Kingdom, Judgment, and Victory

Victory in Jesus Christ

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Eschatology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2020-05-31

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 to show that Jesus Christ is the ultimate victor who has already conquered sin and death. He explains the consummation of Christ's mediatorial kingdom, the continuation of His reign and subduing of enemies, and the final completion when all things are subjected and God becomes all in all. The sermon emphasizes that believers will one day have immediate, unmediated access to God.

[John Weaver] Let's open our Bibles into 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And we're going to be reading verses 24 through 28. The title of the message is Victory in Jesus Christ. And I want you to see this, I hope, very clearly. Look in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning there with verse 24. The Bible says, Then come at the end, When he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign to put all enemies under his feet.

[John Weaver] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he hath put all things under him, it is manifest that he is accepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." When you begin to talk about eschatology, you're talking about the doctrine of last things. The Greek word eschatos means last. Eschatology, the doctrine of last things. So when you discuss judgment and death and the return of Jesus Christ or the end of the world, you're just simply talking eschatology.

[John Weaver] Now, there are four main views when it comes to eschatology. There is what is known as historic premillennialism. There is amillennialism, there is postmillennialism, and then there is dispensational premillennialism. And of course in each of these you use a lot of times there are many variations and different positions as well. It is not my intent today to name or delineate the various positions. I'm not downplaying the importance of eschatology when I make this statement, but please understand this. Whether an individual is a historic premillennialist An amillennialist, a postmillennialist, or even a dispensational premillennialist all believe that Jesus Christ is coming back literally, visibly, and bodily.

[John Weaver] They just disagree as to when and how. So, men have argued over eschatology for ages, and it's not going to stop. In fact, the only way it will stop is when our Lord does indeed return, and then we'll find out what the truth really and truly is. When I said that, I want you to mark something down in your mind. I'm not saying that eschatology is not important. The truth of the matter is, eschatology is very, very important. Your view of eschatology determines your worldview. Your view of eschatology determines how you live now, how you will live. It determines how you will minister. It will also determine how you will minister in the future. You cannot escape a worldview. So anyone who embraces any position in eschatology also embraces a certain worldview. So you cannot escape the impact that your eschatology has upon your worldview.

[John Weaver] So whether you're right or whether you're wrong is immaterial. What is right is that your eschatology affects your worldview. This is why I encourage everybody to study the scriptures for themselves and come to the conclusion as to what the Word of God does indeed teach when it comes to eschatology and especially the return of Jesus Christ. The truth is, most people believe just what they have been told, what they have been taught, what the preachers say. They hardly ever study for themselves. I know what I was taught as a young man. I know what I was taught as a young pastor. And come to find out, I was taught wrongly as well. So, I'm just simply saying, we need to study for ourselves.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just point out, what I'm going to say today in light of 1 Corinthians 15, I cannot possibly conceive or imagine anyone holding any of those positions would disagree with anything that I'm going to say. I'm not trying to placate or please any of those positions. I want you to understand that. The only thing I'm saying is what I'm going to teach today I believe is absolutely unarguable.

[John Weaver] You can't argue with it because it's nothing but clear, plain Scripture. So let me begin today by showing you, since the title of the message is Victory in Jesus Christ, the truth is that Jesus Christ is the victor. He is the conqueror. He has already conquered sin and death. Now, what I'm going to do today is this. I'm going to quote a number of passages just in order to save time. There are a number of Scriptures that I'm going to want you to turn to. But first of all, let me just quote Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also likewise took part in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject unto bondage." So Jesus Christ basically, and I'll show you another scripture later, has already conquered sin and death.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will hold 1 Corinthians 15, but look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 6. Revelation chapter 6 and verse 2. Revelation 6 and verse 2. And the Bible says, in fact, let's read verse 1 just so you can see it in the context. And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, and one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse.

[John Weaver] And he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering them to conquer. Now, so many people in their eschatology say that when you get to Revelation chapter 6 and verse 2, that this is the Antichrist. I certainly disagree with that. I believe that verse 2 is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And I will tell you why. Because the Scripture is consistent in its teaching, and if you look in Revelation chapter 19, Revelation chapter 19, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Revelation 19 and verse 11. Now remember the white horse in Revelation 6 and verse 2. Now verse 11 of Revelation 19. And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.

[John Weaver] And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and in a name written that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

[John Weaver] And out of his mouth quoth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he should rule them with a rod of iron. And he treaded the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he had on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So when you get to Revelation chapter 19, it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself on the white horse. Now, if you will look back in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 11, which is between chapter 6 and chapter 19, since the one in chapter 6 went forth conquering and to conquer, Now in Revelation 11, in verse 15, the Bible says this, And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. So obviously, clearly, Jesus Christ is the victor. How in the world could He not be the victor? When the Bible tells you in Matthew 28, verse 18, that all authority, all power in heaven and earth is given unto Him.

[John Weaver] Moreover, everything has been put under His feet. We just read that in 1 Corinthians 15. But listen carefully. Here's Ephesians 1, verses 20-23. which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, listen, not only in this world, but in that which is to come. And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all." So the Bible again says that everything has been put under the feet of Jesus Christ. Moreover, when you get to the book of Colossians chapter 1 verses 16 through 18, listen to this. You have to remember that Jesus Christ is also the Creator of all things. The Bible says, All things were created that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or power.

[John Weaver] All things were created by Him and for Him, and through Him all things consist. That is, they have their being. And He is the head of the body. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence. So, it is unarguable to me from Scripture, because Jesus Christ is plainly stated that He is indeed the victor, the conqueror, and He is.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, because I want you to see three things in this short passage. First of all, I want you to observe a consummation. He says in verse 24, Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. Then cometh the end.

[John Weaver] Now, the important question is this. The end of what? Is he talking about the end of the world? Well, in one sense I suppose you could say yes, but actually in the context, when he says, then come at the end, he is referring to the end of the mediatorial kingdom of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now listen to me very carefully. Our Lord has an essential kingdom in and of Himself by virtue of the fact that He is God. He also has a mediatorial kingdom in the sense that God has ordained Him to be the mediator, the go-between between God and man. 1 Timothy 2.5, there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to hold 1 Corinthians 15. I want to show you what the Scripture says concerning our Lord's essential kingdom. If you would turn to the book of Isaiah chapter 9, and then find the book of Daniel chapter 7. So Isaiah chapter 9 first, and then we're going to Daniel chapter 7. Now the interesting thing is, when we look in the Isaiah 9 passage, Here's a passage that most people can quote, or at least they are certainly aware of it, by virtue of the fact that this passage is usually quoted around Christmas time every year. But look at it very plainly. Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Now watch verse 7,"...of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end." upon the throne of David, upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this." Now note if you would, the Bible says that there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it.

[John Weaver] Now if you will turn to the book of Daniel chapter 7 and look at verses 13 and 14. Daniel 7 verses 13 and 14. Daniel 7 verse 13, And I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him, His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. So, when we are saying that there is an essential kingdom that will never pass away, that will never be destroyed, when you look in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 24, it certainly is not talking about his essential kingdom, but it is talking about his mediatorial kingdom.

[John Weaver] By the way, the Greek word for in there is the word telos, which literally means, properly, a termination, a limit, the completion of anything. So when our Lord's Mediatorial Kingdom is completed, when it comes to its end, that is exactly what it's talking about. Think about it like this. There will be no longer any need for His Mediatorial Work when He presents us faultless and blameless to the Father.

[John Weaver] So if you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Jude, the one little chapter right before the book of Revelation, and look if you would please at verses 24 and 25. Look at this. Jude, verse 24 and 25.

[John Weaver] Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, both now and forever. Amen. But note he's able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of our Heavenly Father. So actually what you're talking about when you look in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 24, then come at the end, that is the end of the mediatorial kingdom of Christ when he delivers that back into the Father. May I remind you that the kingdom has always belonged to the Father.

[John Weaver] You remember in Luke chapter 11 when the disciples came to our Lord and said, Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples to pray. Fine. He says, when you pray, you pray like this. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. thy will be done." In other words, the kingdom has always belonged to the Father.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you just one quick quote from the Jameson Fawcett Brown commentary. Listen carefully. His giving up of the mediatorial kingdom to the Father for the end for that which the mediatorial economy was established has been accomplished is altogether in harmony with its continuing everlastingly, that is, his essential kingdom. The change which shall then take place shall be in the manner of administration, not in the kingdom itself. I want you to listen to this, because I'm going to hit upon this very heavily toward the end.

[John Weaver] God shall then come into direct connection with the earth, instead of mediatorially, when Christ shall have fully and finally removed everything that severs asunder the holy God and a sinful earth. The glory of God is the final end of Christ's mediatorial office. His co-equality with the Father is independent of the latter and prior to it, and shall therefore continue when its function shall have ceased. His manhood, too, shall everlastingly continue, though it is now subordinate to the Father. The throne of the Lamb but no longer mediatorial, as well as of God, shall be in the heavenly city." So I want to point this out before we close, that God the Lamb and God the Father are seated upon the same throne. But what this commentary is saying is, then come at the end, it is the end of that mediatorial kingdom, because the end of that kingdom is actually the honor and the glory of God.

[John Weaver] Now, go back to verse 24. So here's my question. When the Bible says, then cometh the end, then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered the kingdom to God, even the Father, when will that occur? Here is the answer. When he shall have put down all rule and all authority and all power.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to take note of the fact that he's going to put down all rule, which refers to all rulers. He's going to put down any and all authority, which would be delegated authority or usurped authority. It will be lawful power or unlawful power. Everything will be put down. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the victor. Jesus Christ is the conqueror. He shall completely and totally and fully conquer any and everything.

[John Weaver] Now, the Greek word for put down here literally means to be done away with, or to be brought to naught. So it doesn't matter who opposes our Lord, whether it is satanic, whether it is humanistic, whatever it is, is going to be put down. So, when Jesus Christ has fully and finally removed everything that severs asunder a holy God and the sinful earth, and he has now absolutely secured the safety of the saints and is presenting them faultless before his Father, then he's going to render up to the Father his mediatorial kingdom, because the glory of God is the final end of that mediatorial kingdom. Let me put it another way. He is going to give back to the Father that which the Father gave him.

[John Weaver] You remember, I quoted earlier in Matthew 28 and verse 18, when he said, all authority in heaven and earth is given unto me. So our Lord is going to in turn, turn around and give that back to the Father.

[John Weaver] Now, so when you look in verse 24, then come at the end, it is a consummation that is being referred to, but it would be the consummation of his mediatorial kingdom. Now look in verses 25 and 26. Because here, secondly, you have a continuation.

[John Weaver] Now although it's talking about the consummation, that consummation has not yet happened. But until it does happen, there is a continuation. For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

[John Weaver] Now, there are several principles and several truths that are very clearly delineated in these two verses. The very first one is this. Our Lord is reigning right now. He is on His throne. The Bible says, for He must reign. He is reigning now. You say, well, I don't understand. I don't see. Well, the truth is he is because the scripture says he is. He is ruling and reigning. His rule may be more clearly manifested to us in eternity, but he is ruling and reigning right now. We may not observe it. We may not see it. We may not grasp it. We may not understand it, but it's still true. Here's the second thing.

[John Weaver] Look at verse 25 again. For he must reign. till he hath put all his enemies under his feet." So, the second truth is that he is not only reigning now, he's also subduing his enemies now.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is, when you think about that, you look around and you see how wicked the world is, and you see how antagonistic everyone is to Jesus Christ and to the Word of God. You think, how can He be subduing His enemies right now? It seems as if there are an open revolt. And, I mean, it's getting worse and worse and worse. Well, the problem is we walk by sight and not by faith. And the problem is, not only do we walk by sight and not by faith, the problem is we want things to happen our way and in our time.

