Did We Get the Church Wrong? Testing First Fruits of Zion

Did the modern Christian church get ecclesiology wrong? First Fruits of Zion (FFOZ) argues that our modern concept of the church does not accurately reflect the biblical *ekklesia*. Instead, they propose what they call a“proleptic radial ecclesiology”—a Messiah-centered, Jewish-centered model in which priests and Levites, Israel, and the Gentile nations occupy distinct positions within the people of God. Dr. R. L. Solberg examines FFOZ’s proposed ecclesiology and tests it against Scripture. What does the New Testament actually teach about the structure of the church? Did the apostles organize Jewish and Gentile believers according to the pattern given to Israel under the Sinai covenant? What happened to the Old Testament system of proximity to God’s holiness under the New Covenant? And does FFOZ’s model risk rebuilding distinctions between Jews and Gentiles that Christ tore down? We’ll first examine FFOZ’s position on its own terms and make sure we understand it accurately. Then we’ll compare that framework with the ecclesiology established by Jesus and the apostles, including the New Testament teaching on **elders, overseers, deacons, the priesthood of believers, Jew and Gentile, the “one new man,” and our direct access to God through Christ**. This is not an argument that everything taught by First Fruits of Zion is false. Rather, it is an examination of a foundational theological framework that can influence how Christians understand **Israel, the Church, Torah, the New Covenant, and the relationship between Jewish and Gentile believers**. Key passages include Acts 20; Galatians 3; Ephesians 2; Hebrews 7–10; 1 Peter 2; and Revelation 21–22. Support Our Ministry https://TheBiblicalRoots.org/support (Thank you!) Our Links https://linktr.ee/thebiblicalroots CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 03:58 What FFOZ Teaches 09:35 Testing FFOZ’s Ecclesiology 10:58 Problem #1 - No Biblical Basis 18:31 Problem #2 - Different from the Apostles 24:16 Problem #3 - Restores the Jew/Gentile Division 33:56 This Matters: The Dangers 38:42 Conclusion