I Corinthians 15:20-28
Here is a passage of scripture which many people quickly read through and think they “got it,” but never really slow down and take time to verify what they think is “obvious,” concerning what Paul was saying here. The very succinct nature of the passage alone demands further investigation into the depths of Paul’s meaning and intent. Simply consider how Paul takes us all the way from Christ rising from the dead and being the “firstfruit of them that slept,” then covers the redemptive plan of God from the consequences of Adam’s sin which brought death upon all men, to the very conclusion of God’s plan for all things – when God will be “all in all.” That’s a whole lot to cover in just nine verses.
I Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
Most believers fail to stop and marvel how so much theology has been so efficiently congested into just nine short verses. For most simply read straight through them thinking “OK, yep, I got it. seems perfectly clear to me.” However, with such a vast expanse of time and information being addressed, it appears obvious to me that Paul was merely doing a quick connection and summarization of several key tenets of the Christian faith; points which he obviously expounded upon when he was there in person teaching the Corinthians, reasoning with them Old Testament scriptures in greater depth, and only makes allusion to here.
Therefore it would be prudent of us to humbly ask God’s Spirit for enlightenment that today we too may grasp the magnificent gravity of these words by trying to expand them and gaze into the depth and riches of God’s plan and promises for His people. My hope is for this post to be an encouragement to the readers to invest time to carefully look at each verse and search with me the scriptures Paul had, whereby he would have proved to them their current understanding this passage and his other teachings/epistles as well.
But now is Christ risen from the dead
Here we are confronted with one of the great truths that we must keep in mind as we read this passage, God cannot die, but the man Jesus the Christ did. This does not detract from the truth that Jesus was indeed “God manifested in the flesh,” rather it emphasizes part of the great mystery that Jesus was indeed “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
When the scriptures address Jesus Christ, it is focusing on God as He “tabernacle” with men. In the words of Apostle Peter we see can how the word “tabernacle” refers to the earthen vessel of flesh and blood –
II Peter 1:13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
We can also find acceptable words of Apostle John for the consideration of God being manifested in a glorified celestial form, (i.e., a heavenly “tabernacle,” or spiritual body), as well as Paul’s reference to God “manifested in the flesh” –
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
I Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Another thing to keep in mind about Jesus Christ is that the definition of “Christ” is; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, or, the Anointed One. –
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.
Some may argue that there have been many men “anointed” by God and therefore Jesus was just another “anointed one.” However, Jesus own words make it clear He wasn’t just “anointed,” but rather He was in fact “the Christ,” or The Anointed One. Jesus being “the Christ” isn’t true just because the Spirit of God was upon Him, it is true because in Jesus dwelt the fullness of the essence of God bodily.
Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ.
Colossians 2:9 For in Him all the wealth of God’s being has a living form (Bible in Basic English)
Colossians 2:9 For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily (Revised Standard Version)
We can see in Jesus’ words in verse Mt 16:13 above that He confesses to be the “Son of man,” even though He had no earthly father. By these words Jesus is acknowledging and confirming that He is indeed one of them, a man.
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
11 For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same . . .
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
When Christ was risen from the dead He had already been dead long enough for a normal body to have started the decaying process; and unlike when Lazarus was raised, Jesus was the first of humanity to literally be raised again in a glorified celestial body. This making Jesus the first man of many of “them that sleep,” who will be raised again according to the sure mercies of David and the promise of God. Who are these that will raise again unto life? They are the redeemed of humanity.
Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Acts 13:34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
Psalms 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
The second and last flesh and blood Adam, was Jesus the Christ. It was His sinless human blood that was our propitiation for sins.
Hebrew 10:5 Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared Me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God.
8 Above when He said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
All men die because of Adam’s sin, therefore, so can all men be “made alive” because of Christ’s death.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits . . .
“Every man in his own order” shall rise again, but Jesus was the first to defeat death and to be raised again clothed with glory and immortality of flesh and bone.
Acts 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
Romans 1:3 Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
I Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
Here is the qualifier of “all” them that shall be “made alive” in verse 22. It is those “that are Christ’s,” or as Paul stated in I Thess. 4:16, “the dead in Christ.” These shall arise and be clothed with glory and immortality of flesh and bone “at His coming” and shall “be fashioned like unto His glorious body.”
Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.
I John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.
Then cometh the end, when heJ shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father . . .
From verse 24 to 28 Paul mentions several times “he, his” and “him.” Now most people automatically assume this is all the same person through the verses, or just Jesus and God. However, up to this point we have been addressing the fact that Jesus Christ was made a man and came to redeem man as the Christ, or “The Anointed” as God manifested in the flesh. Therefore for the purpose of this study I have placed a J for Jesus, M for man, and a G for God in superscript for identifying who the intended subject may be. Now I know many will disagree and that is fine, I am simply showing who may be intended and explaining why I believe so.
