Wednesday in the Word

what the Bible means and how we know

resurrection

07 1Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 The Day of the Lord

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07 1Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 The Day of the Lord - Bible Study | WednesdayintheWord.com

Paul explains what it means to be prepared for judgment day: have faith. Christians know how the world will end, and we do not have to fear it. Jesus died for us so that we might live with him. 

Review

The young Thessalonian church faced the same hostility that drove Paul out of town. Paul wrote this letter to encourage them in the faith.  In the first three chapters, Paul reminded them:

  • As believers, their great hope is waiting for Jesus to return so that they might inherit a place in the kingdom of God.
  • In the meantime, they are to pursue holiness.

Beginning in chapter 4, Paul addresses some confusion about how to live now. First, he told them to handle their sexuality in an honorable way and to support themselves financially. Now Paul addresses their questions about the second coming of Christ.

Passage

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  18Therefore encourage one another with these words. – 1Thessalonians 4:13-18

  • Our hope as believers centers around the second coming of Christ. We believe Christ died for our sins to rescue us from sin and death, and grant us a place in his kingdom forever, a kingdom which will be inaugurated when he returns.
  • The context suggests Paul is responding Timothy’s report. We have the answer, but not the question. The Thessalonians think those who have died will miss the second coming of Christ.
  • The grief of believers differs because we have a legitimate hope. Jesus made it possible for his people to be resurrected.
  • Paul reassures them Christ died and God raised him from the dead. God will do the same for believers who have died. 
  • Paul does not discourage grief. He discourages hopeless grief.
  • Paul does not intend to explain all the circumstances of the second coming.  His purpose is to inform them about those who die before Christ returns. When Jesus returns, he will gather all his people together, both those who are alive and those who have passed away. 
  • The Thessalonians and all believers should not grieve hopelessly, because the dead in Christ will be resurrected and they will be reunited with them when Christ returns.
  • Paul also emphasizes that this is not his idea, the Lord himself taught this truth.
  • Compare with Matthew 24:29-31; 1Corinthians 15:50-52.

Darby & the rapture

  • The word “rapture” comes from the Latin translation of the verb “caught up” in 1Thessalonians 4:17. Today, the rapture refers to the idea that all believers will disappear before the second coming.
  • The idea comes from John Darby (1800-1882). Darby divided history into different dispensations. The Old Testament was the dispensation of the nation of Israel. Today we are in the dispensation of the church of believers. Darby held that what applied to Israel in both the past and future does not apply to the church.
  • Darby thought the prophetic clock stopped during the New Testament era because it only applies to Israel. Then when Jesus comes to snatch his people away in the rapture, the prophetic clock starts again and counts down to all those prophecies which only apply to Israel. 
  • Dispensationalism embraces the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture: All believers will disappear before a seven year tribulation and then Christ will return. 

Problems

  • 1Corinthians 15:50-52 and 1Thessalonians 4:13-18 suggest when Jesus returns, he gathers his people, judges the unrighteous and establishes the kingdom all at once.
  • A hard break between the Old and New Testaments which separates the church from Israel is not taught in Scripture. The Old Testament is still very relevant to believers.
  • Scripture teaches that God always disciplines His people through suffering and trials in one degree or another. There’s no reason to believe the church must be removed from suffering.

5:1Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.  2For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.  9For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.  – 1Thessalonians 5:1-11

  • God usually doesn’t tell us everything there is know about His plan. Usually, He gives us enough information to trust Him and tells us not worry about it.
  • The “day of the Lord” refers to judgment day.
  • Jesus also taught the thief in the night analogy Matthew 24:43-44.
  • No thief announces his arrival. A thief takes advantage of the fact that no one expects him.
  • We have two ways of dealing with thieves: 1) we can think it will never happen to us or 2) we can be prepared and lock our doors.
  • Believers are to be prepared by having faith and hope in the gospel.
  • Paul’s contemporary Roman citizens relied on the Roman government and believed the government would take care of them and give them everything they want (peace and security). The Romans think the Jewish God is of no concern to them, because they have Rome and her gods. But the day of the Lord will come and they will face their Creator.
  • The Thessalonians believers are ready because they have faith. They know peace and security will be found in only the kingdom of God. 
  • When it’s dark at night, you can sleep or get drunk. It’s hard to look forward to Jesus setting things right if you’ve managed to distract yourself into forgetting anything needs to be set right.
  • The day of the lord comes like a thief in the night on the world, because the world is not ready. They don’t expect Jesus to return. Not so for God’s people, because we believe His promises.  We don’t know when it will happen but we know that it will happen.
  • Christians know how the world will end and we don’t need to fear it.
  • Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again

Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.

