The Ages to Come ... Part 1
Revised
Aug 10, 2012
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins hath quickened [made alive] us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly [in the heavenlies] places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus,” Ephesians 2:4-7.
INTRODUCTION
The true believer is saved by God’s “grace,” Ephesians 2:8. We New Covenant believers today, having believed and been “born again” [John 3:3-7]then enjoy “the riches of His grace,” Ephesians 1:7. But as wonderful as God’s grace is upon His people in this present life, our text for this study makes it quite clear that we have not yet experienced “the exceeding riches of His grace.” These “exceeding riches” of God’s grace are reserved for true believers to enter into and enjoy “in the ages to come.” Glory to God! What great things yet await the children of God!
What has been revealed to us in the Scriptures is the general outline of God’s great Plan of the Ages, Ephesians 1:7-11. In carefully studying this plan, we catch brief “glimpses” of what yet lies in store for those whom God has graciously redeemed. These “glimpses” are what this study is about. Join us for an enlightening study about “the ages to come”…
Man’s Original State
When the Lord God created mankind upon the earth, He created man to rule and reign over the entire earth, Genesis 1:26-28. The earth and “every living thing that moveth upon the earth” was placed under the dominion of mankind, Genesis 1:29-30. Adam and Eve, as created, were literally the King and Queen over the entire earth. It is quite obvious that God’s intention was that man should rule over the entire earth, and that every “living thing” on the earth would be subject to mankind. What a wonderful gift from God! But it was a gift that needed to be guarded [Genesis 2:15], for even at that time there were enemies which coveted what God had bestowed upon mankind and were extremely jealous of and filled with hatred for man.
Any serious Bible student knows what happened next. Through Satan’s deception of Eve sin was introduced into the human race, Genesis 3. Adam, the first man [1 Corinthians 15:45], God’s appointed head of the human race, then disobeyed God and brought sin and death upon mankind, Romans 5:12. Sadly, having fallen from his original state of innocence he lost the “kingdom” which the Lord had given to man, and what had once belonged to man passed into Satan’s possession, 2 Peter 2:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Luke 4:5-6; Matthew 4:8-9; John 12:31.
The Adamic Covenant
Many of God’s people today are not aware that the Lord God gave the earth and “every living thing that moveth upon the earth” to mankind by making a covenant [agreement] with Adam. The terms and conditions of the original covenant between the Lord God and man were set forth in Genesis 1:28-30 and 2:7-25. Let me assure our readers that I am not setting forth some wild “theory.” The Word of God explicitly says that the earth and “every living thing that moveth” was given to Adam by covenant, . “But they like men [Adam] have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against Me,” Hosea 6:7. If our readers will check their Concordance or Lexicon, the word translated as “men” in this Scripture is the Hebrew word “Adam.” Check it out for yourself! This Scripture then literally states, “But they like Adam have transgressed the covenant…” There obviously had to have been a covenant between the Lord God and Adam, otherwise Adam could not have “transgressed” it. This inspired passage makes it clear that the Lord God did give the earth and everything on it to mankind through a covenant with Adam. But Adam violated that covenant when he disobeyed the Lord and in doing so lost everything that the Lord had planned and prepared for mankind.
Need for a “new covenant”
The violation of the original covenant resulted in the loss of everything the Lord God had given to mankind through Adam [the head or progenitor of the whole human race]. This produced a crisis! [No, it was not a crisis on God’s part! Never lose sight of the fact that God knew the end from the beginning]. Since the original covenant had been violated and everything the Lord God gave to mankind in the Adamic Covenant had now passed into possession of Satan, if God’s plan for mankind was to succeed then at some point in the future the Lord God would have to make “a new covenant” with mankind. This “new covenant” with man would of necessity have to contain different terms and conditions than the original covenant in order to guarantee that “the fall of man” which occurred under the original covenant would never occur again in all of “the ages to come.” Such a “new covenant” would also have to be made with “a man” [Genesis 3:15] who would once again be the head or progenitor of the whole human race. What a problem! But not for the Lord God of Heaven…..