Here in verse 24 Paul says, “Then cometh the end . . .” At this time the Kingdom of God is established on earth purified and all enemies defeated. This is “the end” phase of the working of God for the redemption and reconciliation of that part of humanity which has embraced the truth and hope of the Gospel through faith, trust, surrender and obedience.
John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
. . . when heJshall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
The delivering up the Kingdom to God began at the cross when Jesus “spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” He had proven God worthy of all glory, honor and power and the adversary to be a liar and thus condemned. Through His sacrifice as the Lamb of God He provided a propitiation for sins and empowerment for the meek who through their acknowledged weakness He is made strong on their behalf.
However, the last and final stage of purification of sin from God’s creation will begin with the start of the millennium and be concluded with an absolute ratification of sin upon the millenniums end.
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.
13 And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
For heM must reign, till heJ hath put all enemies under hisM feet.
Here is where I will have to ask many of my readers to sit back and try to be open. I know what we have all been taught, I was taught it too. But please consider what is being presented here in light of all the scriptures being presented, for scripture interprets scripture. As you can see I have noted that the first “he” and the ending “his” are dealing with man, or the redeemed of the Lord. Consider also the scriptures below as you rethink the possibly it is also “he (i.e. man)” who “must reign . . . till,” or throughout the Millennium up until the great judgment for the completion of the process of delivering up the kingdom to God, even the Father.
Daniel 7:18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
Daniel 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Daniel 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.
Psalms 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Luke 22:28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
I Corinthians 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
II Timothy2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Revelation 2:26 And he [man/the saints] that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him [man/the saints] will I give power over the nations:
27 And he [man/the saints] shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Revelation 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.
In the above verses we see the promise of the saints reigning with the Lord Jesus Christ upon His earthly throne ruling the nations with a rod of iron.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Death will not be destroyed until it is cast into the fire at the end of the millennium. Until then, death is still possible during the millennium for those parts of humanity who were not destroyed in the destruction of the nations with the coming of Christ. That remnant which will be permitted to enter into the promised millennial rest as were those children of the Israelites who under the age of twenty were not held to the sins of their fathers who perished before hand and were still permitted to enter the Promise Land.
Numbers 14:29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
Deuteronomy 1:39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
Yet even though the saints are ruling with Christ on the throne and death is virtually suspended, death is still possible, as well as sin, which is why we the redeemed (i.e. man) rule with a rod of iron.
Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
Revelation 2014 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Nevertheless, death is no threat to Christ; He had the power to lay down His life and take it back again and He rose from it. Neither is death a threat to God who cannot die. Death is the enemy of man and must be destroyed, and will be.
For heG hath put all things under hisM feet . . .
I know there will be many reservations with my superscripts here, but let us look at the scriptures Paul wrote, as well as the ones which would have been the foundations from which he taught from as well.
Job 7:17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
Psalms 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Now some may say these are all references only to Jesus, the Son of man who was made lower than the angels, but consider what scripture really does say about man, how it uses the phrase “son of man,” and Jesus who likewise became the Son of man.
Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
5 For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
However, please note verse five, “unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come.” The subject “whereof we speak” is unto whom the world to come (the new earth) is going to be place in subjection to . . . we clearly see it is not the angels to whom “the world to come” is given.
Hebrews 2:6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest him?
7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
Here the author is quoting Psalm 8, but concludes in the end of verse 8 that “now we see not all things put under him.” That is because Christ hasn’t come yet and subdue all things-
Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Nevertheless, afterwards in Hebrews it says in verse 9, “But we see Jesus . . .” which clearly distinguishes this man from those before Him –
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Here we see why Jesus being made a little lower than the angels . . . for man. That He should taste death for every man and deliver us all from it and become the Captain of our salvation.
. . . But when heG saith all things are put under himM, it is manifest that heG is excepted, which did put all things under himM.
The above verse is clear and needs no explanation. However, there are still verses confirming it.
Zechariah 8:8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.
And when all things shall be subdued unto himM. . .
It is clear that God has promised to His saints that they would rule and reign with Christ, and it is a promise that God will indeed fulfill as He did with the bringing of the sons of Abraham into the Promise Land. Yet that too was just a type and shadow of something even greater for God’s children –
Exodus 12:25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
Leviticus 25:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.
Leviticus 25:38 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
Hebrews 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God.
Joshua’s taking them into the Promise Land was not the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise for His people, it was just His confirmation that He was able to subdue all our enemies and keep His promises.
Psalms 58:10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
Psalms 68:22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:
23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.
. . . then shall the Son also himself be subject unto himG that put all things under himM, that God may be all in all.
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.
