Is there such a thing as God’s chosen people?

Published in Pasugo, Jul 2002



THE TEACHING THAT there is a select group given the right to worship God is so unpopular in today’s society in which all beliefs are accepted as being equal. In fact, any group claiming that they are the only true Church is automatically looked upon with disdain. But is this teaching of an elect group chosen by God against the Bible? Is it true, as many suppose, that everyone has the right to worship God?

Prophet Isaiah long ago declared the consequence of mankind’s sins:

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Is. 59:2, New King James Version)

As a result of sin, mankind’s inherent right to serve God was lost. No matter how much they called upon God, He will no longer accept their services. This became everyone’s dire situation because all people, with the exception of Jesus Christ, sinned (Rom. 5:12; I Pt. 2:21-22).

Who then can call upon God and be heard? King David stated in his psalms the following:

“Remember that the LORD has chosen the righteous for his own, and he hears me when I call to him.” (Ps. 4:3, Today’s English Version)

This is the importance of the election from God. Only those chosen will be heard by Him. That is why for any organization or church to have the right to serve God, it must be chosen by Him. What people don’t realize is that this has been God’s policy ever since ancient times.

God’s first nation

Those who truly believe that the Bible is God’s word will never deny that Israel was His first nation. Even though there were other nations and other religions during the time of Israel, only Israel was given the right to serve God – “Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises” (Rom. 9:4, NKJV).

In fact, Israel alone had God:

“And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, ‘Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel’.” (II Kings 5:15, Ibid.)

Israel was given this right to serve God because of the covenant that God made with their ancestors:

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all other peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not sent His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; But because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the land of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (Dt. 7:6-8, Ibid.)

We should notice that the basis of God in choosing Israel was not their population, but their covenant or oath with God which He made with the fathers or ancestors of Israel. This oath was sworn to the patriarch Abraham:

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

“No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you’.” (Gen. 17:1, 5, 7, Ibid.)

God established a covenant or sacred agreement with Abraham and his descendants, a covenant that both sides had to fulfill. But, did Israel fulfill their end of the covenant?

“…All Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.” (Dan. 9:11, Ibid.)

Israel broke the covenant, which was why there was a need for a new covenant or New Testament. This was why Christ established His Church in the first century.

The prophecy concerning the first-century Church of Christ

When Apostle Peter was addressing the members of the Church of Christ in the first century, he told them the basis of their right to serve God:

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (II Pt. 1:19, Ibid.)

The members of the Church of Christ in the first century knew that they had the right to serve God because it was prophesied or written long ago that they would be given that right. This was the prophecy that God Himself proclaimed through the prophets:

“Also your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands that I may be glorified.” (Is. 60:21, Ibid.)

In this prophecy, God said, “the branch of My planting, the work of My hands that I may be glorified.” When our Lord Jesus Christ was fulfilling His mission of salvation, He proved that He and His disciples were the fulfillment of this prophecy:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:1, 5, Ibid.)

The equivalent of Christ as the vine and His disciples as the branches was given as a comparison by Apostle Paul:

“And He is the head of the body, the church.” (Col. 1:18, Ibid.)

The name of the Church built by Christ is the Church of Christ:

“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)

Therefore, the Church of Christ in the first century had the right to serve God because it was planted or chosen by Him. It had the prophetic word made sure. In other words, it was the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

However, our Lord Jesus Christ pronounced through prophecy what would happen to the first-century Church:

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you.” (Mt. 24:11, 9, NKJV)

An apostasy led by the false prophets overtook the Church in the first century. Many of its members were turned away from the true faith, and they followed doctrines of the devil (I Tim. 4:1,3). On the other hand, those who were not deceived were killed.

The true Church that emerged in the Far East

For a church to be true, it must also have a prophecy proving its truthfulness. It must have biblical proof that it is biblically and prophetically linked to the Church that Christ built. The Iglesia ni Cristo or Church of Christ that emerged in the Philippines in 1914 has such prophecies. Please take note of the following prophecies:

“Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; exalt the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: ‘Glory to the Righteous One.’” (Is. 24:15-16, New International Version)

In this prophecy, God would once again be glorified, but it is not by those from the east known as the Middle or Near East. God Himself foretold from where in the east those He has chosen to serve Him would come:

“From the far east will I bring your offspring.” (Is. 43:5, Moffatt Traslation)

The Church of Christ in these last days emerged in the Philippines, a country in the Far East:

“The Philippines were Spain’s share of the first colonizing movements in the Far East.” (World History, p. 445)

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Philippines has over 7, 100 islands. We now know the name of the true Church, the Church of Christ; we also know the place it would reemerge, the Far East, islands of the sea or the Philippines. But do we know the biblical date? In the verse we quoted earlier, Isaiah 24:15-16, it says, “From the ends of the earth.” The period “ends of the earth,” otherwise known as the end of times or last days, is different from the end of the world. The end of the world is the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ on the day of Judgment. The Scriptures states:

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thee coming, and of the end of the world?” (Mt. 24:3, King James Version)

What was our Lord Jesus Christ’s answer to the question of the disciples?

“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors!” (Mt. 24:33, NKJV)

The ends of the earth is the period of time when the end of the world is near, at the very doors. What are the visible signs that the day of Judgment is approaching? Our Lord Jesus Christ gave the sign of a major war, which was unlike any war in the past:

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Mt. 24:6, Ibid.)

What our Lord Jesus Christ gave was not an ordinary sign, but the sign that the end of the world is near. That is why this is a war that would be heard. Who would hear about this war? What makes this war different from any other in the past? In a related prophecy, Prophet Isaiah spoke of a war that would be heard all over the earth involving all armies of the world:

“Come near, you nations, to hear; and heed, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world and all things that come forth from it. For the indignation of the LORD is against all nations, and His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter.” (IS. 34:1-2, Ibid.)

A war of this scale never occurred in the history of mankind until the First World War:

“The first terrible war, which involved the whole world and caused so much death and destruction, was World War I.” (World History in an Oriental Setting, p. 850)

The news about this war could not have spread all over the world until the fulfillment of another prophecy which would occur at a time when the world’s end is near:

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Dan. 12:4, NKJV)

Before the end of the world, knowledge shall increase, enabling the news of this war to travel fast so that the whole world could hear about this war. This increase of knowledge was manifested in technology:

“The electric telegraph was the product of many minds in many lands, but it became a practical success in the hands of the American, Morse, in 1844. A submarine cable was laid between England and France in 1851… telephone entered commerce with the American inventor, Bell, in 1876. The Italian, Marconi, succeeded with wireless telegraphy around 1896. Radio was invented shortly before the First World War.” (World History, vol. 2, pp. 543)

The First World War was unique in many ways. It was the first war global in scope, and the news of this war was heard all over the world. When did the First World War begin?

“The first great campaign on the southeastern battle grounds of the Great War began on July 27, 1914, when the Austrian troops undertook their first invasion of Serbia.” (The Story of the Great War from Official Sources, p. 291)

When on the other hand, was the Church of Christ officially registered with the Philippine government? On July 27, 1914 – concurrent with the outbreak of the First World War.

The reemergence of the Church of Christ in the Philippines in 1914 is the fulfillment of biblical prophecies attesting to its election by God. The period of time, the place, and the name had been prophesied long ago and were fulfilled in this Church. This is the Church that has been chosen to serve God and receive His promise in these last days.

Although many people may criticize the doctrine that only a chosen group or church will be saved on the day of Judgment, this remains God’s standing policy in determining whose worship would be accepted by Him. The many biblical prophecies concerning the reemergence of the Church of Christ in these last days give the Church its basis in preaching the right to salvation.