How could such a problem be solved? How? I urge our readers to carefully study the “Incarnation of Christ!” Now read 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 15:45, and 15:47-49 and rejoice! The Lord Jesus Christ not only came into this world as a man in order to redeem fallen mankind, but also
in order to redeem everything that mankind lost in Adam’s fall. This process of redemption for fallen mankind most definitely involved the making of “a new covenant” between the Lord God of Heaven and mankind. Praise the Lord!
If some readers think this is just my opinion, then perhaps they would like to explain why such a “new covenant” was specifically predicted in the inspired Word of God in Jeremiah 31:31-34?
Now here is an amazing thing! The “new covenant” was explicitly prophesied in the inspired Jewish Scriptures in Jeremiah 31:31-34 some 600 years before the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world, and yet today the “religious Jews” and many of those who call themselves “Messianic Jews” do not want the “new covenant,” refuse to believe that a “new covenant” was given, and will not read it, believe it, or accept it. No wonder the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said of such Jews, “Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,” Matthew 15:7-9. Their rejection of Jeremiah 31:31-34 makes it clear that the “religious Jews” and even many of those who claim to be “Messianic Jews” do not believe their own Jewish Scriptures! Is this stated plainly enough…?!?!?
The Covenants
The average “professing Christian” today has never made any serious study of “the covenants” set forth in God’s Word. A few true believers have made the effort to seriously study the covenants, but most believers today know next to nothing about the covenants set forth in God’s Word. This is just a sad reality. It is sad because if a true believer is really interested in knowing about their own future in “the ages to come,” then they need to know what the Lord God has determined for mankind by the covenants He has made with man in the past. I am now going to list the major covenants set forth in the Scriptures in order that our readers can study these covenants for themselves. Please keep in mind that even though men have broken these covenants again and again, the Lord God has never changed His mind and every covenant listed is an “everlasting covenant,” Ecclesiastes 3:14.
GOD’S COVENANT WITH ADAM…….This covenant with all of its terms and conditions is set forth in Genesis 1 – 2. Even though Adam violated this covenant thereby bringing sin and death upon the whole human race [Romans 5:12], the Lord God never changed His mind that the earth and every living thing upon it should be placed under the dominion of man. Therefore it will be! God’s people can count on it! Praise the Lord!
GOD’S COVENANT WITH NOAH…….This covenant with all of its terms and conditions is set forth in Genesis 8 – 9. All of God’s covenants with mankind are “everlasting” covenants, but this is the first covenant in God’s Word where the term, “everlasting covenant” actually occurs, 9:16. This covenant is explicitly stated to be between God and Noah [mankind] and “every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth…….for perpetual [ceaseless; unending] generations,” 9:12; 9:16-17. This means that a billion years from today there will still be a natural people [exactly as God originally created Adam and Eve] living on the earth reproducing themselves through procreation. Even though mankind has repeatedly violated this covenant, yet the Lord God has never changed His mind and His “bow” still appears in the clouds “for a token [sign] of a covenant between Me and the earth,” 9:12-17. Glory to God!
GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM…….This covenant with all of its terms and conditions is set forth in Genesis 12:1-3, 13:14-17, 14:18-20, 15:1-21, 17:1-27, 18:17-19, 22:15-18, and is referred to numerous other places in God’s Word. In this Abrahamic Covenant the “seed” of Abraham was promised “all the land” where Abraham was sojourning “for ever,” 13:14-15; 15:7; 15:18-21; 17:7-8. Three times the Scriptures explicitly state that this covenant is an “everlasting covenant,” 17:7; 17:13; 17:19. The fleshly descendants of Abraham [the Jewish people] have violated this covenant again and again, yet the Lord God remains faithful to His Word and has never changed His mind about His promises to Abraham and his “seed” through all these centuries. The land promised to Abraham by an “everlasting covenant” will be inherited by the “seed” of Abraham and there will be Jewish people living on that land in their natural bodies [without a “sin nature”] throughout all of “the ages to come.” Glory to God! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
GOD’S COVENANT WITH ISAAC…….This covenant with all of its terms and conditions is set forth in Genesis 26:1-5 and 26:23-25. This covenant with Isaac is actually a re-confirmation of the covenant the Lord originally made with Abraham. The Lord graciously re-confirmed it with Isaac, assuring him that his “seed” would also be given the land that he was sojourning in just as the Lord God had promised his father Abraham. Through all of these centuries, even though the descendants of Abraham and Isaac have violated these covenants, the Lord God has never changed His mind, Malachi 3:6. See also Deuteronomy 7:6-9, 1 Chronicles 16:15-18, Psalm 105:5-11, Galatians 4:21-31, and Hebrews 11:8-9.
