Ascension Sunday (2011) When God created human beings, He created them to be royal kings and queens. We were created to be royal kings and queens.

Transcription

1 I. The royal destiny of Adam and Eve Ascension Sunday (2011) When God created human beings, He created them to be royal kings and queens. We were created to be royal kings and queens. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion [rule] over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Man was to glorify God by ruling for God over His creation. We were to glorify God by mediating God s rule to His world. We were to be God s vice-regents. Listen to what King David wrote as he reflected on Genesis 1:26 Psalm 8:3-8 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. What was the meaning of this royal rule? What was it supposed to look like? Was it just about environmental conservation? Was it mainly about a healthy stewardship of the earth s resources? No, not at all! Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God created us in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness so that we might reign over His world in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. It s hard for us to imagine what this righteous rule and reign would have looked like in a perfect world. We usually associate the need for ruling and reigning with the presence of sin. But in the Bible, ruling and reigning also has the idea of tending and shepherding (2 Sam. 5:2; 7:7; Ezek. 34:23; 37:24). Ezekiel 37:24 (cf. 2 Sam. 5:2) My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. Adam and Eve were to tend and shepherd God s world according to God s righteous will. Adam and Eve were to mediate God s righteous rule to His creation. This is why Adam and Eve were given a royal authority over all creation. Why didn t God rule directly? Why did He give dominion and rule to Adam and Eve? This is what so amazed David in Psalm chapter 8. This is what should amaze us! 1

2 II. The royal destiny of God s people, Israel Of course, with the fall of man through sin, we lost our ability to rule God s world in true righteousness and holiness. Man was no longer mediating God s rule, but rather seeking to enforce his own. And now there were enemies to God s rule Satan, sin, death, and rebellious men and women. Because of sin, we could no longer fulfill our royal destiny as Kings and Queens who bring God s righteous rule to His world. But God, in His infinite grace and mercy, set out to redeem fallen men and women so that we might once again glorify Him by fulfilling our royal calling. Exodus 19:5-6 Now therefore, if you [Israel] will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. Here once again is the idea of royalty. According to the Apostle Peter, the point here is not just a kingdom that is full of priests. The point is a royal and kingly priesthood. And this royal priesthood was meant to belong not just to the Levites, but to the entire nation. Isaiah 61:6 But you [Israel] shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God. God chose Israel so that as His own people, the entire nation might be a royal priesthood. But what was the purpose of this royal priesthood? Well, the purpose was the same as it had been in the Garden to bring God s righteous rule to God s world to mediate God s reign to all of His creation! Isaiah 43:10-13 You are my witnesses, declares the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses, declares the LORD, and I am God. Isaiah 43:20-21 (cf. 2 Chron. 6:32-33) I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise. Psalm 105:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! As a nation of kings and priests (much like Adam and Eve), Israel was to mediate God s rule to the world both in salvation and in judgment. Because of sin, Israel continuously failed to fulfill this royal and priestly calling. But God remained faithful, and He promised that one day things would be different. Daniel 7:22, 27 The Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole 2

3 heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them. Here is the fulfillment of the original destiny of Adam and Eve, and all mankind! The saints will one day possess the kingdom and they will mediate God s righteous rule to all of God s creation. But in light of Israel s constant failures, how can this possibly come true? What will it all look like? III. The royal destiny of the Second Adam and the True Israel Remember that Jesus came into this world as the second Adam (Rom. 5:14-21; 1 Cor. 15:22, 45) and the true Israel, the true and faithful Servant of the Lord (Isa. 49:1-6). Through His life, death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus gained the victory over Satan, sin, and death. And then as true God and true man, Jesus ascended into the heavenly Jerusalem to sit down at the right hand of God and mediate His righteous rule and reign to all of creation. Ephesians 1:20-22 [God] raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And HE PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET. (Cf. Heb. 1:3; 12:2; Acts 2:32-33; 5:30-31; 1 Pet. 3:21-22; Heb. 10:12-13; Ps. 110:1-2; 1 Cor. 15:22-26, 51-54; Eph. 4:7-10; Rom. 8:34; Col. 3:1) When Paul says that God seated Christ at His right hand in the heavenly places, he means that Christ sat down to rule and reign on the throne of God. Jesus says to the church at Laodicea: I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne (Rev. 3:21). Did you notice the connection here with Psalm chapter 8 where David was reflecting on Genesis chapter one? Psalm 8:3-8 What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. Even today ( in this age, Paul says), Jesus is mediating God s righteous rule to all of creation in fulfillment of the creation mandate first given to Adam and Eve, and then to the entire nation of Israel. In the beginning, God gave royal dominion over His creation to all mankind. But it would ultimately only be in the one man, Jesus Christ, that the destiny of mankind would be fulfilled. The writer of Hebrews also quotes Psalm chapter eight: Hebrews 2:6-9 It has been testified somewhere, What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while 3

