The failure of Gentile Christianity is predicted in Scripture at Rom 11:15.
Its revival will come with the conversion of national Israel.
Meanwhile, why has Gentile Christianity failed to convert the world? It has been successful in what the Lord called it to. It has evangelized the world Mat 28:18-20, making disciples of all ethnic groups, but the nations are still under the sway of “the god of this world” 2Cor 4:4, the Devil and Satan who continues to deceive the world Rev 12:9 and who is not yet cast into the bottomless pit Rev 20:2-3.
Why are the nations still under the devil’s sway when Jesus’ rule from heaven Ps 110:1 aims to Christianize all the nations Rev 11:15?
At this stage in Christian history we have poor preaching instead of exegetical preaching. Poor preaching comes from preachers who have not been sent by Christ. Contrast this with those preachers who have been sent by Christ. They suffer the same treatment as Jesus did Mat 10:25.
“It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His household?”
Jesus Christ: Matthew 10:25
Jesus came to His own people, the Jews, and they rejected Him Jn 1:11.
Similarly, to a large extent, Gospel preachers have been marginalised and put into a corner Isa 30:18.
What does this say about worldwide Gentile Christianity? Just as the Jewish Church in the Old Testament failed its mission, so the Gentile Church in the Christian era has now run into the sand Rom 11:15, after taking the Gospel into most corners of the Earth. Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian will bring in the biblical Millennium together, so that neither Jew nor Gentile will be able to glory in God’s presence 1Cor 1:29, Rom 11:25,32-33,36.
Essential doctrines
Although Britain has been covenanted to God and is nominally a Christian nation, yet it is backsliding at a rapid rate. In spite of the British Empire becoming, at its height in 1922, the largest empire the world had ever seen, covering about a quarter of Earth’s land surface and ruling over 458 million people, bringing the Bible to many nations, contributing to the worldwide reach of the English language, yet the Gentile Church has not yet Christianized the nations Rev 11:15. Why not? Because institutional Christianity has failed to preach two most essential doctrines.
First, Jesus said: You must be born again Jn 3:3,5,7. The failure to preach the biblical doctrine of individual regeneration by the Holy Spirit of God has resulted in the vast majority of the population believing in the natural goodness of man, which they mistakenly think should be enough to bring them to heaven.
The second doctrine that is not preached is the theological explanation of the Jesus’ death on the Cross of Calvary, in other words the Atonement, the central aspect of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross, which He expects the church to preach 1Cor 2:2 and to remember in the commemoration of the Lord’s Supper.
Roman Catholicism wrongly teaches that Jesus is being sacrificed each time there is a Roman Catholic mass although Jesus Christ cried out on the Cross of Calvary: “It is finished” Jn 19:30. The epistle to the Hebrews explains at length that Jesus’ sacrifice is complete and finished. Jesus does not need to offer repeated sacrifices “Who does not need, as the Jewish high priests, to offer up sacrifice daily … for this He did once, when He offered up Himself” Heb 7:27, “but this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” Heb 10:12. Yet, worldwide, Roman Catholics are taught the opposite.
All over the world, in many nations, these essential doctrines are erroneously taught or neglected.
In the United Kingdom the national churches are failing its constituent nations. Although there are exceptions in individual congregations, generally the people are not told that they must be born again and they are also taught that Jesus died for everybody, implying that no-one is in hell and funeral addresses support this idea that everyone is going to heaven.
These false doctrines leave people in their complacency and the new hell-fire preachers are the eco-warriors who put the fear of global conflagration into the panicking minds of young people.
Such a situation makes no Christian impact upon the nations and so Christ’s full agenda has still to be fulfilled.
Roman Catholicism does not teach these doctrines as the Bible does, nor do the Protestant national churches in the UK. They have failed the nations.
There are other basic matters such as Jesus’ teaching about our priorities:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Jesus Christ: Matthew 6:33
What about teaching Christ’s resurrection? This is basic to Christianity and it is explained in various heterodox ways, which nevertheless keep Christianity before the public mind, but the absence of the two essential doctrines mentioned above ensures that the Christian church loses its strength and impact by grieving the Holy Spirit.
“The prophet who has a dream, let him tell it as his dream; and he who has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? says the LORD.”
Jeremiah 23:28
This raises the question, Which Church should I attend? A short answer is those churches that teach these essential doctrines properly . However, this merits a longer blogpost, which I have in draft form.
However, back to the main thrust of this blogpost. How, then, will the nations be Christianized?
The conversion of the nations to Christianity will be the effect of national Israel acknowledging Jesus Christ as its Messiah.
“And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”
Isaiah 60:3
When the Lord begins to convert the Jewish nation the Gentiles will notice this light arising on them Isa 60:1, Isa 62:2 at the very time that darkness had covered the Earth Isa 60:2 because of the failure of Gentile Christianity to convert the nations that it had evangelized.
What does this mean? In effect: the conversion of the nations will not take place until the nation of Israel is converted first.
The conversion of the Jews will be such an earth-shattering event that even national kings will notice the rising light among the Jews upon whom the Lord Himself is arising Isa 60:2. When the kings of the nations begin to minister to the recovering Christian church Isa 60:10, Isa 62:2 it will be transformative Rom 11:15 and “the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted” Isa 60:12. “Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers” Isa 49:23.
In effect, God in Isaiah 60 says: “‘Arise, Zion, and shine with your new light that has come to you about the Messiah. The glory of the Lord has risen upon you with this new light. Darkness has covered the Earth and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon you with new light to show you that Jesus Christ is your Messiah. The Lord’s glory will be seen when this happens. The Gentiles will then come to see this new light arising upon Israel and the kings of the world will notice your rising up with this new light. Look around you, Zion, and see all those gathering themselves to you with your new Christian light. The resources of the Gentiles will come to you and display the praises of the covenant God of Israel. Their children and kings shall minister to you, because after I disciplined you in My anger, I have had mercy on you. Zion’s gates will remain open to the international resources brought into it and those who formerly despised Jerusalem will acknowledge the Lord’s favour in bringing this Gospel Light to it as its Saviour and Redeemer, which will last for many generations.” This messsage continues through the remaining chapters of Isaiah.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee” Ps 122:6.
Update:
2 Aug 2024: an update about superficial reading: The success and failure of Gentile Christianity.
8 Aug 2024: to illustrate how ignorant the world is of true Christianty and of the need to be born again, when US President Jimmy Carter confessed to having “committed adultery in my heart many times”, this was head-line news around the world because it was indeed news to most people. He was a self-confessedly born-again Christian, which brought the term “born again” into public awareness and it was used by the advertizing industry and applied to many other items, demeaning the term in the process. This demonstrates how whole nations are ignorant of the need to be born again.
Donald's Thoughts 