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From the Risen Christ to the End of the Age | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reform Thinking, the place where we take complex
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theological concepts, stacks of historical documents and focused
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research, and extract the clarity and insight you need.
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Today, we're undertaking a deep dive into sacred history itself.
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We are. We're focusing on Jonathan
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Edwards structure of time, specifically the flow of events
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following the resurrection of Christ.
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That's a massive undertaking, but it's absolutely vital for
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understanding Edward's entire system.
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Where are we drawing this from? Our main source is his
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comprehensive theological treatise, A History of the Work
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of Redemption. And you really have to see that
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this work isn't simply a historical record, right?
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It's a framework. It's an argument that history is
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a unified, ordered movement, and it's dictated entirely by the
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redemptive program of God. And our mission for you today is
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pretty simple. It's to understand the specific
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purpose, the logic, and the structured stepwise fulfillment
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of Christ's work in this third and final period.
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Which is a huge period of time. A huge period.
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We're talking about the period stretching from the resurrection
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right up until the end of the world.
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I mean the 2000 years we currently inhabit.
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We need to grasp why this immense span of time is treated
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as one unified movement, and what its specific, glorious
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outcome is meant to be. Precisely.
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We need to see that history for Edwards is designed to secure
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the success of Christ's purchase.
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We aren't looking at random, disconnected events.
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We are looking at the preordained administration of a
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victory that's already been won. OK, let's get into this.
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Let's start with the fundamental transition that marks the start
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of this final age, that shift from, you know, the struggle and
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preparation of the past to the ultimate harvest.
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When Edwards lays out his structure, he creates a really
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clear rupture point. The very sharp line.
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The first two periods of redemption they were primarily
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about setting the stage. They included all the
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preparatory events before Christ's incarnation and then
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the actual agonizing work of his humiliation, suffering, and
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death. But the moment Christ rises from
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the dead, the entire character of sacred history changes.
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In what way? It becomes a history of
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application, not acquisition. This third period is dedicated
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entirely to bringing about the great effect or success of
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Christ's purchase. It's a profound change of state.
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The focus shifts from the mediator suffering for his
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people to the mediator reigning for his people.
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And that's not just a minor shift, is it?
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It defines the whole tone of the post Resurrection Church.
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It has to. The Old Testament Saints, they
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looked forward through types and shadows.
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Even the period of Christ's life on earth was still leading up to
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the great Sacrifice. But this new era, the one we're
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in, is one of total fruition. We are living in the time of the
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secured outcome. Edwards captures this
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beautifully, using the imagery of light to contrast, you know,
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anticipation versus fruition. He admits that success was seen
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before Christ. Sure, Abraham believed the
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prophet spoke. Of course, But that success was,
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in his words, preparatory by way of anticipation.
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It was like gathering some few fruits before the harvest.
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It's good, but it's partial. Exactly.
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It's a taste. That distinction between the few
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fruits and the full harvest is powerful, but his light analogy
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is even more striking. Right, He says previous success
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was light that was reflected coming from the moon and the
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planets. It was real light, but it was
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secondary indirect. But this period, beginning with
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the resurrection, this is the daytime after the sun is risen,
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the source of the light, Christ in his glory, his work finished,
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his Spirit poured out, is now fully present.
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It's direct, it's shining. We are.
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We're now experiencing the direct, unmediated radiance of
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the accomplished work. And that's why the success in
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this third period is meant to be so overwhelmingly glorious
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compared to the previous ages. That's the theological necessity
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that divines the next two millennia.
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Christ finished the greatest and most difficult of all works, the
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work of humiliation and suffering required to satisfy
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God's justice. And Edwards is so clear on this
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point. Christ is never to suffer again.
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So therefore the history that follows can't be defined by a
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struggle to earn redemption, it has to be defined by attainment
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and reward. That's the key.
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When we view history from the resurrection onward, Edwards
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demands we recognize this entire span as the time for Christ to
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obtain the joy that was set before him.
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This isn't just a passive waiting period then.
