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Previous Study | Index | Next Study  Does Christ Have A Church Today? Download PDF of this page. A Chinese exchange student registering at an American university was puzzled by the question on the entrance form, “What is your religion?” His answer, written in the little English he had learned, was “Confusion.” There are thousands who know the English language quite well, and who are not followers of Confucius, who could truthfully write that their religion is “Confusion.” They really don’t know what they believe, and furthermore they do not seem to care enough about their belief to discover whether or not it is in accordance with what the Bible teaches. Many have inherited their religion from their parents or grandparents and they have never taken time to study the Bible and its teachings for themselves. Many think that as long as they are sincere they will eventually reach heaven. But sincerity is not enough —we must also be right. Every teaching comes either from the Source of truth or from the originator of error. We cannot safely follow our feelings, for God has told us, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 16:25. We must be certain that we accept the Bible truths, not error. Has God given us any way of knowing what is truth? Is there any way to identify the true church? How can I tell what to do and believe? God has not left us in darkness. Foreseeing this need He gave us a prophecy that answers the question. Let us study it now. 1. What is the true church called in the Bible? I Timothy 3:15 The Bible Says: “The pillar and ground_____________________________.” Note: God’s true church in every age will be the depository of truth. His church teaches the truth. 2. To whom does God compare the daughter of Zion? Jeremiah 6:2 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. Who is Zion? Isaiah 51:16 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: God has used the symbol of a pure woman to represent His people or His church. Paul describes the church of Corinth as a chaste virgin. II Corinthians 11:2. The woman of Revelation 12:1 is God’s way of picturing the Christian church in its battle with Satan. 4. What power is represented by the great red dragon? Revelation 12:7-9 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 5. Under what symbol is Christ pictured in this prophecy? Revelation 12:5 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 6. How did the devil try to destroy Christ as soon as He was born? Revelation 12:3, 4; Matthew 2:1-16 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 7. As the devil realizes that his days are numbered, what does he do to the woman who represents the church? Revelation 12:13, 14 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 8. Where did the woman (church) flee to escape the persecution which lasted l260 years? Revelation 12:6, 14 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: The prophetic time period here mentioned represents 1260 literal years. Ezekiel 4:6 provides the prophetic rule that one day of prophetic time equals one literal year. Prophetic interpretation accepts this principle that a symbolic day in Bible prophecy represents a literal year. 9. Against what part of the true church does the devil especially direct his wrath and final warfare? Revelation 12:17 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: The “remnant” is the last part. Just as a remnant of a bolt of cloth is the last part of that roll, so the remnant of God’s church is the last portion of His church on earth. 10. What are the two special identification marks of the remnant, or last part, of the true church? Revelation 12:17 The Bible Says: 1. ___________________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________________ Note: Revelation 19:10 says that the “testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” 11. Which commandment of God does nearly the whole Christian world ignore? Exodus 20:8-11 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: In order to be the true church which keeps all the commandments of God, that church must keep God’s Sabbath day. 12. What threefold message will be proclaimed in all the World by this church? Revelation 14:6-12 The Bible Says: Verses 6, 7 First________________________________________________ Verse 8 Second________________________________________________ Verse 9 Third _________________________________________________ 13. How does God describe the people who are called out by this threefold message and who prepare for the coming of Christ? Revelation 14:12-14 The Bible Says: “They keep___________________________________ And____________________________________________________.” 14. What call does God make to His people who are in the false or confused religious bodies of the world today? Revelation 18:1-4 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Speaking of His true people, it is more than coincidence that in two different places in the book of Revelation God says of them, they “keep the commandments of God.” In this age of spiritual confusion, many religious leaders teach that God does not want His followers to keep His commandments. They go so far as to assert that the commandments of God have been abolished by the death of Christ. We see from this prophecy that God, by His divine foresight, knew what was going to be taught today. He pictures His people as those who keep His commandments. Those who carry His last gospel message to the world are described as those who are obedient to Him. They obey Him because they love Him supremely, and their obedience is a manifestation of this love. In finding the true church as described in Revelation, we must find a church which keeps all of God’s commandments, which surely includes the Sabbath. It also is a Christian church, for it accepts “the faith of Jesus.” This church must have the gift of prophecy in its midst, and it must be working in all of the world giving the three-fold gospel message of Revelation 14. Look about you today, and you will find only one church that has all of God’s identifying marks of the true church. When you find this church, you will want to unite with it and share in the joy of giving the gospel to all the world. Do you see clearly from your study of the Bible that members of God’s “remnant” church on earth will keep both the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?  I am still studying to be sure. Please pray for me.Previous Study | Index | Next Study |
