In the Beginning

This tract is a brief story of how divine order was lost in the kingdom of God, and how it is being regained.

The story begins in the distant past, a time before the creation of man. There was perfect order and harmony among the angelic beings who served the Lord God. Apparently the most beautiful angel, Lucifer, was assigned a prominent place among the angels. In His word, God refers to him as “Star of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12).

Because of his splendor and grandeur, the heart of Lucifer was lifted up in pride. He sought to raise his throne above that of the other angels and to make himself like the Most High. His sin of rebellion brought disorder into God’s kingdom. Disorder grew as Lucifer persuaded one third of the angels to follow him (Revelation 12:4).

God threw the rebellious angels out of His presence. The bright, shining Lucifer became the prince of darkness, known now as Satan (adversary) and as the devil.

This was the origin of sin and disorder in God’s kingdom.

The First Adam & the Last Adam

God’s first action to restore order was to take some soil from the earth, which He fashioned into a body for the first man. He then breathed life and Spirit into the body, and created Adam in His image. God then put the man to sleep, took out one of his ribs, and created Eve, a wife for Adam. The Lord instructed them to populate and subdue the earth.

Adam was lord of the earth. He was created from earth in order to be identified with the earth. He was created by Spirit to show that he represented God in his oversight.

God instructed Adam to tend the garden where they were created. Any plant or tree on the surface of the earth, whose fruit yielded seed, was given to them as food (Genesis 1:29). However, there was a tree in the garden called, “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” They were forbidden, under pain of death, from eating that fruit. (It apparently had no seed, and thus it possessed no life.)

Satan came secretly to Eve as a serpent and tempted her to eat the forbidden fruit. She did eat, and gave some to Adam who also ate. They both immediately lost their clothing of glory; being naked they hid themselves from God. They also lost their state of eternal life being cut off from relationship with God. In time, they would die physically as would their children. The sin of rebellion and disorder had entered God’s kingdom on earth.

Fortunately, God foreknew what would occur, and He was prepared to act. He informed Adam and Eve that one of their seed would be born in the future and he would bruise (crush) the serpent’s head. God’s plan would not fail for it was founded on two truths: (1) Adam was created in the image of God and could be redeemed. (2) The promised seed of Adam, the last Adam, would have power and authority over Satan, and would reestablish order in God’s kingdom.

In subsequent years, God made covenant with a man of faith called Abraham. He told Abraham that the promised seed would come from his genealogy. It was therefore necessary that his descendants prepare themselves for this great event. They were to become a special people in the earth, a holy nation called “Israel.” God sent prophets and leaders to teach them on principles of His kingdom; principles such as worship, faith, laws of righteousness, spiritual warfare, offerings and sacrifices, tithes, the priesthood, etc., etc.

Above all, the people were taught to look forward to the promised seed, who would come as their Messiah. The plan of our heavenly Father was centered in His Son.

God told Israel that in the fulness of time, this promised seed would be born to a virgin, who had been impregnated by the Holy Spirit. He would be the Son of God! The government would be upon His shoulders. He would be the anointed One who received the Holy Spirit without measure; all authority in heaven and earth would be given to Him. He would be Lord of lords and King of kings.

He was born like any child, and given the name, Jesus. He had compassion on the poor and needy; He healed the sick; He cast out demons; He raised the dead and He performed many miracles that bore witness of God’s love for lost mankind (John 3:16).

However, the primary purpose of His coming to earth was to lay down His life as an acceptable sacrifice for all sin ever committed by mankind. He lived a perfect, sinless life. The blood He shed in death, is the only cleansing there is to forgive sin. He was the Lamb of God offered to forgive the sins of all who will repent and believe in His death, burial and resurrection. This belief transaction is the new birth, bringing lost mankind back into fellowship with their Father in heaven. Christ comes to live in the hearts of those who have been redeemed. All allegiance to Satan is broken and order (except for physical death) is now restored in the believer’s life.

It is important that we understand how the first and the last Adam constitute the plan of God to restore order in His kingdom. First, one must understand how they are different:

The first man Adam, became a living soul (made in the image of God). The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45)

The following scriptures clearly distinguish between the first and last Adam:

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-21)

The creation of Adam to rule the earth would appear to have failed when he disobeyed God. However, he was created in the image of God and he had to learn the primacy of obeying the will of God. Divine order only exists when the will of God is done. Everything depended upon the last Adam, the promised seed coming to lay down His life to redeem lost man and to bring order into His Father’s kingdom. Whoever believes in Him and receives His sacrifice for their sins, becomes alive by spiritual rebirth. Instead of being a rebellious child of Satan, one becomes a child of God with a renewed relationship. We now possess the spirit of adoption as sons of God.