GOD’S COVENANT WITH JACOB…….This covenant with all of its terms and conditions is set forth in Genesis 28:10-15, 32:24-30, 35:1, 35:6-12, 46:1-4, 48:1-5, 48:14-20, and is mentioned numerous other places in the Scriptures. This covenant with Jacob is also a re-confirmation of the covenant the Lord God originally made with Abraham, and later re-confirmed with Isaac, 1 Chronicles 16:15-18; Psalm 105:5-11. Notice that in both of these passages setting forth the re-confirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant with Isaac and Jacob, it is explicitly stated that the covenant is an “everlasting covenant” and that their “seed” would be given “the land of Canaan” as their “inheritance.” The Lord God has never changed His mind! Glory to God!
GOD’S COVENANT WITH ISRAEL…….God’s Covenant of Law was given to the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai after they were delivered out of the land of Egypt. The terms and conditions of this Covenant of Law are set forth beginning in Exodus 20:1-17 and continue through the rest of the Book of Exodus and the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The basic foundation of this covenant is what is commonly referred to as “The Ten Commandments.” However, these ten basic commandments were amplified and explained by “statutes” and “ordinances” and “judgments” set forth in Exodus and the three other books of the Torah [Law]. It is also a fact of Biblical history that from time to time God’s appointed prophets who lived under the Old Covenant were given authority from the Lord to “clarify” certain points in the Covenant of Law.
If those reading God’s Word today would pay serious attention to what they are reading, it would become obvious…….
[1] That the Covenant of Law was given to Israel and the Jewish people, and was never given to any other nation or people on earth, Leviticus 26:46; Deuteronomy 4:1-8; 4:12-14; 4::32-40; 4:44-45; 2 Samuel 7:23-24; 1 Chronicles 17:21-22; Romans 2:14.
[2] That just like all the preceding covenants, the Covenant of Law was an “everlasting covenant.” The redeemed Jewish people who lived under the Old Covenant and their children and their children’s children and so on throughout all future generations will continue to observe the Covenant of Law “for ever” while living in and on the land which the Lord gave to them by this “everlasting covenant.” See Exodus 12:14-24, 27:20-21, 28:43, 29:4-9, 29:28, 30:8, 30:21, 31:12-17, 40:13-15, Leviticus 3:17, 6:18, 6:22, 7:34-36, 10:8-9, 10:15, 16:29-34, 17:7, 23:14, 23:21, 23:31, 23:41, 24:3, 24:8-9, Numbers 10:8, 15:14-16, 18:8-11, 18:19, 18:20-23, 19:10, 25:11-13, Deuteronomy 12:28, and 29:29.
[3] That the Covenant of Law was to be temporarily set aside at the “appointed time” in order that the Lord God might show mercy upon the Gentiles, Romans 3:9-20; 11:1-11; 11:25; 11:32.
[4] That there would be “a change” made in the Covenant of Law. It was the Lord God who gave the Covenant of Law to Moses at Mt. Sinai for the children of Israel, and as the Supreme Law Giver the Lord God not only had a perfect right to make a “change” in the Law, but He did “change” it, [Hebrews 7:11-19], and will change it yet again, Isaiah 55:3; 61:8; Jeremiah 32:40; Ezekiel 16:59-63; 37:26-28. The “change” will not be in the laws, statutes, and ordinances given to Israel, but rather [1] in where the Law will be written in “the ages to come,” and [2] how the Law will be administered, and [3] to whom the Law will apply.
