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God Completes His Plan

The Coming One had come. The Son of God, with eternal life in Himself (John 5:26), came in the likeness
of men a body, prepared for Him, by the Father (Hebrews 10:5); a mortal body, whose life was in the
blood. Jesus was God in a body of flesh (Colossians 2:9).

For more than thirty years, moment by moment, Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness in that flesh
body; perfect submission to the will of His Father. He was in all points tempted as we are; yet without sin
(Hebrews 4:15). And then Jesus laid down the life of that body; obedient to the Fathers will, unto death.

On the cross, the Father made the sinless soul of Jesus an offering for the sin of mankind (Isaiah 53:10,
Second Corinthians 5:21), as the Sin Bearer (sin offering, Leviticus 16:9), that sin might be forgiven.

There, Jesus poured out His soul unto death (Isaiah 53:12) in mans stead, taking sin into the grave that
sin might be forgotten (scapegoat, Leviticus 16:20-22). Sin had been put away, once for all, in the sacrifice
of Jesus (Hebrews 9:26-28), availing righteousness to mankind.

Through one Mans righteous act the free gift of righteousness came to all men, resulting in justification of
Life eternal life (Romans 5:18). Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God could now have righteous sons of
glory, out of His creation of mankind. The eternal covenant had been ratified, in the shed blood of Jesus
(Hebrews 9:15).

Death was not an end for Jesus, but a means the means by which His body of flesh was raised a body of
glory, enlifed with Eternity the power of an endless life (Hebrews 7:16). Death no longer had dominion
over Jesus (Romans 6:9); death was overruled, with eternal life.

Jesus said, He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and shall not come into
judgment, but has passed from death into Life (John 5:24). The One with the power of an endless life has
the authority to give that Life to any man, who simply believes into Him (John 5:21, 26).

Thats good news but in order for it to be good news for all men, it had to be shared with them; they must
hear the word concerning Jesus; the gospel of Christ. Toward that end, God began to prepare another
Body; a new creation, to serve His good purposes. This Body was formed out of the death of Christ (Psalm
139:15-16).

Turn to John chapter 20. On the night of His resurrection, Jesus came to His disciples in the upper room
those who had already believed into Him.

[John 20:19-23]

v. 19-21 Jesus had represented His Father on earth, speaking His words and doing His works; the Father
had given that authority to Jesus. Now the disciples would be representing Jesus, dispatched under His
authority, speaking His words, doing His works.

v. 22-23 Notice first that Jesus breathed on His disciples - the breath of God. Does this remind you of
anything? The creation of the first man. The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).
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But we certainly see differences. Does the Scripture say that Jesus breathed into each one, individually?
No; and to emphasize that point, it actually says that Jesus breathed on them; on, as a collective; one
breath, upon all of them.

And with that breath, Jesus said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Now, the disciples had already believed into
Jesus; therefore, would they not already have been indwelt with the Holy Spirit, the moment they believed?
Yes (Luke 11:13, First Peter 1:11). So what can be the significance of this? In what way are the disciples
now receiving the Holy Spirit?

They are receiving Him together, as a collective body. As the LORD God had breathed into His first man,
and His breath gave life to that creation, so now Jesus breathed into this Body that was formed out of His
death; the Body of Christ; and His breath gave this new collective body, this new creation, life. This was a
one-time action, with the Body of Christ.

The Body of Christ is a spiritual body. The life of that body, the Body of Christ, is the Holy Spirit. He is
what animates, energizes and unites that Body as a collective (Revelation 22:17, First Corinthians 12:13,
Ephesians 4:3), as each member responds to the direction of the Head of that Body; Christ.

The Body of Christ is the temple of the Holy Spirit; His dwelling place (First Corinthians 3:16). Out from
this temple, the Spirit shines the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, as seen in the face of Jesus
Christ (Second Corinthians 4:6), into the world of men. And as men are drawn to that Light, this temple is
the place that they can come and meet God, for themselves.

Look again at what Jesus said next to His disciples, in verse 23. Can men forgive sins? No; only God can
forgive sins (Matthew 9:2-8). But the disciples would be dispatched under the authority of Jesus, bearing
the words of Life the gospel. And based on the response of men to those words, their sins would be
forgiven, or retained.

Having now given His Body of believers the Holy Spirit to dwell in them collectively, Jesus spent the next
forty days opening up their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures how the things
written in the Law, and the Prophets and the Psalms were all fulfilled concerning Jesus, in His first coming
to the earth (Luke 24:44-48). Jesus was equipping His Body for their witness to Him; that the Light might
shine out.

Then Jesus ascended back to heaven, in the presence of His earthly witnesses; exalted to the right hand of
the Father, the place of power, and glory, and honor. The believers returned to Jerusalem, as instructed by
Jesus. And ten days later, from heaven, Jesus poured out upon them that which He had promised them.
And what was that? The Holy Spirit.