[John Weaver] I've often said, I'm more than willing to help him. I would like to help him. I'd like to offer him my help. But the truth of the matter is he doesn't need my help. He is going to subdue all his enemies in his way, in his time.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. Here's two things. He is reigning now, and he is subduing his enemies now.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 2. Look, if you would, please, hold 1 Corinthians 15, but go to Hebrews chapter 2. And look, if you would, beginning there with verse 6. Hebrews 2 and verse 6. Here's a quote from Psalm 8. Hebrews 2 verse 6. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him? So now we're talking about man in general, but now we're going to get the man specific, the Lord Jesus. He says in verse 7, Thou madest him a little lower than the angels. Thou crownest him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands. Verse 8, Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. Now watch this, but now We see not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus, who was made a little Lord than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

[John Weaver] Now go back to the latter part of verse eight. But now we see not yet all things put under him. In other words, we're not grasping that. We're not seeing that. We're not holding on to that right now. We don't see it. But here's what we do see. But we see Jesus, who was made a little Lord than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor. In other words, we see Him crucified. We see Him resurrected. We see Him ascended. We see Him seated at the right hand of God. But we are not observing how He's subduing all of His enemies right now.

[John Weaver] But He is doing so. Now, let me tell you something. Ruling and subduing go together. You cannot have one without the other. If Jesus Christ is ruling, he is subduing. If Jesus Christ is reigning, he is indeed bringing his enemies under his feet. We may not be able to observe it right now, but it is still nonetheless true. You can't have one without the other.

[John Weaver] Now, let's go in our Bibles to Psalm 2. I want you to see this Psalm. Then we're going to go to another Psalm in light of this. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 2. There's a question asked in verse 1 and then a statement made in verse 2 and 3 that will show you where everyone is today. Psalm 2 verse 1, the question is, why do the heathen rage?

[John Weaver] And the people imagine a vain thing, that is something that is useless, worthless. Now here's what is happening and here's what is useless and it's worthless. The kings of the earth set themselves And the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed saying, Let us break their bands of sunder and cast away their cords from us.

[John Weaver] Now let me just stop there. Here's what the kings, here's what the rulers of the earth, here's what the politicians, here's what all of these people are saying. We don't like the limitations that God has placed upon us. We don't like His rules. We don't like His commandments. Let's break those bands. Let's burst those cords. Let's do what we want to do. Well, look in verse 4.

[John Weaver] He that sitteth in heaven shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says in light of all this rebellion. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

[John Weaver] Now here's what God's going to do to these rebellious rulers. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. So in light of this, here's the counsel. Be wise, now therefore, O ye kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little.

[John Weaver] Blessed are they that put their trust in him." So here's what the Bible is saying, that the Father has placed His Son upon the throne. The heathen may rage. They may do everything they can to overthrow the Lord Jesus Christ and to thwart His rule and His reign and His subjugation of all things, but no, it is impossible. God said, yet have I set My Son, My King, upon My holy hill, and He will break you with a rod of iron And a potter is like a man breaks a potter's vessel if you do not yield him.

[John Weaver] That's why I said, be wise now, therefore, ye kings, be instructed, kiss the sun, bow to him, that you be not destroyed. Now, let me show you another passage. I want you to turn to Psalm 110. Only seven verses in that psalm, so we'll read them all. Look in Psalm 110. Then I'm going to make a statement that might surprise you. Psalm 110, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Now look at this. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning thou hast to do of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

[John Weaver] He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies, he shall wound the heads of over many countries, he shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift up the Now go back to verse one. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Did you know that Psalm 110 verse one is the most frequent and most often quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. This verse is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other Old Testament verse.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to just listen. Matthew 22 verse 44 the Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Mark 12 verse 36 for David himself said by the Holy Ghost the Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Luke 20, verses 42 and 43, And David himself said in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Acts 2, verses 34 and 35, For David is not ascended up into the heavens, but he himself said, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. How about Hebrews 1 in verse 13? But to which of the angels said he at any time, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. And then when you get to Hebrews 10 verses 12 through 13, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

[John Weaver] Both of these Psalms show us and teach us that the Father has established the Son's throne. He has given Him a throne that heathen may rage, that enemies may fight, but it's to no avail. If all the enemies of God in heaven and earth and hell and under the earth or wherever they are, if they all join hands together in rebellion against God, it would occasion God no uneasiness. He said, in spite of all of this, yet on my holy hill have I set my Son.

[John Weaver] Jesus Christ is ruling, and Jesus Christ is reigning, and therefore Jesus Christ is subduing. We may not see it, but it is the absolute truth.

[John Weaver] Now, we just read in 1 Corinthians 15 where he said, The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Now, in one sense of the word, death has already been destroyed. How can I say that? You remember I quoted earlier, Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15. The Bible says that through death that he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death all their lifetime was brought into bondage.

[John Weaver] But I want you to look at something. Look in 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy chapter 1. Look in verse 10. 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 10. But it is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, watch, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to life through the gospel. Jesus Christ has abolished death. Well, of course he has. Of course he has.

[John Weaver] You remember that passage in John 11 where Lazarus had died. And when our Lord heard that he was sick, he remained where he was. Finally, Jesus got up and said to his disciples, let us arise that we may go and awake Lazarus where he's sleeping. They said, Lord, if he sleeps, he does well. No, the Lord said, you don't understand, I'm speaking the fact that Lazarus is dead. And of course, when he gets there, Martha, the sister, runs out and said, Master, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died. And Jesus Christ said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? And Martha said, Yea, Lord, I believe the heart of the Son of God.

[John Weaver] She really didn't answer the question. And then she went and called Mary. And Mary came out and said, Lord, if you'd been here, my brother would not die. And so when they brought Jesus Christ to the tomb, of course, the shortest verse in the Bible, Jesus wept. And then with a loud voice, he said, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was bound with gray clothes came forth. And Jesus said, Loose him and let him go. And John 11, when Martha said, Master, had you been here, my brother had not died.

[John Weaver] She did not comprehend the fact that the resurrection had just walked into town. Because where Jesus Christ is, there is life.

[John Weaver] Now, you and I talk about dying. And the older we get, the more it's on our mind because we recognize that we're going to shed this body. But the truth of the matter is, We, as believers, really do not die. We drop this body, that is for sure.

[John Weaver] Now, there's a big tree out front. I saw a nice shade. If I go and stand in the shade of that tree, am I in the tree? No, I'm in the shadow. I'm not in the tree. What did David say? Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil. Because for the child of God, our Lord has already taken the stain out of death, and we really do not die, because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So our Lord has abolished death.

[John Weaver] Now, when you get to Revelation chapter 21, if you look there at verse 4, of course the Bible says this, Because the way you and I think, is we think that we actually die when we drop this body. But the truth is, we do not. So in Revelation 21 verse 4 we read this, And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death. Neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away." So there won't even be the experience of dropping the body and being absent from the body to be present with the Lord.

[John Weaver] It will all be over. Okay, now watch this. There is a consummation, that is, when he finally and fully completes his minatorial kingdom. Until then, there is a continuation because he is continually reigning and subduing his enemies.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look back in 1 Corinthians 15, thirdly, there will be ultimately a completion. So look in verses 27 through 28. For he has put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all and in all." Now, when you look at verse 27, You understand that all things have been placed under the feet of Jesus Christ, with the exception of God the Father.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you two quotes, and I want you to listen very carefully, if you will, because I'm going to expand upon these quotes just momentarily with the Scripture. The first quote is from John Gill. The second quote is from John Calvin. Now, I want you to listen to what They are saying, on verse 27 and 28, and then we'll show you the scripture. Here's what John Gill said, God the Father, who made all things subject to Christ as mediator, is himself not subjected to him, since his power as such must be greater than his. This exception is made to secure the government, power, and honor of the Father. For though he has made his firstborn higher than the kings of the earth, yet not higher than himself. And though he said him his king over his holy hill of Zion, yet not over himself. And though it is his will that all men should honor the Son as they honor the Father, yet not above him or more than he, nor has he quitted the government either in this world or in the church by subjecting all things to Christ, And this exception is also made to confirm the

[John Weaver] universal power and empire of Christ. For an exception to a general rule does but the more establish it. And since the Father is only accepted, it is a clear case that He has left nothing that is not put under Him. But it must be observed that though the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, yet He is equally accepted since He is the One but one God with the Father, and was jointly concerned in the mission, unction, and installation of Christ as Mediator. Nor can he be reckoned among all the things put in subjection to Christ, for they regard only creatures and many of these enemies, which neither of which the Spirit of God can be numbered. And though the gifts and graces of the Spirit are put in Christ's hands and are at his disposal, yet the person of the Spirit can never be brought to be put under his feet. So what Gil is saying is this, everything is put under the feet of Jesus Christ with the exception of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

[John Weaver] Because remember there is one God that has manifested himself in three persons. Now listen to what Calvin said, much shorter. He said he insists upon two things. First, that all things must be brought under subjection to Christ before He restores to the Father the dominion of the world, and secondly, that the Father is given all things into the hands of the Son in such a way as to retain the principal right in His own hands. From the former then it follows that the hour of the last judgment is not yet come, From the second, that Christ is now the medium between us and the Father, in such a way as to bring us at length to Him. Hence He immediately infers as follows, after He shall have subjected all things to Him, then shall the Son subject Himself to the Father. Then he says this, Let us wait patiently until Christ shall vanquish all of His enemies, and shall bring us along with Himself under the dominion of God, that the kingdom of God may in every respect be accomplished in us.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at verse 28. I'm going to give you just a few more quotes in just a minute, and then I'm going to show you the Scriptures. And I want you to think about this. Verse 28, And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him, that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." Have you ever stopped to think about the final goal of God's redemptive plan? The Apostle Paul gave us that goal in Romans 11 and verse 36, when he said, for of him And through him and unto him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen. For of him, that is originally, through him, that is providentially, and to him, that is ultimately, are all things to whom be glory forever.

[John Weaver] Now, I've already mentioned this. I want to mention it again. the Son as the Servant of the Father, as the Mediator, was given authority, and now in the end He renders this authority back to the Father. So when the Mediatorial Kingdom of Jesus Christ shall cease, then nothing shall appear except the essential Kingdom of God The power by which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost shall govern and rule all things."

[John Weaver] Now, there is a verse in Psalm 73, verse 25, where David asks this question, and then he gives another answer. He asks, Whom have I in heaven but thee? And then he said, There is none that I desire upon earth beside thee. Whom have I in heaven but thee? No one. Is there any one I desire upon earth but thee? And the answer is no.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to listen very carefully, because to me, this will boggle, and it does boggle my mind. I want to give you two quotes. The first one is by John Trapp, the old Puritan. And the second one is by John Gill. Listen to this. Here's what John Trapp said. Till sin and death be abolished, we have no access to God but by Christ. But after that all the enemies be trod underfoot, then shall we have immediate union with God Yet so, as that this shall be the proper and everlasting praise of Christ, as he is the procurer of that union."

[John Weaver] Now, let this sink in. Here is what John Trapp is saying. The only way you and I can get to God the Father right now is through Jesus Christ in the Spirit. Ephesians 2.18. John 14 verse 6, he said, No man cometh to the Father except by me. You and I cannot get to God except through Jesus Christ in the Spirit. Once this mediatorial kingdom has come to an end, there will be no need of a mediator. we will have immediate, instantaneous union and communion with the One True and the Living God. Here's what John Gill said, By God is not meant the Father personally, but God essentially considered Father, Son and Spirit who are the one true and living God, to whom all saints will have immediate access, in whose presence they will be, and with whom they shall have uninterrupted fellowship without the use of

[John Weaver] such medians as they now enjoy, All the three divine persons will have equal power and government in and over all the saints and will sit upon the one and the same throne. There will be no more acting by delegated power or derived authority. God will be all in all to His saints immediately without the use of means. He will be that to their bodies as meat and clothes are without the use of them. and all lighting, glory, and happiness to their souls without the use of ordinances or any means.

