From: usenet@christrose.news   
      
   The Lord Jesus Christ established his church upon a rock, and he   
   declared that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The   
   following scriptures demonstrate that God is not finished with his   
   corporate body, but continues to dwell within her and work through her   
   until the end of the world.   
      
   Matthew 16:18   
   And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will   
   build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.   
      
   If the corporate church were to be abandoned by God or utterly overcome   
   by the abomination of desolation so as to be finished, then the gates of   
   hell would have prevailed against the institution Christ himself built.   
   This promise ensures the perpetual existence and divine preservation of   
   the church throughout every generation until his return.   
      
   Matthew 28:19-20   
   Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of   
   the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to   
   observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with   
   you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.   
      
   Christ gave this Great Commission to the collective body of his   
   disciples, which constitutes the corporate church. He explicitly   
   promised his presence "alway, even unto the end of the world." There is   
   no scriptural provision for a gap or a period where Christ withdraws his   
   presence from his ordained method of baptism and teaching before the   
   final end.   
      
   Ephesians 3:21   
   Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages,   
   world without end. Amen.   
      
   The Spirit declares that God receives glory "in the church" not merely   
   for a "church age" that expires, but "throughout all ages." This   
   encompasses the present time and the time of the end. If the church were   
   forsaken before the end, there would be an age in which God is not   
   glorified in her, which contradicts the eternal nature of this decree.   
      
   Ephesians 4:11-13   
   And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;   
   and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for   
   the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till   
   we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son   
   of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the   
   fulness of Christ.   
      
   God ordained the corporate structure of the church—complete with pastors   
   and teachers—to function "till" the body reaches the measure of the   
   stature of the fulness of Christ. This state of perfection is only   
   achieved at the resurrection. Therefore, the offices and the corporate   
   work of the ministry must continue until the appearance of the Lord.   
      
   1 Timothy 3:15   
   But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave   
   thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the   
   pillar and ground of the truth.   
      
   The corporate church is identified as the "pillar and ground of the   
   truth." If God were to finish with the corporate church and command all   
   believers to depart, the truth would be left without its earthly pillar   
   and ground. God does not remove the foundation of his truth while the   
   world still stands in need of the gospel.   
      
   Hebrews 10:25   
   Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of   
   some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the   
   day approaching.   
      
   Rather than commanding a departure from the assembly as the end draws   
   near, the Bible commands believers to gather "so much the more" as they   
   see the day of the Lord approaching. The teaching that one should flee   
   the corporate assembly at the end of time is a direct violation of this   
   apostolic command to increase the frequency and intensity of corporate   
   gathering in the final days.   
      
   --   
   Have you heard the good news Christ died for our sins (†), and God   
   raised Him from the dead?   
      
   That Christ died for our sins shows we're sinners who deserve the death   
   penalty. That God raised Him from the dead shows Christ's death   
   satisfied God's righteous demands against our sin (Romans 3:25; 1 John   
   2:1-2). This means God can now remain just, while forgiving you of your   
   sins, and saving you from eternal damnation.   
      
   On the basis of Christ's death and resurrection for our sins, call on   
   the name of the Lord to save you: "For 'everyone who calls on the name   
   of the Lord will be saved'" (Romans 10:13, ESV).   
      
   https://christrose.news/salvation   
      
   To automatically receive daily Bible teaching updates with colorful   
   images and website formatting, subscribe to my feed in a client like   
   Thunderbird:   
      
   https://www.christrose.news/feeds/posts/default   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)