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Not at all. Every historical event, every
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conversion, every political tremor that shakes the earth is
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the result of God actively rewarding His Son.
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We see that reflected in the prophet Isaiah, don't we?
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Edwards points to Christ having made his soul an offering for
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sin, now receiving his seed. And seeing that he sees his seed
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to have a portion with the great, and to divide the spoil
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with the strong, The historical unfolding of the church is,
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well, it's simply Christ taking possession of the spoils of his
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cross. Think about what that does to
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our understanding of the day-to-day workings of the
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world. It changes everything.
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It means that Providence isn't a series of random happenings, and
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it's not just a general upholding of creation either.
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No. For Edwards, all dispensations
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of God's Providence from this time until the final
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consummation are specifically designed to give Christ His
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reward and fulfill the goal of His earthly work.
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Providence is a targeted delivery system for the Cross's
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success. So when we see the gospel
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advancing in a previously closed nation, or a major spiritual
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reform sweeping through a denomination, what we're
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actually watching is Christ collecting his designated
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portion. Yes, it turns every historical
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victory for the church into a necessary act of divine justice.
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It's a visible piece of the mediator's reward ceremony.
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It elevates world history to sacred history.
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And it elevates our personal faith to our own.
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Salvation is not just a benefit to us, it is a gift presented to
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Christ. We the elect are the seed He
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sees. We are the prize he won.
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OK, so since this whole period is about Christ receiving his
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reward, Edwards pinpoints 4 specific interconnected outcomes
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that Christ laid the foundation for in his humiliation, which
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are now being actively fulfilled.
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These are the goals driving the engine of the third period.
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Let's start with the first one. It's a cosmic political victory,
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the overthrow of Satan's Kingdom.
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Christ's death was the legal sentence.
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This period is the execution. The time for affecting the
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overthrow is now. Edward sites Christ's statement
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just before the cross. Now is the judgement of this
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world. Now shall the Prince of this
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world be cast out? That is a staggering claim.
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It means that every time a nation turns toward
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Christianity, or a system of evil is dismantled, or a soul is
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freed from bondage, it's not an isolated event.
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No, it's the visible step by step unfolding of Satan's
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mandated expulsion from the Earth.
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The Cross earned the right to expel him.
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And history is simply the process of him being removed
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piece by piece. OK.
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What's the second design? The second concerns the
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systematic gathering of the people Christ purchased.
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The intent was to gather together in one all things in
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Christ. This gathering is the physical,
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worldwide manifestation of cross dominion.
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And he links this to two immensely significant scriptural
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anchors. First, Christ's own
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proclamation. And I, if I be lifted up, will
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draw all men unto me. The cross is the magnetic center
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of history. Right and 2nd Jacob's ancient
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prophecy of Shiloh to him should the gathering of the people be.
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So this gathering isn't accidental.
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It's a promised sign of the Messiah's reign, and it defines
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the missionary impulse of the this entire era.
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And that global inn gathering directly relates to the third
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design. The salvation of the elect
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having endured the cross, Christ is now made perfect in his role
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as the sovereign, authoritative Savior.
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This is where Hebrews 5 comes into play, right?
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Edwards uses it to show that Christ being made perfect, He
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became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
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obey Him. The perfection achieved through
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His suffering now fully authorizes and enables him to
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apply that salvation, not just generally, but specifically and
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universally to those given to Him by the Father.
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Their work is done and now the benefits are distributed.
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And finally the 4th design. This is the one that encompasses
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all the others, the twin glory, glory to God and glory to the
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Saints. This entire period exists to
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magnify the Persons of the Trinity in the clearest way
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possible. It begins with the prayer of
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Christ Himself. Father, the hour has come.
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Glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.
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So the history of the Church is therefore the visible answer to
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that prayer. And at the same time this glory
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is realized in the Saints. Christ possesses power over all
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flesh, so that He should give eternal life to as many as thou
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has given him. So these four designs, Satan's
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overthrow, the global gathering, the application of salvation,
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and the demonstration of divine glory, are the unified engine of
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history since the resurrection. And if you lose sight of that
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framework, history becomes. Bewildering mess of accidents.