[John Weaver] He will then be all perfection and bliss to all the elect, and in them all, which he now is not, because some are still dead in trespasses and sins." And he goes on to say, when all are saved, all are called, And when the kingdom of God mediatorially through Jesus Christ is at an end, we are going to have absolute, instant, total, immediate access to God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to make an application and we're going to look at some scripture. The truth of the matter is this. God is already our all in all in the strictest sense. I often think, Lord, Thank you for life. Why? Because He holds my soul in life. My times are in His hands. Thank you for health. Thank you for everything. If God cut our breath off, we're gone. If God cut our food off, we're gone. If God cut our water off, we're gone. I'm just simply saying, in the strictest sense of the word right now, He is truly our all in all.

[John Weaver] But however, in eternity, He will be very clearly are all in all. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 21 and look if you would beginning there with verse one and try to grasp this to get a better picture of how we're going to have uninterrupted union and communion with God. By the way, let me say this. If you do not love the Lord now. And if you do not love his fellowship now. And if you do not want him to be your all in all now. You would not like eternity. Because that's what it's going to be like. In eternity. So watch what he said in Revelation 21 verse one.

[John Weaver] And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea, no more division. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, now watch this, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God." Have you ever thought about God dwelling with us? Look in Revelation 22. Revelation 22 verse 1, And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God into the land.

[John Weaver] In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, there was a tree of life which bared twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

[John Weaver] Now watch, and there shall be no more curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb, this is the essential throne, the essential kingdom. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face. His name shall be in their foreheads. There shall be no night there, and they need no candle. Need the light of the Son, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever."

[John Weaver] Now, go back, if you would, please. Verse four,"...and they shall see his face." You remember that passage in Matthew 5,"...blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." You remember Moses said,"...show me thy face." The Lord said,"...no man can see my face and live." And yet in eternity, We will have instantaneous, immediate access with the One True and Living God. There will be no more means, no more ordinances, just total, absolute union and communion with the One True and Living God who has revealed Himself in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I don't know about you, but just simply to think of having instant, immediate access and union and communion with the One True and Living God is mind-boggling.

[John Weaver] Then come at the end. Yes, there will be a consummation. But until then, there's a continuation. And finally, there's going to be a completion. And we shall see him. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your promise. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we do want to see Thy face. We want to be like Thee. We want to be holy. We want to be godly. We want to love Thee with all of our hearts and serve Thee and worship and honor Thee. Until that day, enable us, encourage us to come to Thee through the Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit. and bring the honor. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Victory in Jesus Christ

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	6220050217768
Subject	Eschatology
Course	Kingdom, Judgment, and Victory
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-05-31
Dictation Name
Book	Book 069: Kingdom, Judgment, and Victory — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	79

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Unarguable Victory of Christ

Weaver introduces the topic of eschatology and asserts that regardless of one's millennial view, all orthodox Christians agree that Jesus Christ will return literally, visibly, and bodily. He emphasizes that what he will teach from 1 Corinthians 15 is unarguable because it is based on clear Scripture.

Let's open our Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And we're going to be reading verses 24 through 28. The title of the message is Victory in Jesus Christ. And I want you to see this, I hope, very clearly. Look in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning there with verse 24. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:24-28

"Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." When you begin to talk about eschatology, you're talking about the doctrine of last things. The Greek word eschatos means last. Eschatology, the doctrine of last things. So when you discuss judgment and death and the return of Jesus Christ or the end of the world, you're just simply talking eschatology.

Now, there are four main views when it comes to eschatology. There is what is known as historic premillennialism. There is amillennialism, there is postmillennialism, and then there is dispensational premillennialism. And of course in each of these, a lot of times there are many variations and different positions as well. It is not my intent today to name or delineate the various positions. I'm not downplaying the importance of eschatology when I make this statement, but please understand this. Whether an individual is a historic premillennialist, an amillennialist, a postmillennialist, or even a dispensational premillennialist, all believe that Jesus Christ is coming back literally, visibly, and bodily.

They just disagree as to when and how. So, men have argued over eschatology for ages, and it's not going to stop. In fact, the only way it will stop is when our Lord does indeed return, and then we'll find out what the truth really and truly is. When I said that, I want you to mark something down in your mind. I'm not saying that eschatology is not important. The truth of the matter is, eschatology is very, very important. Your view of eschatology determines your worldview. Your view of eschatology determines how you live now, how you will live. It determines how you will minister. It will also determine how you will minister in the future. You cannot escape a worldview. So anyone who embraces any position in eschatology also embraces a certain worldview. So you cannot escape the impact that your eschatology has upon your worldview.

So whether you're right or whether you're wrong is immaterial. What is right is that your eschatology affects your worldview. This is why I encourage everybody to study the scriptures for themselves and come to the conclusion as to what the Word of God does indeed teach when it comes to eschatology and especially the return of Jesus Christ. The truth is, most people believe just what they have been told, what they have been taught, what the preachers say. They hardly ever study for themselves. I know what I was taught as a young man. I know what I was taught as a young pastor. And come to find out, I was taught wrongly as well. So, I'm just simply saying, we need to study for ourselves.

Now, let me just point out, what I'm going to say today in light of 1 Corinthians 15, I cannot possibly conceive or imagine anyone holding any of those positions would disagree with anything that I'm going to say. I'm not trying to placate or please any of those positions. I want you to understand that. The only thing I'm saying is what I'm going to teach today I believe is absolutely unarguable. You can't argue with it because it's nothing but clear, plain Scripture. So let me begin today by showing you, since the title of the message is Victory in Jesus Christ, the truth is that Jesus Christ is the victor. He is the conqueror. He has already conquered sin and death. Now, what I'm going to do today is this. I'm going to quote a number of passages just in order to save time. There are a number of Scriptures that I'm going to want you to turn to. But first of all, let me just quote Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15.

Christ the Conqueror

Weaver demonstrates from Hebrews 2:14-15, Revelation 6:2, 19:11-16, and other passages that Jesus Christ is the victor who has already conquered sin and death and will ultimately conquer all enemies.

You can't argue with it because it's nothing but clear, plain Scripture. So let me begin today by showing you, since the title of the message is Victory in Jesus Christ, the truth is that Jesus Christ is the victor. He is the conqueror. He has already conquered sin and death. Now, what I'm going to do today is this. I'm going to quote a number of passages just in order to save time. There are a number of Scriptures that I'm going to want you to turn to. But first of all, let me just quote Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15.

The Bible says, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." So Jesus Christ basically, and I'll show you another scripture later, has already conquered sin and death. Now, if you will hold 1 Corinthians 15, but look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 6. Revelation chapter 6 and verse 2. Revelation 6 and verse 2. And the Bible says, in fact, let's read verse 1 just so you can see it in the context. "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse."

Scripture Reading — Revelation 6:2

"And he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."

Now, so many people in their eschatology say that when you get to Revelation chapter 6 and verse 2, that this is the Antichrist. I certainly disagree with that. I believe that verse 2 is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And I will tell you why. Because the Scripture is consistent in its teaching, and if you look in Revelation chapter 19, Revelation chapter 19, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Revelation 19 and verse 11. Now remember the white horse in Revelation 6 and verse 2. Now verse 11 of Revelation 19.

Scripture Reading — Revelation 6:2

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse."

Scripture Reading — Revelation 19:11-16

"And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

So when you get to Revelation chapter 19, it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself on the white horse. Now, if you will look back in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 11, which is between chapter 6 and chapter 19, since the one in chapter 6 went forth conquering and to conquer. Now in Revelation 11, in verse 15, the Bible says this, "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." So obviously, clearly, Jesus Christ is the victor. How in the world could He not be the victor? When the Bible tells you in Matthew 28, verse 18, that all authority, all power in heaven and earth is given unto Him.

Moreover, everything has been put under His feet. We just read that in 1 Corinthians 15. But listen carefully. Here's Ephesians 1, verses 20-23. "Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." So the Bible again says that everything has been put under the feet of Jesus Christ. Moreover, when you get to the book of Colossians chapter 1 verses 16 through 18, listen to this. You have to remember that Jesus Christ is also the Creator of all things. The Bible says, "All things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist." That is, they have their being. "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." So, it is unarguable to me from Scripture, because Jesus Christ is plainly stated that He is indeed the victor, the conqueror, and He is.

The Consummation of the Mediatorial Kingdom

Weaver explains that 'the end' in verse 24 refers to the end of Christ's mediatorial kingdom, not His essential kingdom. He distinguishes between Christ's essential kingdom as God and His mediatorial role as the go-between for God and man.

Now, I want you to go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, because I want you to see three things in this short passage. First of all, I want you to observe a consummation. He says in verse 24, "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." Then cometh the end. Now, the important question is this. The end of what? Is he talking about the end of the world? Well, in one sense I suppose you could say yes, but actually in the context, when he says, "then cometh the end," he is referring to the end of the mediatorial kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Now listen to me very carefully. Our Lord has an essential kingdom in and of Himself by virtue of the fact that He is God. He also has a mediatorial kingdom in the sense that God has ordained Him to be the mediator, the go-between between God and man. 1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

Now, I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to hold 1 Corinthians 15. I want to show you what the Scripture says concerning our Lord's essential kingdom. If you would turn to the book of Isaiah chapter 9, and then find the book of Daniel chapter 7. So Isaiah chapter 9 first, and then we're going to Daniel chapter 7. Now the interesting thing is, when we look in the Isaiah 9 passage, here's a passage that most people can quote, or at least they are certainly aware of it, by virtue of the fact that this passage is usually quoted around Christmas time every year. But look at it very plainly. Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6.

The Bible says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Now watch verse 7, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." Now note if you would, the Bible says that there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it. Now if you will turn to the book of Daniel chapter 7 and look at verses 13 and 14. Daniel 7 verses 13 and 14. Daniel 7 verse 13,

Scripture Reading — Daniel 7:13-14

"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

So, when we are saying that there is an essential kingdom that will never pass away, that will never be destroyed, when you look in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 24, it certainly is not talking about his essential kingdom, but it is talking about his mediatorial kingdom.

By the way, the Greek word for "end" there is the word telos, which literally means, properly, a termination, a limit, the completion of anything. So when our Lord's mediatorial kingdom is completed, when it comes to its end, that is exactly what it's talking about. Think about it like this. There will be no longer any need for His mediatorial work when He presents us faultless and blameless to the Father.

So if you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Jude, the one little chapter right before the book of Revelation, and look if you would please at verses 24 and 25. Look at this. Jude, verse 24 and 25. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." But note he's able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of our Heavenly Father. So actually what you're talking about when you look in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 24, "then cometh the end," that is the end of the mediatorial kingdom of Christ when he delivers that back into the Father. May I remind you that the kingdom has always belonged to the Father.

You remember in Luke chapter 11 when the disciples came to our Lord and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." He says, "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done." In other words, the kingdom has always belonged to the Father. Now, let me give you just one quick quote from the Jamieson, Fausset, Brown commentary. Listen carefully. "His giving up of the mediatorial kingdom to the Father, for the end for which the mediatorial economy was established has been accomplished, is altogether in harmony with its continuing everlastingly, that is, his essential kingdom. The change which shall then take place shall be in the manner of administration, not in the kingdom itself." I want you to listen to this, because I'm going to hit upon this very heavily toward the end.

"God shall then come into direct connection with the earth, instead of mediatorially, when Christ shall have fully and finally removed everything that severs asunder the holy God and a sinful earth. The glory of God is the final end of Christ's mediatorial office. His co-equality with the Father is independent of the latter and prior to it, and shall therefore continue when its function shall have ceased. His manhood, too, shall everlastingly continue, though it is now subordinate to the Father. The throne of the Lamb but no longer mediatorial, as well as of God, shall be in the heavenly city." So I want to point this out before we close, that God the Lamb and God the Father are seated upon the same throne. But what this commentary is saying is, "then cometh the end," it is the end of that mediatorial kingdom, because the end of that kingdom is actually the honor and the glory of God.