Turn to Acts Chapter 2. This was the fulfillment of the Feast of Pentecost; the Feast of Weeks - fifty days
after Jesus rose as the firstborn from the dead.

[Acts 2:1-4] Now, the believers were already indwelt by the Holy Spirit, individually; and the Body of
Christ had already collectively received the Holy Spirit, when Jesus breathed on them, on the night of His
resurrection. So what is the significance here of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, on the Body of Christ?

This was the anointing for their ministry; to reconcile men to God. This was also a one-time action, with
the Body of Christ. Jesus had called this the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5), by which His Body on
earth was clothed with power, from on High (Luke 24:49).
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It was at this time that the Body of Christ received the charismata, the graces of the Spirit, sometimes
translated as spiritual gifts; these are powerful manifestations of the Spirit, distributed to each member of
the Body of Christ as the Spirit wills, for the profit of God to obtain sons for His kingdom (First
Corinthians 12:4-11).

One of those spiritual graces was manifest immediately the speaking in tongues which are foreign
languages that are naturally unknown to the speaker.

The Spirit gave each believer a new language to speak, on this occasion; why? Because there were
religious pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost, from all around the Empire; and in their
languages, the believers began to proclaim to these pilgrims the wonderful works of God. Here was the
Body of Christ, the temple of God on earth, shining out the light of the gospel.

Then, as Peter gave his witness that day, showing how Jesus fulfilled the OT Scriptures as both Lord and
Christ, three thousand souls were added to the Body of Christ; a harvest of souls, memorialized in the grain
offering of the Feast of Pentecost (Exodus 34:22, Leviticus 23:15-21). And the Lord continued to add to
His church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).

What were they being saved out of? They were being saved out of that creation in Adam, into which they
were born. This means that Satan was losing some of the building blocks, from his world system they
were instead becoming living stones, being built up a spiritual house (First Peter 1:5) the household of
Christ (Hebrews 3:6) sons of Gods kingdom.

This would not go uncontested, by Satan. He would attempt to disrupt Gods building plans.

First Satan tried to introduce hypocrisy into the newly-formed Body of Christ. Ananias and Sapphira joined
themselves to the Body of believers in Jerusalem, and attempted to deceive the apostles with a
disingenuous gift. But the Holy Spirit routed out the imposters. They were stricken dead in judgment; a
warning that the Body of Christ, His royal priesthood, is to be holy, as He is holy (Acts 5:1-11).

Satan also tried to use leading members of his religious establishment in Jerusalem the Sadducees and the
Pharisees to silence the apostles; first with threats, then with beatings. But this only caused the apostles to
rejoice that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus (Acts 4:1-21, 5:17-41).
Persecution has the effect of strengthening the true church.

Then Satan resorted to his ancient tactic, in his determination to silence the preachers of righteousness.
Stephen, a prominent believer in Jerusalem, was brought to trial before the Sanhedrin, the judicial counsel
of the Jews. Despite the false charges and illegal proceedings, Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 6:8-7).

The blood of the first martyr had been shed, because of his witness to Jesus. He would not to be the last.
The devil was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44, 1 John 3:12), from Cain with Abel, always
attempting to silence the witness of the prophets of righteousness (Luke 11:49-51).

But instead of silencing the witness, Satan wound up perpetuating it. The persecution that followed
Stephens death resulted in the dispersion of believers out of Jerusalem - and like seed scattered over the
earth, they spread the good news wherever they went - and the gospel continued to bear the good fruit of
eternal life in receptive hearts.
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Sometimes even the heart of a persecutor proved to be receptive - as in the case of Paul, to whom Jesus
revealed Himself personally. In that moment, a man who in his zeal had made havoc of the church became
one of its chief architects - transformed by the love of God, in Christ (Acts 9:1-16).

Paul preached the gospel in all the world (Colossians 1:6) - wherever the Spirit led him. But even though
Pauls good news pertained to the Messiah of Israel, as a nation, Israel rejected Jesus - while the Gentiles
responded to Him, in droves.

Why? Because Israel sought to establish their own righteousness through the keeping of the Law, and so
would not submit to the righteousness of God, through faith in Christ alone (Romans 10:3); that is, they
wanted God to accept them based on their own good works. But could their work ever be good enough for
God? No. And could their so-called good works ever justify them from their sins? No.

Meanwhile, many of the Gentiles did recognize themselves to be sinners; they knew they were at enmity
with God; they understood they needed a Savior. So when they heard Pauls message of reconciliation for
all men through faith in Christ, their hearts were ready; fertile ground, for the good seed of the Word of
God.

And so the church, which was originally composed of mostly Jewish believers in Jerusalem, began to
transition to a mostly Gentile body, as the message went out into all the world.

