Introduction
Do you remember those books that you could choose how the story ended? "Choose Your Own Adventure" books? At points in the book you were given the option to go to different parts of the book depending on the outcome you wanted. The Bible is the type of book in which whatever part you go to, it will eventually lead to the part that Jesus wins in the end. In that sense the Bible is the anti-choose-your-own-adventure book! The Bible is also one of those books that knowing the ending helps in reading the rest of it. As a matter of fact, knowing the end of it will help us live our lives righteously now, v. 58.
We are in the middle of Paul's teaching regarding the resurrection of those who believe in Jesus Christ. He says that the fact that Christ rose from the dead proves that we too who are in Christ will rise from the dead. At this particular passage Paul says nothing about those who die in unbelief.
In verses 23-28, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, gives us the history of history. We find here a description of the behind-the-scenes action regarding what is going on in history right now. It tells us about the movement of history. It tells us what the goal of history is. It also tells us how God the Father and God the Son are working history out together.
I. The Movement of History.
A. Our life happens in verse 23.
B. All of history, including our lives, is moving toward the day that the Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
C. That is what God's people and creation itself are eagerly waiting for.
D. At the coming of the Lord Jesus, the dead in Christ will rise and those who are alive at that time will be transformed into their glorified bodies.
E. As history moves toward the coming again of the Lord Jesus, Jesus is reigning with the goal of subduing all his enemies, 25.
II. The Goal of History: God all in all, 28.
A. The final and ultimate goal of all of history is that God the Father be exalted, nothing more and nothing less.
B. This verse gives us the purpose for history as a whole and for every single life in history, and for every single life in here this morning: God being all in all.
III. The Son and the Father Working out History Together.
A. We see here the Father putting all things under the Son's feet and the Son returning all things to the Father.
B. We see here this covenantal relationship between God the Father and God the Son.
C. The Father and the Son are bringing history to an end.
D. We see here also the order of the offices in the Trinity.
IV. Possible Ways These Things Will Happen in History.
A. Full disclosure: I am a historic premillennialist.
B. A disclaimer: there are different varieties of all these views; I tried to describe the most popular variety of if as present in the literature on the subject.
C. Dispensational premillennial way.
D. Amillennial way.
E. Postmillennial way.
F. Historic Premillennial way – my version of it.
Conclusion
Amillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Historic Premillennialism are consistent with Reformed and Presbyterian theology. The most important thing about these views is that they all proclaim that Christ is at work in and through his Church, his only Bride. He is moving history to its ultimate goal: that God be all in all. Because that is where history is going, that is also where we must be going. Christ is coming back for us. Because of that, we live today for his glory.
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