THE HOUSE OF GOD Part 1

CHURCH DEVELOPMENT

The History of the One True Church [Ekklesia/ Assembly] of [that belongs to] God [Yehovah]

According to the Holy Scriptures

By: Bishop Marthy C. Austria, H.U.G. of Christ Fellowship PURE GRACE

This study paper is a product of my careful examination of the Holy Scriptures. I just want to present what I understand about this subject. I may not be perfect. I may be wrong. But I hope that as you follow me in this study, at least I contribute some things that will give us light about the things of God. Paul says: “Let God be true, but every man a liar”. (Romans 3:4). The Holy Scriptures will always be the FINAL AUTHORITY.

The word “church” [EKKLESIA] was taken from the word “qahal” which means “Assembly”. It was used simply for “Assembly” and not in religious sense. It was used as “gathering of citizens to discuss civil affairs”. So here when we use the word “church” we simply mean “assembly” and not the religious “building”. So the “CHURCH OF GOD” means the “ASSEMBLY OF/ THAT BELONGS TO JEHOVAH GOD”.

The Old Testament People [House] of God

    I.            Abraham

A.             God called Abram. Genesis 12: 1-3.

B.              Abraham was promised that he would be the father of many nations. Genesis 15:4-6

C.              The Covenant of Circumcision. Genesis 17: 1-14

D.             Isaac the son of promise. Genesis 17:19-21

E.              Jacob the chosen one, and became Israel. Genesis 35:9-10

 II.            Moses

A.             The Congregation of Israel. Church in the Wilderness. Exodus 35:1

B.              Old Covenant with Israel through Moses. Exodus 19:3-8

III.            Divided Kingdom

Israel and Judah. Kingdom divided. 926 B.C. 1 Kings 12

A.       House of Israel. Northern Kingdom.

10 Tribes

§  Reuben

§  Simeon

§  Levi

§  Issachar

§  Zebulun

§  Gad

§  Asher

§  Dan

§  Naphtali

§  Joseph

-          Ephraim

-          Manasseh

B.     House of Judah. Southern Kingdom.

2 Tribes (1 Kings 12:23) Ezra 1:2-6)

§  Judah

§  Benjamin

§  Some of the Levites

IV.            Assyrian Captivity.

A.    House of Israel – Taken captive in Assyria. (2 Kings 17: 6-23). 721 B.C.

B.     Divorced by God. No more God’s people. “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.” (Jeremiah 3:8). 

2 Kings 17:18, 20, 22, 23 “Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.”

The 10 tribes were taken northeast to the land of Media on the shores of the Caspian Sea in Northern Mesopotamia. They never returned. And that’s why they are called the “lost tribes”.

 V.            Babylonian Captivity.

1.      House of Judah – after 100 years, taken captive in Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 70 years. 587 B.C.

2.      They – the House of Judah began to be called “Jews”. (Esther 3:6,10,13; 2 Kings 16:6). Technically speaking, the word “JEWS” or JUDEANS must be used only for the southern kingdom people [Judah] and not to the other tribes [of the Northern Kingdom].

VI.            Post-exilic Period of the House of Judah. The House of Judah returned to Palestine (Ezra 1:2-6). They were the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Benjamin and some of the tribe of Levi. Others remained in Babylon. Others scattered in different nations.

VII.            The House of Israel Scattered.

A.             A hundred years after the Assyrian Captivity, the House of Israel with the population of about 6 million helped the Medes and Persians to overthrow the Assyrians. They were called “Scythians”. And then migrated to Caucasus Mountains, north of Assyria and Palestine, and southward around the Black and Caspian Seas. They were mixed with the Gentiles, and became known as “Celts” who became the present Europeans, (under the new name Christians.)

B.              These million of Celts grew to become tens and then hundreds of millions as they migrated westward and northwest to Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica, Philippi, Colossae. These Celts were also known as Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Vandals, Danes, Normans, Cimmerians, Scythians, Gauls, Lombards, Belgae, Danaoi, Massagetae, Milesians, Masilia, Sarmatians, Germani, Goths, Franks and other assorted “Barbarians”.

C.              In the Apocryphal books of the Maccabees, we can find some information about the scattered tribes. (These books are not inspired books, but they are authentic regarding the record of the history of God’s people.)

1.      In 1 Maccabees 12:  19-21 we read “And this is the copy of the letters which Oniares sent. Areus king of the Lacedemonians to Onias the high priest, greeting: It is found in writing, that the Lacedemonians and Jews are brethren, and that they are of the stock of Abraham:

2.      The Jerusalem Bible translates the word Lacedemonians as “Spartans”. So these “Spartans” as the document says were brethren with the Jews.  Jews [Judahites] and Spartans are brothers.  The Spartans [Greeks] - were some of the 10 tribes scattered abroad.

D.             Millions of Israelites (from the two houses) were taken captive. Only small number returned to the land of Palestine.

Ezra recorded these in his book: Ezra 1:1,64-65

“Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city; … The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women.”

E.              Over 99% of the people of God [Israel] were still scattered and never returned to the land of Palestine.  Where were they? Where are their children now? Were they really lost?

To be continued