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Yeah, but with Edwards's lens, it becomes the logical, active,
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unfolding realization of a covenant promise.
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And that really sets the stage for the terminology Scripture
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uses to describe this time, which is where we should go
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next. It's not enough to define this
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period by its purpose. We also have to define it by its
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duration and its status within God's overall plan.
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So Edwards looks at how Scripture itself labels this
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post resurrection period, and it reveals its distinct character
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as a time of fruition and finality.
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So what are some of those labels?
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Well, he observes that the Old Testament prophets consistently
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use terms like the latter days or the last days when they're
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referring to gospel times. And that terminology carries a
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lot of theological weight. It does.
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Why is this the last period? The rationale is structural.
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This period represents the last major movement in the series of
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God's Providence is on Earth. So it's the final period of the
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work of redemption. And critically, the last
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dispensation of the covenant of grace on Earth.
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That's a crucial point for understanding Reformed theology.
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Here. A dispensation is a distinct way
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God administers the single covenant of grace.
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Right there was the dispensation under the law, for example.
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But this evangelical dispensation, the one that
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begins with the Spirit's outpouring, is the final one.
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It signals that there won't be any new covenant, no new
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religious economy, until Christ returns.
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It provides the illogical stability.
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Everything is now set. The long chain of God's works of
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Providence from creation through patriarchs, through the law,
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through Christ's life is culminating right here.
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We are anticipating a new covenant or a new mechanism of
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grace. We are living under the final
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one. And therefore, everything that
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happens within this time is viewed as a final concluding
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action leading toward the full, glorious resolution.
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This leads to one of the most, I think, conceptually difficult
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but illuminating parts of Edwards framework.
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The New Testament refers to this entire span from the
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resurrection to the final judgement, using terms that
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suggest completion. It calls it the end of the
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world. The apostle says in Corinthians
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that the ends of the world are come on us.
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And the plural usage there is key.
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Edwards points out the ends of the world because this time is
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in a preparatory period but a finishing state.
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Things are being brought to their great end and issue.
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So the world is ending. But it's doing so by various
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steps and degrees. It's not a single instant of
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dissolution. It's a progressive historical
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dismantling of the temporary. That's it.
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So the end isn't just the literal burning up of the
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cosmos, it's the systematic removal of all temporary
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structures that previously mediated God's presence or rule.
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Edwards frames this whole process using the metaphor of
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shaking from Hagai's prophecy. Right, Heaven and earth shaking
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so that only those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
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Temporary structures are systematically removed to
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establish eternal ones and this historical shaking process it
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involves 5 specific endings or dissolutions.
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Just walk through those. What's the first shaking?
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The 1st, and maybe the most consequential for the early
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church was the end of carnal ordinances.
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OK, so the entire system of Old Covenant Jewish worship, the
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temple, the priesthood, the sacrifices, all those elaborate
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rituals that was terminated. Edward sees this abolition as
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the beginning of the eternal world on earth.
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Christ, the ultimate sacrifice and high priest.
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He rendered the typological ordinances obsolete.
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He quotes Craig's telling the Samaritan woman.
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Yes, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain
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nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
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Spiritual worship is established and that marks the end of the
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temporary religious structure. The second one follows pretty
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soon after, historically the end of literal Jerusalem in 7080.
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The physical temple and the political city were destroyed, a
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catastrophic historical event for the Jews, but theologically
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this event was essential. Why?
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Because it confirmed the finality of the first point, the
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outward physical location gave way to the spiritual temple and
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the spiritual city, the church, which Edward says are to last
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forever. It was a visible sign that God's
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institutional presence had shifted.
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It went from one ethnic location to a global spiritual entity.
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Irrevocably. The third major shaking is the
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end of the heathen empire. This happened during the time of
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Constantine, when the political structure of Pagan Rome, which
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had relentlessly persecuted the Church, was overthrown and
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replaced by a nominally Christian empire.
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And this wasn't just a political shift for him.