4 lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, NAMELY JESUS, crowned with glory and honor. Here is a tension. On the one hand, Paul says that God has already put all things under Jesus feet even in this age. On the other hand, the writer of Hebrews points out that we do not yet see all things in subjection to Jesus. There are still many enemies of God s rule. There are still many people who are resisting and rebelling against the authority and power of God in the Gospel and who are seeking to block its advance. And yet even now, the gates of hell cannot resist the assaults of Christ s rule (Mat. 16:18). Christ must reign until the very last enemy of His rule is abolished which is death. And Paul says that this last enemy will be destroyed at the second coming of Christ when He returns to this earth in power and glory (cf. 1 Cor. 15:20-28, 50-55). That will be the beginning of the age to come, when death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Rev. 21:4). Ephesians 1:20-21 [God] raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. The story of Christ s victory can be summarized like this: Death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and rule at the right hand of God in this age, and after He returns, in the age to come. He is crowned with glory and honor, and all things have been, and are being, and will be, put in subjection under His feet. So it is in Christ that the original royal destiny of mankind is being fulfilled. But what about us? IV. God s people fulfill their royal destiny in this age in this life By grace and through faith, the story of Christ is also our story! Did Christ die? So did we! Was Christ buried? So were we! Has Christ been raised from the dead? So have we! Romans 6:4-8 (cf. Col. 2:12-13) We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. On the one hand, we have already died with Christ to sin, and we have already been resurrected with Christ to walk in newness of life in this age. But on the other hand, we still await the full experience of this freedom from sin and newness of life in the age to come. We see that the story of Christ is also our story. But His story includes more than 4

5 just death, burial, and resurrection! Did Christ also ascend into heaven? Then so did we! Is Christ presently seated in the heavenly places (the heavenly city of Jerusalem; Gal. 4:25-26; Heb. 12:22-24)? Then so are we! Is Christ mediating God s righteous rule in this age? Then so are we! Ephesians 2:4-6 (cf. Col. 3:1-4) But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. What does it mean for us to be even now seated with Christ in the heavenly places? It simply means that even in this age and even in this life, we share in Christ s royal authority over all other rule, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named (Eph. 1:20-22). You might say, How can this be? Here it is especially important for us to remember what Paul goes on to say in Ephesians 6:12. Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. We wrestle against all those forces that resist the advance of the Gospel. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (Cf. The whole armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ [NLT: We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ ]. It is because we have already in this age been seated with Christ in the heavenly places that the Apostles John and Peter can write the following: Revelation 1:4-6 Grace to you and peace from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth [presently, in this age!]. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 5:9-10 Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God. 1 Peter 2:9 (cf. Ex. 19:5-6; Is. 43:20-21) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Even today, in this age, we have a royal calling to mediate the righteous rule of God to all of creation through the spread and advancement of the Gospel which is the power of 5

6 God (Rom. 1:16). This is the destiny for which we were originally created (Gen. 1:26-27; Ps. 8:3-8). This is the calling which God gave to His people, Israel (Exod. 19:5-6). And this is the destiny and calling which we are now finally able to fulfill in Christ who has been seated at the right hand of God to rule and reign in the heavenly places! V. God s people fulfill their royal destiny in this age after death Now if we are already seated with Christ in the heavenly places even while we are living in these mortal bodies on planet earth, what do you think will be our experience after we have died, and our souls go to be with Christ? If we are reigning with Him even now, how much more will we reign with Him after we have died! If we are seated with Him even now, how much more will we share in His rule and authority when we have gone to be with the Lord! 2 Timothy 2:11-12 (cf. 1 Cor. 6:2) If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. Revelation 2:26-27 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end [of his life], to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. Notice that Jesus says that he has already received authority from His Father. He received this authority immediately upon His ascension into heaven. Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus is now the ruler of kings on earth. 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 says that Jesus is now 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 [at Jesus second coming]. So when will Jesus share this authority that He is now exercising over the nations with the one who has conquered? Well, in one sense He already has! But in another sense, this will only happen after we have been faithful until death and then immediately upon our going to be with the Lord He will give us authority over the nations. We will share in Christ s rule over the nations (Rev. 1:5)! Revelation 3:21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Jesus says that when He had conquered by remaining faithful unto death, He sat down with His Father on his throne. And Jesus says that His story will also be our story. When will Jesus grant to us to sit with Him on His throne? Well, in one sense we already are! But in another sense, this will only happen after we have been faithful until death and then immediately upon our going to be with the Lord He will seat us with Him upon His throne. We will share in Christ s rule over the nations (Rev. 1:5)! This, I believe, is the meaning of the Millenium (Revelation 20:1-10). We know that at the beginning of the millennium, Satan is bound so that he can no longer deceive the nations (Rev. 20:1-3). Last week we saw that as a result of Christ s life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Satan has already been disarmed, bound, and cast 6