Now, go back to verse 24. So here's my question. When the Bible says, "then cometh the end," when he shall have delivered the kingdom to God, even the Father, when will that occur? Here is the answer. When he shall have put down all rule and all authority and all power.

The Continuation of Christ's Reign

Weaver shows from verses 25-26 that Christ is currently reigning and subduing His enemies, even though we may not see it. He cites Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 to prove that the Father has established the Son's throne and will make His enemies His footstool.

Now, I want you to take note of the fact that he's going to put down all rule, which refers to all rulers. He's going to put down any and all authority, which would be delegated authority or usurped authority. It will be lawful power or unlawful power. Everything will be put down. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the victor. Jesus Christ is the conqueror. He shall completely and totally and fully conquer any and everything.

Now, the Greek word for "put down" here literally means to be done away with, or to be brought to naught. So it doesn't matter who opposes our Lord, whether it is satanic, whether it is humanistic, whatever it is, it is going to be put down. So, when Jesus Christ has fully and finally removed everything that severs asunder a holy God and the sinful earth, and he has now absolutely secured the safety of the saints and is presenting them faultless before his Father, then he's going to render up to the Father his mediatorial kingdom, because the glory of God is the final end of that mediatorial kingdom. Let me put it another way. He is going to give back to the Father that which the Father gave him. You remember, I quoted earlier in Matthew 28 and verse 18, when he said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." So our Lord is going to in turn, turn around and give that back to the Father.

Now, so when you look in verse 24, "then cometh the end," it is a consummation that is being referred to, but it would be the consummation of his mediatorial kingdom. Now look in verses 25 and 26. Because here, secondly, you have a continuation. Now although it's talking about the consummation, that consummation has not yet happened. But until it does happen, there is a continuation. "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Now, there are several principles and several truths that are very clearly delineated in these two verses. The very first one is this. Our Lord is reigning right now. He is on His throne. The Bible says, "For he must reign." He is reigning now. You say, "Well, I don't understand. I don't see." Well, the truth is he is because the scripture says he is. He is ruling and reigning. His rule may be more clearly manifested to us in eternity, but he is ruling and reigning right now. We may not observe it. We may not see it. We may not grasp it. We may not understand it, but it's still true. Here's the second thing.

Look at verse 25 again. "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet." So, the second truth is that he is not only reigning now, he's also subduing his enemies now. Now, the interesting thing is, when you think about that, you look around and you see how wicked the world is, and you see how antagonistic everyone is to Jesus Christ and to the Word of God. You think, "How can He be subduing His enemies right now? It seems as if there is an open revolt. And, I mean, it's getting worse and worse and worse." Well, the problem is we walk by sight and not by faith. And the problem is, not only do we walk by sight and not by faith, the problem is we want things to happen our way and in our time.

I've often said, I'm more than willing to help him. I would like to help him. I'd like to offer him my help. But the truth of the matter is he doesn't need my help. He is going to subdue all his enemies in his way, in his time.

Now, let me show you. Here's two things. He is reigning now, and he is subduing his enemies now. Now, I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 2. Look, if you would, please, hold 1 Corinthians 15, but go to Hebrews chapter 2. And look, if you would, beginning there with verse 6. Hebrews 2 and verse 6. Here's a quote from Psalm 8. Hebrews 2 verse 6. "But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?" So now we're talking about man in general, but now we're going to get the man specific, the Lord Jesus. He says in verse 7, "Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him." Now watch this, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."

Now go back to the latter part of verse eight. "But now we see not yet all things put under him." In other words, we're not grasping that. We're not seeing that. We're not holding on to that right now. We don't see it. But here's what we do see. "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour." In other words, we see Him crucified. We see Him resurrected. We see Him ascended. We see Him seated at the right hand of God. But we are not observing how He's subduing all of His enemies right now.

But He is doing so. Now, let me tell you something. Ruling and subduing go together. You cannot have one without the other. If Jesus Christ is ruling, he is subduing. If Jesus Christ is reigning, he is indeed bringing his enemies under his feet. We may not be able to observe it right now, but it is still nonetheless true. You can't have one without the other.

Now, let's go in our Bibles to Psalm 2. I want you to see this Psalm. Then we're going to go to another Psalm in light of this. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 2. There's a question asked in verse 1 and then a statement made in verse 2 and 3 that will show you where everyone is today. Psalm 2 verse 1, the question is,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-12

"Why do the heathen rage?" "And the people imagine a vain thing,"

that is something that is useless, worthless. Now here's what is happening and here's what is useless and it's worthless.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-12

"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."

Now let me just stop there. Here's what the kings, here's what the rulers of the earth, here's what the politicians, here's what all of these people are saying. "We don't like the limitations that God has placed upon us. We don't like His rules. We don't like His commandments. Let's break those bands. Let's burst those cords. Let's do what we want to do." Well, look in verse 4.

"He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." Now look what he says in light of all this rebellion. "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."

Now here's what God's going to do to these rebellious rulers. "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." So in light of this, here's the counsel. "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little." "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." So here's what the Bible is saying, that the Father has placed His Son upon the throne. The heathen may rage. They may do everything they can to overthrow the Lord Jesus Christ and to thwart His rule and His reign and His subjugation of all things, but no, it is impossible. God said, "Yet have I set my Son, my King, upon my holy hill," and He will break you with a rod of iron, and like a potter breaks a potter's vessel, if you do not yield to him.

That's why I said, "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, kiss the Son, bow to him, that ye be not destroyed." Now, let me show you another passage. I want you to turn to Psalm 110. Only seven verses in that psalm, so we'll read them all. Look in Psalm 110. Then I'm going to make a statement that might surprise you. Psalm 110, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath."

"He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head." Now go back to verse one. "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Did you know that Psalm 110 verse one is the most frequent and most often quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament? This verse is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other Old Testament verse.

Now, I want you to just listen. Matthew 22 verse 44, "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." Mark 12 verse 36, "For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." Luke 20, verses 42 and 43, "And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." Acts 2, verses 34 and 35, "For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool." How about Hebrews 1 in verse 13? "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" And then when you get to Hebrews 10 verses 12 through 13, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool."

Both of these Psalms show us and teach us that the Father has established the Son's throne. He has given Him a throne that heathen may rage, that enemies may fight, but it's to no avail. If all the enemies of God in heaven and earth and hell and under the earth or wherever they are, if they all join hands together in rebellion against God, it would occasion God no uneasiness. He said, in spite of all of this, "Yet have I set my Son upon my holy hill."

Jesus Christ is ruling, and Jesus Christ is reigning, and therefore Jesus Christ is subduing. We may not see it, but it is the absolute truth.

The Destruction of Death

Weaver explains that death has already been abolished through Christ's work, as seen in 2 Timothy 1:10 and John 11. Believers do not truly die but pass from death to life, and in the new creation there will be no more death.

Now, we just read in 1 Corinthians 15 where he said, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." Now, in one sense of the word, death has already been destroyed. How can I say that? You remember I quoted earlier, Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15. The Bible says that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

But I want you to look at something. Look in 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy chapter 1. Look in verse 10. 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 10. "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Jesus Christ has abolished death. Well, of course he has. Of course he has.

You remember that passage in John 11 where Lazarus had died. And when our Lord heard that he was sick, he remained where he was. Finally, Jesus got up and said to his disciples, "Let us arise that we may go and awake Lazarus where he's sleeping." They said, "Lord, if he sleeps, he does well." No, the Lord said, "You don't understand, I'm speaking the fact that Lazarus is dead." And of course, when he gets there, Martha, the sister, runs out and said, "Master, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died." And Jesus Christ said to her, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" And Martha said, "Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God."

She really didn't answer the question. And then she went and called Mary. And Mary came out and said, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died." And so when they brought Jesus Christ to the tomb, of course, the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept." And then with a loud voice, he said, "Lazarus, come forth." And he that was bound with grave clothes came forth. And Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go." And John 11, when Martha said, "Master, had you been here, my brother had not died." She did not comprehend the fact that the resurrection had just walked into town. Because where Jesus Christ is, there is life.

Now, you and I talk about dying. And the older we get, the more it's on our mind because we recognize that we're going to shed this body. But the truth of the matter is, we, as believers, really do not die. We drop this body, that is for sure.

Now, there's a big tree out front. I saw a nice shade. If I go and stand in the shade of that tree, am I in the tree? No, I'm in the shadow. I'm not in the tree. What did David say? "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Because for the child of God, our Lord has already taken the sting out of death, and we really do not die, because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So our Lord has abolished death.

Now, when you get to Revelation chapter 21, if you look there at verse 4, of course the Bible says this,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 21:4

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

So there won't even be the experience of dropping the body and being absent from the body to be present with the Lord. It will all be over. Okay, now watch this. There is a consummation, that is, when he finally and fully completes his mediatorial kingdom. Until then, there is a continuation because he is continually reigning and subduing his enemies.

Now, if you look back in 1 Corinthians 15, thirdly, there will be ultimately a completion. So look in verses 27 through 28. "For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." Now, when you look at verse 27, you understand that all things have been placed under the feet of Jesus Christ, with the exception of God the Father.

The Completion: God All in All

Weaver expounds verses 27-28, showing that all things are put under Christ's feet except the Father. When the mediatorial kingdom ends, believers will have immediate, unmediated access to God, who will be all in all.

It will all be over. Okay, now watch this. There is a consummation, that is, when he finally and fully completes his mediatorial kingdom. Until then, there is a continuation because he is continually reigning and subduing his enemies.

Now, I want to give you two quotes, and I want you to listen very carefully, if you will, because I'm going to expand upon these quotes just momentarily with the Scripture. The first quote is from John Gill. The second quote is from John Calvin. Now, I want you to listen to what they are saying, on verse 27 and 28, and then we'll show you the scripture. Here's what John Gill said, "God the Father, who made all things subject to Christ as mediator, is himself not subjected to him, since his power as such must be greater than his. This exception is made to secure the government, power, and honor of the Father. For though he has made his firstborn higher than the kings of the earth, yet not higher than himself. And though he set him his king over his holy hill of Zion, yet not over himself. And though it is his will that all men should honor the Son as they honor the Father, yet not above him or more than he, nor has he quitted the government either in this world or in the church by subjecting all things to Christ. And this exception is also made to confirm the"

"universal power and empire of Christ. For an exception to a general rule does but the more establish it. And since the Father is only excepted, it is a clear case that He has left nothing that is not put under Him. But it must be observed that though the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, yet He is equally excepted since He is the One but one God with the Father, and was jointly concerned in the mission, unction, and installation of Christ as Mediator. Nor can he be reckoned among all the things put in subjection to Christ, for they regard only creatures and many of these enemies, which neither of which the Spirit of God can be numbered. And though the gifts and graces of the Spirit are put in Christ's hands and are at his disposal, yet the person of the Spirit can never be brought to be put under his feet." So what Gill is saying is this, everything is put under the feet of Jesus Christ with the exception of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

Because remember there is one God that has manifested himself in three persons. Now listen to what Calvin said, much shorter. He said, "He insists upon two things. First, that all things must be brought under subjection to Christ before He restores to the Father the dominion of the world, and secondly, that the Father is given all things into the hands of the Son in such a way as to retain the principal right in His own hands. From the former then it follows that the hour of the last judgment is not yet come. From the second, that Christ is now the medium between us and the Father, in such a way as to bring us at length to Him. Hence He immediately infers as follows, after He shall have subjected all things to Him, then shall the Son subject Himself to the Father." Then he says this, "Let us wait patiently until Christ shall vanquish all of His enemies, and shall bring us along with Himself under the dominion of God, that the kingdom of God may in every respect be accomplished in us."

