As we have seen, the context and historical setting of leadership is during the miraculous outpouring the the Holy Spirit. Another fulfillment of the promise of God that supports a first century application and the commencement of the reign of Christ is the second coming. The relevance of the second coming of Christ to the leadership of the first century and their world view is that the gifts of leadership given to the people of God at that time were absolutely necessary in preparing saints for His coming. If it can be shown that they served a purpose until he came and that he has already come, then the leadership referenced in Scripture is not intended to be duplicated. In this case, his coming marked the end of Old Covenant Israel and the beginning of the new Jerusalem world order. Gifted saints, guided by the Holy Spirit, provided the direction and encouragement to hold out and endure tribulation and persecution because it would soon be over. They were given signs to support that claim and further evidence of its immanence.
The first century was the time appointed to complete the redemptive plan and create in Himself one new man from both Jews and Gentiles. The fulfillment of one age was the commencement of another wherein the “called out” enjoy a spiritual relationship under Christ’s reign. Under this regime, the rules of headship and leadership are not built around a hierarchy in an institution. Jesus did not die for an institution, nor did he or any of His Apostles establish one. Man is responsible for leadership in that arrangement.
The age of fulfillment opened near the incarnation of the Son of God. Galatians 4:4 reads, “but when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem them under the law.” Hebrews 1:1-2a reads, “God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son” (ASV). In both the prophets and the Son, the revelation did not originate with man. They were being moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21, Ephesians 3:1-4). Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament law and prophets and accomplished it in several ways. Primarily, the types and shadows of the law, along with prophetic predictions were completed by Him. The Law’s ultimate purpose pointed to His arrival. Paul explains that the “law was added because of transgressions, til the seed should come” (Galatians 3:19). Paul teaches the same thing when writing the Roman letter in chapter 7. In that context, the law was given to make sin apparent and experience the truth that no one can be justified by the works of the law. The solution to this sin problem was the Savior, who made his appearance in the “last days” to satisfy the perfect demands of law and make atonement for sins.
Jesus’ role was not only a redeemer, but a judge. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, he would return in the glory of his father not as the sacrificial Lamb of God but as the Lion, rendering judgment on the House of Israel and redemption/vindication for disciples. The Messiah’s work was not to occur at the end of the “Christian age”, but at the end of the Jewish Age. This view is known today as the Preterist View. However, we believe that some of the events of Revelation 20 have yet to occur, or may be about to occur. That being the case, full Preterism is not the position taken in this book. We will work from the premise that certain premillennial events were to take place in the last days leading up to the thousand year reign of saints with Christ, and other post millennial events that start with the loosing of Satan. That which the early saints of the first century were anticipating was the resurrection (John calls “the first resurrection”) that took place immediately after the fall of Jerusalem (cf. Rev. 11:8, 13, 18-19).