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Not at all. It was a cosmic 1 viewed through
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his the old heathen political structure which was actively
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aligned with Satan's Kingdom. It fell to make way for the
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empire of Christ, or at least the visible establishment of
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Christ's rule in the political realm of the known world.
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So it was a major step in that mandated overthrow of Satan.
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We talked about a. Huge step.
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OK, the 4th ending. This is one that Edwards viewed
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as still in the future, in his own time.
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Right, The fall of Antichrist, when this great oppositional
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power is finally destroyed, Satan's visible Kingdom on
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Earth. Whether you see that as the
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papacy or some future global tyranny, it ends definitively.
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This is the moment that establishes Christ's eternal
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global Kingdom in a truly visible way.
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Fulfilling Daniel's prophecy, the Kingdom and dominion under
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the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of
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the Most High. This is the point where the
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shaking of the temp temporal persecuting structures reaches
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its climax, setting up the Millennium.
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And then finally, the fifth step, the ultimate dissolution.
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The end of the physical frame. This is the literal final
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judgment. When the corruptible world
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concludes, the physical framework of time and space as
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we know it dissolves, allowing the Church to transition into
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its final, unshakeable dwelling place in the unshakeable
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heavens. So when scripture speaks of the
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ends of the world, we're really talking about this span of
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redemptive history characterized by the progressive, systematic
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termination of all temporary systems, religious, political
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and material, to make room for the eternal.
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That's the idea. So as the old world vanishes
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step by step through these shakings, Edwards emphasizes
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that the corresponding new state of things or the new world,
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which is a spiritual world, is beginning and setting up.
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It is this is the fulfillment of Isaiah's grand vision for behold
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I create new heavens and a new earth.
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So it's an immediate replacement dynamic, yes.
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The destruction of the literal Jerusalem was not a vacuum.
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It was immediately accompanied by the establishing of the
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spiritual Jerusalem, the global church.
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The end of the heathen empire brought the beginning of
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Christ's rule over the nations. So each historical ending of an
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old state initiates the beginning of a new and eternal
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state. And that transition continues
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until the final judgement. So the new heavens and new Earth
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aren't solely a future physical reality.
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No, there is spiritual and historical process that is
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already underway. Edwards connects this back to
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the very purpose of creation. God created the world to prepare
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a Kingdom for His Son, the heir of the world, which must remain
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eternally. Therefore, as Christ's Kingdom
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is established through these progressive dissolutions, the
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world is brought to its intended logical end, and the eternal
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state begins to overtake the temporary one.
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And he uses such a beautiful evocative analogy to close this
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point for river the river. He describes the long channel of
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Divine Providence, which has so many branches and so many
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windings, finally being emptied into their proper ocean, which
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they have been seeking from the beginning of their course, and
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so are come to their rest. That analogy perfectly
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encapsulates the feeling of the third period.
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It's the time when history, having completed its complex
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winding course, finally achieves its rest in the absolute
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dominion of Christ. And we are living in the waters
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slowing into that ocean. So this successful culminating
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state, this spiritual world that's replacing the temporal 1
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is what Scripture frequently calls the Kingdom of Heaven for
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the Kingdom of God. That's right, this state was
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eagerly anticipated by the Jews, who understood it through
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Daniel's prophecy that the God of heaven set up a Kingdom that
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would never be destroyed. And this is the evangelical
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state of things in the church and the world, where the success
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of Christ's redemption is visibly realized.
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But Edwards is quick to remind us that this is not an earthly
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political rule. Christ confirmed the spiritual
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nature of this rule when He said my Kingdom is not of this world.
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But it is undeniably a Kingdom. Oh.
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Yes, and it began immediately after the resurrection.
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And crucially, Edwards reminds us that the term Kingdom of
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Heaven itself has different degrees of application within
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the same period. That idea of degrees is vital.
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It refers to the initial spiritual state post
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resurrection, then the more perfect state after Antichrist's
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fall, the millennial age, and then the final perfect state of
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the Day of Judgement where even flesh and blood cannot inherit
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the Kingdom of God. So the Kingdom is one single
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reality, but it experiences successive, increasingly
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glorious manifestations throughout history.