Now, I want you to look at verse 28. I'm going to give you just a few more quotes in just a minute, and then I'm going to show you the Scriptures. And I want you to think about this. Verse 28, "And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." Have you ever stopped to think about the final goal of God's redemptive plan? The Apostle Paul gave us that goal in Romans 11 and verse 36, when he said, "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." For of him, that is originally, through him, that is providentially, and to him, that is ultimately, are all things to whom be glory forever.

Now, I've already mentioned this. I want to mention it again. The Son as the Servant of the Father, as the Mediator, was given authority, and now in the end He renders this authority back to the Father. So when the mediatorial kingdom of Jesus Christ shall cease, then nothing shall appear except the essential kingdom of God, the power by which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost shall govern and rule all things.

Now, there is a verse in Psalm 73, verse 25, where David asks this question, and then he gives another answer. He asks, "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" And then he said, "There is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." Whom have I in heaven but thee? No one. Is there any one I desire upon earth but thee? And the answer is no.

Now, I want you to listen very carefully, because to me, this will boggle, and it does boggle my mind. I want to give you two quotes. The first one is by John Trapp, the old Puritan. And the second one is by John Gill. Listen to this. Here's what John Trapp said. "Till sin and death be abolished, we have no access to God but by Christ. But after that all the enemies be trod underfoot, then shall we have immediate union with God. Yet so, as that this shall be the proper and everlasting praise of Christ, as he is the procurer of that union."

Now, let this sink in. Here is what John Trapp is saying. The only way you and I can get to God the Father right now is through Jesus Christ in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:18. John 14 verse 6, he said, "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." You and I cannot get to God except through Jesus Christ in the Spirit. Once this mediatorial kingdom has come to an end, there will be no need of a mediator. We will have immediate, instantaneous union and communion with the One True and the Living God. Here's what John Gill said, "By God is not meant the Father personally, but God essentially considered Father, Son and Spirit who are the one true and living God, to whom all saints will have immediate access, in whose presence they will be, and with whom they shall have uninterrupted fellowship without the use of"

"such mediators as they now enjoy. All the three divine persons will have equal power and government in and over all the saints and will sit upon the one and the same throne. There will be no more acting by delegated power or derived authority. God will be all in all to His saints immediately without the use of means. He will be that to their bodies as meat and clothes are without the use of them, and all lighting, glory, and happiness to their souls without the use of ordinances or any means." "He will then be all perfection and bliss to all the elect, and in them all, which he now is not, because some are still dead in trespasses and sins." And he goes on to say, when all are saved, all are called, and when the kingdom of God mediatorially through Jesus Christ is at an end, we are going to have absolute, instant, total, immediate access to God.

Now, I want to make an application and we're going to look at some scripture. The truth of the matter is this. God is already our all in all in the strictest sense. I often think, "Lord, thank you for life." Why? Because He holds my soul in life. My times are in His hands. Thank you for health. Thank you for everything. If God cut our breath off, we're gone. If God cut our food off, we're gone. If God cut our water off, we're gone. I'm just simply saying, in the strictest sense of the word right now, He is truly our all in all.

But however, in eternity, He will be very clearly our all in all. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 21 and look if you would beginning there with verse one and try to grasp this to get a better picture of how we're going to have uninterrupted union and communion with God. By the way, let me say this. If you do not love the Lord now, and if you do not love his fellowship now, and if you do not want him to be your all in all now, you would not like eternity. Because that's what it's going to be like. In eternity. So watch what he said in Revelation 21 verse one.

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea," no more division. "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." Have you ever thought about God dwelling with us? Look in Revelation 22. Revelation 22 verse 1,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 22:1-5

"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

Now watch, "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." Now, go back, if you would, please. Verse four, "And they shall see his face." You remember that passage in Matthew 5, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." You remember Moses said, "Shew me thy face." The Lord said, "No man can see my face, and live." And yet in eternity, we will have instantaneous, immediate access with the One True and Living God. There will be no more means, no more ordinances, just total, absolute union and communion with the One True and Living God who has revealed Himself in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I don't know about you, but just simply to think of having instant, immediate access and union and communion with the One True and Living God is mind-boggling.

Then cometh the end. Yes, there will be a consummation. But until then, there's a continuation. And finally, there's going to be a completion. And we shall see him. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your promise. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we do want to see Thy face. We want to be like Thee. We want to be holy. We want to be godly. We want to love Thee with all of our hearts and serve Thee and worship and honor Thee. Until that day, enable us, encourage us to come to Thee through the Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit, and bring the honor. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Victory of Jesus Christ

Summary: Jesus Christ is the victor who has already conquered sin and death and will ultimately subdue all enemies.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Jesus Christ is the victor. He is the conqueror. He has already conquered sin and death.' He cites Hebrews 2:14-15, Revelation 6:2, and Revelation 19:11-16.

The Mediatorial Kingdom of Christ

Summary: Christ has a mediatorial kingdom that will end when He delivers it to the Father, distinct from His essential kingdom as God.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'He is referring to the end of the mediatorial kingdom of Jesus Christ.' He references 1 Timothy 2:5 and distinguishes between Christ's essential and mediatorial roles.

Christ's Present Reign and Subjugation of Enemies

Summary: Christ is currently reigning and subduing His enemies, even though it is not yet visible to us.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Our Lord is reigning right now... he is also subduing his enemies now.' He cites Psalm 2, Psalm 110, and Hebrews 2:8-9.

The Abolition of Death

Summary: Death has been abolished through Christ's death and resurrection, and believers do not truly die.

Evidence: Weaver quotes 2 Timothy 1:10, 'who hath abolished death,' and references John 11 and the concept of walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

God All in All

Summary: The ultimate goal of redemption is that God will be all in all, with believers having immediate, unmediated access to Him.

Evidence: Weaver expounds 1 Corinthians 15:28 and quotes John Trapp and John Gill on the immediate union with God after the mediatorial kingdom ends.

Key Arguments

Eschatological views agree on Christ's literal return

Summary: All major eschatological views affirm that Jesus Christ will return literally, visibly, and bodily, despite disagreements on timing and details.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Whether an individual is a historic premillennialist, an amillennialist, a postmillennialist, or even a dispensational premillennialist, all believe that Jesus Christ is coming back literally, visibly, and bodily.'

Christ's essential kingdom is eternal

Summary: Christ's essential kingdom as God will never end, as seen in Isaiah 9:7 and Daniel 7:14, so 1 Corinthians 15:24 must refer to His mediatorial kingdom.

Evidence: Weaver cites Isaiah 9:7, 'Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,' and Daniel 7:14, 'his dominion is an everlasting dominion.'

The end is the consummation of the mediatorial kingdom

Summary: The Greek word telos indicates a termination or completion, referring to the end of Christ's role as mediator when He presents believers faultless to the Father.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'The Greek word for "end" there is the word telos, which literally means, properly, a termination, a limit, the completion of anything.' He references Jude 24-25.

Christ reigns and subdues enemies now

Summary: Christ's reign and subjugation of enemies are concurrent; He is actively putting all enemies under His feet, even if we do not perceive it.

Evidence: Weaver argues, 'Ruling and subduing go together. You cannot have one without the other.' He cites Psalm 2 and Psalm 110.

Death is already destroyed for believers

Summary: Through His death and resurrection, Christ has abolished death, so believers do not experience death in its ultimate sense.

Evidence: Weaver quotes 2 Timothy 1:10 and references John 11, stating, 'Our Lord has already taken the sting out of death, and we really do not die.'

The Father is excepted from subjection to Christ

Summary: 1 Corinthians 15:27 makes clear that the Father, who put all things under Christ, is not Himself subjected to Christ.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'All things have been placed under the feet of Jesus Christ, with the exception of God the Father.' He quotes John Gill and John Calvin.

Believers will have immediate access to God

Summary: When the mediatorial kingdom ends, believers will no longer need a mediator but will have direct, unmediated fellowship with the triune God.

Evidence: Weaver quotes John Trapp: 'Till sin and death be abolished, we have no access to God but by Christ. But after that... then shall we have immediate union with God.'

Scripture References

1 Corinthians 15:24-28

Context: The primary text of the sermon, describing the end when Christ delivers the kingdom to the Father, the subjugation of enemies, and God being all in all.

Hebrews 2:14-15

Context: Christ partook of flesh and blood to destroy the devil and deliver those subject to bondage through fear of death.

Revelation 6:2

Context: The rider on the white horse going forth conquering and to conquer, identified by Weaver as Christ.

Revelation 19:11-16

Context: Christ on a white horse, called Faithful and True, with the name King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Revelation 11:15

Context: The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever.

Matthew 28:18

Context: All authority in heaven and earth is given to Christ.

Ephesians 1:20-23

Context: God raised Christ and set Him far above all principality and power, putting all things under His feet.

Colossians 1:16-18

Context: All things were created by Christ and for Him; He is the head of the church and has preeminence.

1 Timothy 2:5

Context: There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Context: The government shall be upon His shoulder; of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.

Daniel 7:13-14

Context: One like the Son of man was given an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away.

Jude 24-25

Context: God is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless before His glory.

Luke 11:2

Context: The Lord's Prayer: 'Thy kingdom come,' indicating the kingdom belongs to the Father.

Hebrews 2:6-9

Context: All things are put under Christ's feet, but we do not yet see all things under Him; we see Jesus crowned with glory.

Psalm 2:1-12

Context: The heathen rage, but God has set His King on Zion; the Son will break them with a rod of iron.

Psalm 110:1

Context: The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.'

2 Timothy 1:10

Context: Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

John 11:25-26

Context: Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me shall never die.'

Revelation 21:4

Context: God will wipe away all tears; there shall be no more death, sorrow, or pain.

Revelation 22:1-5

Context: The river of life, the tree of life, the throne of God and the Lamb, and His servants shall see His face.

Historical References

Jamieson, Fausset, Brown commentary

Context: Quoted to explain that the giving up of the mediatorial kingdom is in harmony with Christ's essential kingdom continuing everlastingly.

John Gill (theologian)

Context: Quoted on 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 to explain that the Father is excepted from subjection to Christ and that the Spirit is also excepted.

John Calvin (reformer)

Context: Quoted on 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 to emphasize that all things must be subjected to Christ before He restores the dominion to the Father.

John Trapp (Puritan commentator)

Context: Quoted to explain that after sin and death are abolished, believers will have immediate union with God without a mediator.

Important Quotes

Jesus Christ is the victor. He is the conqueror. He has already conquered sin and death.

Significance: Summarizes the central thesis of the sermon that Christ's victory is already accomplished.

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Significance: The key verse introducing the consummation of Christ's mediatorial kingdom.

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Significance: Highlights the continuation of Christ's reign and the final destruction of death.

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Significance: The ultimate completion where God becomes all in all, the final goal of redemption.

Ruling and subduing go together. You cannot have one without the other. If Jesus Christ is ruling, he is subduing.

Significance: Argues that Christ's present reign necessarily involves the active subjugation of His enemies.

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Significance: The most frequently quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament, emphasizing Christ's exalted position and ultimate victory.

Till sin and death be abolished, we have no access to God but by Christ. But after that all the enemies be trod underfoot, then shall we have immediate union with God.

Significance: John Trapp's quote explaining the transition from mediated to immediate access to God in eternity.

God will be all in all to His saints immediately without the use of means.

Significance: John Gill's description of the final state where believers enjoy direct fellowship with God without ordinances or mediators.

Discussion Questions

How does the distinction between Christ's essential kingdom and His mediatorial kingdom help us understand 1 Corinthians 15:24-28?

Context: Weaver explains that 'the end' refers to the end of the mediatorial kingdom, not Christ's eternal reign as God.

