The Lord's Supper During the Day of Christ

Plainer Words Online
    By
Tom L. Ballinger

July 1, 2010

PLAINER WORDS …THE LORD’S SUPPER DURING THE DAY OF CHRIST

During the first days of the closing week of the life of Jesus, as the minister to the Circumcision, the week commenced with the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. It was spent, largely, in the Temple. There, He spoke many parables (Matt. 21-22; Mark 12-13; and Luke 19-20); there, He delivered His tremendous arraignment of the Pharisees  (Matt. 23 and parallel passages); there, as He “sat down over against the treasury,” He beheld the people casting in their gifts and praised the poor widow who cast in her two mites above all who cast in of their abundance (Mark 12:41 and parallel passages). It was on the evening of His last day in the Temple that His disciples drew His attention to “the goodly stones and offerings” (gifts for adornment) of the building (Luke 21:5 and parallel passages) and heard from His lips the astonishing announcement that the days were coming ─ even in that generation ─ in which there should not be left one stone upon another (Verse 6 and the parallels). The prediction was fulfilled to the letter in the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D. But, the greater fulfillment will be in the future Day of The Lord (i.e., the consummation of the Pre-Millennial Kingdom) when “Ezekiel’s” Temple will be ravaged by the armies of Antichrist.

Ezekiel’s Temple is described in Ezekiel 41:1 through 43:17. This will be the Pre-Millennial “Sanctuary” and the world center for worship of the one true religion—the worship of the Lord God and Him alone—there will be no freedom of religion in the Day of Christ. In that Day, men should not even, secretly, think of worshiping a false deity. During the Day of Christ, the secret thoughts [kruptos]* of men will be judged by Jesus Christ (Rom. 2:16), and such impure thoughts can result in one’s own death (Jer. 31:30). Secret thoughts of men must be in harmony with the governing principles that will have been Divinely established. (*Kruptos, Strong’s Number 2927, according to Thayer’s Lexicon—“his secret thoughts, feelings, desires”).

The action of Jesus Christ governing the world will originate in the heavens where His Throne will be. His Throne, or Seat of Government will not be in Jerusalem during the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God but, rather, in HEAVEN.

“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is My Throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest?” (Isaiah 66:1).

“The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD’s Throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men” (Psalm 11:4).

Most people, who believe in Christ, suppose He is active in world affairs today, but they suppose erroneously. The Lord Jesus is not, NOW, engaged in World Government. He is not, NOW, engaged in installing or deposing of presidents, kings, emperors, or dictators. He is not, NOW, setting things right. He is not, NOW, rewarding those who do good. He is not, NOW, punishing those who do wrong. Rather, He is, NOW, actively engaged in administering GRACE—showing favor to the undeserving—which is to say; He is, NOW, bestowing unmerited favor.

AN OFTEN OVERLOOKED FACT

Those who take Biblical Revelation, seriously, can find a blessed Truth in an often overlooked portion of Scripture. The Truth in question is so important, it is mentioned three times in the New Testament. It is mentioned in association with the Passover and the institution of “The Lord’s Supper.”

In this connection, we feel compelled to look at a precursory event which the Apostle John records. The following verses are found to be very poignant.

“Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that He poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded” (John 13:1-5).

This was one of the last recorded acts of our Lord Jesus before His cruel Crucifixion. Here, we see the very epitome of the condescension—of the One who the Father “had given all things”—power, authority, and coming glory; all of which more than enhances the fact of  “He humbled Himself.” He laid aside his garment and wrapped a towel around his waist and “began to wash the feet” of His Disciples. Simply amazing! This brings to mind—Let this attitude, purpose, and humility of mind be in us as it was in Christ Jesus—Let Him be our example in humility (Phil. 2:5).

A cascade of events happened as “the feast of unleavened bread drew near, which was called the Passover” (Luke 22:1). We are informed in Verse 3 that Satan entered into Judas Iscariot who was one of the Twelve. There was contention among the Twelve about who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom of God. Then, the foot-washing incident occurred, followed by His identification of Judas as the traitor. Then, Judas withdrew. After all of these things, the Lord instituted His Supper by saying:

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine [wine], until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom” (Matt. 26:26-29).

The important New Testament truth, often overlooked, is first mentioned, here, in Matthew 26:29 ─ “until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s Kingdom.” Christ and His Twelve will partake of the “Lord’s Supper,” at various times, during the Day of Christ. We, now, note the second occurrence in Mark.

