and make their way over there and again I ask you to turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 1 Corinthians chapter 15 where we will be reading and studying verses 20 through 28 I would like to read these verses to you again and then we'll take a look at them beginning with verse number 20 in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. for but each in its own order, Christ the firstfruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming. Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and the Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. for he has put all things in subjection under his feet but when he says this all things are put into subjection it is evident that he is accepted who put all things in subjection to him when all things are subjected to him then the son himself also will be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him so that God may be all in all. Once again, Almighty Heavenly Father, we come into your presence and we praise you, Almighty God, for your power. We praise you for your goodness. We praise you, Lord, for your Holy Scriptures. We praise you, Almighty God, that we know that they are God-breathed. that these scriptures are inspired by your Holy Spirit. And Father, we the redeemed understand that it is because of the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit that we have come to truly understand your scriptures. We realize, Lord, that the natural man may understand the words, may understand the grammar of the text, but the natural man will never come to truly understand the meaning of scriptures. For scriptures are meant for the spiritually enlightened, the spiritually illuminated ones. And for this, Lord, we are continually dependent, indebted to your Holy Spirit to continue to open up our eyes and help us to understand the meaning of truth. Lord, this morning, if there is one here who has never come to understand their need for salvation. We pray, Father, that early on in the message they might hear for the first time with spiritually illumined ears the work that they must do, Lord, to be approved by You. That they will hear clearly that the work that one must do to be approved by you is the work of faith, faith in the person of Jesus Christ, that they might understand, Lord, that there is a resurrection coming. There is a resurrection. All in the grave will be resurrected, some unto life, some unto judgment. Father, I pray that your Spirit is already taking the words of this prayer and preparing the heart to now hear these words from the pages of Scripture themselves, that they might be ready, Lord, to confess they are a sinner. They deserve judgment, but Jesus Christ took that judgment, and they believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I pray this, Lord, that they too might be among those who receive a resurrection unto life. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. The title of the message this morning is the impact of the resurrection of Christ. The impact of the resurrection of Christ. This morning we are going to look at three different impacts that the resurrection of Christ has on our assurance. And I always want to be sure that I explain that we are not giving here a comprehensive view of the impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I doubt very much whether we could ever fully comprehend the great impact of the resurrection of our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ, if we were to study it all our lives. But for this morning, I'm pulling out of this text three different impacts that the resurrection of Christ will have on our assurance. The impact of the resurrection of Christ will have an effect on our assurance of our future resurrection unto life. As we understand the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, it will impact our assurance that we too, if we trust in Christ, will one day receive a resurrection unto life. The impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ will also have an effect on our assurance that one day there is going to be a full restoration of God's kingdom rule. It doesn't take very much to look out into culture and to see God's kingdom rule is not in effect today. But as we understand the impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that will give us an assurance, an absolute assurance, as true as Jesus Christ raised up from that grave, one day this kingdom that is God's kingdom will be restored to Him and He will once again have His kingdom rule. This resurrection of Jesus Christ will also impact our assurance that one day all that is challenging God's authority will be abolished. Think today of all that challenges God's authority. Our school systems challenge God's authority. Our government challenges God's authority. Our court system challenges God's authority. Entertainment challenges God's authority. God's authority is challenged all over the place, just in this country. But when we consider the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, that will give those of us who love God's authority, who submit to God's authority, willingly and lovingly so, that will give us the assurance that one day, All this challenge to His authority is going to be abolished. Now when we look at this passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, we need to understand that the Apostle Paul is looking at the resurrection just from the believer's point of view. He's not looking at the resurrection from the unbeliever's point of view. Throughout the whole chapter, he's been talking about those who believe in the gospel. He's talking about those who receive a resurrection unto life. He's not talking about that other resurrection. But I want us to understand that there are two resurrections. Before we go any further in this passage this morning, I want you to know there are going to be two resurrections and you will experience one or the other of those two resurrections. There is no if, and, or, buts about that. It will happen one day after you have died and you have been in your grave, one day there's gonna be a resurrection and you will experience whether you like it or not. It's coming. Look with me in John chapter 5 and listen to what God says about this day when the resurrection is coming. John chapter 5 verse 25, truly, truly. When you hear those words from Scripture, truly, truly, you better perk up your ears. You better pay attention. This is something extra special that the Holy Spirit wants you to listen to. Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and all those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gives to the Son also to have life in Himself. and He has given him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of God. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all, you get that little word there? All. In which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice. All. who have died will hear his voice and will come forth. One day they're gonna hear his voice and all are going to come forth. Those who did good deeds to a resurrection of life. Those who committed evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. There you have it. You have no choice. You will be affected by this call. Jesus Christ is going to make a call and all the dead are coming up out of the grave. Those who have had good deeds to resurrection of life. Those who have not to resurrection of judgment. The question you must ask yourself is what is the good deeds? What must I do to be assured that I have a resurrection unto life? Look with me in John chapter six. John chapter six, verse number 26. John six, verse 26. Jesus answered them and said, again, truly, truly, I say to you, You seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. You see, they may have saw the signs with their visible eyes, but they didn't see them with a believing heart. They didn't see them with faith. And all they wanted was the external benefit of the signs. He realizes that they're following him and they're going after him because they're getting something that they want, some external benefit from following him. but they don't really see who he is. When he performs the miracles, they don't really see who he is. He goes on, verse 27, he says, do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on him the Father, God, has set his seal. Therefore they said to him, what shall we do so that we may work the works of God? Here it is. This is what you must do. if you wanna be sure to have a resurrection unto life. Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he sent. This is the work of God that you believe in him whom you sent. We read earlier this morning, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses one through four, where Paul, in a very concise manner, describes the gospel. What is it that you must believe? That Jesus Christ died for your sins according to Scriptures. That He was buried and three days later He was raised according to Scriptures. You see, if you confess with your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe that God raised Him up from the dead, you shall be saved. For every tongue that confesses Jesus Christ will be saved. For those who trust in Jesus Christ, there will be no disappointment. There is no other name given in heaven by which you must be saved other than the name of Jesus Christ. If you want to be assured today that you will experience the resurrection of life, you must come to understand that you are a sinner. You know you are a sinner. You must understand that because of that sin, you must be judged, a judgment of death. And here's where the tricky part gets in. You need to understand that you can't do anything to come out from underneath that judgment. There is no work that you can do. There's no work you can do to come out from under that judgment except for the work of believing. You must believe in Jesus Christ, his death, his burial, his death for your sins, his burial, and his resurrection, which is God's stamp of approval on his death, meaning that God accepts his death as payment for your sins. So believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. And you can then put yourself in this chapter that we are going to begin to read and the resurrection of Jesus Christ can begin to build in you the strongest assurance ever possible. Go back with me now to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. First of all, we are going to look at the impact of the resurrection of Christ on our assurance of a future Resurrection. There are three ways that the impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ will increase our assurance of a future resurrection. The first way is through the assurance of an encouraged metaphor. Paul is giving us three ways to increase our assurance of a future resurrection. You notice here in verse 20, he says, but now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who are asleep. He is using an Old Testament festival as a metaphor to give us assurance that we too will have a resurrected body. This idea of being the first fruits was a way to exemplify what is to come and the guarantee of more to come. What would happen in the Old Testament times is when it comes time for harvest, they would just take a portion of that harvest and they would offer it up to God. And by doing that, it was a way of showing an example of what is to come and a guarantee of more to come. So when Paul says that Jesus Christ's resurrection is the first fruits of those who fall asleep, what he's saying is that Jesus Christ's resurrection is an example of what is yet to come. Just as Christ has been raised from the dead, so those who believe in Him will be raised from the dead. A resurrection unto a life. See, it is an example of what is to come, and it is the guarantee of what is to come. Because He is the first fruits, there is the absolute assurance that all who are in Christ will receive a resurrection unto life. Paul goes on to use now an analogy. He gives us an assurance by using an analogy in verse 21. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. You see, every time a person dies, it is a reminder that they are in Adam. By Adam, death came. What does Paul mean by that? We won't take the time to look there. I think we got time. Let's do it. Romans chapter 5 verse 12. See what Paul likes to do is he likes to use this Adam Christ analogy to help us to better understand the person and the work of Jesus Christ. He'll take something that was true for Adam and then he'll compare that to what is true for Christ so that we can better understand the person of Christ and the work of Christ. In Romans 5 verse 12 we read this, world and to all men because all sinned. That one man is Adam. Sin entered into the world through Adam. Adam sinned. And when you sin, why is there death? There is death because of sin. Why is there sin? There is sin because of Adam. Look with me in verse 17, 5 verse 17. For if by the transgression of the one, referring to Adam, for by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more than the one Jesus Christ. So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, so through one act there resulted justification of life to all men. You see, through Adam's one transgression, through his one sin, there ended up being condemnation for all men. But in the same manner, through Jesus Christ's act of obedience, there is righteousness for all men. There's justification for all men. Through Adam, you're condemned. But through Jesus Christ, you're justified. Verse 19, for as through one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, the many were made righteous. See, because of Adam's obedience, mankind was made a sinner. Yet because of Christ's obedience, mankind can be made righteous. Go back with me again now to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I'll read it again, verse 21. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. The first Adam, you see, disobeyed God and brought sin and death into the world. The last Adam, Christ, obeyed God and brought righteousness and life into the world. Do all human beings die because of their biological connection to Adam? Yes. All human beings die because of their biological connection to Adam. Will all Christians be resurrected because of their spiritual connection to Christ? Yes. Every time I go to a funeral, I am absolutely assured of a resurrection of life to the believers. I emailed this to Paul Euler this morning. He was talking to me about the funeral of his 90-year-old mother, more than 90 years of age, but a believer. He was talking to me at the funeral about what a wonderful thing it was. And he was talking about the wonders of the Resurrection Sunday. And I reminded him that every funeral you attend is absolute proof of the resurrection unto life of the believer for just as in Adam all men will die so also will all men who are in Christ through faith be resurrected unto life just as in Adam we have the inevitable process of death so in Christ we have the inevitable process of resurrection Paul goes on to give a third way of giving us this assurance of a future resurrection. It is the assurance that is encouraged by a promise. He gives us a promise here in verse 23. He says, We have this promise that just as Christ was raised up from the grave, so all those who are Christ at His coming will also be raised up from the grave and raised up unto a resurrection of life. Even this resurrection unto life will come in stages. The first stage was Christ. Christ was raised up from the grave, the first stage of the resurrected unto life. There'll be the rapture of the church, which we read about in 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, I encourage you to open your Bibles and turn them to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 13. Paul writes here, but we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep. He's using sleep here as a euphemism for death. I don't want you to be uninformed about those who are already dead, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, do you believe that? I believe that. Jesus died and He rose again. There's an empty tomb. There's absolute proof. Jesus died and rose again. If I believe that, therefore I should have the absolute assurance that God will bring with Him, with Christ, those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. He's going to raise them up. Verse 15, for this we say to you by the word of the Lord. Paul is emphasizing, this is the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort, comfort one another with these words. There's coming a day when Christ returns. He's coming again. He must be raised up from the dead if he's coming again. He's coming again. And when that time comes, the first thing he's going to do is raise up the dead in Christ, those who have believed in Jesus Christ. He's gonna raise them up and they will receive resurrected bodies. And if that day should happen to come before you die and you believe in Jesus Christ, you will immediately be changed into a resurrected body and you too will go with them into heaven. You notice here how the Apostle Paul, where does he put himself in all this? He says here, Paul expects to be among the living. What is that telling us? That's telling us that this coming can come at any moment. Paul believed it could come during his day. At any moment, before this service is done, this coming could happen. The dead in Christ will be raised up, given their glorified