In what ways is Christ currently reigning and subduing His enemies, even though we may not see it?

Context: Weaver argues from Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 that Christ is actively putting enemies under His feet now.

What does it mean that death has been abolished for believers, and how should this affect our view of physical death?

Context: Weaver cites 2 Timothy 1:10 and John 11 to show that believers do not truly die but pass into life.

How does the promise of immediate, unmediated access to God in eternity impact your current relationship with Him?

Context: Weaver quotes John Trapp and John Gill on the future state where believers will have direct fellowship with God.

Why is it significant that Psalm 110:1 is the most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament?

Context: Weaver lists multiple New Testament citations of Psalm 110:1 to emphasize Christ's exalted position.

How does the truth that 'God may be all in all' shape our understanding of the ultimate purpose of redemption?

Context: Weaver connects 1 Corinthians 15:28 with Romans 11:36 to show that all things are from, through, and to God.

Applications

Study eschatology for yourself

Summary: Weaver encourages believers to study the Scriptures personally rather than relying solely on what they have been taught, because eschatology shapes worldview.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'I encourage everybody to study the scriptures for themselves and come to the conclusion as to what the Word of God does indeed teach when it comes to eschatology.'

Walk by faith, not by sight

Summary: Believers should trust that Christ is reigning and subduing enemies even when circumstances seem contrary.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The problem is we walk by sight and not by faith... we want things to happen our way and in our time.'

Love fellowship with God now

Summary: If we do not love the Lord and His fellowship now, we would not enjoy eternity, which will be characterized by uninterrupted communion with God.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'If you do not love the Lord now, and if you do not love his fellowship now... you would not like eternity.'

Live in light of Christ's victory

Summary: Because Christ has already conquered sin and death, believers can live without fear of death and with confidence in His ultimate triumph.

Evidence: Weaver explains that Christ 'hath abolished death' and that believers 'really do not die,' which should remove the fear of death.

