The Plan of God 1. Beginning and End https://youtube.com/watch?v=BDQ004TQnPw&si=pvfuy63iZPmacsOP
Bible Readings: Eph 1:1-14 [] omitted from sermon
Prophetic Witness
Since this a prophetic teaching series, I should start with a personal testimony to Jesus (Rev 19:10). After recently being righteously rebuked by my holy wife (1 Pet 3:5) I subsequently confessed my arrogance to the Lord in the middle of the night and made concrete plans to remedy the situation (this concerned ministering to an old Perth friend from PNG now resident in Germany). My conscience was at peace. Then on the way to an early prayer meeting I had a powerful/overwhelming revelation of the foundational basis of forgiveness to the entire eternal plan of God. I senses that the dynamic of forgiveness in the Lamb of God slain and raised (John 1:29, 36), makes this plan uniquely more glorious than any other plan ever conceivable by humans or fallen angels. Importantly, any plan which excluded suffering would exclude the need for forgiveness. After my epiphany I had a sense of what Isaiah saw when he saw Jesus in the Temple (Isa 6; John 12:41) and I recalled as a very young Christian singing in Church “I see the Lord” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reN-3g-myJM) and being overwhelmed with heavenly joy. May the Lord Jesus visit us with such joy over the next few weeks.
Introduction
Since I heard Eph 1:3-14 expounded in Adelaide around 1975 by my later theological mentor Geoff Bingham (https://www.newcreationlibrary.org.au/about/GBingham.htm) it has been a subject of personal fascination. Tragically however, we live in times that fulfil this Scripture, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, [but blessed is he who keeps the law.]” (Prov 29:18) Since Scripture is clear, “the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his [secret/]plan/purpose to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7), it is a necessary truth [that however feeble the prophetic ministries of today, (https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/bullet-flew-by-his-ear-christian-prophets-eerie-donald-trump-prediction-made-months-ago/news-story/422dfed98628bdb0714e77b831304a79)], that the prophetic revelation of the plan of God remains indispensable to the maturing of the Church before Jesus Returns (Eph 5:26-27). Human life is unintelligible/senseless without reference to the plan of God; which, in the biblical framework, includes everything that has or could ever happen to each and every one of us (Eph 1:11). I love this quote [by a contemporary scholar]: “What role does God play in our lives? It is an inevitable but wrong question. We shall be freed from it only by captivation to the right question: what role do we play in God’s life? The story is not our story with a role for Christ. The story is Christ’s story with roles for us.” (R. Jenson). [cf. from the Middle Ages, “Christ is not ordained to us, we are ordained to Christ.” (Bonaventure) ] Before I came to Christ I was very confused mentally. In my depression I used to ponder (contra, Jer 9:23-24), whether my life had any meaning at all (On this see, https://cross-connect.net.au/books/the-mystery-is-christ-by-john-yates/). Lacking revelation, I reasoned from the idea of meaning to the existence of a personal God and a desire to read the Bible for myself. The next day a New Testament [uniquely] appeared in our house, and the rest is history. [After 50+ years I am still in the process of being crucified with Christ so his ego is first and last in my life (cf. Gal 2:19-20).]
We must seek Christ in all the scriptures (see quotes at https://cross-connect.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Dignity.pdf) according to the principle, “What is first in intention is last in execution.” (https://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/summa.SS_Q123_A7.html). [Notwithstanding the secondary nature of politics, for better or worse, American politics is an insight into the secular future of the Western world (https://classe-internationale.com/2024/02/24/hollywood-the-epitome-of-the-united-states-global-power/), it is clear that the current race for the presidency is one about celebrity egos and whoever is crowned king/queen will surely in due course die, a fate decreed in Adam but repealed in Christ.] God always intended the goal of creation to be his own highest glory (Isa 43:7; Rev 4:11 cf. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/jonathan-edwards-on-giving-god-glory/), and this glory is fully manifested in the life, death, resurrection and ascension into glory of his Son, Jesus Christ (1 Tim 3:16). The coming of the Son of God into the world means the end of creation in way that transcends both the previous history of humanity and that of Israel. [“ Jesus said to her/Mary, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:26).] A famed [Australian] OT scholar prophetically testifies (cf. Rev 19:10), ‘If we can imagine God drawing up the plans for the universe before He created it, and if we could examine these plans, we would not see Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, but Jesus Christ in the Gospel’ (G. Goldsworthy). We do not need to “imagine” these things, because God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph 3:20). Through the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead and who now lives in us, we have access to “ the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph 3:9-11). God long ago called me to expound the dimensions of his all-surpassing power and grace in Christ for the Church (2 Cor 3:10; 4:7).