I want to remind our readers that at the beginning of the personal ministry of Christ [John 2:13-17] and again at the end of the personal ministry of Christ [Matthew 21:12-13], the Lord cleansed the Temple of the money changers, merchandisers, and loan sharks, stating explicitly, “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves,” Mark 11:15-17; Isaiah 56:7. This statement alone should give spiritual insight to those readers who seriously study the Scriptures. The Jewish Temple [Millennial Temple] will ultimately become a central place of worship for all the nations upon the earth, and will no longer be exclusively for the Jewish people. Carefully study Ezekiel 40 – 48 and Zechariah 14:16-21.
The “change” in the Law [1] took away the Law written on “tables of stone,” [Colossians 2:14], and began writing God’s Law in the “fleshly tables of the heart” for both Jew and Gentile who would believe, Ezekiel 11:17-20; 36:24-28; Romans 2:14-15. The “change” in the Law [2] made provision for the Law to be administered to both Jews and Gentiles by the “grace of God” through “faith” and in the Spirit of “love,” Galatians 5:4-6; Ephesians 2:8-10. The “change” in the Law [3] did not do away with “the everlasting covenant” of Law which the Lord God made with Israel as His own chosen nation and people [Matthew 5:17-18], but rather revealed that all the Law was fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ, Romans 10:4. Therefore the “change” placed the Jewish people under the “new covenant” by “the grace of God,” [Jeremiah 31:1-2; 31:31-34], and made provision for the salvation of the Gentiles through “the grace of God.” Through the centuries many Jews have come to realize this truth and have given their hearts and lives to Christ. But sadly, the Jews as a people do not yet know or acknowledge this truth because their own unbelief has blinded their minds to the truth of God’s grace, Romans 11:5-7; 11:25; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. But presently unbelieving Israel and the Jewish people shall come to know this truth, for the Scriptures explicitly state that “the power of God through faith unto salvation” is “ready to be revealed [to the Jews] in the last time,” 1 Peter 1:5; 1:9-10; 1:13; Zechariah 4:6-7; 12:10. Glory to God! Praise the Lord! Pray for our lost Jewish brethren!
GOD’S COVENANT WITH DAVID…….This covenant with all of its terms and conditions is set forth in 2 Samuel 7:1-17 and 1 Chronicles 17:1-15. This is one of the most important covenants in the Bible when it comes to understanding and “rightly dividing the Word of truth,” 2 Timothy 2:15. A good understanding of what is actually stated in this covenant will clarify the role of both the redeemed Jewish people and New Covenant believers in “the ages to come.” Study these passages!
In this Davidic Covenant the Lord told David that He would “make thee a house,” 7:11; 17:10. This literally means that the “House of David” would be established as a “dynasty” to rule over the nation and people of Israel “for evermore,” 7:12-16; 17:11-14. This means what it says, and it says what it means! But it wasn’t limited to just the “House of David”…….
King David himself has a personal role to fulfill in this covenant! Notice the Lord’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:16, “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” The expression, “before thee,” literally means “before your own eyes in your presence.” Check it out for yourself! That David himself understood this statement as literal truth was confirmed by David’s reply to the Lord in 2 Samuel 7:18-19 and 1 Chronicles 17:16-27. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
Of course this Davidic Covenant was to be fulfilled based on the work of the “seed” of David, 2 Samuel 7:12-15; 1 Chronicles 17;11-14. Both of these passages directly refer to the Lord Jesus Christ who was [and is] the “seed” of David, Matthew 1:1; Revelation 5:5. David’s son, Solomon, believed that these prophecies applied to him [2 Chronicles 6:8-11] and did his best to fulfill them. He was grossly mistaken. There is no way that the throne and kingdom of Solomon was established “for ever,” 2 Samuel 7:13. It is also glaringly obvious that the Lord God was not Solomon’s father and Solomon was not the Son of God, and Solomon was certainly not the One who was “chastened with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men,” 2 Samuel 7:14. That sad and terrible, but glorious honor, belongs only to the Lord Jesus Christ, Isaiah 53:1-12.
