Robert Gorham Davis was a professor of English at Columbia University. After his retirement he spent his energies writing letters to the New York Times Editorial Section. He wrote many letters, usually prompted by any favorable mention of Christian truth. Anytime the New York Times made some mention of Christianity, he protested with a letter.

In one such letter he wrote, “Plainly if there were such a God who really wished to reveal Himself to mankind, He could do so in a way that left no doubt.”

Well, He did. God revealed Himself to mankind through His Son, and God left no doubt as to the revelation of Himself to mankind by His Son rising from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most amazing way God could have revealed Himself to us. And the facts are clear, the evidence is conclusive: Christ is risen from the dead.

Satan hates the Resurrection. He tried to cover it up by the lies and scheming of religious leaders and Roman soldiers, and he still tries to cover up the resurrection today. As a result, the true meaning of Easter is covered up with bunnies, eggs, candy, and baskets. But we must be careful and vigilant not to allow the world to cover up for us what this blessed holiday is all about.

Sure, Sealed, and Set

“Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done” (Matt. 28:11).

Matthew records, “Now when they were going.” The “they” are the women who had come to the tomb on Resurrection morning. An angel had appeared to them at the tomb and told them to tell the disciples that Christ was risen from the dead as He said, and that He was going before them into Galilee where they would see Him (vv. 5-8). As they went from the tomb, the Lord appeared to the women. And then He too told them to tell the disciples that He was risen and would meet them in Galilee.

Thus, verse 11 says, “Now when they were going,” meaning that these women were obeying the Lord and were on their way to deliver to the disciples this message of good news from the risen Savior.

People were moving in different directions on Resurrection morning. The women were on the move toward the disciples’ location, and “some of the watch,” or the Roman soldiers, were on the move as well “into the city” of Jerusalem to find the Jewish chief priests. Strange, isn’t it, that Roman soldiers would seek out the Jewish chief priests?

To answer that question, first we need to learn about the orders given to these soldiers.

“Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
“Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
“Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night, and steal Him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
“Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
“So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch” (Matt. 27:62-66).

After Christ’s death on the cross, the chief priests and Pharisees remembered Christ’s words that He would rise again after three days.

They requested from the Roman governor, Pilate, a watch, or a Roman guard unit, to be stationed at the tomb to ensure that the disciples didn’t try to steal Christ’s body and claim He rose again. Pilate granted the watch. So the Roman soldiers “went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.”

Now, Roman guards were serious about what they were put in charge of guarding, because if a Roman soldier failed in his duty as a guard, it was an offense punishable by death. They faced certain and immediate execution. This was why the Philippian jailor was about to kill himself after the earthquake when he thought Paul and all the prisoners had escaped (Acts 16:26-29).

The punishment for failing on guard duty was for the soldier to be “stripped of his clothes, then burned alive in a fire started with the garments.” The fear of that punishment made guards very alert and mindful of their responsibilities.

Christian apologist, evangelist, and author Josh McDowell wrote this about a Roman watch: “A Roman guard unit was a 4-to-16-man security force. Each man was trained to protect six feet of ground. The 16 men in a square of four on each side were supposed to be able to protect 36 yards against an entire battalion and hold it. Normally what they did was this: four men were placed immediately in front of what they were to protect. The other 12 were asleep in a semi-circle in front of them with their heads pointing in. To steal what these guards were protecting, thieves would first have to walk over those who were asleep. Every four hours, another unit of four was awakened and those who had been awake went to sleep. They would rotate this way around the clock.”

We know the guard unit in front of Christ’s tomb was a multi-man force because Matthew recorded how “SOME of the watch came into the city” (Matt. 28:11) after the resurrection. “Some” implies several men of the Roman guard unit.

Matthew 27:66 tells us that the Roman guards “made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone.” Application of the Roman seal to the stone was key because it was a public testimony that Christ’s body was actually there. Before that seal was applied, each member of the guard unit would go in and verify that what they were guarding was there. Their lives depended on that. That seal tells us that Christ’s body was in that tomb.

After verifying that Christ’s body was in the tomb, the stone was rolled in place, and a cord was stretched across the rock covering the entrance. The cord was fastened at each side with sealing clay. While still soft, the clay packs were stamped with the official signet of the Roman governor.