7 out (Mat. 12:28-29; Luke 10:17-20; Jn. 16:8-11; Col. 2:15; Rev. 12:5, 9-10; Jn. 12:31-32; Col. 1:13). We know that for the same thousand years that Satan is bound, the souls of the faithful martyrs and of all those who have remained faithful until death are reigning with Christ. Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and [I saw] those [souls] who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. When John says that these souls of those who had died came to life, I am reminded of what Jesus said in John s gospel: John 5:24-25 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Jesus is talking here about a spiritual coming to life and resurrection. In a similar way, I think that John is talking about a spiritual coming to life of the souls of the saints to reign with Christ until His triumphant return and the final defeat of Satan, sin, and death (Rev. 20:7-10). (Remember that those who rule are still described as souls.) John writes: Revelation 20:5-6 The rest of the dead [the wicked dead] did not come to life until the thousand years were ended [at the return of Christ]. This [the spiritual resurrection of the souls of the saints; cf. Jn. 5:24-25] is the first resurrection [the second resurrection is the resurrection of the body; cf. Jn. 5:28-29]. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first [spiritual] resurrection! Over such the second [spiritual] death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. Here again is the royal priesthood of all believers (Ex. 19:5-6; Rev. 1:4-6; 5:9-10; 1 Pet. 2:9)! We know that in the age to come, there are no more enemies of the kingdom. The last enemy (death) will be destroyed immediately upon the second coming of Christ. So when we reign with Christ over the nations that are enemies of Christ and His kingdom, this can only refer to the present age, and not to the age to come when the kingdom has already been consummated. I believe that the thousand years, then, is a reference to the completeness of the entire age between the first and second comings of Christ during which Satan is bound, and the saints who have died are sharing in Christ s rule over the nations. 1 But that s not all 1 It is only appropriate to interpret numbers symbolically when there are good exegetical reasons within the text to do so. It would certainly not be appropriate to interpret the numbers in the creation account of Genesis or the genealogies of Chronicles symbolically because the literary genre here is historical narrative. Revelation is a different genre of literature. It is apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature is uniquely 7

8 VI. God s people fulfill their royal destiny in the age to come We see that we have already been seated with Christ in the heavenly places so that we are now sharing in His rule and mediating His rule to all of creation. We see that upon our known for its symbolism. Much of this symbolism can only be properly interpreted in light of the Old Testament background from which it is drawn. Specifically, many of the numbers in Revelation clearly have symbolic meaning. The number seven appears 55 times in Revelation: There are seven churches, seven golden lampstands, seven stars, seven Spirits of God, seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, a Lamb having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God, seven angels, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven peals of thunder, seven golden bowls, seven plagues, seven thousand people killed in an earthquake, a great red dragon having seven heads and on his heads seven diadems, a beast having seven heads, seven mountains, and seven kings. The number ten appears 9 times in Revelation: ten days of tribulation, a great red dragon having ten horns, a beast having ten horns and ten diadems, and ten kings. We also find references to three and a half days, and various references to three and a half years: a time and times and half a time, forty-two months, and 1,260 days. We find twenty-four elders around the throne, which seem to correspond to the people of God as represented in the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of the Church. The New Jerusalem has twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. The New Jerusalem also has twelve foundations, on which were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Revelation describes the complete number of all God s servants as 144,000 with 12,000 from every tribe of the sons of Israel (though not every tribe is actually named). When the New Jerusalem is measured, it is 12,000 stadia in length, width, and height, and the wall is 144 cubits. This teaches us that the New Jerusalem is the dwelling place of all God s servants. When the NASB gives the modern day equivalents of the New Jerusalem s measurements (fifteen hundred miles; seventy-two yards), it entirely misses the point. The number of the beast is six hundred and sixty-six which the man who has understanding should calculate. Clearly, the numbers in Revelation are very often symbolic pointers to very literal realities (the thousand years is a symbolic pointer to the literal reality of this age). Since the New Testament writers consistently summarize all of time in two ages ( this age and the age to come ), the thousand years must be a reference to some period of time in one of these two ages. It cannot be a reference to the age to come because that age is the eternal state and one thousand years clearly signifies a limited period of time. It seems exegetically unlikely that this would be a reference to one specific portion of this present age. Therefore, in light of other exegetical/theological considerations, the thousand years must be a symbolic reference to the completeness of the present age between the first and second advents of Christ. Notice that here we are taking into account the clear testimony elsewhere in Scripture as well as the symbolic nature of apocalyptic literature. We are seeking to interpret the potentially obscure in light of what is clear, and not the other way around. Because of the clear testimony of Scripture in other places, we know that upon the second coming of Christ, the eternal state will commence as the last enemy is immediately abolished. We know that there are only two ages: this age and the age to come. There are literary and exegetical reasons to believe that Revelation is written in a cyclical versus a linear and chronological form. Therefore, interpreting the unclear in light of the clear, we assume that the thousand year reign in Revelation 20 should not be placed chronologically after the events surrounding Christ s return in Revelation 19. This is not allegorical and fanciful interpretation. This is an attempt to do justice to the clear and explicit testimony of Scripture, the apocalyptic genre of Revelation, and the strong exegetical evidence of the text itself. I would argue that those interpretations which are more woodenly literalistic fail to take these things into account, and ultimately miss the very literal meaning of God s Word. Indeed, even a literal hermeneutic must leave room for symbolism. Most literalists would not say that in Revelation 12:1 there is literally a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. And yet we must not simply deny the literal reality of this picture because it seems impossible to us. There must be good exegetical reasons from the text! We must be careful that in our literal hermeneutic, we do not end up woodenly literalistic. Perhaps it would be better to say that we seek to interpret the Bible according to its normal and natural sense. This normal and natural sense must then be informed by grammatical, historical, and theological considerations, and not by our own presuppositions. 8