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Victory in Jesus Christ

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Let's open our Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And we're going to be reading verses 24 through 28. The title of the message is Victory in Jesus Christ. And I want you to see this, I hope, very clearly. Look in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning there with verse 24. The Bible says, "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."
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"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." When you begin to talk about eschatology, you're talking about the doctrine of last things. The Greek word eschatos means last. Eschatology, the doctrine of last things. So when you discuss judgment and death and the return of Jesus Christ or the end of the world, you're just simply talking eschatology.
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Now, there are four main views when it comes to eschatology. There is what is known as historic premillennialism. There is amillennialism, there is postmillennialism, and then there is dispensational premillennialism. And of course in each of these, a lot of times there are many variations and different positions as well. It is not my intent today to name or delineate the various positions. I'm not downplaying the importance of eschatology when I make this statement, but please understand this. Whether an individual is a historic premillennialist, an amillennialist, a postmillennialist, or even a dispensational premillennialist, all believe that Jesus Christ is coming back literally, visibly, and bodily.
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They just disagree as to when and how. So, men have argued over eschatology for ages, and it's not going to stop. In fact, the only way it will stop is when our Lord does indeed return, and then we'll find out what the truth really and truly is. When I said that, I want you to mark something down in your mind. I'm not saying that eschatology is not important. The truth of the matter is, eschatology is very, very important. Your view of eschatology determines your worldview. Your view of eschatology determines how you live now, how you will live. It determines how you will minister. It will also determine how you will minister in the future. You cannot escape a worldview. So anyone who embraces any position in eschatology also embraces a certain worldview. So you cannot escape the impact that your eschatology has upon your worldview.
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So whether you're right or whether you're wrong is immaterial. What is right is that your eschatology affects your worldview. This is why I encourage everybody to study the scriptures for themselves and come to the conclusion as to what the Word of God does indeed teach when it comes to eschatology and especially the return of Jesus Christ. The truth is, most people believe just what they have been told, what they have been taught, what the preachers say. They hardly ever study for themselves. I know what I was taught as a young man. I know what I was taught as a young pastor. And come to find out, I was taught wrongly as well. So, I'm just simply saying, we need to study for ourselves.
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Now, let me just point out, what I'm going to say today in light of 1 Corinthians 15, I cannot possibly conceive or imagine anyone holding any of those positions would disagree with anything that I'm going to say. I'm not trying to placate or please any of those positions. I want you to understand that. The only thing I'm saying is what I'm going to teach today I believe is absolutely unarguable.
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You can't argue with it because it's nothing but clear, plain Scripture. So let me begin today by showing you, since the title of the message is Victory in Jesus Christ, the truth is that Jesus Christ is the victor. He is the conqueror. He has already conquered sin and death. Now, what I'm going to do today is this. I'm going to quote a number of passages just in order to save time. There are a number of Scriptures that I'm going to want you to turn to. But first of all, let me just quote Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15.
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The Bible says, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." So Jesus Christ basically, and I'll show you another scripture later, has already conquered sin and death.
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Now, if you will hold 1 Corinthians 15, but look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 6. Revelation chapter 6 and verse 2. Revelation 6 and verse 2. And the Bible says, in fact, let's read verse 1 just so you can see it in the context. "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse."
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"And he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." Now, so many people in their eschatology say that when you get to Revelation chapter 6 and verse 2, that this is the Antichrist. I certainly disagree with that. I believe that verse 2 is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And I will tell you why. Because the Scripture is consistent in its teaching, and if you look in Revelation chapter 19, Revelation chapter 19, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Revelation 19 and verse 11. Now remember the white horse in Revelation 6 and verse 2. Now verse 11 of Revelation 19. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse."
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"And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
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"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." So when you get to Revelation chapter 19, it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself on the white horse. Now, if you will look back in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 11, which is between chapter 6 and chapter 19, since the one in chapter 6 went forth conquering and to conquer. Now in Revelation 11, in verse 15, the Bible says this, "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." So obviously, clearly, Jesus Christ is the victor. How in the world could He not be the victor? When the Bible tells you in Matthew 28, verse 18, that all authority, all power in heaven and earth is given unto Him.
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Moreover, everything has been put under His feet. We just read that in 1 Corinthians 15. But listen carefully. Here's Ephesians 1, verses 20-23. "Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." So the Bible again says that everything has been put under the feet of Jesus Christ. Moreover, when you get to the book of Colossians chapter 1 verses 16 through 18, listen to this. You have to remember that Jesus Christ is also the Creator of all things. The Bible says, "All things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist." That is, they have their being. "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." So, it is unarguable to me from Scripture, because Jesus Christ is plainly stated that He is indeed the victor, the conqueror, and He is.
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Now, I want you to go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, because I want you to see three things in this short passage. First of all, I want you to observe a consummation. He says in verse 24, "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." Then cometh the end.
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Now, the important question is this. The end of what? Is he talking about the end of the world? Well, in one sense I suppose you could say yes, but actually in the context, when he says, "then cometh the end," he is referring to the end of the mediatorial kingdom of Jesus Christ.
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Now listen to me very carefully. Our Lord has an essential kingdom in and of Himself by virtue of the fact that He is God. He also has a mediatorial kingdom in the sense that God has ordained Him to be the mediator, the go-between between God and man. 1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
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Now, I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to hold 1 Corinthians 15. I want to show you what the Scripture says concerning our Lord's essential kingdom. If you would turn to the book of Isaiah chapter 9, and then find the book of Daniel chapter 7. So Isaiah chapter 9 first, and then we're going to Daniel chapter 7. Now the interesting thing is, when we look in the Isaiah 9 passage, here's a passage that most people can quote, or at least they are certainly aware of it, by virtue of the fact that this passage is usually quoted around Christmas time every year. But look at it very plainly. Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6.
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The Bible says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Now watch verse 7, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." Now note if you would, the Bible says that there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it.
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Now if you will turn to the book of Daniel chapter 7 and look at verses 13 and 14. Daniel 7 verses 13 and 14. Daniel 7 verse 13, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." So, when we are saying that there is an essential kingdom that will never pass away, that will never be destroyed, when you look in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 24, it certainly is not talking about his essential kingdom, but it is talking about his mediatorial kingdom.
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By the way, the Greek word for "end" there is the word telos, which literally means, properly, a termination, a limit, the completion of anything. So when our Lord's mediatorial kingdom is completed, when it comes to its end, that is exactly what it's talking about. Think about it like this. There will be no longer any need for His mediatorial work when He presents us faultless and blameless to the Father.
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So if you'll look in your Bibles to the book of Jude, the one little chapter right before the book of Revelation, and look if you would please at verses 24 and 25. Look at this. Jude, verse 24 and 25.
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"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." But note he's able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of our Heavenly Father. So actually what you're talking about when you look in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 24, "then cometh the end," that is the end of the mediatorial kingdom of Christ when he delivers that back into the Father. May I remind you that the kingdom has always belonged to the Father.
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You remember in Luke chapter 11 when the disciples came to our Lord and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." He says, "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done." In other words, the kingdom has always belonged to the Father.
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Now, let me give you just one quick quote from the Jamieson, Fausset, Brown commentary. Listen carefully. "His giving up of the mediatorial kingdom to the Father, for the end for which the mediatorial economy was established has been accomplished, is altogether in harmony with its continuing everlastingly, that is, his essential kingdom. The change which shall then take place shall be in the manner of administration, not in the kingdom itself." I want you to listen to this, because I'm going to hit upon this very heavily toward the end.
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"God shall then come into direct connection with the earth, instead of mediatorially, when Christ shall have fully and finally removed everything that severs asunder the holy God and a sinful earth. The glory of God is the final end of Christ's mediatorial office. His co-equality with the Father is independent of the latter and prior to it, and shall therefore continue when its function shall have ceased. His manhood, too, shall everlastingly continue, though it is now subordinate to the Father. The throne of the Lamb but no longer mediatorial, as well as of God, shall be in the heavenly city." So I want to point this out before we close, that God the Lamb and God the Father are seated upon the same throne. But what this commentary is saying is, "then cometh the end," it is the end of that mediatorial kingdom, because the end of that kingdom is actually the honor and the glory of God.
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Now, go back to verse 24. So here's my question. When the Bible says, "then cometh the end," when he shall have delivered the kingdom to God, even the Father, when will that occur? Here is the answer. When he shall have put down all rule and all authority and all power.
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Now, I want you to take note of the fact that he's going to put down all rule, which refers to all rulers. He's going to put down any and all authority, which would be delegated authority or usurped authority. It will be lawful power or unlawful power. Everything will be put down. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the victor. Jesus Christ is the conqueror. He shall completely and totally and fully conquer any and everything.
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Now, the Greek word for "put down" here literally means to be done away with, or to be brought to naught. So it doesn't matter who opposes our Lord, whether it is satanic, whether it is humanistic, whatever it is, it is going to be put down. So, when Jesus Christ has fully and finally removed everything that severs asunder a holy God and the sinful earth, and he has now absolutely secured the safety of the saints and is presenting them faultless before his Father, then he's going to render up to the Father his mediatorial kingdom, because the glory of God is the final end of that mediatorial kingdom. Let me put it another way. He is going to give back to the Father that which the Father gave him.
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You remember, I quoted earlier in Matthew 28 and verse 18, when he said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." So our Lord is going to in turn, turn around and give that back to the Father.
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Now, so when you look in verse 24, "then cometh the end," it is a consummation that is being referred to, but it would be the consummation of his mediatorial kingdom. Now look in verses 25 and 26. Because here, secondly, you have a continuation.
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Now although it's talking about the consummation, that consummation has not yet happened. But until it does happen, there is a continuation. "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
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Now, there are several principles and several truths that are very clearly delineated in these two verses. The very first one is this. Our Lord is reigning right now. He is on His throne. The Bible says, "For he must reign." He is reigning now. You say, "Well, I don't understand. I don't see." Well, the truth is he is because the scripture says he is. He is ruling and reigning. His rule may be more clearly manifested to us in eternity, but he is ruling and reigning right now. We may not observe it. We may not see it. We may not grasp it. We may not understand it, but it's still true. Here's the second thing.
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Look at verse 25 again. "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet." So, the second truth is that he is not only reigning now, he's also subduing his enemies now.
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Now, the interesting thing is, when you think about that, you look around and you see how wicked the world is, and you see how antagonistic everyone is to Jesus Christ and to the Word of God. You think, "How can He be subduing His enemies right now? It seems as if there is an open revolt. And, I mean, it's getting worse and worse and worse." Well, the problem is we walk by sight and not by faith. And the problem is, not only do we walk by sight and not by faith, the problem is we want things to happen our way and in our time.
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I've often said, I'm more than willing to help him. I would like to help him. I'd like to offer him my help. But the truth of the matter is he doesn't need my help. He is going to subdue all his enemies in his way, in his time.
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Now, let me show you. Here's two things. He is reigning now, and he is subduing his enemies now.
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Now, I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 2. Look, if you would, please, hold 1 Corinthians 15, but go to Hebrews chapter 2. And look, if you would, beginning there with verse 6. Hebrews 2 and verse 6. Here's a quote from Psalm 8. Hebrews 2 verse 6. "But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?" So now we're talking about man in general, but now we're going to get the man specific, the Lord Jesus. He says in verse 7, "Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him." Now watch this, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."
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Now go back to the latter part of verse eight. "But now we see not yet all things put under him." In other words, we're not grasping that. We're not seeing that. We're not holding on to that right now. We don't see it. But here's what we do see. "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour." In other words, we see Him crucified. We see Him resurrected. We see Him ascended. We see Him seated at the right hand of God. But we are not observing how He's subduing all of His enemies right now.
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But He is doing so. Now, let me tell you something. Ruling and subduing go together. You cannot have one without the other. If Jesus Christ is ruling, he is subduing. If Jesus Christ is reigning, he is indeed bringing his enemies under his feet. We may not be able to observe it right now, but it is still nonetheless true. You can't have one without the other.
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Now, let's go in our Bibles to Psalm 2. I want you to see this Psalm. Then we're going to go to another Psalm in light of this. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 2. There's a question asked in verse 1 and then a statement made in verse 2 and 3 that will show you where everyone is today. Psalm 2 verse 1, the question is, "Why do the heathen rage?"
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"And the people imagine a vain thing," that is something that is useless, worthless. Now here's what is happening and here's what is useless and it's worthless. "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."
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Now let me just stop there. Here's what the kings, here's what the rulers of the earth, here's what the politicians, here's what all of these people are saying. "We don't like the limitations that God has placed upon us. We don't like His rules. We don't like His commandments. Let's break those bands. Let's burst those cords. Let's do what we want to do." Well, look in verse 4.
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"He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."
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Now look what he says in light of all this rebellion. "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."
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Now here's what God's going to do to these rebellious rulers. "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." So in light of this, here's the counsel. "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little."
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"Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." So here's what the Bible is saying, that the Father has placed His Son upon the throne. The heathen may rage. They may do everything they can to overthrow the Lord Jesus Christ and to thwart His rule and His reign and His subjugation of all things, but no, it is impossible. God said, "Yet have I set my Son, my King, upon my holy hill," and He will break you with a rod of iron, and like a potter breaks a potter's vessel, if you do not yield to him.
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That's why I said, "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, kiss the Son, bow to him, that ye be not destroyed." Now, let me show you another passage. I want you to turn to Psalm 110. Only seven verses in that psalm, so we'll read them all. Look in Psalm 110. Then I'm going to make a statement that might surprise you. Psalm 110, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath."
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"He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head." Now go back to verse one. "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Did you know that Psalm 110 verse one is the most frequent and most often quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament? This verse is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other Old Testament verse.
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Now, I want you to just listen. Matthew 22 verse 44, "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." Mark 12 verse 36, "For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." Luke 20, verses 42 and 43, "And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." Acts 2, verses 34 and 35, "For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool." How about Hebrews 1 in verse 13? "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" And then when you get to Hebrews 10 verses 12 through 13, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool."
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Both of these Psalms show us and teach us that the Father has established the Son's throne. He has given Him a throne that heathen may rage, that enemies may fight, but it's to no avail. If all the enemies of God in heaven and earth and hell and under the earth or wherever they are, if they all join hands together in rebellion against God, it would occasion God no uneasiness. He said, in spite of all of this, "Yet have I set my Son upon my holy hill."
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Jesus Christ is ruling, and Jesus Christ is reigning, and therefore Jesus Christ is subduing. We may not see it, but it is the absolute truth.
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Now, we just read in 1 Corinthians 15 where he said, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." Now, in one sense of the word, death has already been destroyed. How can I say that? You remember I quoted earlier, Hebrews 2, verses 14 and 15. The Bible says that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
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But I want you to look at something. Look in 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy chapter 1. Look in verse 10. 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 10. "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Jesus Christ has abolished death. Well, of course he has. Of course he has.
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You remember that passage in John 11 where Lazarus had died. And when our Lord heard that he was sick, he remained where he was. Finally, Jesus got up and said to his disciples, "Let us arise that we may go and awake Lazarus where he's sleeping." They said, "Lord, if he sleeps, he does well." No, the Lord said, "You don't understand, I'm speaking the fact that Lazarus is dead." And of course, when he gets there, Martha, the sister, runs out and said, "Master, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died." And Jesus Christ said to her, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" And Martha said, "Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God."
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She really didn't answer the question. And then she went and called Mary. And Mary came out and said, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died." And so when they brought Jesus Christ to the tomb, of course, the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept." And then with a loud voice, he said, "Lazarus, come forth." And he that was bound with grave clothes came forth. And Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go." And John 11, when Martha said, "Master, had you been here, my brother had not died."
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She did not comprehend the fact that the resurrection had just walked into town. Because where Jesus Christ is, there is life.
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Now, you and I talk about dying. And the older we get, the more it's on our mind because we recognize that we're going to shed this body. But the truth of the matter is, we, as believers, really do not die. We drop this body, that is for sure.
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Now, there's a big tree out front. I saw a nice shade. If I go and stand in the shade of that tree, am I in the tree? No, I'm in the shadow. I'm not in the tree. What did David say? "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Because for the child of God, our Lord has already taken the sting out of death, and we really do not die, because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So our Lord has abolished death.
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Now, when you get to Revelation chapter 21, if you look there at verse 4, of course the Bible says this, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." So there won't even be the experience of dropping the body and being absent from the body to be present with the Lord.
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It will all be over. Okay, now watch this. There is a consummation, that is, when he finally and fully completes his mediatorial kingdom. Until then, there is a continuation because he is continually reigning and subduing his enemies.
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Now, if you look back in 1 Corinthians 15, thirdly, there will be ultimately a completion. So look in verses 27 through 28. "For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." Now, when you look at verse 27, you understand that all things have been placed under the feet of Jesus Christ, with the exception of God the Father.
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Now, I want to give you two quotes, and I want you to listen very carefully, if you will, because I'm going to expand upon these quotes just momentarily with the Scripture. The first quote is from John Gill. The second quote is from John Calvin. Now, I want you to listen to what they are saying, on verse 27 and 28, and then we'll show you the scripture. Here's what John Gill said, "God the Father, who made all things subject to Christ as mediator, is himself not subjected to him, since his power as such must be greater than his. This exception is made to secure the government, power, and honor of the Father. For though he has made his firstborn higher than the kings of the earth, yet not higher than himself. And though he set him his king over his holy hill of Zion, yet not over himself. And though it is his will that all men should honor the Son as they honor the Father, yet not above him or more than he, nor has he quitted the government either in this world or in the church by subjecting all things to Christ. And this exception is also made to confirm the"
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"universal power and empire of Christ. For an exception to a general rule does but the more establish it. And since the Father is only excepted, it is a clear case that He has left nothing that is not put under Him. But it must be observed that though the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, yet He is equally excepted since He is the One but one God with the Father, and was jointly concerned in the mission, unction, and installation of Christ as Mediator. Nor can he be reckoned among all the things put in subjection to Christ, for they regard only creatures and many of these enemies, which neither of which the Spirit of God can be numbered. And though the gifts and graces of the Spirit are put in Christ's hands and are at his disposal, yet the person of the Spirit can never be brought to be put under his feet." So what Gill is saying is this, everything is put under the feet of Jesus Christ with the exception of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
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Because remember there is one God that has manifested himself in three persons. Now listen to what Calvin said, much shorter. He said, "He insists upon two things. First, that all things must be brought under subjection to Christ before He restores to the Father the dominion of the world, and secondly, that the Father is given all things into the hands of the Son in such a way as to retain the principal right in His own hands. From the former then it follows that the hour of the last judgment is not yet come. From the second, that Christ is now the medium between us and the Father, in such a way as to bring us at length to Him. Hence He immediately infers as follows, after He shall have subjected all things to Him, then shall the Son subject Himself to the Father." Then he says this, "Let us wait patiently until Christ shall vanquish all of His enemies, and shall bring us along with Himself under the dominion of God, that the kingdom of God may in every respect be accomplished in us."
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Now, I want you to look at verse 28. I'm going to give you just a few more quotes in just a minute, and then I'm going to show you the Scriptures. And I want you to think about this. Verse 28, "And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." Have you ever stopped to think about the final goal of God's redemptive plan? The Apostle Paul gave us that goal in Romans 11 and verse 36, when he said, "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." For of him, that is originally, through him, that is providentially, and to him, that is ultimately, are all things to whom be glory forever.
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Now, I've already mentioned this. I want to mention it again. The Son as the Servant of the Father, as the Mediator, was given authority, and now in the end He renders this authority back to the Father. So when the mediatorial kingdom of Jesus Christ shall cease, then nothing shall appear except the essential kingdom of God, the power by which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost shall govern and rule all things.
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Now, there is a verse in Psalm 73, verse 25, where David asks this question, and then he gives another answer. He asks, "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" And then he said, "There is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." Whom have I in heaven but thee? No one. Is there any one I desire upon earth but thee? And the answer is no.
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Now, I want you to listen very carefully, because to me, this will boggle, and it does boggle my mind. I want to give you two quotes. The first one is by John Trapp, the old Puritan. And the second one is by John Gill. Listen to this. Here's what John Trapp said. "Till sin and death be abolished, we have no access to God but by Christ. But after that all the enemies be trod underfoot, then shall we have immediate union with God. Yet so, as that this shall be the proper and everlasting praise of Christ, as he is the procurer of that union."
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Now, let this sink in. Here is what John Trapp is saying. The only way you and I can get to God the Father right now is through Jesus Christ in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:18. John 14 verse 6, he said, "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." You and I cannot get to God except through Jesus Christ in the Spirit. Once this mediatorial kingdom has come to an end, there will be no need of a mediator. We will have immediate, instantaneous union and communion with the One True and the Living God. Here's what John Gill said, "By God is not meant the Father personally, but God essentially considered Father, Son and Spirit who are the one true and living God, to whom all saints will have immediate access, in whose presence they will be, and with whom they shall have uninterrupted fellowship without the use of"
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"such mediators as they now enjoy. All the three divine persons will have equal power and government in and over all the saints and will sit upon the one and the same throne. There will be no more acting by delegated power or derived authority. God will be all in all to His saints immediately without the use of means. He will be that to their bodies as meat and clothes are without the use of them, and all lighting, glory, and happiness to their souls without the use of ordinances or any means."
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"He will then be all perfection and bliss to all the elect, and in them all, which he now is not, because some are still dead in trespasses and sins." And he goes on to say, when all are saved, all are called, and when the kingdom of God mediatorially through Jesus Christ is at an end, we are going to have absolute, instant, total, immediate access to God.
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Now, I want to make an application and we're going to look at some scripture. The truth of the matter is this. God is already our all in all in the strictest sense. I often think, "Lord, thank you for life." Why? Because He holds my soul in life. My times are in His hands. Thank you for health. Thank you for everything. If God cut our breath off, we're gone. If God cut our food off, we're gone. If God cut our water off, we're gone. I'm just simply saying, in the strictest sense of the word right now, He is truly our all in all.
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But however, in eternity, He will be very clearly our all in all. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 21 and look if you would beginning there with verse one and try to grasp this to get a better picture of how we're going to have uninterrupted union and communion with God. By the way, let me say this. If you do not love the Lord now, and if you do not love his fellowship now, and if you do not want him to be your all in all now, you would not like eternity. Because that's what it's going to be like. In eternity. So watch what he said in Revelation 21 verse one.
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"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea," no more division. "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." Have you ever thought about God dwelling with us? Look in Revelation 22. Revelation 22 verse 1, "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb."
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"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
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Now watch, "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
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Now, go back, if you would, please. Verse four, "And they shall see his face." You remember that passage in Matthew 5, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." You remember Moses said, "Shew me thy face." The Lord said, "No man can see my face, and live." And yet in eternity, we will have instantaneous, immediate access with the One True and Living God. There will be no more means, no more ordinances, just total, absolute union and communion with the One True and Living God who has revealed Himself in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I don't know about you, but just simply to think of having instant, immediate access and union and communion with the One True and Living God is mind-boggling.
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Then cometh the end. Yes, there will be a consummation. But until then, there's a continuation. And finally, there's going to be a completion. And we shall see him. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your promise. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we do want to see Thy face. We want to be like Thee. We want to be holy. We want to be godly. We want to love Thee with all of our hearts and serve Thee and worship and honor Thee. Until that day, enable us, encourage us to come to Thee through the Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit, and bring the honor. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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Then come at the end. Yes, there will be a consummation. But until then, there's a continuation. And finally, there's going to be a completion. And we shall see him. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your promise. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we do want to see Thy face. We want to be like Thee. We want to be holy. We want to be godly. We want to love Thee with all of our hearts and serve Thee and worship and honor Thee. Until that day, enable us, encourage us to come to Thee through the Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit. and bring the honor. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T17:22:15Z