Trying to move the stone from the tomb’s entrance would have broken the Roman seal, and thus incurred the judgment of Roman law and power. And the consequences were severe, that is, “automatic execution by crucifixion upside down.”

After inspecting the tomb, rolling the stone into place at the entrance, and sealing the stone, the Roman guards then set the watch and got themselves in place.

A Powerful Angel

“And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
“His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” (Matt. 28:2-3).

When Christ died, there was a great earthquake. His death in payment for sin was of such magnitude that it shook the world (Matt. 27:50-51). In Matthew 28:2, we see that when He rose again in victory over death, the chains of death were broken forever, and this too was of such magnitude that it literally shook the world. His death shook the world. His resurrection shook the world. Verse 2 calls it “a great earthquake.” The word “great” is megas in the Greek, so we would say that it was a mega-quake. That is to say, it was a supernatural earthquake, and a severe one.

It wasn’t any shifting of the tectonic plates in the earth’s crust that caused the earthquake. It wasn’t any physical phenomenon at all. It was the result of the arrival of the angel of the Lord, descending from heaven to roll the stone away. The earthquake was not caused by Christ coming out of the tomb. It was caused by the arrival of the angel coming to the already-empty tomb. The angel did not come to let Christ out. When the angel arrived, Christ was already gone. He had already risen. In Christ’s resurrected, glorified body, He could simply move right through the rock, which He did when He left the tomb.

We learn that the angel didn’t move the stone to let Christ out. The angel moved the stone to let the world in, so all could see that Christ was gone. The angel moved the stone so that the women and the apostles could go in and give eyewitness testimony to the fact that Christ wasn’t there.

You gotta love this angel. When he comes, he comes in power, and there’s a great earthquake. He then single-handedly rolls that great stone some distance from the entrance of the tomb, and then he sits on it. That stone being removed from that door showed death had been conquered forever, that we are free forever from bondage through the fear of death (Heb. 2:15). That stone was a symbol of the sin that shut man in prison and condemned him to death. But now Christ had conquered sin and the grave. Nothing was going to change this fact. And in exultation at Christ’s victory, this angel sat on that stone. He sat on it as a divine testimony to Christ’s once-for-all, finished sacrifice for sin and His triumphant resurrection over death.

Shaky Soldiers

“And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men” (Matt. 28:4).

When the angel appeared and the earthquake occurred, and he moved the stone and sat on it, Matthew 28:4 records that the guards shook. The Greek word translated “shake” (seio) comes from the Greek word for “earthquake” in verse 2 (seismos). One could say that the guards had their own seismic experience. The ground quaked and then they quaked and shook out of sheer terror from seeing this heavenly angel.

Roman soldiers were acquainted with the terrors of battle. They were not easily shaken emotionally. But the angel’s shining countenance, coupled with the earthquake, paralyzed the “keepers,” the Roman guard. They were struck with such fear that they went into a comatose state, and they fainted “and became as dead men.” The angel never speaks to these guards. It was just his powerful presence that overwhelmed these rough and tough Roman legionnaires.

As soon as they regained consciousness, the soldiers checked the tomb, which they found empty except for the graveclothes lying as they were when they were wrapped around the Lord’s body, and the head napkin folded neatly to the side (Jn. 20:5-7). The soldiers saw and examined the entire scene.

“Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done” (Matt. 28:11).

Then some of the guards came into the city of Jerusalem to talk to the chief priests and to report to them all that had happened. Only “some” of them came because the others probably feared for their lives and were in hiding. The “some” who did come were shrewd. They did not report to their superior officers or to Governor Pilate; instead they reported to the Jewish chief priests. They reported to the men who were as anxious as they were to cover up what had happened.

They reported to “the chief priests all the things that were done.” And “all things that were done” included the earthquake, the appearance of the angel, the angel moving the stone away from the entrance to the tomb by himself and then sitting on it, and how, after this, they fainted. Then they reported that, after they came to, the tomb was empty, except for the graveclothes. The chief priests, therefore, received word of Christ’s resurrection before the disciples did. The religious leaders already knew while the women were still on their way to the disciples.

