Turn with me in your Bibles this morning again to Matthew chapter 28. This will be the eighth message in the series on the subject of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and will be the second in the series encumbered in that, or enclosed in that rather, on the subject of the Lordship of Christ and his present kingdom of grace. Matthew 28, verse 16. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." In the first message in this subject of the Lordship of Christ and His present kingdom, of grace, we set forth these principles. First, that Jesus Christ is presently reigning as a King on his own throne at the Father's right hand. That from Psalm 110, verse 1, Christ was promised a throne by the Godhead. Sit here at my right hand until all your enemies be made your footstool. So Christ shall sit on a throne, and he shall rule on that throne until he has accomplished all of the purposes of the Godhead. We have seen that the Old Testament prophets stated that from their time period, looking forward to the appearance of the Messiah, that Christ was to come to his throne by way of a suffering cross. That is, that before the Messiah would assume the privileges and the prerogatives of rulership and sovereignty, he would first go by way of humiliation and the suffering of a cross. And this is brought out in Isaiah chapter 53. The prophets foretold and foresaw a suffering Savior. Secondly, the Old Testament prophets saw a resurrected Messiah. Psalm 16, David clearly foretold that the Messiah would suffer death and he would be resurrected. And then they saw at some time after his suffering and his death, he would sit on his own throne. Now the issue that we are attempting to deal with in this particular series of messages on the present kingdom of Jesus Christ is to deal with the issue that divides Christians in the realm of eschatology or prophecy as to whether or not Jesus Christ is presently fulfilling the promises God made through the prophets to him or whether those promises are yet to be fulfilled in a coming kingdom when he supposedly returns to this earth, then the promises will be fulfilled. It is our position that Jesus Christ is presently reigning at the Father's right hand and is presently fulfilling what the prophets said he was to do. And thus, from the Great Commission, he spoke to a group of uncertain, doubting disciples who had had their theology just scrambled like eggs. And he said, listen to me, all authority is now given unto me in heaven and earth. And that's a quotation or a paraphrase of Deuteronomy chapter 4, referring to only God has all authority. to all authority is given unto Jesus Christ, not only in heaven but also on the affairs of the earth, don't doubt, don't be confused, go into all the world and preach whatever I have commanded you to preach. And I'll be with you even unto the end of the world." So until this present world order comes to an end, It is the Church's duty to evangelize, to baptize, and to teach whatever Jesus Christ has commanded. And it will be through that method that Jesus will fulfill the redemptive purposes which God has given to him, and the last enemy will be brought into subjection to his footstool, and that last enemy is death itself, which shall occur at the resurrection and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. But until that takes place, it is our contention that the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is presently in a kingdom of grace, which at his second coming will be consummated into a kingdom of glorification and eternal life." Now, this kingdom in which Christ is reigning is at the right hand of God. If you would, notice that we also brought out in our first message that the famous teacher of prophecy in years past. He is now deceased by the name of Dr. C. I. Schofield. And his famous Schofield reference Bible states in Psalm chapter 16, the words which I have brought out in this fashion. This has to do with David seeing the resurrected Christ. not being allowed to be left in the grave to where his body would see corruption, but he would be resurrected. And Dr. Schofield says this, the 16th Psalm is a prediction of the resurrection of the king. As a prophet, David understood that not at his first advent, the first coming of Christ, but at some time subsequent to his death and resurrection, Messiah would assume the Davidic throne. Now, what Dr. Schofield is saying is the same as I have said, in part. He is saying that he understands that the prophets foretold a time when the Messiah would die, when he would be resurrected, and sometime after the resurrection, the Messiah would assume the throne of David. Now, the issue is whether or not that Jesus Christ assumed that throne at his resurrection when he ascended to the right hand of God, as I hold, or whether he will return sometime in the future and set up a kingdom of David for one thousand years here on the earth. This is the issue that divides Christians in the realm of eschatology. Now, Dr. Schofield is adamant and it necessitates him to hold this position that Jesus Christ is not presently reigning on the throne of David. Because if he is, then he cannot hold the position that at some future period he is going to begin his kingdom. And as we brought out to you in his statement in the first message, in his statement in the book of Revelation, his footnote, on chapter 3 and verse 20, verse 21 rather, where Christ says, To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame, and him sit down with my Father in his throne. Now let me read to you Dr. Schofield's