Holy Spirit Times – The Gospel of Salvation)
The ACTS 2024 March/April