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It is perpetually advancing. It never definitively retreats.
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OK, so to explain these progressive manifestations,
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Edwards identifies 4 key successive great events.
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Each one is described in Scripture as Christ's coming in
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his Kingdom. And they are not for separate,
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disconnected epochs. They're for distinct
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accomplishments or degrees of glory of the same great design.
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Let's walk through them, the first coming in his Kingdom.
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This occurred during the Apostolic Age and it culminated
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around 7080. Edwards interprets this as
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Christ appearing in wonderful dispensations, setting up his
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spiritual Kingdom by pouring out the Spirit and destroying his
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most immediate enemies. The persecuting Jewish state.
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Exactly scriptures like Matthew 16.28 where Christ promises that
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some standing there would not taste death till they saw the
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Son of man coming in his Kingdom.
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They find their fulfillment here.
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They do. The destruction of Jerusalem was
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viewed by many theologians, Edwards included, as a massive
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act of divine judgement, a type of the final judgement that
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ushered in the global gathering of the Gentiles.
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Now here's where a modern listener might pause Calling the
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destruction of Jerusalem a coming of Christ makes sense in
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terms of judgement. But what about the second
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coming? For Edwards, this is the
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destruction of the heathen Roman Empire.
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It happened during the time of Constantine and it effectively
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ended the official persecution of the Church.
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So how does he justify the continuity?
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Because both events involve Christ appearing in judgment to
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defeat the main historical opposition to the Church, he
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interprets Revelation 6 with all its imagery of the seals being
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opened in judgment falling as Christ coming to end paganism.
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It ended the power of the old heathen political structure.
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And established a visible church state in the known world, a
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massive step up from the small persecuted Church of the 1st
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century. The third coming is the 1 Edward
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saw as still future. The great destruction of
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Antichrist. This will be the most
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significant turning point since the resurrection itself, and
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it's intended to inaugurate that glorious period, referred to as
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the first resurrection in Revelation 20, the Millennial
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period. And finally, the forthcoming is
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the general physical judgement, the big one.
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The one that is the ultimate and most complete event, principally
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signified by all the others. Understanding this four part
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structure is so essential because it shows that God
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executes His judgement and advances His rule through these
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typologically related progressive His historical
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events, not just one isolated future moment.
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And that ability to connect 70AD, the fall of Rome, the
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destruction of Antichrist, and the final judgement under 1
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typological framework that shows a synthesis that few theologians
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can match. Edwards argues that the first 3
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comings are lively images or types of the 4th and.
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Last, like dramatic rehearsals. That concept is the beating
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heart of his historical theology, isn't it?
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It is just as the Old Testament Providence's typed Christ's
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suffering. The Providence is in this third
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period type, His glorious return to judgement.
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They share characteristics, but each is grander in scope.
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You can see this parallelism so clearly when you look at the
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concept of resurrection. Absolutely.
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The forthcoming is a literal physical resurrection, but each
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preceding historical coming is preceded by a spiritual
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resurrection. So let's take the first coming
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in 70 AD, that judgment on the Jewish state was preceded by.
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The glorious spiritual resurrection and the calling of
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the Gentiles. Multitudes who were spiritually
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dead were raised to new life globally through the gospel
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message preached by the apostles.
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It was a massive infusion of new spiritual life.
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And then Christ's coming in Constantine's time, the
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overthrow of paganism that involved another spiritual
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resurrection. Yes.
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In the restoration of the known world, the Church moved from
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hidden corners and catacombs into open, visible adherents.
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It moved the formerly Pagan world into a church state, a
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resurrection from heathen spiritual death to visible
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Christian life. And the third coming, the fall
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of Antichrist will be preceded by the greatest spiritual
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resurrection yet. The conversion of the nations
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and the restoration of the Church after its long period of
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being, as it were, dead under error and suppression, the
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spiritual revival, is always the precursor to the Glorious
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Judgement. They share several other
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characteristics as well. Each involves A glorious
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manifestation of Christ, and this glory is expressed
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simultaneously through severe judgements on enemies and great
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favor shown to the Church. The two sides of Christ's reign.