Because Israel rejected their Messiah, the Lord had to set them aside for a time (Romans 11:15) - the time
we sometimes call the church age, which began that day of Pentecost. During this time, any individual
who believes into the Lord Jesus Christ - whether Jew or Gentile - becomes part of the Body of Christ - and
is no longer Jew nor Gentile, but all, one in Christ Jesus - each, equally a son of God (Galatians 3:26-27).

The church is a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:6) - the royal priesthood of Christ, our High Priest (First
Peter 1:9, Hebrews 3:1). That makes each member of the church - each believer - a minister of the
reconciliation with God to be had, in Christ.

We who have believed into Christ are the new people of God, in this age. We are now ambassadors for
Christ - as though God were pleading through us; we implore men, on Christs behalf, be reconciled to God
(Second Corinthians 5:18-21).

When will the church age come to an end? Paul tells us that it is when the fullness of the Gentiles has
come in (Romans 11:25); when Christ has added the last member, to His Body, from the Gentile nations.

Then the holy temple in the Lord will be complete (Ephesians 2:21); the last living stone will have been
added, to Gods spiritual house (First Peter 2:5). It is then that Jesus as the Bridegroom will return for His
betrothed, and present her to Himself as His Bride - a church of glory (Ephesians 5:27).

The apostle Paul was given to see this future reunion. Turn to First Thessalonians chapter 4. Paul was
comforting the church in Thessalonica concerning fellow believers who had fallen asleep - that is, they had
died. This passage pertains specifically to believers of the church age - members of the Body of Christ -
because it is those who have believed into Jesus, once He came.

[First Thessalonians 4:13-17]

v. 13 Those who have fallen asleep is a euphemism for death. Death causes separation, which results in
grief on the part of the loved ones of the deceased.
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But Paul wants the Thessalonians to know that if the one who died was a believer, the sorrow of those
believers who remain on earth can be mixed with joy - because they can be certain that the separation from
them is only temporary - as Paul goes on to show.

v. 14 Because we have believed into the work that Jesus did on our behalf, His work becomes efficacious
for us, personally - his death became our death, out of the old creation in Adam. In like manner, His
resurrection becomes our resurrection, as a son of God, in a body of glory; this flesh body, changed;
conformed to the image of Gods Son (Romans 8:29).

Therefore, it is assured that the Father will bring to heaven with Jesus all who have believed in Him -
whether we are living, or we are asleep in Jesus - dead. If the believer has died, his soul of spirit life goes
immediately to be with Jesus - absent from the body, present with the Lord (Second Corinthians 5:8).

And whether alive or dead, the condition of the believers body is irrelevant, because he has been born
again, of the incorruptible Seed, Christ (First Peter 1:23); his body has received eternal life, the very life of
Jesus body of glory, and His seed remains in us (First John 3:9). That seed will bear the fruit of an ever-
living body, of which the Holy Spirit is our guarantee (Second Corinthians 5:5).

Paul goes on to give some details of this reunion of Jesus, with His church - His bride.

v. 15-18 This is a word of the Lord that was revealed to Paul to be shared with the Body of Christ - so that
they could know with greater certainty the completion of Gods plans, for them, and be comforted
concerning those who have died.

What Paul describes is whats commonly known as the rapture - from the Latin rapere, meaning snatched
away - the church is quickly caught up to meet the Lord.

The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven; and the Bridegroom will call out for His Bride. The bodies of
those who have died in Christ will rise first, as glorified habitations for their souls of spirit life.

Then those believers still alive on the earth will be caught up together with them, their bodies changed in a
moment on the way up (First Corinthians 15:51-52).

And together, as the Bride we will all meet our Lord. Where? In the air; the Lord has no need to return to
the earth at this time, but instead just sweeps up the Bride from the earth to the heavens, to be with Him -
forever - for they are His heavenly people.

And where will Christ and His Bride live? In the New Jerusalem; the home that the Bridegroom has
prepared for His beloved (John 14:2-3).

It is in this way that the Father conveys us into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13) - the
heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22). These are the glorified sons of God whose citizenship is in heaven
(Philippians 3:20).

But are these all of the sons, that God will obtain from His creation of mankind? No; for in addition to the
heavenly realm, there will be sons of God in the earthly realm - two realms, one kingdom (Romans 8:19-
23).
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But the kingdom on earth must wait until God has made the enemies of Christ on earth His footstool (Psalm
110:1, Hebrews 10:13). And this will require a period of Tribulation, such as the earth has never known.

At that time, the church will already be with the Lord, in the heavenly Jerusalem. The true church will
have kept the Lords word; not denied His name; and kept His command to persevere. Knowing this, Jesus
made a promise to keep His church from the Tribulation - the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole
world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 3:8, 10).