[A wise Christian counsellor once quoted to me T.S. Eliot, , “In my end is my beginning,” (Four Quartets) what Eliot meant involved his personal spiritual journey and the fact that sometimes poets jump-start their imaginations by writing the final line then write the poem that leads up to it. Eliot saw poetry as an incarnational activity requiring an act of surrender. This act of surrender glorifies God with the gift that you have by cultivating it. This sacramental view encourages Christians not to be discouraged about not being good enough or not being as good as the greats. Rather, Christians should use their artistic gifts, whether poetry, music, painting, acting, writing, or dance, to the glory of God. How can this be done? By cultivating the craft every day. By building off of artistic influences for creative inspiration and encouragement. By finding friends who can critique your work and offer helpful, constructive criticism. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/what-should-christians-know-about-ts-eliot.html] Whereas I do not possess the poetic genius of my wife Donna (http://cross-connect.net.au/poetry/donna-yates-poetry/]
Eternity Past Present Future
From eternity there has been a cross in the heart of God (1 Pet 1:20; Rev 13:8), it adequately carries the power and glory of the Father’s kingdom (Matt 6:13) to bring to completion (cf. John 19:30), this means there is a perfection embedded within the original divine design for creation. The meaning, scope and destiny of all created things (Rom 11:36; Eph 1:11; Col 1:16) can only be grasped from within “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:1), the Word of God who came from the Father, having returned to his “side/bosom/heart” (John 1:18; 8:42), can teach us the meaning of his own prayer, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:5)
The dimensions of eternity, past, present or future, can only be revealed from within the eternal life of the Son of God in the Spirit. Access to such mysteries is shared with the Church through God’s “holy apostles and prophets” (Eph 3:5). To put the matter most simply and concisely, eternal life is a Person, Jesus Christ. “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son….And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:11, 20)
The Beginning, Life in God
To meditate on the plan of God requires being led by the Spirit into “the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:10) which are beyond time. This requires laying down our familiar categories such as “before, after[, and outside of]”, and seeing in Jesus the absolute nature of the beginning of all things [including space and time] (Gen 1:1; Isa 40:21; 41:4, 26; 46:10; John 1:1; 1 John 1:1; 2:13-14; Heb 11:3; Rev *3:14; 21:6; 22:13) [absolute suddenness is the point of departure for all that is and will ever be in an ever changing cosmos (mutability in time).] We find a creative space in God’s love in Christ that gave birth to time. And so he testifies of himself, “to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, rthe beginning of God’s creation.”. [The beginning is not in time because it begins time. Such is the personal power of God divine will that does not cease to begin all it has created (https://theopolisinstitute.com/edwards-our-contemporary/).] Such great and incomprehensible things (Rom 11:33-36) are only made coherent in light of the perfect love between Father, Son and Spirit revealed in the sacrifice of the Son in the Gospel. In a pressure-packed culture, followers of Jesus need to be grasped by the truth that time is not an enemy but a created reality that exists in and for the Lord of all (Col 1:16), and so for the overflowing fulness of life he promises his Church (John 10:10). Jesus is Lord over time which is his servant (Acts 10:36). Such dynamic realities in Christ are meant to fill us with a sense of immeasurable beauty (Eccl 3:11). (https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/enthralled-by-the-beauty-of-god)
Beauty Past
Without time there would be no change, and without change humanity could not be the servant of the Lord. [Time is a precious gift that marks us out as less than God who is essentially greater than time.] Time means that we are given by God the possibility for endless growth in Christ and this is what must embrace us as disciples.