interpretation of that passage. This passage is conclusive. that Christ is not now seated upon his own throne. The Davidic covenant and the promises of God through the prophets and the angel Gabriel concerning the Messianic kingdom await fulfillment." Now, do you see what he's saying? He interprets the statement that when Jesus says that to whoever overcomes, he will grant the right to sit with him in his throne even as he overcame, and is now seated upon his Father's throne. And so Dr. Schofield says that the Father's throne is not the same as Christ's throne, and that Christ is not now on the throne of David. But that awaits fulfillment at some time in the future when he returns to this earth. Now I want to look at that verse very briefly before we begin with progressing in our message today. How did Jesus overcome? And what did he overcome? He overcame sin, sickness, and death, and he did that in his resurrection. And he said, to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I overcame." Jesus has a throne because he's an overcomer, and he's no longer humiliated. He's exalted at the Father's right hand. And because God is the ultimate overcomer, the Messiah has overcome as well, and God says to his Son, sit here at my right hand until all your enemies be made your footstool. So Jesus inherited his throne rights because he overcame, and he overcame the power of sin, Satan, and death in the resurrection. Now then, I believe that from this premise that we can now see that it is God's proposed method of conquering his enemies is through he himself incarnating himself in the form of a human being. This is how God has purposed to conquer his enemies. The last enemy that shall be destroyed, the Bible tells us, is death. And Jesus shall be called, his name shall be given to him, for he shall be a Savior, for he shall save us from our sins. And by people it is our sin that is our enemy. Anything that discredits God and that stands in the way of our reconciliation to God is an enemy to man, and it's an enemy to God. And whatever stands in the way of my salvation is an enemy. And Jesus Christ came to remove every obstacle that stands in the way of my complete deliverance." Now, how did he purpose to do this? Let's go back to Genesis chapter 3. God's proposed method of conquering sin is through the incarnation of Messiah, God becoming man. In Genesis 3, verse 15, we have a statement here in which the sovereign God is addressing the serpent, or Satan, the one who has brought about the fall of Adam and Eve. And he says in verse 15 that he would put enmity, that is, a disposition, between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It, that is, the seed of the woman, shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his," what? His heel. Now, sin has now entered into the human race, and Satan is the tempter. Satan has succeeded in destroying God's creature, man. God now is making the first announcement that he in return is going to destroy the destroyer that the one who destroyed his creature, man, will be conquered and overthrown and destroyed, and the means in which he's going to do it is that God is going to bring forth a baby from the creature that has been destroyed. From the womb of Eve there will come forth a Messiah, who will administer a fatal conquering blow to the head of the deliverer. But Satan himself will be permitted to humiliate the deliverer by striking his heel. Christ, in order to conquer Satan, must suffer humiliation at the hands of Satan, but it will be through the very suffering at the hands of Satan that Christ will overcome and will conquer the destroyer himself. And thus we read in the New Testament that when he rose from the dead, he led what? Captivity, captive, and gave gifts unto men. So the means in which God Almighty has announced in which he will overthrow Satan is not, now listen, just through an exercise of his sovereignty as the eternal spirit, but that God will use the instrumentality of himself incarnated in human form to overthrow Satan. So that God could have just said to Satan, Brother James, I'm going to annihilate you. And that's it. Couldn't he have done that? But no, he said, you destroyed and humiliated my creature. I'm going to use a destroyed creature and bring someone from the very womb of that creature who's going to overthrow and destroy you, and you will have to come and bow down at his feet. So the first revelation that we have of a Redeemer And how God is going to conquer his enemies is that it's going to come through what is known as the seed of the woman. Now who and what is the seed of the woman? Turn with me to Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4. Now while we're turning there, let me make this statement in passing. In interpreting prophecy, there have been in history two schools of systems of interpretation. The one school is known as Dispensationalism. The other school is known as Covenant Theology. Dispensationalism says that God has divided up time periods throughout history, and that in each one of those times periods he has made his will known and then waited for men to perform that will, and that God has had different wills and different duties for men in the different periods, and that is primarily classic dispensationalism divides up human history into seven dispensations. Reformed theology has followed what is known as the covenant interpretation, that God throughout history, while dealing with men in different ways and in different times, has done so under one eternal covenant in Christ. Now, it may surprise some of you that your pastor does