When a person comes to Christ in faith, Holy Spirit baptize him or her in to the body of Christ. From the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8).
Why? 1st Corinthians 12:13 informs us, “For by one Spirit (Holy Spirit), we were all baptized into one body (Christ’s body is the church and He being the Head of the church), whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink one Spirit”. It is the function of the Holy Spirit to build the church on this earth. After the death and resurrection of Christ, He commanded His disciples in Acts 1:4, ” not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, …….you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Jesus also said at that time, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotes part of the earth.” As promised by Christ, the Holy Spirit came from heaven on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). This means the church was not in existence at that time. Earlier before the death and resurrection of Christ, he said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.” Christ said in future tense- He will build the church. From that day onwards, the Lord was adding to their numbers day by day those who were being saved.
Church age began on the day of Pentecost per Acts 2. After rapture, is the Judgment Seat of Christ, in heaven.īible teach us rapture is the end of the church age, because all believers in Christ (already dead in Christ and living Christians) will be taken to heaven at the time of rapture.