A Bribe and a Lie

“And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
“Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept.
“And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you” (Matt. 28:12-14).

In verse 12 we read, “when they [the chief priests] were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel.” The chief priests immediately called for a formal, emergency meeting of the Sanhedrin, the 70-man ruling body of the Jewish religious leaders. The firsthand facts from the soldiers were shared: the tomb is empty and they’ve got to do something about it. They assembled to consult together, that together they might come to a satisfactory resolution.

First they decided to bribe the soldiers to lie: “they gave large money unto the soldiers” (v. 12). They couldn’t have the soldiers going around saying there was an earthquake, an angel who rolled the stone away, and then that the tomb was empty. Today we would call this hush money.

The Greek word for money in verse 12 means silver coinage. The Jewish leaders gave the soldiers a large sum of silver money. They had bought Judas off for the sum of 30 pieces of silver; now they had to pay much more, but there was no price too high to buy a lie about this. This information could not come out. One would think that the resurrection would soften the hearts of the religious leaders to believe, but instead it hardened their hearts. They were determined in their unbelief.

Second, the Jewish religious leaders decided that, in return for the large sum of money, the soldiers were to spread a lie: “Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept” (v. 13). These religious leaders of Israel were desperate to come up with a story to explain the empty tomb and deter people from faith in Christ. The body was stolen. This was the only lie that worked. Nothing else works but this, because you have to offer a natural explanation for an empty tomb. But their cover-up proves the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The lie to be made known was “Well, we were all asleep when the disciples came in the middle of the night and stole His body.” However, the question that logically raises is “If you were asleep, how do you know His disciples came during the night and stole His body away?” You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be asleep and also know who took Him.

Another reason for the large bribe was that the religious leaders were asking the soldiers to incriminate themselves and to admit to sleeping while on guard duty in violation of Roman military law, which, as previously stated, was punishable by death.

For this reason, the third thing the religious ruling body decided was to assure the soldiers of their protection, telling them, “And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.” They were good at that, persuading Governor Pilate. Pilate was like putty in their hands. When Pilate was resistant to crucifying Christ, they kept working on him and worked the crowd into a frenzy against him: “the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this Man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend” (Jn. 19:12). As we know, the weak-kneed Pilate ultimately relented and commanded Christ to be crucified. Thus, if Pilate tried to take action to execute the soldiers, the chief priests knew they could go to him and keep the soldiers out of trouble.

“So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day” (Matt. 28:15).

Confident that the chief priests could do this and keep them safe, we learn in verse 15 that the soldiers took the large sum of money and did what they had been “taught.” The Jewish leaders had a number of soldiers that all needed to be telling the exact same story. They needed to go over the details of the cover-up and the lie so that one soldier wasn’t saying one thing and another was saying something different. As we say today, they needed to be on the same page. Thus, they were “taught” the lie carefully.

The leaders feared that the Resurrection was going to be preached and believed. They knew the news that the tomb was empty was going to spread, so they had to spread the lie quickly and widely. As Mark Twain once said, “A little lie can travel half way ’round the world while Truth is still lacing up her boots.” The Resurrection cover-up lie of the disciples stealing the body went out far and wide. Matthew, writing years later, confirms that it was still a prominent story believed by the Jews in that day, even though it was ridiculous.

The soldiers, who knew better, lied. The religious leaders, who knew better, lied. Satan, who is the father of lies, still propagates lies about the Resurrection today, and people still believe them.

Here are a few lies about the resurrection. There’s the “Wrong Tomb Theory,” that says the reason the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty was that the women went to the wrong tomb. However, two of the women had watched where He was buried the day of His crucifixion and knew where the tomb was (Matt. 27:61). This would mean that not only did the women go to the wrong tomb, but so did Peter and John when they ran to the tomb later (Jn. 20:3-4). And the right tomb would have been located after a while, especially by the Lord’s enemies who would have wanted to disprove the resurrection. Obviously, Joseph of Arimathea and the Roman soldiers knew which tomb contained the Lord’s body.

There’s the “Swoon Theory,” that Christ didn’t really die on the cross and just fainted from exhaustion. He was buried alive, and so later He came to and left the tomb on His own.