The Calendar of Events

Just as death is the result of sin, so also is eternal life a result of the new birth. Not only is our soul saved, but we have a future promise that death will be abolished, and we will inherit a glorified body like Christ’s. However there is a Calendar of time by which these things happen:

But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23)

The church age is this present period of time when the Lord Jesus Christ anoints and leads His body, the church, against rebellion in the heavens and on earth. Through the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, He is restoring order in the kingdom of God on earth. Millions of souls will be won through the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14). The headship of Christ is essential for this to take place.

These things must be understood in the light of the authority and power that God, the Father, gave to His son at His resurrection from the dead; Jesus has been made central to everything in the church!

. . . (God) seated Him (Jesus) at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:20-23)

Jesus has prepared His church by sending the fulness of the Holy Spirit to dwell in believers. The way of victory is not in what we do for Christ in His name. Obedient believers do not seek to imitate the Lord Jesus, but they yield to His Lordship and allow Him to live His life in them. The qualities of Christ must be seen in His body.

The glory of Christ is much more than preaching correct doctrine or exercising spiritual gifts. The Lord has equipped the church with nine spiritual gifts and five ministries of the Spirit, but it is the glory of Christ seen upon the church that will bring in the end-time harvest of souls. The issue is not in the church organizing strategies of teaching and evangelism, but in yielding to the headship of Christ so that His will is done in all things.

When the will of Christ is fully accomplished in the kingdom of God, then the following will take place:

Then comes the end, when He (Jesus) hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and all power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that must be abolished is death! (1 Corinthians 15:24-26)

When this glorious event takes place, Jesus essentially says to His Father, “The quest is complete; all is again in order. I have judged and abolished Satan’s kingdom. I have judged the nations and all men who have rejected your love and forgiveness that was offered in the gospel of My sacrificial death and resurrection. Because all judgment is complete I have also abolished death. All of My enemies are under My feet, and so I hand the kingdom over to You.”

The Issue That We Face

The issue or question that the church faces today is whether or not she is ready for her Lord’s return. When He does return, we will be caught up to meet Him in the air; we will receive our glorified bodies and participate with the Lord in His judgment of Satan and nations of the earth. However, are we ready? That is the issue: are we fully submitted to the headship of Christ; has the church completed her commission to evangelize the nations, and has the bride of Christ prepared herself for His return?

To answer this question, let us consider the authority and provision of our commission to preach the glorious gospel to all nations:

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus disarmed all of Satan’s rulers and authorities in heavenly places (Colossians 2:15). He allowed them to remain in their positions, but their weapons are gone! They are still able to influence individuals, regions and nations with spirits of accusation, depression, fear, condemnation and through earthly demonic powers. They constitute our battleground (Ephesians 6:11-13).

Jesus has equipped the church through spiritual baptism with diverse gifts and ministries. We have power over all the power of the enemy! The heart of our strength, however, is not in our individual giftings and faith. It is the truth that we are a spiritual organism, a spiritual body under the Lordship and headship of Christ. He is central to everything that should take place in His body. The battle is the Lord’s. Everything is modeled for us by the New Testament church; she is our pattern, but church history is our judge.

Approximately one generation after the death of Paul, the apostle, the church began to move away from the order of divine oversight that Jesus had ordained for her (1 Corinthians 3:10-11; 1 Timothy 5:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5). Plural elderships¹ which provided each local church with checks and balances on hearing and discerning the leading of the Lord were replaced by one-man overseers called “bishops.” These men were defined as the one and only spiritual authority for that church. Apostles and prophets began to disappear.

Over a period of time this action opened the door to introduce other humanly defined levels of authority. This move away from the headship of Christ led the way to a slow decline into the apostasy of the Dark Ages. The church changed from being a unified spiritual organism under Christ, into many autonomous groups who compete for recognition as the “true church.”

Reformation has been slow. It began with Martin Luther in the sixteenth century. Since then the Lord has raised up other godly men who have sought for a return to the divine order once given to the church.

This is the need facing the church today, to again see the reality of the body of Christ where Jesus is Lord and head over all that takes place.

The church will certainly be restored before Jesus returns (Acts 3:21). He is coming back for a victorious, overcoming bride; He is not returning to rescue a weak church. There is much tribulation and suffering ahead that is destined to bring His people to glory and maturity (2 Corinthians 4:17-18; Romans 8:16-18; James 1:2-4; Isaiah 60:2-3).

Today in various parts of the earth there are glowing reports of supernatural signs and wonders. Miracles are occurring as multitudes are being saved. As this marvelous trend continues, it will do so until it leads into a Great Awakening and multitudes of souls will be gathered in. Churches who have not returned to New Testament order will simply not be able to handle the new converts.

The glory that is destined to rise upon the end-time church is not a matter of greater spiritual giftings; it is for leaders to yield control to the divine order of Christ being head over all things in the church. This is our challenge.

References

1. SHEPHERD MY SHEEP, a Fountain of Life tract, Dale Rumble

Above, Print of Thomas Cole's “Departure,” 1837