The truths set forth in the Davidic Covenant are explicitly confirmed in the prophecies of the Book of Ezekiel. The prophet Ezekiel lived hundreds of years after King David, yet Ezekiel explicitly prophesied that King David would be the “shepherd” and “prince” over Israel and would be Israel’s “king” and “prince for ever” in the future “ages to come,” Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25. When the land of Israel is again divided among the tribes of Israel, the prophet Ezekiel even states that a specific portion of land will be set aside for King David, Israel’s “prince” [ruler], Ezekiel 45:7-8.
Even more confirmation of this truth is found in Hosea 3:4-5 where the Scriptures explicitly state, “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:
Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.” Every serious Bible student knows
that the Jewish people have been without a king from among their own people for the past 2,600 years. The Jews returned to their land as a nation in 1948-49, and many of them have sought and are seeking the Lord, exactly as prophesied in this passage in Hosea. But Israel still does not have a
king as their ruler. Like most of the other nations of the world, when they returned to their land they established a so-called “democratic” form of government. It has proven to be a dismal failure! This prophecy in Hosea 3:4-5 along with the passages in Ezekiel are quite clear that King David will be their future king. If any reader wants to argue about this, go argue with the Lord. Time is extremely short, and I have no time to waste arguing with anyone who chooses to deny the plain statements of the inspired Word. Is this stated clearly enough?
There are many other Scripture passages in God’s Word that also shed light on the Davidic Covenant. I don’t have the time or space to discuss every one of them in this study. What I can tell my readers is that the resurrection of Old Covenant believers will occur either right at or in close proximity to the middle of the Tribulation period, Daniel 11:45 – 12:1-2. Old Covenant believers will be resurrected back to life in their natural bodies, but without any “sin nature,” Joel 3:20-21; Zephaniah 3:13; Isaiah 60:21; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Hebrews 8:10-12. They will not be raptured! Their resurrection will include King David himself [Jeremiah 30:7-9], who will immediately become King over the nation and people of Israel and lead the Jewish people to safety in Petra as they flee from the wrath of Satan and the Anti-christ, Matthew 24:15-21; Revelation 12:6; 12:14-16. Glory to God!
That King David will be king over Israel during the last half of the Tribulation period is set forth in Psalm 89:20-22 where the Scripture explicitly states of David, “The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness [Anti-christ] afflict him.” King David is mentioned four times by name in the 89th Psalm. That King David is with the Jewish people in Petra during the last half of the Tribulation is obvious, for Micah 2:12-13 sets forth a prophecy about the Lord assembling the Jewish people in Petra at that time and then leading them out of Petra at the end of the Tribulation. It is explicitly stated in Micah 2:13, “The breaker is come up before them; they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them.” This makes a clear distinction between “the Lord” who goes before them as they leave Petra, and “their king” who follows the Lord and leads the people. Who could this “king” over the Jews in Petra be other than King David exactly as prophesied?
We then have abundant Scriptural proof that King David will reign over cleansed, purified, redeemed, and restored Israel and the Jewish people in the land the Lord promised them throughout all of “the ages to come.” Glory to God! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
GOD’S NEW COVENANT WITH MANKIND…….This covenant was first prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and all of its terms and conditions are set forth in this passage, and in Hebrews 8:6-13, 10:1-18 and throughout the New Testament. It was first made with the Jewish disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, thereby fulfilling to the letter the prophecy that it was to be made “with the house of Israel,” [Jeremiah 31:31-34] but also made provision for all true New Testament Gentile believers to come to the Lord Jesus Christ by “grace through faith,” Ephesians 2:8-9. Glory to God!
The Lord Jesus Christ began setting forth the terms and conditions of the “new covenant” right at the beginning of His personal ministry, and continued to set them forth until just before the end of His personal ministry. The night before He was crucified the Lord met with His Jewish disciples to observe the Passover supper. After the Passover supper the Lord God made the “new covenant” with His Jewish disciples. In other words, the Lord God made the covenant with “the Israel of God,” Romans 11:1-7; Galatians 6:15-16. Check it out for yourself, Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; John 13:34-35; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Then the next morning the Lord was crucified on Calvary’s old rugged cross, offering Himself as a “blood sacrifice” to pay the sin debt of the Jewish people and of the whole human race, thereby putting the “new covenant” into effect by sealing it with His own precious blood, Colossians 2:13-15. Oh glory to God! Hallelujah! Thank You Lord Jesus! Praise to Your Holy Name!