bodies. And those of us in this room today who believe in Jesus Christ will be snatched up, given a glorified body. We go with Jesus Christ in heaven. Look with me in Revelation chapter 20 verse 4. Revelation chapter 20 verse 4. Another stage in this resurrection unto life. Revelation chapter 20 is coming after the tribulation. Verse 4, after the tribulation is done, John writes, Then I saw the thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Who are these who did not worship the beast or his image? Who are these who did not receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand? They are the tribulation saints. They are those who come to faith, saving faith in Jesus Christ throughout the tribulation, and they have been martyred for their faith. And when that tribulation is done, they too will be raised up from the grave. They will be given life, resurrected bodies unto life, and they will reign with Christ for a thousand years. Let's consider one more group. Daniel chapter 12. Daniel chapter 12. Daniel chapter 12, verse number 1. Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, who are the people of Daniel, these are the Israelite people. Now we're talking about the Israelite people, the people of Israel. Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. Michael is going to arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time. An unprecedented time of distress, an unprecedented time of turmoil. There's only one unprecedented time of distress, unprecedented time of turmoil, and that is the period of the tribulation. The tribulation again is going to come. And at that time, your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. deep in the dust of the ground will awake these to everlasting life. Many of the people of Daniel who are already in the dust of the ground after this period of unprecedented trouble will be raised up from the grave and given life. These to everlasting life. But listen to what else he says here in verse 2. But others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. You see, the resurrection unto life and the resurrection unto judgment is for all people, even the people of Israel. Those who have truly trusted in God, who have put their faith in the promises of God and have been declared to be righteous because of their faith in the promises of God, when the tribulation is all done, they will be raised up to a resurrection unto life. Those who have not trusted in the promises of God, they too will be raised up, but a resurrection of judgment. stage of this resurrection will come during the millennial kingdom. Jesus Christ is going to reign for 1,000 years. There will be people born during that time, and they will have saving faith in Jesus Christ, and they will die. And as soon as they die, they too will receive a resurrected body unto life. Listen to the words of Job from Job chapter 19 verse 25. He says, as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I will see God, whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me." Even Job, a precursor to Abraham, he knew a resurrection was coming. Did he have the full picture? Did he understand Christ's resurrection? Did he have the full picture of all that it meant? Probably not. But he knew that after his flesh is destroyed in the grave, yet from his flesh, from his own eyes, he would look upon God. And just the thought of that caused his heart to faint within him. The absolute assurance, the absolute assurance that you will receive a resurrection unto life. We have more assurance than Job. Job couldn't look back in history and see the Son of God become man and die on a cross and buried in the grave and raised up. He couldn't look back on that. Yet his assurance was so powerful that it caused his heart to faint within him. How much more should we be just astounded and become like almost dead man to consider one day I too will receive a resurrected body and I too will look upon the holiness of God not in a body that is still plagued with sin but I will look upon the holiness of God the glory of God with a resurrected glorified body freed from sin the presence of sin the pollution of sin the power of sin the penalty of sin and there I will be Looking upon my Creator, how much more should I fall like a dead man at the thought of that glorious resurrected body? We go back here to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. There is another impact that the resurrection of Christ will have on our assurance. This is the impact that the resurrection of Jesus Christ will have on our assurance of a full restoration of God's kingdom. Because you see, if you are a child of God, If you are a child of God, you are irritated. Your soul is convexed by what you see going on around. It is convexed because God's kingdom is not glorious, and we don't see God's glorious rule. We see the rule of men, and we see the rule of sin, and we understand that this world lies under the power of the evil one, and your soul is vexed. Your spirit is vexed. And you long for the day when God will once again take his kingdom and he'll once again have rule and righteousness and holiness and justice will once again rule the day and all this mockery of God will be gone. You long for that day. You want that day. And I want to tell you this morning that this is another assurance that we should have of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We've got to get beyond just thinking what it means to us to have a resurrected body. And we've got to think of it in kingdom-like terms. All the Bible is about restoring the kingdom of God to God. The theme of the Bible is the kingdom of God. And the theme that we see throughout scripture, that theme, that thread of blood, and the cross of Christ, and the resurrection of Christ, that is a great and marvelous theme, but it's a theme that serves a greater