The “hope of His calling . . . the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” is something I do not think we can fully understand concerning the significance of the resurrection of Jesus, and the resurrection of the saints as well and what that really brings about for us. It is as Paul said, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”
I think too often we believers attempt to interpret what is ahead for the saints by what we have known and experience here, yet that is as inadequate as trying to show the wonders of our solar system with various sized styrofoam balls positioned in place with wire. What we will be when we are resurrected cannot compare to anything that we can now perceive by virtue of the magnitude of difference between flesh and spirit, terrestrial and celestial.
I am not saying this all is the pure truth . . . only that I see it as very feasible and understandable this way. Concerning “then shall the Son also himself be subject unto himG” I believe that must be interpreted in the light of God’s plan being fulfilled in the redeemed, the realization of that for which all creation groans–
Romans 8:19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God;
20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope;
21 because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now;
23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
At the beginning of the millennium the enemies of God and the saints, both they which are flesh and blood and the demonic will be fully subdued. For with Jesus Christs return the nations will be conquered, the wicked leaders destroyed and the devil and his minions cast into a pit for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years they are released to go and deceive the nations to come and make war again against the Lamb of God.
Revelations 20:7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison
8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.
9 And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,
10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The only ones in the millennium that the devil will be able to deceive are those, who during the millennial reign of Christ with His saints, failed to recognize that the righteousness of God was more precious than gold. Those who failed to receive a love for His truth and embrace Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
II Thessalonians 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Finally, at the end of the millennium, shall the last enemy of the unregenerated be removed forever, which is death.
Revelations 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.
13 And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done.
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire;
15 and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Then shall the unregenerated, those who entered and lived through and were born in the millennium and still needing the mediation and priesthood of Jesus and gave themselves to the reigning Christ, (i.e. the God-man manifested in glorified celestial form), will be set free, washed in His blood and changed in a twinkling of an eye. They too will be joined/combined fitly together with all the saints and God will forever be all and all.
And when all things shall be subdued unto himM, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto himG that put all things under himM, that God may be all in all.
To me, the simple explanation of verse 28 is after God has redeemed, transformed, glorified all those that love Him and His truth. That these things will be true –
Romans 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection
Romans 8:29 For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
II Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
This therefore is why Paul continues in I Cor. 15-
I Corinthians 15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
I feel, I believe and I am persuaded in my spirit, (these I say more of searching for the right words than declaring such) that the mystery of God that He has for His church is so unfathomable that I scarcely feel it proper to utter. I dare not say “Thus says the Holy Writ of God,” but yet I feel that such is witnessed thereby nonetheless. That God, who is in pure essence a holy omniscience, omnipotent and omnipresent spirit without form or limitation held by time or space, was indeed manifested in the flesh and is not ashamed to call us His brethren. That the Son of Man, even the Son of God, died and was resurrected with a glorified celestial body, so that we too in our resurrection we will be just as He.
No, we will not be “omni” as is the Spirit of God, of course not. Nevertheless, we will be with Christ in glorified bodies partaking of His glory in celestial form and will all be equally filled with the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We will not be “gods,” but we will be the sons of God and we will be one with God, with Him in us as He was in Christ… even as Christ prayed He would be in us.
John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are.
After the millennium when death is destroy and there is no more need for Christ as Priest and Mediator, these roles will then cease by virtue of them having been fulfilled. Through those ministrations “the Son” of verse 28 will have successfully brought (though I see no gender distinctions addressed in scripture) many sons and daughters into the promised of partaking of His glory, with Christ sharing it freely with us. Yet He, the Son, Jesus Christ in celestial form will continue with us in an equality perhaps best describe as in scriptures as that similar to husband and wife, God through Christ forever in eternal communion and bliss as the infinite omnipotent and omnipresent Holy Spirit of God fills us all in all. For then we shall know Him, even as we are known.
Saints, these words I have written are grossly inadequate to communicate that which is perceived in my heart (spirit?) and has witnessed of scripture concerning the elevation to glory that God has prepared for the church; that we should be as Him (in His celestial form) fully engulfed and full of His Spirit. It even directs my heart to truly re-evaluate the significance of the eventual culmination of our being baptized into Christ and baptized with His Spirit.
Even to say as I did above, “an equality… similar to husband and wife forever in eternal communion and bliss” is at best a feeble attempt to communicate that which my mind, heart and spirit cannot now even begin to fathom. Concerning these things I feel as if His Spirit is today saying to me as Jesus did to His disciples, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now . . . These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time comes, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father.”
Revelations 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.
For a final reading based upon my presentation –
I Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of themM that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when heJ shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when heJ shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For heM must reign, till heJ hath put all enemies under hisM feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For heG hath put all things under hisM feet. But when he saith all things are put under himM, it is manifest that heG is excepted, which did put all things under himM.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto himM, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto himG that put all things under himM, that God may be all in all.
Peace, let us all labor towards our blessed hope.
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ
Gates of the City 