“A woman wrote [pastor and radio preacher] J. Vernon McGee, ‘Our preacher said that on Easter Jesus just swooned on the cross, and the disciples nursed him back to health. What do you think?’

“McGee replied, ‘Dear Sister, beat your preacher with a leather whip for thirty-nine heavy strokes. Nail him to a cross. Hang him in the sun for six hours. Run a spear through his heart. Embalm him. Put him in an airless tomb for three days. Then see what happens.’”

You may have heard the “Hallucination Theory.” This theory states that people only thought they had seen the resurrected Christ and had just hallucinated. However, mass hallucinations do not exist, and numbers of people together in the same place saw the risen Christ. There were too many different people in too many different places at too many different times and circumstances to be able to have that many hallucinations. And if the risen Christ were a hallucination, there would have been a body in the tomb.

Then there’s the “Stolen Body Theory” of Matthew 28:12-15 that began on Resurrection Day, a theory which is still believed by some. However, the disciples weren’t plotting how to steal the Lord’s body, they were hiding in fear of their lives.

He is Risen Indeed

What we have here in Matthew 28:11-15 is an account of Christ’s resurrection from the viewpoint of His enemies. The Holy Spirit, in the wisdom of God, gives us this angle as proof of the truth. Critics and doubters of the Resurrection may question the accounts by Christ’s friends, saying that of course they’re going to lie and say He rose again, because they were His friends. So unbelievers might dismiss the testimony of His followers. But it’s pretty hard to dismiss the testimony of His enemies! The last thing the Jewish leaders wanted was a resurrection and an empty tomb, but this is exactly what they got, and the elaborate cover-up is proof that the Resurrection really happened.

Christ’s followers give strong testimony to His resurrection in their eyewitness accounts, and His enemies give strong testimony to it in the plot to cover it up. Any and every way you look at it, Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Praise God that He did! His resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. The fact that Christ came out of that tomb is an everlasting proof of the sufficiency of His sacrifice for our sins and that our sin debt was paid in full, and that we will spend eternity in the heavenly places. As we are reminded in 2 Corinthians 4:14,

“Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus.”

“In the opening pages of his autobiography, ‘An American Life,’ Ronald Reagan writes, I was raised to believe that God had a plan for everyone and that seemingly random twists of fate are all a part of His plan. My mother—a small woman with auburn hair and a sense of optimism that ran as deep as the cosmos—told me that everything in life happened for a purpose. She said all things were part of God’s plan….”

Many earnest Christians wonder what God’s plan is for them. Go to a Christian bookstore, and you’ll find one book after another on how to learn, discern, and know God’s plan for you. It is an important question, and the answer to which is something that God does not hide, nor do the Scriptures fail to teach clearly; however, one should ask if it is truly possible to know God’s plan for our lives without first simply understanding God’s plan.

Is it possible that many people are “putting the cart before the horse?” How can we, or any pastor, elder, preacher, teacher, or author, know God’s plan for ourselves or another if we don’t first sufficiently comprehend God’s plan? Is it possible for someone to provide sound counsel on finances if they don’t first understand the math necessary to make such calculations? Likewise, can someone discern God’s plan for a person if they have yet to discern God’s plan for the heavens and the earth? Is this not a prerequisite?

Some may argue that the private does not need to understand the plans of the general, only the orders given to him. This may be somewhat true, but how is that private to interpret different orders from the same commanding officer? Is he to pick the ones he likes or prefers to do—the ones that stir his heart? Is he to follow what everyone else is doing even though it is pretty clear that not everybody is on the same page?

In reality, even the lowest ranking soldier will almost always know the overall objective of any mission. In those cases where they don’t, the likelihood of success will be significantly diminished because, in every battle, the enemy introduces chaos, and having a clear understanding of the objective becomes vital for soldiers to work in unity to achieve the desired outcome.

While there may be reasons for a commanding officer and even God to keep certain details a mystery, the Scriptures do tell us God’s plan and purpose. God wants us to know His plan.

The End Game

“Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him” (Eph. 1:9-10).