“And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is My body.  And he took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And He said unto them, This is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine [wine], until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God”  (Mark 14:22-25).

We should note that the third time the Lord Jesus Christ mentioned the rendezvous He will have with the Twelve, when the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God comes, is found in Luke.

“For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine [wine] until the kingdom of God shall come. And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:18-20).
The Lord Jesus instructed the Twelve to institute this occasion as a “Remembrance,” or a Commemoration.

PAUL INAUGURATES “THE LORD’S SUPPER” DURING THE ACTS PERIOD

This Commemoration (to wit, the Memorial) seems to have been restricted to the Twelve Disciples until the Apostle Paul was Divinely instructed to broaden this observation to include the “Church of God” (1 Corinthians 11:23-29).

“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me” (1 Cor. 11:23-24).

This ordinance was observed by the “Church of God” until the Dispensation of the Grace of God was ushered in (Acts 28). “The “Lord’s Supper” was Truth of a PAST DISPENSATION, and it was not carried over into this PRESENT DISPENSATION. It will be re-introduced when the Pre-Millennial Kingdom becomes manifest (2Tim. 4:1, Titus 2:13).

The Lord Jesus Christ told the Apostle Paul to install “The Lord’s Supper” as a Memorial for the “Church of God” to observe during the Pentecostal Dispensation. Paul told the Corinthians;  “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you”         (1 Cor.11:23) which is to say; what Paul had delivered to them were the instructions of how to observe “The Lord’s Supper.” Paul went on to say that this was to be done “till He come” (1 Cor. 11:26). “Come” is “NT:2064 – erchomai ” as in “come and go;” not as in “parousia.”

It is imperative that when studying this portion of Scripture, the rule of “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” be observed. In following the precept of 2 Timothy 2:15, we have come to believe that the Gentile Christians, during the time-frame covered by “The Acts of the Apostles,” were not allowed to observe the solemn Memorial—“The Lord’s Supper.” This Holy Commemoration was for the Jews, ONLY, as were a number of other dispensational privileges. Notice, one of the most outstanding privileges the Acts Period Jews possessed which the Gentiles did not:

“What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; …” (Rom. 3:1-4).

Gentile believers, during the Pentecostal Era, were dispensational disadvantaged. See Ephesians 2:

“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past [Acts Period] Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time [Acts Period] ye lGentiles] were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now [Dispensation of Grace] in Christ Jesus ye [Gentiles] who sometimes [Acts Period] were far off  [now] are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:11-13).

Gentiles were called-out by Christ, saved, and incorporated into “the Body of Christ”     (1 Cor. 12:27). But, they were unequal as, “wild olive grafts,” members in the “Church of God.”

Derogatorily, Gentiles were referred to as “the uncircumcision.”
They were considered without a Christ (Messiah) of their own.
They were aliens from Israel’s Commonwealth,
And strangers from the covenants of promise and,
Having no hope of their own, and without a God of their own.

On top of these, the Gentiles, during “The Acts of the Apostles,” could not partake of “The Lord’s Supper.” This ordinance was an expanded ordinance of the Jewish “Passover” which commemorated Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, and it anticipated Christ’s Sacrifice of Himself of which Paul said; “Christ is our [the Jews’] Passover”                (1 Cor. 11:7). “Christ is OUR Passover.” The word, “our,” is not a reference to “us” or the Acts’ Period Gentiles. In fact, portions of 1 Corinthians are the written words of a Christian Jew writing to Christian Jews. Weigh the following words in the scale of Jewish, or Gentile understanding during the Pentecostal Era.

“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us [Jews] keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7-8).

Passover, leaven, unleavened, and “let us keep THE FEAST” are common words in Jewish theology. These words have a taste, or flavor of the Old Testament doctrines.

Gentiles were never told to, nor were they ever invited to celebrate the Jews’ Passover. Gentiles NEVER HAD A PASSOVER of their own! They could not share in the Jews’ Passover. According to the Scriptures, not a single verse can be found authorizing the Gentiles to participate in this Holy Ordinance.

THE PRE-MILLENNIAL SANCTUARY ─ VISION OF EZEKIEL

The Sanctuary is God’s, not Ezekiel’s Sanctuary as it is often referred to. The Prophet only describes what the LORD showed him in a vision. There are two Biblical facts relating to the Pre-Millennial Day of Christ which will cause the “faint of heart,” or “the weak in the faith” to stagger at the mere mention of them. The Lord Jesus will be ensconced in Heaven sitting on the “Throne of His Glory” (Matt.19:28) during His Day (John 8:56).