theme, the theme of the kingdom of God, because it is through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that God will one day have his kingdom restored to him. And this is what Paul now talks about here in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 24. Then comes the end when He, Jesus Christ, hands over the kingdom to the God and the Father. He's gonna hand the kingdom over to His Father. When He has abolished all rule and authority and power, Jesus Christ is going to abolish all rule, authority, and power. How can He do that if He's a dead man? He can't do that if He's a dead man. He can only do that if He's a resurrected, glorified Savior and King. He's going to abolish all that is against God. He must reign. Jesus must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. To have one's enemies put under one's feet is an allusion to the ancient practice of a king sitting on his throne and his enemies brought before him bowing at his feet. In ancient times kings were also known to put their feet on the necks of their enemies to vividly show they had been defeated. That enemy has been defeated under the complete subjugation and triumph of the king. One day All that opposes God is going to be put under the feet of His Son, King Jesus. And He will demonstrate His power and His authority over all that opposes God. In many ways, this rule has already begun. Look with me in Psalm chapter 2. Those of us who were at the Shepherds Conference, we heard Stephen Lawson preach on this passage. And Stephen Lawson showed us that this rule has already begun. Just think of United States when we speak here of nations and when we speak of peoples and when we speak of kings and when we speak of rulers. All you need to do is just put our country in this passage. Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand. The rulers take counsel together against the Lord, against His anointed, saying, let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us. Let's be done with this rule of morality. Let's be done with anything of authority. Let's be done with this God. Get Him away from us. Tear His fetters away from us. We will have nothing to do with the Ten Commandments. We'll have nothing to do with prayer. We'll have nothing to do with God on our political platforms. Get him away. We want nothing. They've counseled together and they said break his fetters from us get him away from us That's the people speaking Listen to God's response in verse 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs The Lord scoffs at them Then he will speak to them in his anger and terrify them in his fury, saying, But as for me, I have installed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain. That is Jesus Christ. And he is installed upon the mountain. He is installed upon Mount Zion. He is in heaven today reigning with God. Jesus Christ here, the Son, is being pictured as one who is quoting what the Father has said to him. In eternity past, this is what the Father said to the Son. The Father said to the Son, Son, ask of me, and I will surely give you the nations as an inheritance, the very ends of the earth as your possession. Ask of me, Son, I will give them all to you. Son, you shall break them with a rod of iron, and you shall shatter them like earthenware. This is a promise that God the Father has given to the Son. And the Apostle Paul is telling us when these days are going to come. The Apostle Paul is telling us when he will shatter the nations like earthenware, when he will break them like a rod of iron, when all rule and authority and power have been made subjected to his feet, and he once again gives the kingdom to his Father. Read on here in Psalm chapter 2 and learn what our response should be. What should our response be to all of this? Kings of the land, show discernment. Governing officials, judges, authorities, and teaching institutions, show some discernment. Show some discernment. Take a warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reference and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son that He not become angry and you perish in the way. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him. Again, where are you taking your refuge in? Have you taken complete refuge in the person of Jesus Christ? If you have not taken complete refuge in the person of Jesus Christ, you are just like the nations, raising their fist up against God and calling God to break His fetters from you. Let me do whatever I want. Let me live life the way I want to live life. Let me be my own man. Take warning. Take warning. Do homage to the Son that He not become angry and you perish in His way. For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him." The rule has begun. The rule has begun. But there's going to come a time when this rule is going to be accelerated in a personal manner. There's coming a time when this rule is going to be accelerated in a very personal manner. We began to look at this back in Revelation chapter 20. I encourage you to go back there again with me. Revelation chapter 20. Pick it up again in verse 4. Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word, and those who had not worshipped the beast or his image. and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. You see, Christ is coming back to this earth, and he's going to accelerate his rule in a very personal manner. And here we read where these tribulation saints who are resurrected will reign with him. But not only those tribulation saints, look with me, keep your finger there in Revelation 20, but go to Revelation chapter five. Revelation chapter five. Verse number nine, and they sang a new song, saying, worthy are you to take the book and break its seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Jesus purchased for God with his blood, men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Those are the ones who are trusting in Jesus Christ. Look what it says now in verse 10. You have made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. This resurrection that we saw back in 1 Thessalonians, where the church is resurrected and the dead and there's a wrap are going to come back with Christ and they will reign with Christ on this earth for what purpose? To bring an end to all authority, power that is raised up against God. We see the beginnings of this in Christ's very return. Go back with me to Revelation chapter 19. Revelation chapter 19 this taking place just before Christ begins his millennial kingdom reign He's already starting when he returns his very return itself is already starting to put all opposition against God Putting it aside and destroying it and abolishing it Revelation chapter 19 verse 19. I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies Assembled to make war against him who sat on his horse and against his army the beast there is the Antichrist it's a metaphor for a real person a Real person is gonna raise himself up to be against God like no other person has ever raised himself to be up against God and he is going to get the kings and and the armies of the nation to turn against God. But he who sits on his horse is Christ Jesus and his army that is with him is that glorified resurrected church. Verse 20, and the beast was seized, that antichrist, that person was seized, with him the false prophet who performed signs in the presence by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone." The first two people to ever enter into the lake of fire. the Antichrist and his prophet who perform signs and tricks people into believing that the Antichrist is really God and you must listen to him and you must follow him and multitudes and multitudes and multitudes of people are going to be deceived and they're going to be following the Antichrist and the nations of the world the kings of the world are gonna follow him in an attack against God's people but Jesus Christ will not have this verse 21 and the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of him who who sat on the horse and all the birds filled with their flesh. That is the beginning of Christ abolishing all rule and authority that has set itself up against God. Isaiah chapter 11 verse four describes this for us. But with righteousness he would judge the poor and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. And he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be about his loins and faithfulness about the belt of his waist. Christ is coming to rule on this earth in justice, in righteousness and with faithfulness." We look in Revelation chapter 20 again verse 7 and we can see the culmination of this rule taking place. The culmination of this rule is taking place when the thousand years are completed. He comes to this earth and he rules on this earth for a literal thousand years to be completed. Satan will be released from his prison. At the beginning of this thousand-year period, Satan has been taken and he has been imprisoned. But when the thousand-year period is done, Satan is going to be released one last time. And look what Satan is able to do, even after Christ has ruled on this earth for a thousand years. will come out to deceive the nations where corners of the earth may God to gather them together for war. The number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came upon the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. Satan one last time is going to lead a massive rebellion against God and fire is gonna come down from heaven and destroy that massive rebellion and Satan who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beasts and the false prophet are also and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever recognize that that the beast and the false prophet have been in the lake of fire for a thousand years and they are still being tormented this is what we call non-ending conscious torment it does not end for all who are cast into the lake of fire It does not end. How is that possible? Remember, there is a resurrection unto judgment. There is a body that is fitted to endure non-ending conscious torment in the lake of fire and all who are not in Christ will receive that resurrected body. We continue to see this. Verse 11, Then I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence the earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. This is Jesus Christ sitting on this great white throne. I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which are written in the books according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it. And death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, everyone according to their deeds. This is that second resurrection. All the dead are being given up. They're all being given up and they're all receiving a resurrected body under judgment and Jesus Christ is gonna sit on his throne He's gonna have a massive group of books over here and he's gonna have one book over here And the first thing he's gonna do is look in this book you who stand here with a resurrected body under judgment Is your name written in the land's book of life? No, your name is not written in the land's book of life Therefore I will look at this book here and I will look at all your sinful deeds and I will be Vindicated now to cast you into the lake of fire where you two will suffer a non-ending conscious torment Verse 14, then death and Hades were thrown into the lake. This is the second death, the lake of fire. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Notice, death that last enemy that last enemy is destroyed right here what happens when the last enemy is destroyed what is Christ going to do he's going to take that kingdom of his and he's going to give it to his father and you come to revelation 21 then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there was no longer any sea I saw the holy city new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for a husband I heard a loud voice from the throne saying behold the tabernacle of God is among men he will dwell among them and they shall be his people and God himself will be among them And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death, because death is conquered. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I'm making all things new, restored, glorious kingdom. And He said, Write for these words are faithful and true. And He said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things. I will be his God and he will be my son. This is the glorious everlasting kingdom of God. Once again God will rule in a glorious restored kingdom and all who overcome will be a part of that rule. How do you become an overcomer? How can you be an overcomer? Trust in Jesus Christ. Trust in Him. Nothing else in this world matters. Nothing that is going on in the news, nothing in the political realm, none of it matters. This is all that matters. One day, Jesus Christ is going to give God's kingdom back to Him in a restored manner. I want to switch back to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and I want you to understand where all this power is coming from, where Jesus Christ is getting all this power. Verse 27, He has put all things in subjection under His feet. Who's the He? The He is God the Father. God the Father is putting all things under subjection of the feet of Jesus Christ. Remember back in Psalm 2? God the Father in eternity past said to the Son, ask of me what you want. and I will give you all the nations." And God is always faithful, always true to His Word. That which He spoke in eternity past is coming true. We see it there in Revelation. But when He says, all things are put into subjection, it is evident that He is accepted who put all things in subjection to Him. What? That's basically saying when God puts all things in subjection unto His Son, He's not putting Himself into subjection under His Son. Everything, every rule, every authority, every power, anything you can possibly think of is all being put under the subjection of Jesus Christ. Everything except one, God the Father, is not under subjection of His Son. Christ rose from the dead that He might be given power and have a kingdom to rule over. Through this power and kingdom, He is destined to defeat all that is opposed to God so that He might hand over to His Father a completely redeemed kingdom. The ultimate goal, now listen to this, listen to this. The ultimate goal of all redemptive history is to restore to God his kingdom in such a manner that there is no longer any challenge to his authority. All redemptive history since the time God provided coverings for Adam and Eve has been working towards this day when God becomes all in all. That's what it's all about. All of life from the time Adam and Eve sinned and from the time God gave them coverings from that time on it's been about one thing Restoring God's kingdom to himself And he has purposed and determined to do that through his son There's one last assurance that we can gain from this resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, and it is the assurance that all that is challenging God's authority will be abolished. And that's what we see here in verse 28. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him. When everything has been subjected to Christ, then Christ Himself will be subjected to God who subjected all things to Him. God put all things in subjection to Jesus Christ. And when it is finally proven and shown that everything is subjected to Jesus Christ, which will not happen Until the last enemy is done away with, the enemy of death. When death is done and death is cast into the lake of fire, then we know for sure everything has been subjected to the Son. When that day comes, then the Son again will subject Himself to the Father. He hands the kingdom over to the Father. And at that time, God becomes all in all. All that is being done so that God can become all in all. When God becomes all in all, there are no more challenges to His authority. When God becomes all in all, there are no more forces to oppose His will. When God becomes all in all, every single enemy of His will be defeated, the last one being death itself. The day when God becomes all in all is the day when we will see the consummation of all of God's saving works. It's all done. And those who've trusted in Jesus Christ will live in the everlasting kingdom. forever and ever and ever and ever. And those who have not will suffer non-ending conscious torment in the lake of fire forever and ever and ever and ever. Isaiah writes in Isaiah chapter 46 verse 8, remember this and be assured, recall it to mind you transgressors, Remember former things long past for I am God and there is no other I am God and there is no one like me Declaring the end from the beginning has he not declared the end from the very beginning? has he not said before eternity before time ever began that one day his son would put all things in subjection and He declared the end from the beginning, from ancient times, things which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established. I will accomplish my good pleasure. Understand, God will accomplish His purpose. God will fulfill His good pleasure. What is His purpose? His purpose is to restore the kingdom He made to Himself in a redeemed manner. God's purpose and His good pleasure to bring an end to all that challenges His authority. One day this will be accomplished. My question for you this morning, is the impact of the resurrection of Christ assurance of blessings to come for you, or is it assurance of