With Paul came the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret from all those who came before (Rom. 16:25-26; Eph. 3:1-5; Col. 1:25-26). The mystery concerns those things which Paul calls “the faith” (Rom. 1:5; 1 Cor. 16:13; Col. 2:7) and are the doctrines specific to the Body of Christ. Along with doctrines such as the Rapture (1 Cor. 15:51-52), the one spiritual baptism (Eph. 4:5 cf. 1 Cor. 12:13), ending the Mosaic Law (Rom. 6:14; 7:1-6), and many more, the mystery also reveals “the mystery of God’s will” (Eph. 1:9)—the previously unrevealed part of His plan.

The word “will” (v. 9) is the Greek word thelema and sometimes refers to more than simply God’s desire, but what He has determined to be done, His decree; this is the meaning here in Ephesians 1. We see this expressed when Christ told the people of Israel, “And this is the will [thelema] of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life” (John 6:40). It was more than simply the Father’s desire that those who saw and believed in the Son have eternal life; it was His determination, God’s plan that this be so.

Another aspect of God’s will we need to understand is the difference between God’s commanded will and His sovereign will. God “commands” everyone to repent (Acts 17:30), but not everyone will. Man can choose to disobey God’s commands, just as Adam did in the Garden when he ate of the Tree (Gen. 3:6 cf. 2:17).

However, God’s “sovereign” will cannot be stopped or prevented: “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand” (Prov. 19:21 cf. Job 23:13; Isa. 14:27).

It is God’s sovereign will (His decree), which He “purposed in Himself” (Eph. 1:9 cf. Isa. 46:10; Jer. 4:28), that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He will gather together in Christ those “which are in heaven, and which are on earth” (Eph. 1:10). This is God’s end game! Heaven and earth refer to the two domains that God created in the beginning. And God will magnify the praise of His glory (v. 12) by bringing together into Christ the redeemed that are in heaven and on earth.

Heaven and Earth

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

While God created a wonderous and vast universe, His focus is on “the heaven” and “the earth.” From the opening verse and throughout all of Scripture, it is clear that heaven and earth are unique from the rest of the universe and that God has a special purpose for both.

Heaven

“Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise Him in the heights. Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts.
“Praise Him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He commanded, and they were created.
“He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass” (Psa. 148:1-2,4-6).

When Satan sinned, he not only corrupted himself and the angels that followed him, but in so doing, he also brought corruption to heaven. Heaven, and the heaven of heavens, is to be a place of praise to the Lord. Any rebellion against this is a violation of God’s sovereign will—His “decree”—and surely cannot and will not stand.

And while some have concluded that God responded by kicking the fallen heavenly hosts out of heaven, this is not the case. The expulsion of fallen angels from heaven is described in Revelation 12 and has yet to occur. God no more kicked the fallen angels out of heaven than He kicked fallen man off the earth.

The Apostle Paul says that our spiritual enemies are “in high places” (Eph. 6:12). The word “high” means above the sky, celestial, or heaven (cf. 1:3,20; 1 Cor. 15:40). However, God has a plan to remove all unrighteousness from heaven and replace it with righteousness; thus, putting down the rebellion in heaven and restoring its divine purpose.

Earth

“Praise the Lord from the earth…Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
“Let them praise the name of the Lord: for His name alone is excellent; His glory is above the earth and heaven” (Psa. 148:7,11-13).

With Adam’s sin came the fall of mankind (Rom. 5:12). It was a willful act of rebellion by the one to whom God gave dominion over all the earth (Gen. 1:26,28). Adam perverted his purpose and corrupted the earth (Gen. 6:11). All the children of Adam would be born in sin and rebellion. Instead of the earth being a place that praised the Lord, it became a place that cursed Him. Instead of the men of the earth worshipping and exalting God, they worshipped and exalted themselves and “changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:23).

Like heaven, God has a plan for the earth, a plan to restore His rightful place as the God of this world (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2). God’s sovereign will for both heaven and earth to be free from the presence and influence of sin, and be places that harmoniously lift praises to His name, requires that He restore both to their original purpose, and He will ensure that it happens.

The twofold plan and purpose of God refers to God’s distinct but interconnected plans for the restoration of both earth and heaven.

