Catholic, Militant, Triumphant

Catholic signifies general, inclusive. It cannot properly be applied to any church except "The Church of the First-borns, written in Heaven." (Hebrews 12:23.) The latest thought of Bible students is that the names Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, are not catholic, but are names of divisions. Likewise the terms Church of England, Church of Germany, Greek Church, Church of Rome, are sectional names and not properly termed catholic.

The term, Church Militant, signifies the Church at War. It was the wrong thought when the Church undertook to war with carnal weapons, either against nations or against heretics through the nations. She has no commission for such a warfare. It will be hers, eventually, to "bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, and to execute the judgment written. This honor have all His saints." It will be hers eventually, when glorified, to sit with Christ in His Throne, and to exercise dominion over the nations, and to break them in pieces as a potter's vessel. (Revelation 2:27.) But all this will be beyond the First Resurrection, in her Heavenly inheritance of Glory, Honor and Immortality.

The Church's warfare in the present time is to "fight a good fight of faith." It is an individual warfare in which the consecrated members of the Church must stand their ground, and do their battlings by the assistance of the Captain of their salvation, and the support of His Word. The brethren may greatly assist one another, building one another up in the most holy faith. Those who are faithful unto death will receive a crown of life, and a share with their Redeemer in His Kingdom.

The Church Triumphant will be invisible to men because changed in the First Resurrection and perfected on the spirit plane. As St. Paul declares, "We must all be changed, for flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God." It will operate through earthly representatives, the Worthies of the past--Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets.