Short Answer
All believers—whether from the Old Testament, church age, or future periods—are ultimately united as God’s people, called “saints.” While there may be some distinctions during the millennial kingdom, especially regarding Israel and the church, all believers will share in God’s presence and kingdom. These differences do not divide God’s people but reflect different roles in His overall plan.
The Overview
The Bible uses the term “saints” to describe all people who belong to God, whether they lived in the Old Testament, the present church age, or future periods like the tribulation and millennium. The word simply means those who are set apart for God. This shows that all believers, regardless of when they lived, are part of God’s redeemed people.
At the same time, Scripture indicates that God has worked through different groups in different ways throughout history. In particular, there is a distinction between God’s plan for Israel and His work through the church. During the millennial kingdom—a future period where Christ reigns on earth—Israel will have a unique role, with promises made in the Old Testament being fulfilled. Meanwhile, believers from the church age will already have glorified bodies and will reign with Christ.
Even with these distinctions, there is no separation in terms of belonging to God. All believers will be part of Christ’s kingdom and will experience His presence. The differences are more about function and timing rather than value or status. For example, some may have different responsibilities or roles, but all will share in the blessings of God’s kingdom.
In the eternal state—after the millennial kingdom—these distinctions appear to become less significant. While there may still be differences such as cultural or ethnic identity, all believers will live together in unity under God’s rule. Ultimately, the focus is not on separation but on the shared joy of being God’s people forever.
Key Takeaways
- All Believers Are Called “Saints”
The term applies to God’s people in every period of history. - God Has Different Roles in Different Eras
Israel and the church may have distinct roles, especially in the millennial kingdom. - Distinction Does Not Mean Separation
All believers belong to God and will share in His kingdom. - The Millennium Includes Unique Roles
Israel fulfills specific promises, while the church reigns with Christ. - Eternal Unity Is the Final Reality
In eternity, all believers will live together in God’s presence.
Read Full Raw Transcript
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Let’s talk to Jennifer. Jennifer, you’re on the air with Mike Fabarz. How can I help? How can I help? Hi, Mike. I’ve been watching you for about a year now on um on your questions and answers and stuff over on uh today’s Bible questions. Oh, wow. Calling you from Oakidge, Tennessee. Great. Fantastic. My question is that um I think you’re a wonderful pastor, by the way. I wish that you were here in Tennessee so I could go to your church. But anyway, my question is, I’ve always
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wondered this and it’s probably a stupid question and maybe there’s no difference at all, but like you know in the old times they’re called Old Testament saints and then now we’re called the bride of Christ and then in the millennium there’s the millennial saint and my question was are like are we all going to be together or is there any kind of difference or something like like basically my I it’s a two-part question. one, is there any difference or are we all the same? And two is if
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there is any difference, um are is the bride of Christ always with Jesus no matter where he is? And is the Jewish saints only in Israel and we’re in the rest of the world or are is is all the saints everywhere in Israel and out of Israel and all the world and all that or are we just all the same and it’s just different names for the same exact thing? Yeah. Well, that’s a great great question and I think the word saint uh you’ve rightly observed in scripture is used both of those who were right with
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God in the Old Testament and those who are in the New Testament. They’re also called saints uh if you’re a Christian in the church age. That’s after Acts 2 all the way to the rapture and in the tribulation as well as in the millennium. You’ve got uh people called saints. The Jews are called saints there as they’re reathered into Jerusalem and they put their trust in Christ. So saint, you you’ve rightly said is probably the broadest word that we could use to describe someone who has been and
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here’s what the word means set apart to be God’s to if you’re God’s and you’re set apart to be God’s person, God’s daughter, God’s son, then you’re a saint. Okay? Now, God’s got certainly two distinctive things going. Not everybody agrees with this this theology, but many of us do. And that is that there is a program that God has for Israel that is not yet finished. And that’s why the millennial kingdom is so important. And there will be some distinction in the millennial kingdom
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for a thousand years where you’ve got Israel assembled in Jerusalem. This is not the new Jerusalem. This is the Jerusalem in the in in the world in which the the the the devil, the the tempter is bound up. So you got a thousand years with Christ reigning on the throne. And the difference here is primarily that we as Christians have already received our glorified bodies. And the saints of Israel have not. So the Christian saints, glorified bodies, the saints in Israel that are going to populate the millennial kingdom, still
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being given in marriage, still having children, they’re going to have a distinctive uh kind of of of fulfillment of all that God promised for the 10 tribes of the north and the two tribes of the south. And we’re going to have all the promises of Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel, all of them fulfilled. And that is my theology. And I think that’s where the distinction ends. After the thousand-year millennial kingdom, I I still think in in the eternal state after that’s over, there will be ethnic
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distinctions. Just like there’ll be red heads and and blondes and and brown-haired people. We’re going to have also ethnic nations. But that’s okay because now we’re going to have a kind of uh equality and emerging together that I think isn’t going to have the same distinctiveness of the Israeli saints if you want to put it that way in the millennial kingdom. So it’s a great question Jennifer. Well, like for Well, like for instance, like in in Israel during the millennium. Um, so like
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remember Joseph and Daniel and all of those are are they all going to be in Israel and and like I’m in Tennessee. Does that mean that I’m not allowed to be over in Israel with like that’s what I’m trying to say. Are we allowed to co-mingle together? Yes. Or is Israeli um saints only over there or or Right. Are we allowed to go wherever we want? Or you don’t know if we’re allowed to go wherever we want. Well, here’s the thing. It’s hard to say because um I I know that we’re going to rule and reign
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with Christ and the the Gentile churches even though there were Jews in the seven postcards in Revelation 2 and 3, right? We’ve got promises that relate to the millennial kingdom tucked into those statements in those seven churches. And it it it is applied to us in the church age that we are going to be ruling and reigning with Christ. So for ruling, right? Are we just ruling over gentile groups or are we ruling over the 12 tribes of Israel? Well, Matthew 19 says that the 12 apostles which are all
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Jewish are all going to be ruling over the 12 tribes of Israel. But what is our role with Israel? And that’s the part where it gets a little fussy. Yeah, there you go. That that’s like cuz I’m like, well, where are we at? So, are we not allowed over there or you think that we’re allowed to go wherever? I think we’ll be allowed over there. But I’ve got to say there is a distinction particularly on the temple mount because according to the book of Ezekiel, we’re going to have a functioning temple with
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priests and priests have special sacrifices. That was my second part of the question. So when they’re doing the sacrifices and stuff, if you believe that, which I I think it seems like there will be. So do you think that the people from the church would be participating in the sacrifices or only the people that are does not have their glorified bodies? They will be the only ones participating in those sacrifices because I know it’s supposed to be like a memorial or something like that, but
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that would be really weird if I was participating in and sacrifices that they’re doing. Well, I don’t know if every last Gentile will, but I do know that the promises for Israel when it’s ruling in the head and not the tail as it’s put in the prophecies, uh, they’re going to have the gentile nations bringing their wealth into Jerusalem. And there’s all kinds of promises in Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel that talk about the nations coming to worship and coming up to Jerusalem. So, we have
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to look at those and say it seems like most of those promises about the nations coming into to Jerusalem are uh for the millennial kingdom. And yet, you could say, well, maybe some of these are really looking beyond that to the eternal state. But I do think the nations will be allowed in Israel and in in Jerusalem. When it says the nations will bring their wealth into Jerusalem, well, what does that mean? Does that mean every last person living on the planet is going to go to Jerusalem? I don’t think so. Uh, but that is where
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Christ is going to be seated in his throne, at least for that thousand-year period. And I do think it’s going to be a kind of access that is maybe perhaps not something you’re going to be doing every week, but uh we are going to have Christ ruling and reigning and the world’s going to be a very great place to be. But you’ve asked a very good question and it’s going to be hard for us to see other than the fact that there’s enough prophecies talking about the nations coming opengated Jerusalem
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to the the center of where God is ruling and David the prince is resurrected and ruling with Christ in Jerusalem. So I I think the nations are are fully accessible there. I can’t go beyond that to say they’re fully accessible in every part of the of the uh Ezekiel temple. Don’t know if that’s the case. Now, all these questions, by the way, Jennifer, are the reason that some people say, “Forget it. It looks too complicated.” Let’s just say we’re skipping the millennium and we’re going right to the
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eternal state. Don’t forget it. And I don’t think we should forget it because as the Bible says, no, the moon and the stars aren’t going to go away. And and he’s not going to cease to have Israel be a nation before it. So the nation’s distinctive I think is okay for us to work through the difficult questions to say God’s got a time coming in Jerusalem in Israel with ethnic Israel and we’ll be accessing that place maybe not every last square foot of it but we will be interfacing now will I be leading you
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know any part of the kingdom and have Jews under my my jurisdiction I don’t know I think maybe maybe so maybe not I don’t
