Chapter Six

The Plan of Redemption through Christ

So the clear plan of redemption was these 6 stages

1.      The Old Testament Messianic prophecy and expectation,

2.      The inauguration of the Kingdom of God by Christ in his first coming ending in the resurrection (the planting of the seed of immortality).

The Manifesto of Christ.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me

to proclaim release to the captives and

recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

(Luk 4:18-19)

3.  Preaching of the Kingdom of God to all creation starting with the Church as its seed

Mar 16:15-18  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.  And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 

Philippians 3:20 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body...." 

4. Rapture of the Church which seperated a group of redeemed culminating in the union of Church with Christ.

5.  The visible coming of Christ with the redeemed and the start of millenium on earth.

6. The White Throne and further seperation of the righteous and the unrighteous

Now comes a period for which we are not given any prophetic understanding.  But the final product is clearly defined though the full process is not.

3. The eventual redemption of whole cosmos and the creation of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

1 Cor. 15.20-28  But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order. Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet. Though when it is said that everything is subjected, this clearly cannot include the One who subjected everything to him. And when everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subject in his turn to the One who subjected all things to him. so that God may be all in all.  

Eph 1.10-11  His purpose...that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head, everything in the heavens and everything

 on earth

Col. 1.18-20 He is the image of the unseen God and he is the first-born of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers-all things were created through him and for him.... God wanted all perfection to be found in him and all things to be reconciled through him and for him, everything in heaven, and everything on earth, when he made peace by his death on the cross.

Revelation 21:1 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had PASSED AWAY. Also there was no more sea."

Revelation 21:3-5 And I heard a loud voice from 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 will be with them and be their God.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."

4.  Then comes the end

1Co 15:24-28  Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in subjection under him," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him.

When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.