When the Spirit testifies, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen 1:31) he included time in his decree as something which in itself is absolutely “beautiful”. Eden was a paradisical state Jesus promised to those who look towards him (Heb 12:1-2), as he pledged the dying thief on the cross , ““Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”” (Luke 23:43)
[In the Garden humanity walked and conversed with God as day effortlessly succeeded day and night-and-day gave birth to ever new beginnings.] As Adam looked over the span of the beauty of creation all was poised for an endless exhibition of glory in the expansion of God’s kingdom across the world. “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”” (Gen 1:26-28). In the original plan there would have been the marvels of science, agriculture, literature, the arts, invention etc without the bitterness of sin and death (cf. Rev 21:24, 26; Isa 60:5,16), all was set up for the expansion of the love of God across the earth through flesh and blood (cf. 1 Cor 15:28; Heb 2:9-10). The so-called “state of innocence” (https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2020/07/the-state-of-innocence/) was a glorious time of friendship and holy engagement with God [(preparation for the finality of the marital estate, our topic in week 3), a time of perpetual “for the first time” which in itself could never degenerate or be lost.]
Log afterward the inspired author of Ecclesiastes testified, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Eccl 3:11). This dreaded contradiction, is resolved in Christ alone, which brings us to the Fall of humanity.
Beauty Lost
The beauty which saturated every element of Eden was lost because time after the Fall brings the certainty of death and the dreaded verdict of eternal judgement ever closer. The alarming/shocking decree, ““You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eatof it you shall surely die.”” (Gen 2:15-17) given by the ever-living Father (Luke 3:38; John 6:57), punctuates the bliss of Eden in a way that purposefully opened a door for temptation to disobedience (2 Cor 11:3). Like all later tests, especially those of Jesus (Matt 4:1-11; Heb 4:15; 5:7-10), this test was necessary for Adam and Eve to grow into the fulness of the image of God, [that is, the likeness of Christ (2 Cor 4:4; Heb 5:7-9 etc.)]. Like us, the first couple needed to be tempted that they might find a “way of escape” (1 Cor 10:13) through faith and so become permanently established in divine holiness. The testing in Eden was the way, to quote Paul, of “perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1). Refusing this wise way led to the Fall [which distorted the human experience of time (cf. Rom 8:20) into something that refuses to serve human flourishing]. All Fallen humans carry buried in their conscience the knowledge not only that they must die, but that they deserve to die (Tillich). The sentence of death under wrath (Rom 1:18-32) has stripped time of the revelation of its holy purpose and immersed sinful existence in a pitched struggle for survival (Gen 3:17-18). [Instead of being a site of holy revelation, time becomes for the Fallen something opaque. Whilst there can be no annihilation, non-being becomes eminently thinkable and even desirable. (https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/voluntary-assisted-dying).] Time, originally created for the eternal ascent of man to completed God-likeness, [later made visible in the resurrection light of Christ (2 Tim 1:10),] becomes the time of endless human anxiety (Matt 6:25-34). The time of God’s presence became the time of his absence (Ichabod). The time of miracles fell into a state of endless boring repetition.
The Plan
God’s habit of “walking” in Eden (Gen 3:8), [and he made all things through the Word who is his Son (John 1:1ff.)] is an acted parable of Christ’s walking with sinners https://firmisrael.org/learn/10-places-where-jesus-walked/). Geoff Bingham liked to remark, God never said “Oops” (Bingham); as if he made a mistake in making us. Praise God, the promise of a coming deliverer is soon made after the Fall, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” ” (Gen 3:15 cf. Rom 16:20; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20:1–3, 10). A prophecy wonderfully echoed in Romans, “[For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but] I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (Rom 16:19-20). Even more potently, the “skins” which God so quickly clothed the first sinners (Gen 3:21) are a potent prophetic image of the coming glory to be given to us as a priests and kings to God (Rev 1:6; 5:10 cf. https://cross-connect.net.au/glory-through-blood/). [As an end-times symbol, Genesis puns on the Hebrew word for “light” ( ‘or ) and the word for “skin” ( ‘or ) by pointing to an eventual glorification of redeemed humanity in robes of light.] As Jesus prophesied, at the resurrection “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Matt 13:43). Because the Father-Creator is ever faithful to what he has made (Luke 3:38; 1 Pet 4:19), humanity can never be abandoned by God (cf. Acts 14:17; 17:26-28). The call and question to Adam, “Where are you?”, was a sorrowful plea from God who later exposes his heart with deep affection, “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.” (Ezek 18:32; 33:11) and who “does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.” (Lam 3:33). [The cosmos will never be allowed to slip into nothingness.]