Victory in Jesus Christ

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 to show that Jesus Christ is the ultimate victor who has already conquered sin and death. He explains the consummation of Christ's mediatorial kingdom, the continuation of His reign and subduing of enemies, and the final completion when all things are subjected and God becomes all in all. The sermon emphasizes that believers will one day have immediate, unmediated access to God.

Introduction: The Unarguable Victory of Christ

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:24-28

"Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."

Christ the Conqueror

Weaver demonstrates from Hebrews 2:14-15, Revelation 6:2, 19:11-16, and other passages that Jesus Christ is the victor who has already conquered sin and death and will ultimately conquer all enemies.

Scripture Reading — Revelation 6:2

"And he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."

Scripture Reading — Revelation 6:2

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse."

Scripture Reading — Revelation 19:11-16

"And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

The Consummation of the Mediatorial Kingdom

Scripture Reading — Daniel 7:13-14

"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

The Continuation of Christ's Reign

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-12

"Why do the heathen rage?" "And the people imagine a vain thing,"

that is something that is useless, worthless. Now here's what is happening and here's what is useless and it's worthless.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-12

"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."

Jesus Christ is ruling, and Jesus Christ is reigning, and therefore Jesus Christ is subduing. We may not see it, but it is the absolute truth.

The Destruction of Death

Now, when you get to Revelation chapter 21, if you look there at verse 4, of course the Bible says this,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 21:4

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

The Completion: God All in All

Scripture Reading — Revelation 22:1-5

"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

Victory in Jesus Christ

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	6220050217768
Subject	Eschatology
Course	Kingdom, Judgment, and Victory
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-05-31
Dictation Name
Book	Book 069: Kingdom, Judgment, and Victory — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	79

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Unarguable Victory of Christ: Weaver introduces the topic of eschatology and asserts that regardless of one's millennial view, all orthodox Christians agree that Jesus Christ will return literally, visibly, and bodily. He emphasizes that what he will teach from 1 Corinthians 15 is unarguable because it is based on clear Scripture.
Christ the Conqueror: Weaver demonstrates from Hebrews 2:14-15, Revelation 6:2, 19:11-16, and other passages that Jesus Christ is the victor who has already conquered sin and death and will ultimately conquer all enemies.
The Consummation of the Mediatorial Kingdom: Weaver explains that 'the end' in verse 24 refers to the end of Christ's mediatorial kingdom, not His essential kingdom. He distinguishes between Christ's essential kingdom as God and His mediatorial role as the go-between for God and man.
The Continuation of Christ's Reign: Weaver shows from verses 25-26 that Christ is currently reigning and subduing His enemies, even though we may not see it. He cites Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 to prove that the Father has established the Son's throne and will make His enemies His footstool.
The Destruction of Death: Weaver explains that death has already been abolished through Christ's work, as seen in 2 Timothy 1:10 and John 11. Believers do not truly die but pass from death to life, and in the new creation there will be no more death.
The Completion: God All in All: Weaver expounds verses 27-28, showing that all things are put under Christ's feet except the Father. When the mediatorial kingdom ends, believers will have immediate, unmediated access to God, who will be all in all.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Eschatological views agree on Christ's literal return

All major eschatological views affirm that Jesus Christ will return literally, visibly, and bodily, despite disagreements on timing and details.

Weaver states, 'Whether an individual is a historic premillennialist, an amillennialist, a postmillennialist, or even a dispensational premillennialist, all believe that Jesus Christ is coming back literally, visibly, and bodily.'

Christ's essential kingdom is eternal

Christ's essential kingdom as God will never end, as seen in Isaiah 9:7 and Daniel 7:14, so 1 Corinthians 15:24 must refer to His mediatorial kingdom.

Weaver cites Isaiah 9:7, 'Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,' and Daniel 7:14, 'his dominion is an everlasting dominion.'

The end is the consummation of the mediatorial kingdom

The Greek word telos indicates a termination or completion, referring to the end of Christ's role as mediator when He presents believers faultless to the Father.

Weaver explains, 'The Greek word for "end" there is the word telos, which literally means, properly, a termination, a limit, the completion of anything.' He references Jude 24-25.

Christ reigns and subdues enemies now

Christ's reign and subjugation of enemies are concurrent; He is actively putting all enemies under His feet, even if we do not perceive it.

Weaver argues, 'Ruling and subduing go together. You cannot have one without the other.' He cites Psalm 2 and Psalm 110.

Death is already destroyed for believers

Through His death and resurrection, Christ has abolished death, so believers do not experience death in its ultimate sense.

Weaver quotes 2 Timothy 1:10 and references John 11, stating, 'Our Lord has already taken the sting out of death, and we really do not die.'

The Father is excepted from subjection to Christ

1 Corinthians 15:27 makes clear that the Father, who put all things under Christ, is not Himself subjected to Christ.

Weaver says, 'All things have been placed under the feet of Jesus Christ, with the exception of God the Father.' He quotes John Gill and John Calvin.

Believers will have immediate access to God

When the mediatorial kingdom ends, believers will no longer need a mediator but will have direct, unmediated fellowship with the triune God.

Weaver quotes John Trapp: 'Till sin and death be abolished, we have no access to God but by Christ. But after that... then shall we have immediate union with God.'

Scripture References

1 Corinthians 15:24-28: The primary text of the sermon, describing the end when Christ delivers the kingdom to the Father, the subjugation of enemies, and God being all in all.
Hebrews 2:14-15: Christ partook of flesh and blood to destroy the devil and deliver those subject to bondage through fear of death.
Revelation 6:2: The rider on the white horse going forth conquering and to conquer, identified by Weaver as Christ.
Revelation 19:11-16: Christ on a white horse, called Faithful and True, with the name King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Revelation 11:15: The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever.
Matthew 28:18: All authority in heaven and earth is given to Christ.
Ephesians 1:20-23: God raised Christ and set Him far above all principality and power, putting all things under His feet.
Colossians 1:16-18: All things were created by Christ and for Him; He is the head of the church and has preeminence.
1 Timothy 2:5: There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 9:6-7: The government shall be upon His shoulder; of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.
Daniel 7:13-14: One like the Son of man was given an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away.
Jude 24-25: God is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless before His glory.
Luke 11:2: The Lord's Prayer: 'Thy kingdom come,' indicating the kingdom belongs to the Father.
Hebrews 2:6-9: All things are put under Christ's feet, but we do not yet see all things under Him; we see Jesus crowned with glory.
Psalm 2:1-12: The heathen rage, but God has set His King on Zion; the Son will break them with a rod of iron.
Psalm 110:1: The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.'
2 Timothy 1:10: Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
John 11:25-26: Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me shall never die.'
Revelation 21:4: God will wipe away all tears; there shall be no more death, sorrow, or pain.
Revelation 22:1-5: The river of life, the tree of life, the throne of God and the Lamb, and His servants shall see His face.

Historical References

Jamieson, Fausset, Brown commentary: Quoted to explain that the giving up of the mediatorial kingdom is in harmony with Christ's essential kingdom continuing everlastingly.
John Gill (theologian): Quoted on 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 to explain that the Father is excepted from subjection to Christ and that the Spirit is also excepted.
John Calvin (reformer): Quoted on 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 to emphasize that all things must be subjected to Christ before He restores the dominion to the Father.
John Trapp (Puritan commentator): Quoted to explain that after sin and death are abolished, believers will have immediate union with God without a mediator.

Important Quotes

Jesus Christ is the victor. He is the conqueror. He has already conquered sin and death.

Summarizes the central thesis of the sermon that Christ's victory is already accomplished.

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

The key verse introducing the consummation of Christ's mediatorial kingdom.

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Highlights the continuation of Christ's reign and the final destruction of death.

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

The ultimate completion where God becomes all in all, the final goal of redemption.

Ruling and subduing go together. You cannot have one without the other. If Jesus Christ is ruling, he is subduing.

Argues that Christ's present reign necessarily involves the active subjugation of His enemies.

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

The most frequently quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament, emphasizing Christ's exalted position and ultimate victory.

Till sin and death be abolished, we have no access to God but by Christ. But after that all the enemies be trod underfoot, then shall we have immediate union with God.

John Trapp's quote explaining the transition from mediated to immediate access to God in eternity.

God will be all in all to His saints immediately without the use of means.

John Gill's description of the final state where believers enjoy direct fellowship with God without ordinances or mediators.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the distinction between Christ's essential kingdom and His mediatorial kingdom help us understand 1 Corinthians 15:24-28?

[Context]

Weaver explains that 'the end' refers to the end of the mediatorial kingdom, not Christ's eternal reign as God.

[Question]

In what ways is Christ currently reigning and subduing His enemies, even though we may not see it?

[Context]

Weaver argues from Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 that Christ is actively putting enemies under His feet now.

[Question]

What does it mean that death has been abolished for believers, and how should this affect our view of physical death?

[Context]

Weaver cites 2 Timothy 1:10 and John 11 to show that believers do not truly die but pass into life.

[Question]

How does the promise of immediate, unmediated access to God in eternity impact your current relationship with Him?

[Context]

Weaver quotes John Trapp and John Gill on the future state where believers will have direct fellowship with God.

[Question]

Why is it significant that Psalm 110:1 is the most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament?

[Context]

Weaver lists multiple New Testament citations of Psalm 110:1 to emphasize Christ's exalted position.

[Question]

How does the truth that 'God may be all in all' shape our understanding of the ultimate purpose of redemption?

[Context]

Weaver connects 1 Corinthians 15:28 with Romans 11:36 to show that all things are from, through, and to God.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T08:07:13Z