God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (First Thessalonians
5:9). Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come (First Thessalonians 1:10).

Meanwhile, the rest of the world, who chose to harden themselves against the love of God in Christ, will
pass through an experience designed to break up their stony hearts - for God would have that none should
perish, but that all should come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9). Shortly after the true church is caught up
to be with the Lord, seven years of fiery tribulation will begin on the earth (Daniel 9:27).

Jesus gave His disciples a description of this time, which was preserved in the gospel record. In this way,
God ensured that those who would one day experience the Tribulation could have understanding that this
was the judgment of God upon an unrighteous world - so that they might yet be saved from the final
Judgment and its end, the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

Were going to just take an overview of what Jesus said of this time, in Matthew chapter 24. The disciples
were beginning to understand that Jesus would be leaving, for a time. So they began to inquire as to when
He would return, to set up His kingdom (Matthew 24:3).

Jesus gave them a very detailed answer, and He does so as if He was addressing, not His Jewish disciples,
but Israel in the last days. He warned them of calamities in the first half of the Tribulation that will
increase in severity and frequency - the beginning of sorrows - that is, like a womans birth pangs (v. 6-
8). This will be the necessary labor for the birth of the nation Israel, as a regenerate nation.

But the latter half of the Tribulation will be far worse - Jesus described it as great tribulation (v. 21). In
fact, only a third of the nation will survive it, due to the intense persecution of Israel, during this time
(Zechariah 13:9). But Jesus warned them not to be deceived, by false deliverers (v. 4, 23-26). The nation
will not be delivered from this fiery trial, but through it.

Throughout this time, the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the
nations - to Israel as well as the Gentile nations (v. 14).

The good news preached at this time will be that King Jesus is returning, to set up His kingdom - a
kingdom of perfect justice - and for those who are willing to submit to Him, they will be permitted to enter
His kingdom - whether Jew or Gentile. The catchphrase in that day will be to watch for Him; to be ready
(Matthew 24:36-51, 25:13).

The Tribulation will culminate in the Second Coming of Christ - the return of Jesus, this time to the earth
itself, to set up His kingdom (v. 27-30). This is the end of the age - the end of Gentile dominion; all
enemies will be subdued or destroyed (Matthew 24:14, First Corinthians 15:24, Daniel 2:44, Revelation
19:11-21).
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At that time, the righteous dead will be resurrected from the graves (John 5:26-29, First Corinthians 15:23)
- the OT saints (Daniel 12:1-3) and the Tribulation martyrs - all in bodies of glory, all to participate with
Christ during His 1000-year reign, on the earth (Revelation 20:4, 6).

Having been purified through the fiery tribulation, the now regenerate nation of Israel will be appointed as
the preeminent nation, during the 1000-year reign of Christ on the earth - to teach the other nations (Isaiah
2:2-3).

Believing Gentiles will be invited into the kingdom - and even those undecided Gentiles who at least
extended compassion to the persecuted Jews, during the Tribulation (Matthew 25:31-40). They will have a
prolonged opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord, as they experience for the first time a kingdom of
righteousness and peace.

But those remaining on the earth who instead hardened their hearts in unbelief throughout the Tribulation
will be judged as the rebels they are - and immediately put to death (Matthew 25:41-46).

During the 1000-year reign of Christ, the church will reign with Christ from the New Jerusalem over the
earth (Matthew 19:28, Revelation 3:21, 5:9-10).

Satan will be bound; he will be powerless to deceive men (Revelation 20:2-3), and his world system will
already have been cleansed from the earth, by the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 17:15-18, Revelation
18).

Men will continue to be born in the kingdom - flesh men - but they will only hear the truth taught. Some
will believe into Christ; nonetheless, because of self-will, some will rebel against Christ. Those who do so
outwardly will immediately be put to death (Isaiah 65:20). But rebellion that resides in the heart must also
be brought out.

So at the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released, and will lead a rebellion of these covert rebels -
and the Lord will simply destroy them. Then Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire, having served Gods
purposes. The unrighteous dead are resurrected, judged by Jesus, and also cast into the Lake of Fire
(Revelation 20:7-15).

This indicates the end of time; for those who remain on the earth will all be believers - sons of God - and by
now they have been glorified - they will live forever.

So time will give way to Eternity - God will have His kingdom of sons in the two realms, in heaven and on
earth - sons of His love. The prayer that Jesus taught His disciples will be answered: Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10) - for through love, all will gladly serve God,
and serve one another.

And Jesus prayer to the Father will also be answered, now, for all the sons of God: That the love with
which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them (John 17:26); united as One, in the love of God (John
17:23).

So God will have realized His purpose for mankind - to have men in His image, according to His likeness -
glorified sons of His love - through the One who so loved us, to redeem us to God by His own blood - our
Lord, Jesus Christ. To God be the glory - forever and ever!