Next: 08 1Thessalonians 5:12-28 Handling Community

Previous: 06 1Thessalonians 4:9-12 Handling work

Series: 1&2Thessalonians: Between Times

Study: 1Thessalonians Resources

Scripture references are from the English Standard version.

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Easter: Why the resurrection is important

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Easter: Why the resurrection is important - Bible Study | WednesdayintheWord.com

Imagine hearing this announcement when you show up for a church Easter celebration that includes a potluck. 

“Thank you for bringing such wonderful food to the celebration today. Since the real significance of the food is the thought behind it, instead of eating the food today, we will parade by the tables in single file and admire it appreciatively. Feel free to snap a few photos and share them to your social media account. We want everyone to remember how good the food looked and how abundantly everyone provided.  But no touching and no eating. The idea of the food is what is important.“

Are you laughing? Of course, the significance of food is eating it, not looking at it. Of course, intentions matter. Meaning and significance are important. But sometimes it makes a big difference whether something is real or not. It also matters whether an idea is true or not.

On Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Bible tells us that Jesus was crucified and died on a cross. His body was buried in a tomb where it remained for 3 days. But on the third day, the stone door of the tomb was rolled away and the tomb was empty because God raised Jesus from the dead (Mark 15-16; Matthew 27:32-28:10; Luke 23:26-24:12).

Paul argues in 1Corinthians 15 that the historical fact is Jesus rose from the dead, and it makes a difference that he did. 

Paul wrote this letter to a group of people in Corinth who considered themselves sophisticated and enlightened. They thought it was foolish to believe that people would have life after death in a physical body.  Paul argues, if they are right ant the resurrection is just a beautiful idea, then the gospel is useless.

1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  -1Corinthians 15:1-5

  • The crucial part of the gospel is that Christ died for our sins and was resurrected just as Scripture predicted.
  • Paul insists this idea that Christ DIED for our sins is central to the gospel.
  • And, that fact that he died FOR OUR SINS is central to the gospel. 
  • Sin is not this unfortunate circumstance that makes life unpleasant. Sin is wrong. It is evil. 
  • We have broken God’s law and we stand guilty before Him.
  • Our Creator will judge us unless someone pleads for mercy on our behalf. That someone is Jesus Christ.

3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.  -1Corinthians 15:3-8

  • Many people saw Jesus alive in a physical body after many people save him dead and buried.
  • Paul wrote this letter about 20 years after the resurrection. Many people who saw the risen Jesus were still alive and could verify his words.
  • Paul preached the gospel to them because it is true, not because it’s a nice idea.

9For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.  -1Corinthians 15:9-11

  • If you don’t believe Paul because he wasn’t one of the original 12, then believe the other 11. They all preach the same gospel.
  • It’s not just a nice idea to know that someone in history was raised from the dead once. It’s important for us to know that Jesus was raised from the dead. 

12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.  -1Corinthians 15:12-15

  • If people cannot be raised from the dead, then Jesus wasn’t raised either and the gospel is futile.
  • But resurrection happened. Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Christ.  Many people including the apostles knew him. They saw him, worked with him and followed him. Jesus the man lived, died, was buried. Then God raised him from the dead. 

16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. -1Corinthians 15:16-20

  • If Jesus Christ was not raised, then his death didn’t atone for anyone. We are all still guilty and will be condemned on judgment day.
  • God proved the death of Jesus atoned for our sins by raising him from the dead.
  • The resurrection is central to the gospel because the forgiveness of our sins, the very salvation we are looking for, is tied to the resurrection.
  • The reason we put our hope in the gospel is because it is true. 
  • The gospel is is not a “whatever works for you” story. If you believe the gospel and it turns out to be a lie, you’re a fool.
  • But we know the gospel is true, in part because Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead.
  • On Easter we celebrate an event that really happened and it makes a difference that it did.

Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.

Further Study:

Who do you say that I am? Mark 8:27-38

Couldn’t you stay awake? Mark 14:27-42

Why have you forsaken me? Mark 15:22-41

What does it mean to carry your cross? Luke 14:25-35

Matthew 10:34-39 Not peace, a sword

Colossians 1:13-23 You cannot seek God and avoid Christ

Colossians 3:8-17 Real Gospel Change

What do expiation and propitiation mean?

The Cross of Christ by RC Sproul

PreceptAustin – The Resurrection of Christ

Where to next?

New Testament Studies

Old Testament Studies

Topical Studies

Bible Study 101

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46 1Corinthians 15:50-58 The end of death

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46 1Corinthians 15:50-58 The end of death | WednesdayintheWord.com

Paul argues that death is a bigger problem than we think because it is the doorway to judgment. But God will give us mercy in judgment and victory over death if we trust in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Review

Some of the Corinthians are denying that there is a physical resurrection and Paul is correcting that view in 1Corinthians 15. Paul sees this issue as fundamentally important to the gospel, not an abstract theological concept.

In the last section, Paul answered an objection raised by his opponents. His opponents charged that a rotted and decayed body could not possibly come back to life.  Paul’s answer involved 3 comparisons:

  1. Compare the seed that dies in the ground to the plant the grows from it. The seed and the plant have very different forms.
  2. Compare the two “Adams.” The first Adam sinned and brought death to his descendants. The second ‘Adam’ – Jesus Christ – lived a sinless life, died, was resurrected and brings life to his followers.
  3. The earthly, natural existence is marked by sin, death and corruption but the “heavenly” existence that has been fully transformed by the Spirit of God is free from corruption and fully reflects the character and holiness of God.

God intends to rescue us from sin, death, corruption and futility, and bring us into a life fully reflecting justice, peace and righteousness and His holy character.  Part of that transformation includes the transformation of our physical bodies when we are resurrected.

Passage

15:50I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  51Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  53For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. -1Corinthians 15:50-53

  • 15:50 “flesh and blood“: the normal natural state of the human body which is perishable and subject to sin and death.
  • The resurrection (and transformation) of our earthly bodies is necessary because these mortal corruptible bodies cannot live in the eternal, incorruptible kingdom of God.
  • Every believer will be resurrected but not every believer will experience death. 
  • The language of the trumpet sounding comes from Jesus in Matthew 24:30-31.
  • When you want to ensure that everybody hears, you use a trumpet.  This trumpet is so loud that even the dead hear it and are raised up. 
  • In 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul tells us the dead will be raised first and those who remain alive will be next. 
  • Because resurrection is essential, even those living when Christ returns will be transformed.

15:54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”  55“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”  56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.  -1Corinthians 15:54-58

  • Our current perishable, mortal bodies must be made imperishable, immortal bodies. By definition that is resurrection.
  • Paul quotes Isaiah 25:6-9.
  • Isaiah says a day is coming when death will be defeated. Paul tells us that day will happen when Christ returns and his people are resurrected and transformed.
  • The Corinthians are wrestling with the problem of whether there is a bodily resurrection from the dead.  Paul’s saying, God is solving a bigger problem.
  • Death is even worse than we think.  Death is not just the end of earthly life.  Death is the doorway into judgment. 
  • The time to decide to follow Jesus and trust in his promises is now while we are still breathing.  The real sting of death is the fact that we are sinners heading toward judgment. After death it will be too late to repent.
  • Sin has the power to destroy us because we stand condemned under the holy law of God. 
  • However, death will not destroy believers because Christ has secured our forgiveness and rescued us from sin and death forever. 
  • Paul ends with the exhortation to hold fast to the truths of the gospel.

