When Old Testament saints died, their souls could not go into the presence of the Lord because the shed blood of Christ had not yet been offered as the sacrifice for sin. When Christ ascended into heaven after His resurrection, He took the blood of atonement and the souls of the Old Testament saints with Him into the glory of heaven (Ephesians 4:8).

From that time on, the souls of believers who die have gone immediately into the glory of heaven. This was made possible by the fact that Christ’s blood of atonement was applied to the mercy seat of the heavenly tabernacle and by the fact that believers are sanctified through spiritual baptism into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Being baptized into the death of Christ causes the believer to become one with Christ and, therefore, to become a member of His Body. The Bible reveals two different aspects of the Body of Christ. One is the Church which is the Body of Christ, and the other is the Bride of Christ which is to be joined to the Body of Christ by marriage.

The nation of Israel is throughout scripture presented as the nation which is called to be the wife of God. Israel’s Old Covenant marriage was never consummated because Israel was unfaithful even on the wedding night as she worshiped the golden calf that Aaron made. God declared a separation from Israel when she was taken into captivity in Babylon, and then God divorced Israel after she rejected the ministry of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as is witnessed by the Gospels and the book of Acts.

In Paul’s Acts-period epistles, known as the pre-prison epistles, he made reference to the Body of Christ for it was during that time that God was offering Israel the New Covenant marriage relationship. If Israel had accepted Christ by faith, she would have entered into a union with the Body of Christ, and her marriage to Christ would have been consummated by the power of the Holy Spirit. As the New Covenant was being offered to Israel, God dealt with Israel through a specific program which included many miracles, wonders and signs as evidence of the validity of God’s offer.

After Israel's rejection of Jesus Christ, God called the Apostle Paul to reveal the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ. This dispensation was revealed in the prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians.

Eph 1:22-23
22 (God) put all things under (Christ’s) feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (NKJ)

Col 1:24-26
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: (KJV)

This dispensation for the Church which is the Body of Christ revealed the heavenly, spiritual character of the Church and did not include miracles, wonders and signs.

Phil 3:20
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (NKJ)

Col 3:2
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (NKJ)

After the Church which is the Body of Christ is taken into the glory of heaven at the end of this age, God will once again offer the New Covenant marriage relationship to Israel during the tribulation period. At that time all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26), and she will be joined to the Body of Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9).

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:
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