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The two sides of the coin. They are all attended by a
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spiritual gathering of the elect, A literal gathering from
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the four winds. But affected not by angels, as
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in the final judgement, but by the the trumpet of the gospel
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preached by ministers. And the opposition itself is
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typological. It is before the 1st coming the
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opposition was the persecuting Jews, before the 2nd the heven
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persecutors. Before the 3rd it's the great
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opposer Antichrist. And before the 4th, it will be
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the final opposition of Gog and Magog.
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Each coming brings certain deliverance for the Church and
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terrible destruction upon the wicked.
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And in each of these comings we see an ending of an old heaven
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and old earth, a temporal state of things being shaken, and a
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visible beginning of a new eternal state.
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Though the final perfect new heavens and new earth only
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arrive at the very end, the pattern is consistent.
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Sheikh, Judge. Redeem.
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Advance. So given this structure, it's so
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important to say again that these four events are not 4
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distinct successive kingdoms, no.
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There are simply several increasing degrees of the
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accomplishment of one event, the single Kingdom prophesied in
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Daniel. This concept of gradualism is
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paramount. The Kingdom is gradually
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prevailing and growing through these steps.
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The visible accomplishment in Constantine's time was greater
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than the first. Coming, the fall of Antichrist
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will be higher still, initiating A worldwide glory.
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And the end of the world will be the most perfect degree of all
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when all temporary elements are purged.
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This progressive structure solves a lot of interpretive
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challenges for biblical prophecy.
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It means that the sweeping universal language used by the
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prophets, like the widespread gathering of the elect or the
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overwhelming destruction of the enemies, can often refer to more
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than one of these steps. Because they're all images of
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the same progressive single reality.
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Exactly. This allows Edwards to apply
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passages like Matthew 24, which describes judgement and coming
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in part of the fall of Jerusalem, in part of the fall
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of Rome, and in part to the final judgement because they are
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all partial fulfillments or types of the one ultimate event.
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The prophecy is like a fractal image.
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It repeats its pattern in history.
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Way to put it. And finally, this framework
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gives active meaning to all the history that takes place between
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these 4 grand climactic steps. Yes, the great Providence is of
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God. Between these events, the rises
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and falls of nations, the intellectual struggles, the
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struggles and reforms within the church, they are themselves
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designed to make way for the Kingdom and glory of Christ in
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the great event following. So everything is calculated to
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prepare the way for the greater glory of Christ at the next
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manifestation. Every war, every revival, Edward
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sees it not as a standalone moment, but as God tilling the
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soil for the next great movement of the Kingdom.
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After establishing this this incredibly detailed structure of
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historical progression, Edwards addresses the natural and
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persistent question that inevitably comes up both from
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believers and skeptics. If Christ completed the
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difficult work on the cross, and if God's goal is to reward him
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by establishing his Kingdom, why should the setting up of that
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Kingdom be so incredibly gradual?
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God could easily have finished it at once.
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Exactly. And this is where he moves from
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historical observation to theological necessity.
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He responds to this inquiry with two main reasons that don't just
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excuse the gradual pace, but showcase the wisdom, patience,
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and supreme glory of God in this protracted process.
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So what's the first reason? The first one relates to the
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capacity of the creatures us. The gradual nature is not for
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God's benefit, but for ours. If the work were done quickly,
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we, the creatures, would not have the opportunity to perceive
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and observe the particular steps of divine wisdom.
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It's an issue of visibility and sort of processing speed.
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It is God determined to accomplish His design through a
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wonderful and long series of events.
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This extended time scale allows the glory of His perfection, His
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wisdom, justice, patience, sovereignty to be seen in
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successive observable manifestations.
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We get to watch the plan unfold over millennia rather than just
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catching a glimpse of a single instant.
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If the entire redemptive plan from creation to the new heaven
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and earth had been completed in a single human lifetime, the
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sheer volume of God's planning and execution would just
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overwhelm us. We wouldn't have time to connect
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the dots between the Old Testament type and the New
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Testament fulfillment. Or the historical judgement and
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the spiritual advance. Right.