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Next: 47 1Corinthians 16 Final Thoughts

Previous: 45 1Corinthians 15:29-49 Sown in dishonor, raised in glory

Series: 1 Corinthians: Pride & Prejudice in the church

Study: 1Corinthians Resources

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45 1Corinthians 15:29-49 Sown in dishonor, raised in glory

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45 1Corinthians 15:29-49 Sown in dishonor, raised in glory | WednesdayintheWord.com

Paul answers an objection to the resurrection raised by his opponents with three comparisons: a seed versus the plant it becomes; Adam who brought death versus Christ who brings life; and natural life now versus transformed life in the kingdom of God.

Review

The majority of 1Corinthians is Paul’s response to questions the Corinthians asked him. 1Corinthians 15 is the last topic he covers: whether there is a bodily resurrection. A group in Corinth denies the idea that believers are looking forward to a bodily resurrection.

So far in 1Corinthians 15, Paul has made three main points:

  1. We know there is a resurrection because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
  2. If Jesus was not resurrected, then his death accomplished nothing and we are still trapped in our sins.
  3. Resurrection is at the heart of the gospel because it is an essential part of how God intends to solve the problem of sin and death.

Passage

15:29Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30Why are we in danger every hour?  31I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!  32What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”  34Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.  – 1Corinthians 15:29-34

  • No one knows what Paul is referring to in 15:29 about the baptism of the dead.
  • The plain reading of this verse is that the Corinthians are practicing some kind of vicarious baptism.   
  • Nowhere in the Bible are people commanded to be baptized for the dead nor do we see people being baptized for the dead.   It is not a practice that developed in the early Christian church, and there’s no record of it in pagan churches.
  • It seems reasonable to assume that the Corinthians have adopted some form of vicarious baptism. Paul doesn’t explain what the practice was because they already knew what it was and he already knew it. 
  • He does NOT say, “Why do WE have this practice of baptizing for the dead.”  He says “they” not we. 
  • Even though we don’t know the specifics of the situation, most scholars agrees that Paul’s point is this practice is foolish if you don’t believe in a resurrection.
  • In 15:30, we find another case of Paul using “we” to refer to himself. 
  • Why would Paul constantly risking death by preaching the gospel message if there is no hope of resurrection at the end? 
  • 15:33 is a quote from a Greek poet, Menander. If you hang around with the wrong crowd, eventually you will join them.
  • The theology of Paul’s opponents contradicts the gospel and will ultimately corrupt the Corinthian church if it continues.
  • This is a very serious issue and you Corinthians need to wake up and take it seriously.

15:35But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”  36You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.  37And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.  38But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.  39For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.  40There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. -1Corinthians 15:35-41

  • Paul is answering an objection raised by his opponents, not by a question by a confused follower. Understanding the nature of the question sheds light on his answer.
  • The objection is essentially how could a decayed, rotted body come back to life? Why would anyone want to resurrect a nasty, evil physical body when our spirits are pure and enlightened (as we know from Greek philosophy)? 
  • A seed dies in the ground and is transformed into a new form.  You don’t plant a tomato seed and get corn.  But the seed and the plant have very different forms. This is how God made the world.
  • God designed all different sorts of bodies, different creatures and different living beings.  They have an order and logic to their design that suits their nature and purpose. 
  • The glory of the earthly bodies differs from the glory of heavenly bodies.

15:42So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.  43It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.  -1Corinthians 15:35-49

  • Paul now draws the analogy.
  • Like the seed and the plant, the body that dies differs from the body that is raised. The body that dies is corrupt, frail, weak and fragile. But the resurrected body is full of glory in every way.
  • 15:44 “it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body“: The natural body is what we are by nature apart from the work of God. The spiritual body is what we are after the Spirit of God has transformed us. We die in a normal, living breathing body and are raised in a glorified, transformed body which is fully under the influence of the Spirit of God.
  • The first man Adam became a normal living breathing human being and all of his descendants after him are also normal natural living breathing humans.  By contrast, the last Adam — Jesus Christ — will give a life fully transformed by the Spirit to his descendants.
  • God has an order.  We start with normal living breathing bodies.  And he brings us ultimately to life as transformed spiritual people. 
  • The life that Adam had is normal human existence made of the earth and from the earth.  But the life that the risen Christ has is from heaven and made of the stuff of heaven. 
  • We are going to be spiritual in the sense of fully transformed by the Spirit of God into a new type of existence where we completely reflect the holiness and righteousness of God, free from sin, death and corruption.