Beauty Restored and Surpassed
Paul emphatically testifies “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Rom 8:20ff). The glorious destiny of creation has always been revealed in the gospel promise of resurrection from the dead (2 Tim 1:9-10 cf. Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10; Acts 2:25–32; 13:33–35; Acts 26:22–23; Rom 4:13). [All this is true, but still appears “In a mirror dimly” (1 Cor 13:12).] Time and again the essence of the plan of God to fill the cosmos with the fulness of his image in humanity is repeated beginning in the old covenant (Gen 1:28; 9:1; 16:10; Ex 1:7, 20 etc.). This is most dramatically portrayed through the global Flood of Noah [cf. Red Sea, waters of baptism etc. 2 Pet 3 ]. through the gift of divine rest following total destruction. [ insight comes of an eternal covenant of restoration and renewal (Gen 8:22; 2 Pet 3:7, 13). Anyone who lives off the land, whether as hunters and gatherers or farmers, know through the rhythms of the order of creation testifying of blood sex and death (Gen 8/9 cf. 3:22) that God is really real.] Hidden by grace under the spectre of death is a revelation that its end-goal will not be the annihilation of humanity but the glory of resurrection. Those who know how to live with life’s many deaths/disappointments “live (in Christ) to God” (Rom 6:10). Though poorly grasped by the indulgent spoiled Western Church such gracious divine training is opened up through human anguish and futility (cf. JY conversion)! (We are becoming by grace what Jesus is by nature.)
When Scripture boldly prophetically promises “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab 2:14), [what the ancient prophets “saw” in vision (Heb 1:1-4) was already real “in the LORD” ((Isa 1:1; 6:3]. This insight was later called by the apostles “a revelation of Jesus Christ” (John 12:41; Rev 1:1-22:21), a foretaste of the coming time when “God will be all in all” (1 Cor 15:28; Eph 1:23) and all things will flow with the beauty of Love.
The hymn writer Isaac Watts prophesied truly of Jesus, “Where He displays His healing power
Death and the curse are known no more;
In Him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.” (Jesus shall reign where’er the sun…) Christ alone is the measure of human destiny (Rom 5:14-15; Eph 4:7, 13).
Conclusion
The story of Jesus, [for whom all things were made (Col 1:16)], recorded from Genesis to Revelation, is climaxed by his self-witness . “And to the angel of the church [in Smyrna] write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life….Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev 2:8; 22:12-13). [This testimony is given, but not revealed to every Christian congregation (like the Laodiceans Rev 3:14-21 cf. John 2:23-24), but only to those rich in spiritual wealth but whose witness is to the point of death and whose economic poverty is typical of believers in earthly exile (2 Cor 6:10; James 2:5; 1 Cor 1:26-29).] The foundation of this Church, and all faithful churches, is summed up in Jesus’ self- description. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega, state polar opposites in order to include everything in between. God’s control of all history will soon be brought to a conclusion in salvation and judgement (which is how our series will conclude). Jesus as ruler over all, Christ pantocrator, (Rev 1:8, 4:8, 11:17, 15:3, 16:7, 16:14, 19:6, 19:15, 21:22; 2 Cor 6:18.) sovereignly directs his people’s history. From this we can draw great and final encouragement.
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,” (Rev 1:17). Taking confidence in God’s sovereignty (cf. Isa 43:10-13; 44:6-8) the Church need never not be afraid of suffering, suffering fulfils our prophesied destiny (cf. Isa 40-55), as a faithful witness-Church we will be comforted by God through resurrection power (Phil 3:10 etc.). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHaGI7jntGE) Nothing that has or could have ever happened to you (and in fact to the whole cosmos 1 Cor 8:6) is purposeless. Geoff Bingham, himself a prophet, once told me that revival, which I now through vision understand as the emergent restoring of order to all created things (Acts 3:17-21), will come to Australia through prophetic ministry …. Anything less than this is unworthy of the glory of God in Christ (Phil 1:20), something of which we will speak in coming weeks.