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Furthermore, Edward suggests there's a limit to what our
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finite minds can even absorb. He speculates that if all that
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glory had been manifested at once, it would have been too
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much for us. It would have overpowered our
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sight and capacities. So the gradual nature is an act
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of grace. It's a divine pedagogy, allowing
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us to process the magnitude of God's redemptive plan
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incrementally in historical sequence.
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It allows the Church, across ages and generations, to witness
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the continuous, active nature of God's covenant keeping.
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One generation sees the destruction of the carnal
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ordinances. Another sees the fall of Rome.
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Another anticipates the fall of Antichrist.
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Each generation gets its own lesson in divine fidelity.
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OK, that's the first reason. What's the second?
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The second reason is maybe the most traumatic and theologically
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satisfying. It has to do with the nature of
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Christ public triumph over Satan.
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OK, if God's goal was just efficiency, he could have
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crushed Satan immediately with an act of almighty power the
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moment Christ rose. But that would be a victory by
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sheer instant force. A sledgehammer victory.
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Exactly. Edwards argues that God's plan
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is designed to maximize the glory of the triumph.
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Therefore God allows Satan large opportunity to ply his utmost
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power and subtlety again and again, to strengthen his own
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interest all that he can by the work of many ages.
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So Satan is granted centuries to deploy his absolute deepest
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machinations, his antichrists, his false gospels, his political
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tyranny, his efforts to oppress and confuse the church.
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He is allowed to play his full hand.
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Knowing he is building a sandcastle that will inevitably
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be washed away. The result is a victory that is
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far more spectacular and complete.
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By allowing Satan to exhaust his entire repertoire over 2000
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years, God defeats him in a clear, systematic, and highly
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publicized manner. Edwards says God sets up
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Christ's Kingdom time after time in spite of all his stable
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machination and great works. This means the long war actually
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serves to magnify the mediators wisdom and reign every single
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step. The demise of Pagan Rome, the
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future fall of the great opposer, is designed to
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dismantle Satan's Kingdom publicly and thoroughly, making
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the final global victory that much more resounding.
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It turns history into a the stage for the perfect
29:04
demonstration of Christ superiority.
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And by every successive step 70 AD Constantine Antichrist fall
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in the final judgement. God advances Christ Kingdom
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still higher and higher. It is a slow, methodical,
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crushing advance, till at length it is fully set up and Satan
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perfectly and eternally vanquished.
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The gradual pace is the theological prerequisite for the
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glorious demonstration of enduring wisdom.
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That's it. This gives us not only patience
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for the slowness of history, but a real confidence in its
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direction. We are watching the
29:38
demonstration of victory. This deep dive has allowed us to
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look at the third period of redemption, the time we are
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currently living in, not as a random sequence of events, but
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as God's logical, structured plan for securing the necessary
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rewards of the cross. We've established that
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definitive theological shift, the distinction between
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preparation and harvest. We've understood the systemic
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sequence of the ends of the world where temporary things,
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religious, political and physical, are shaken off to
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establish the eternal. And we analyzed the wisdom
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displayed in the gradual typological advancement of the
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Kingdom of heaven through those 4 distinct yet interconnected
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historical comings of Christ in judgment and glory.
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This powerful framework gives shape and meaning to everything
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happening now, from global missions to political struggles.
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It clarifies that our current time is one of the provinces
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specifically designed to make way for the next greater
30:31
manifestation of Christ's glory. We are active participants in
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the long, glorious reward ceremony of the mediator.
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We are. So as you look at the world,
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consider this. If the purpose of history is to
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demonstrate the complete and glorious defeat of Satan through
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a long series of events designed to showcase divine wisdom, what
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is 1 seemingly small victory in your life or in your local
30:52
congregation that reflects this pattern?
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The pattern of God overcoming evil, not instantly but
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incrementally, through means that glorify his patients and
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demonstrate the certain stepwise advance of Christ's rule.