Don’t fail to notice that as Christ began preaching and teaching during His personal ministry He was setting forth in the “new covenant” the “changes” lacking in the Old Covenant [Hebrews 7:11-19] which were needed to not only redeem the believing Jewish people, but also to redeem the believing Gentiles and restore the entire Kingdom to redeemed mankind which Adam had lost in his fall. This became clear to the Lord’s disciples who had “seeing eyes” and “hearing ears,” Matthew 13:10-17. See such passages as Matthew 5:21-22, 5:27-28, 5:31-32, 5:33-35, 5:38-39, and 5:43-45 as examples. In each of these New Testament passages [and others] the Lord was probing the hearts and minds of the Jewish people as He set forth the real spiritual truth behind the Law which the hard hearted Jews considered “unalterable” and “inflexible.” Yet in setting forth the “new covenant” the Lord Jesus Christ made provision for both Jews and Gentiles to be saved and have the Law of God written in their hearts and minds through “faith,” John 3:1-7; 3:16-18; 3:36; 5:24; 14:6; 14:21-23; Romans 10:8-13; Ephesians 2:8-10. Glory to God! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
The New Covenant Believer’s Present State
The inspired Word of God explicitly states that it was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who introduced and established the “new covenant,” Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:23-24; Luke 22;20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25. The Lord did so by setting forth the terms and conditions of the “new covenant” right from the very beginning of His personal ministry, Matthew 4;12; 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; John 2:13-25; 3:1-8.
At the very beginning of the Lord’s personal ministry, the Lord told Nicodemus that “a man” [mankind…man or woman] who wants to “see” or “enter” the kingdom of God “must be born again” [gennao anothen…”born from above”], John 3:1-8. So right at the beginning of His personal ministry the Lord Jesus through the “new birth” began the process of “creating” a new species or “kind” of human being, thereby making a new beginning for fallen mankind, James 1:18.
Notice that this passage in James 1:18 explicitly states, “Of His own will begat [born; brought to birth] He us…” In other words, we “new covenant” believers have been “born of God,” John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:23. Notice that this Scripture also expressly states that we are “a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” We are not the last, nor anything in between the first and the last. We are explicitly stated to be the “firstfruits,” signifying a whole new beginning with mankind. What Adam lost, we “new covenant” believers [Jew or Gentile] regain in Christ Jesus, our risen Lord. Praise the Lord!
In setting forth this subject there are three Scriptural truths which I want to set before our readers for your serious consideration and study…
Being “born again” [born from above] is totally a New Testament [covenant] truth. There isno mention in the Old Testament of any believer ever being “born again.” Period! Yes, there were repentant sinners saved “by faith” in the coming promised Messiah under the Old Covenant, but not one of them was ever said to have been “born again.” None! The “new birth” is totally a New Testament teaching first set forth by Christ Himself at the beginning of His personal ministry, and was to be experienced only by repentant “new covenant” believers whether Jew or Gentile.
The New Testament clearly states, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,” 2 Corinthians 5:17. See also Galatians 6:15, Ephesians 4:24, and Colossians 3:10. There is no mention in the Old Testament of any Old Covenant believer being created “a new creation” in Christ Jesus. None! This is again a New Testament truth only entered into by New Covenant believers at the time we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior.
The Scriptures explicitly state that New Covenant believers have been made “partakers of the divine nature,” 2 Peter 1:1-4. This actually and literally means that through the “new birth”we who are New Covenant believers have received the nature of the Lord God Himself who gave us the “new birth,” and are therefore actually and spiritually related to God, John 3:3-8. This is why the Scriptures explicitly state that we New Covenant believers have “the mind of Christ” [1 Corinthians 2:11-16], and are referred to in the New Testament as “the sons of God,” Romans 8:11-15. Such is never said of any Old Covenant believer anywhere in the Old Testament Scriptures.