God’s Plan for the Earth—His Prophecy Program

God’s plan for the earth involves the establishment of God’s kingdom to rule and reign on earth. Immediately after Adam’s sin, God began a program of prophecy by telling of a coming Savior Who would bruise Satan’s head (Gen. 3:15 cf. Acts 3:21) and the formation of the nation Israel to be His channel of blessing to the entire world (Gen. 12:2-3: Isa. 2:2).

“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech. 8:23).

Israel would be God’s nation of priests (Exod. 19:1-6), His instrument to reach the rest of the world. This priestly nation would have a King, chosen and sent by God to rule over His people (Psa. 2:6; Isa. 55:4; Mic. 5:2). He would be more than a King, but also a Messiah to save God’s people from their sins (Isa. 53:1-10; Dan. 9:24-26) and establish the throne of God in Jerusalem forever (Jer. 33:14-18 cf. Luke 1:31-33).

The King and Messiah would be the Lord Himself come to sit upon the throne of David “to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever” (Isa. 9:6-7 cf. Mic. 4:7). “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord” (Zech. 14:9), and He shall govern all nations (Psa. 2:8-9; 82:8).

God’s presence as ruler in Jerusalem will bring the glory of the Lord, shining upon Israel and bringing light to the darkness of the world and Gentiles to the brightness of Israel (Isa. 60:1-3). Through Israel’s rise, the whole world will be blessed. And the saved shall find their inheritance on earth (Isa. 60:19-21; Jer. 23:5- 8)—this is their hope!

God’s Plan for the Heavens—His Mystery Program

God’s plan for heaven involves God ruling and reigning in heaven. Unlike the prophecy program, “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21; Luke 1:70), the mystery program was “hid in God” (Eph. 3:9) and “kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25).

Due to Israel’s disbelief and rejection of their Messiah, God temporarily set Israel aside (Rom. 11:11,20,25) in order to form a “new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17) called the “Body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 4:12). During this time, God ceased to deal with mankind as distinct nations. Instead of Israel, it is the Church, the Body of Christ, made up of both Jew and Gentile (Gal. 3:28), that becomes His channel of blessing to the world (Phil. 2:12-15).

Rather than having twelve apostles representing the twelve tribes of Israel, God calls one man, Paul, to be His Apostle (Eph. 3:1-9; Col. 1:25-27). Having one apostle is fitting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, God now sees Jews and Gentiles alike. There is no favored nation today, and no matter a person’s heritage, everyone is either in Christ or in Adam (Rom. 5:12-19). By setting Israel’s favored position and the prophecy program aside, God included Israel with the Gentiles in unbelief (Rom. 11:32)—thus, they are one in their disobedience. Secondly, the one apostle reflects the oneness of Christ’s church (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:12; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 4:4).

Paul’s salvation marked a new beginning—a new dispensation—and a new pattern of salvation (1 Tim. 1:16). While the gospel of the kingdom required believing in who Jesus was to be saved, i.e., “the Christ, the Son of God” (cf. John 20:31), the gospel of the grace of God that the risen Lord gave to Paul required believing in what Jesus had done; Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:1-4).

Under the mystery heavenly program, as soon as we believe the gospel (the correct gospel), our position changes from being in Adam to being in Christ. Literally and instantly, we become citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20-21). Our hope and inheritance “is in heaven” (Col. 1:5) and culminates when the Lord receives His saints to rule and reign with Him in heavenly places forever (1 Thes. 4:16-17).

It is this church with its heavenly calling that God will use to stomp out Satan (Rom. 16:20) and replace the unrighteous fallen heavenly host with the righteousness of God in His saints.

“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

Rightly Dividing

“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17).

Recognizing God’s twofold plan and purpose is more than merely beneficial for today’s believers; it is necessary if we are to understand God’s will for our lives. We need to know how we fit into God’s plan rather than trying to fit God into ours.

We must “rightly divide” (2 Tim. 2:15) between God’s prophecy program for the earth, and His mystery program for the heavenlies if we are going to know God’s plan, and ultimately His plan for ourselves. We must distinguish between the two programs, or we will certainly find ourselves believing doctrines and instructions that are not meant for us.

“Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all” (1 Chron. 29:11).