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

Next: 46 1Corinthians 15:50-58 The end of death

Previous: 44 1Corinthians 15:20-28 The goal of history

Series: 1 Corinthians: Pride & Prejudice in the church

Study: 1Corinthians Resources

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44 1Corinthians 15:20-28 The goal of history

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44 1Corinthians 15:20-28 The goal of history | WednesdayintheWord.com

In correcting the Corinthians’ view that there is no resurrection, Paul argues that resurrection is an essential part of the way God intends to solve the problem of sin and death.

Review

The majority of 1Corinthians is Paul’s response to questions the Corinthians asked him. 1Corinthians 15 is the last topic he covers: whether there is a bodily resurrection.  A group in Corinth denies the idea that believers are looking forward to a bodily resurrection.

Paul started by arguing we know there is a resurrection because Jesus was raised from the dead.  A large number of people saw him, including the apostles.  Many of those eye witnesses are still alive at the time that Paul is writing this letter and can testify that Jesus was resurrected.

Then Paul confronts the Corinthians with their inconsistency.  If there is no hope of resurrection from the dead, then Jesus was not resurrected.  His death accomplished nothing and being a Christian is foolish.

Paul just finished saying for the sake of argument let’s assume Christ was not raised.  In this section, Paul abandons the false assumption, and says but now, Christ was raised.

Passage

15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. – 1Corinthians 15:20-22

  • In the Old Testament sacrificial system, the first fruits of the harvest belonged to God. Giving the first of our harvest to God is symbolic of the fact that we trust God and believe He will provide for us.
  • Depending on context, the idea of “first fruits” can emphasize either the fact that something has been dedicated to God or the aspect of being the first part of something bigger. Here it is the latter nuance.
  • Jesus is the first of the human beings to be resurrected from the dead and we can trust that God will resurrect the rest of His people.
  • Ultimately history is about two men: Adam and Christ.
  • All of humanity lives in a world with death because our forefather, Adam, rebelled against God.  Death came into the world by this one man. 
  • Jesus lived a life of obedience to God. He offered his life to God on our behalf.  By dying in our place, he made it possible for his people to live.   Death will not ultimately conquer those who follow Jesus because we will be rescued from death and resurrected to life.
  • Jesus solved the problem that of sin and death that Adam created.
  • The gospel will be fulfilled and the promises of God realized when Christ returns, God resurrects His people and establishes His kingdom with Christ ruling over it.

15:23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. – 1Corinthians 15:23-28

  • 15:24 “end“: This is the end in the sense of crossing the finishing line or reaching the goal. First, Jesus rose from the dead. Then he returns and raises his people from the dead. When that happens, we arrive at the goal, the culmination of this age.
  • 15:24 “abolished all rule and all authority and power“: Much evil in the world today is in the hands of people in power who are abusing that power from government leaders to bosses to families. When Jesus establishes God’s kingdom on earth, nothing in creation and no one will stand in rebellion to God anymore.
  • God puts all creation under submission to Christ. Then Christ puts himself under submission to the Father, with the result that we have a world under submission to God, the Father, through Christ.
  • Paul quotes Psalm 110 and borrows the language of Psalm 8.
  • Jesus reigns now at the right hand of God, but we are waiting for the time when God vanquishes all His enemies. 
  • God will establish His rule over all the rebels of the earth, and the last one of those, metaphorically speaking, is death.
  • Psalm 8 applies to Jesus 3 ways: 1) as a man, it applies to Jesus as a steward over creation; 2) as a son of David, it applies to Jesus who rules from David’s throne; and 3) as the Messiah, it applies to Jesus in the ultimate sense as king of kings and Lord of Lords.
  • Ultimately, all of history is heading to the place where followers of Jesus will live perfected in our humanity under the rule of Jesus Christ, who in turns submits himself to the Father, so that the world will be everything that it ought to be.  That is the gospel story.
  • The culmination of history is when we live in resurrected bodies, perfect and mature, reflecting the character and holiness of God, under the reign of Jesus Christ who rules under the authority of the Father.

For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.

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