But no reader should get carried away with this knowledge and begin boasting [like the Mormon cult teaches their followers]. The inspired Word makes it clear that presently we New Covenant believers still have “this treasure in earthen vessels [our fleshly body], that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us,” 2 Corinthians 4:6-7. In other words, we New Covenant believers presently still have a “sin nature” in our flesh [Romans 7:18] which suppresses “the mind of Christ” and veils “the divine nature” within us. This forces every true believer to look to and rely on our precious Lord for His wisdom and knowledge and strength and power and leadership in living our daily lives for His glory, John 15:5. Never forget that 1 Peter 5:5-6 is still in the Bible! This is also why the Scriptures explicitly state, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature [creation] waiteth for the manifestation [unveiling] of the sons of God,” Romans 8:18-19. Glory to God!
The only living beings in the entire Word of God ever referred to as “sons of God” are [1] the angels and [2] New Covenant believers. This is because both the angels and New Covenant believers are created beings. The man or woman “born of nature” is not a created being, but rather is born into the world through the act of procreation on the part of their parents who descended from Adam and Eve. When a truly repentant sinner during this present “dispensation of grace” then believes and calls upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, they are “born again” of the Spirit of God [John 3:6-8] and “created” a “new creation” in Christ Jesus making them a “son of God,” Romans 8:14-17. Such did not occur when a repentant sinner believed and was saved under the Old Covenant. In relation to salvation only New Covenant believers are ever referred to in the Scriptures as “sons of God.”
If any reader has never considered these truths previously, I urge a diligent study of this subject. We true believers are explicitly commanded to “rightly divide the Word of truth” [2 Timothy 2:15] and “Prove all things…,” 1 Thessalonians 5:21. We who are truly saved today can conclude that genuine New Covenant believers are presently “born again” of the Holy Spirit of God, are “new creatures” in Christ Jesus, and are “sons of God.” However, keep in mind that the lost world does not see us this way, for our true spiritual state is not presently visible, neither to us nor to the unsaved world around us. Just like the Lord Jesus dwelt in a body of flesh before His resurrection, so we true believers today are likewise dwelling in a body of flesh. The inspired Word explicitly states that the whole creation today is “waiting for the manifestation [unveiling] of the sons of God,” Romans 8:19. This “unveiling” will take place at the time of the resurrection and rapture of all true New Covenant believers, Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Glory! Glory to God! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah to the Lord Jesus!
The New Covenant Believer’s Future State
Some readers may wonder why the Lord would create a “new species” of mankind? If the answer has not already become clear to our readers, then let’s examine what the Lord God has purposed to do with mankind in “the ages to come”…….
The Lord God has determined that every human being who has ever lived and died will be resurrected. However, all will not be resurrected at the same time, nor will all have the same destiny. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself explicitly stated that there will be two resurrections, the “resurrection of life” and the “resurrection of damnation,” John 5:28-29. All of the “theological theories” and arguments in the world will not change this statement of the Lord God to bring about one great “general resurrection,” as some teach today. Such a “scurvy varmint” is not be found in the Scriptures. Period! The Lord’s statement will stand when all of the silly “theological theories” of men have vanished forever. There will be two separate resurrections, exactly as the Lord stated, one for the saved and one for the unsaved whether some like it or not. There is no “general resurrection” taught anywhere in the inspired Scriptures, and those today who are teaching such a silly theory are teaching an unscriptural lie every time they open their mouths to teach it.
Also, the two separate resurrections do not occur at the same time or even in close proximity to one another. The “resurrection of life” is separated from the “resurrection of damnation” by a minimum of at least 1,000 years, and such is explicitly stated in Revelation 20:1-5.
I have emphasized this clarification in order that our readers might clearly understand the distinction between the two resurrections. Since “the resurrection of damnation” [for unbelievers] is not the subject I want to emphasize in this study, I will now focus on the resurrection of New Covenant believers; “the first resurrection,” Revelation 20:1-6.