The “faint of heart” staggers at the thought of (1) the Kingdom of God being Pre-Millennial, and (2) the “weak in the faith” sigh at the thought that Jesus Christ will visit the Earth at sundry times before His 2nd Coming (i.e., His Parousia).

The duration of The Day of Christ, as pointed out in some of our other studies, will last about 700 years. During this time, the heavens will retain Christ (Acts 3:21). This fact does not mean that He will not, from time-to-time, leave the glories of the Heavens and make appearances in Jerusalem.

It is a mistake to speak of the marvelous system of courts, gardens, and buildings described, collectively, by Ezekiel as the Temple. The proper term is “the Sanctuary” as it is set forth in Ezekiel 45:1-4. The Pre-Millennial Sanctuary, as described by Ezekiel, will only have three Gates. The North and South Gates will be used for normal traffic of ingress and egress. There will be no West Gate. The East Gate will be closed for all general purposes of ingress and egress. It will be reserved, precisely, for the use of the risen King David, the Prince (Ezek. 44:3). He, alone, will have access to the Palace Grounds via the East Gate. However, when the Lord Jesus Christ, as the “GLORY of Yahweh,” visits His earthly Metropolis on special occasions, He, too, will enter the Sanctuary through the East Gate. His visits will be his “erchomai” as in “till He come”   (1 Cor. 11:26).

“Then He [the Lord God] brought me back the way of the [East] gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the LORD [Yahweh, to wit, Jesus] unto me; This gate [East Gate] shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel [Jesus], hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince [David], he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD [Jesus]; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that [East] Gate, and shall go out by the way of the same” (Ezek. 44:1-3).

There will be Holy Events which require the Presence of the Great God, Jesus Christ. His Personal Presence is described in a figure of speech, by Ezekiel, as “the Glory of the LORD.”  Note two examples relating to the “Dedication of the Sanctuary” and the prominence of the East Gate:

Ezekiel 43:2: “And, behold, the Glory of the God of Israel [Jesus Christ] came from the way of the east [Gate]: and His voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory.”

It is amazing to note that with the coming [not the 2nd Coming] of Christ to the Pre-Millennial Sanctuary—the earth will shine with His Glory.

Ezekiel 43:4:“And the Glory of the LORD [Jesus Christ] came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the EAST.”

JESUS CHRIST’S RENDEZVOUS WITH HIS TWELVE APOSTLES

He will leave Heaven from time-to-time in order to rendezvous with His Twelve Apostles as He had promised. The Twelve are no longer Apostles—when The Day of Christ comes—they will be the Twelve Judges.  He will enter the Pre-Millennial Sanctuary through the East Gate, as the Glory of the Lord God of Israel. He promised the Twelve, before His crucifixion, that He’d celebrate His Last Supper with them in the Kingdom of God. A unique feature of His “drinking of the fruit of the vine” in His Kingdom is that both He and His Twelve will be in resurrection. This will probably be the first time they see and meet with Him after their Kingdom Resurrections of 1 Corinthians 15:23).

Not only will He rendezvous with the Twelve, during the days of the Kingdom, for the celebration of “The Last Supper,” but He will appear, again, in the Holy Temple grounds and, leisurely, sup with them at His Table.
 
“And I [Jesus] appoint unto you [the Twelve] a Kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me; That ye may eat and  drink at My TABLE  in My Kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel”(Luke 22:29-30).

They will be even more intimate with the Lord Jesus, at His Table, than Mephibosheth [Jonathan’s son] was at David’s Table; “‘As for Mephibosheth,’ said the king [David], ‘he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons’” (2 Sam. 9:11). We learn, further, of David’s favor shown to Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9:13; “So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.”

During The Day of Christ, the Lord Jesus rules and reigns as the Universal Potentate from His Heavenly Throne for approximately 700 hundred years. We are aware that He makes a number of visitations to the beloved earthly City of God—Jerusalem. He will leave Heaven to visit Jerusalem at the glorious Dedication of the Sanctuary (Ezek. 43:2-6). He will enter by way of the East Gate (Ezek. 43:4. 44:1). On occasion, He will rendezvous with the Judges of the Twelve Tribes as a Pre-Millennial Celebration of the Memorial of His Last Supper is observed.

The Lord Jesus Christ will visit the City of God a number of times before the Day of the Lord sets-in which results in His 1000 year “Parousia”.

THE END