judgment to come for you? The resurrection of Jesus Christ, is it assuring you of blessings, or do you stand here assured of judgment? Is the impact of the resurrection of Christ your assurance that you will receive a resurrected body unto life? Or is the resurrection of Jesus Christ your assurance that you will receive a resurrected body unto judgment? Is the impact of the resurrection of Christ your assurance that you will one day be a part of God's future restored kingdom? Or is the impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ your assurance that you will one day be a part of Satan's destroyed kingdom? Is the impact of the resurrection of Christ your assurance that those who oppose you because you stand for God's authority will be shut down or is the impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ your assurance that one day you will be among those who are shut down because you too are currently objecting and challenging God's authority? We go back to the gospel because it is your response to the gospel that will determine whether the resurrection for you is an Whether the resurrection for you is an assurance of judgment, it is one or the other. It is one or the other. Just as sure it is Christ raised from the dead. There is blessings for those who believe in Him and there are judgments for those who don't. There are blessings for those who accept the gospel and judgments for those who don't. We want to look at the gospel. We don't have to go very far. We go right back to chapter 15, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse number 1. Paul writes to the Corinthians, Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel. I make known to you the gospel, I'm going to repeat the gospel to you, which I preached, which you also received. You received it, you heard it, you received it, you stand in it, you made your stand on it, by it you were saved, and if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, you will continue to be saved, unless you believed in vain, unless you just had some whimsical faith in it, not a real determination to trust it with all your heart, just a superficial counterfeit, false faith. Do you have a genuine faith? Do you have a real faith in the gospel? What is this gospel? Again, verse 3, Paul says, My friends, do you believe that this morning? Do you believe that Christ died for your sins? You see, if you believe that Christ died for your sins, you've got to believe you're And if you believe that Christ died for your sins, you gotta believe that you couldn't do anything to reverse the problem of your sin. You couldn't do anything about your sins. You needed to have someone come and die for you. Do you believe that you were a sinner, a condemned sinner, and there's nothing you can do about it, and you need Jesus Christ to come die for you? And that he was buried? Do you believe after he was crucified for your sins? After your sins were put on His body, He who knew no sin became sin, and He was crucified on that tree, and the wrath that was meant for you was poured out upon Him. And when He was done satisfying the wrath that was meant for you, He died and they buried Him. Do you believe that they buried Him? Do you believe that He was raised on the third day according to Scriptures? My friends, that's the gospel. That's the gospel in its simplest terms. that Jesus Christ died for your sins according to Scriptures, that He was buried and He was raised again according to Scriptures. Where's your faith? Where's your faith? Do you believe that with all of your being? Are you willing to die for that faith? Are you willing to give up anything for that faith? Does that faith in Christ, death for your sins, his burial and resurrection, does that faith mean more to you than life itself? You see, this life means nothing. It's so temporal. When you consider the resurrected body unto life, what is this life? When you consider the wickedness of this world is one day gonna be completely abolished, what is this life? When you consider that all that is challenging God's authority is one day going to be destroyed, what is this life? You see, Paul was right. For me to live as Christ, to die, to die is gain. My whole life is about the gospel, Paul said. I love the gospel. I only live for the gospel. And dying? Well, dying is a pleasure. That's gain. He wanted to be conformed to the death of Jesus Christ. He wanted to be able to look beyond death and see the resurrected body unto life that he would one day have. And he wanted his view of that day to be so powerful in his life that he would do anything for Christ Jesus. Be of saving faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you and we praise you, almighty God. for the demonstration of Your power that we see in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. It was You who raised Him up out of the grave, and we have faith in that power, that that same power that raised Him up out of the grave will one day raise up all up out of the grave. And for those who trust You, it will be a resurrection unto life. Father, we have our confidence, our assurance strengthened, confirmed, that all that we see in this world that opposes you, all the rulers and the authorities and the powers that are against you are all one day going to be made subjected to Jesus Christ. Death itself will find its end. We look at the resurrection of Jesus Christ this morning and we walk out of here with the absolute confidence and assurance that all that we see that is challenging your authority is one day going to be destroyed. We need not trust in man's ways to bring an end to the evil in this world. There is only one power that will ever bring an end to the evil in this world. It is the power of the word of the cross. It is the power of the gospel. We praise you Lord for your goodness in Christ's name.