9 death, our souls will immediately go to be with the Lord, and He will seat us on His throne and allow us to reign with Him as He rules over the nations and brings all things into subjection to Himself. But then what about after Jesus returns and the last enemy is abolished and the kingdom is consummated and the age to come (the eternal state) is finally here? Will Christ return in glory? Then so will we! Colossians 3:1-4 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Will Christ reign forever and ever? Then so will we! Revelation 22:3-5 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. For all eternity, we will reign! But reign over whom? There will be no more enemies of the kingdom. No more rebellious nations to bring into subjection. We will be living in a new heavens and new earth in which only righteousness dwells. But we will still be reigning. We will be perpetually bringing God glory as we share in the authority of Christ and mediate God s righteous rule to all of His new creation for all eternity. Romans 5:17 For if, because of one man s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness REIGN in life THROUGH the one man Jesus Christ. My fellow kings and priests, we were created to mediate God s righteous rule to all of His creation, and now in Christ we are reigning even in this age, we will yet reign even in this age upon our death, and then in the age to come, we will continue to reign forever and ever! Since we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places, let us keep on seeking the things above (Col. 3:1-4) as we declare God s praise to the world around us (Is. 43:10-13; 20-21; 1 Pet. 2:9) and destroy the strongholds of every argument and lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4-5). 9

10 Teaching our Children Q. What was the original calling and destiny of Adam and Eve (and all mankind)? A. ~ Man was created to rule/reign in righteousness over God s creation ~ See Scriptures under I. and discuss (page 1) Q. What was Israel s original calling and destiny? A. See Scriptures under II. and discuss (page 2) Q. Who is the second Adam and the true Israel? A. Jesus Christ! Q. How can we say that Jesus is ruling and reigning over all of creation? A. ~ See Scriptures under III. and discuss (pages 3-4) ~ Jesus is fulfilling the original destiny and calling of Adam and Eve, and Israel! Q. What are the most important parts of the story of Jesus? A. Death, burial, resurrection, ascension/reign, return/reign. Q. How is Jesus story also the story of every Christian? (Start with death, burial, and resurrection) A. ~ Because Christians are in Christ, they have died and been buried with Christ, and been raised up with Christ. ~ See Rom. 6:4-8 under IV. and discuss (page 4) Q. How can we say that we are ruling and reigning with Jesus? A. ~ We have ascended into heaven with Jesus and sat down with Him on His throne! ~ See Scriptures on page 5 and discuss; See also Eph. 1:20-22 under III (page 3) Q. When a Christian dies, will his share in Jesus reign be less, the same, or more? A. More! If we are already seated with Christ, then how much more will this be true when our souls have gone to be with Him? (See Scriptures under V. and discuss; page 6) Q. When Christ returns to this earth to reign forever and ever, will we return with Him to reign forever and ever? A. Yes! (See Scriptures under VI. and discuss; page 9) Help your children to see the grand and big picture of how our original destiny and calling (Adam and Eve) is fulfilled only in connection with Jesus Christ and his ascension to sit on the throne of God at the right hand of God! (See Scriptures listed in the last paragraph of page nine for application) 10