not fully endorse either of these. I lean more to a covenantal position. But I believe there are some weaknesses in that as well, particularly in the application of the Mosaic law to our age today. And there are all sorts of ramifications which I haven't time to deal with. But how is it that you interpret prophecy, Brother Gables? What method, if you don't use strictly dispensational and you don't use strictly covenant, how do you approach the interpretation of prophecy? Now listen carefully, it's nothing profound. I believe that the Old Testament prophets must be interpreted by the New Testament apostles. And whatever the apostles say that the prophets meant, it must be settled there. And if it won't fit into dispensationalism, then throw out the dispensational system. If it won't fit into covenant theology, throw out covenant theology. But the New Testament apostles are the final say-so on what the prophets meant. We must not take a system and go to the Old Testament and say, this is what the prophet David meant. That's what Mr. Schofield does. No, we must go to the New Testament and see how Christ and the apostles interpret David. and how they interpret Abraham, and how they interpret Isaiah and Jeremiah, and then bow to that statement. Now then, go to Galatians 4. Are you there? Since the seed of the woman is mentioned in Genesis 3, let us now go to the inspired apostle and let him tell us who the seed of the woman really is. Verse 4 of Galatians 4. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Who is the seed of the woman? My people, the Apostle, by inspiration of God, says it is God's own Son incarnate in the flesh. That's the one whom God spoke to of Genesis 3 verse 15. And Paul says that when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son from the womb of a human being, made under the authority of his law, to redeem them that were under the law, that they might receive the adoption of sons." Because you see, we are all illegitimate by birth. We have fallen in Adam. We have no legal right to the blessings and the heirship of God. So we have to come as illegitimate children and we have to be adopted, and that act takes place in Jesus Christ, his plan and his purpose. So the seed of the woman, according to Paul, is Messiah, Jesus Christ. Now let's go to Genesis chapter 12. Years roll by, and God again brings up this note, the seed. The coming Messiah will be the seed. And he makes this known now unto Abraham, a heathen, a Gentile, who becomes a holy person in the sense he is set apart from other Gentiles and is made the head or the originator of the Hebrew race. Genesis 12, verses 1-3. Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, from thy kindred, from thy father's house, into a land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. In Abraham, all of the nationalities, all of the Gentiles of the earth shall be blessed." Now then, look down in chapter 15. Chapter 15, verse 5, this promise is again renewed. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness." Now, my friend Abraham was saved by grace through faith, but there was a content of a message that was given to him. And Abraham was justified in the sight of God for what he believed. And he was not justified because he believed that God was going to make the Hebrew race come from him. He was justified because he believed that God was going to send forth a Messiah through him, through the Hebrew race, that would be the Savior of all the nations of the earth. A man is justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and the Old Testament saints are justified in the same message as the New Testament saints are justified. But now then, this term seed comes up. Now our issues divide out here. Dispensational theology says this seed is the Hebrew race, the Jews as a people. Let us go to the New Testament and see how the apostles interpret the seed of Abraham. Who is the seed of Abraham? Would you go with me now to the book of Galatians, chapter 3? Galatians, chapter 3. Who is the seed of Abraham? Galatians, chapter 3. And beginning in verse 6, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall what all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Abraham's descendants and the promises that were given to Abraham were not just confined to the physical descendants of Abraham. But it was to the spiritual descendants of Abraham that the promises were directed. Now look down in verse 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. Now Dr. Schofield interprets that to mean, now to Abraham and to the Jews were the promises made. Now let's let Paul interpret it. I like Paul's interpretation better than Dr. Schofield's. Look what Paul says. He saith not, and to seeds, plural, as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed which is Christ. Do you believe in the inspiration of the Bible? I do. And I believe it is so inspired that we must so deal with its accuracy. as to whether something is singular or plural in its verb form. Now here, Paul states that the seed was not plural, physical descendants, but it was singular to Jesus Christ, hence it was a spiritual promise, not a physical promise. Christ must come, and he will be the one who will destroy the destroyer. So the seed of the woman and the seed of Abraham are one and the same person, Jesus Christ. Look down in verse 28, but you say, Pastor, when God told Abraham, look up into the sky, you see the stars? That's as many as your seed shall be. Is that not more than one? How do you explain that? Well, you must explain it as Paul explains it. The seed is Christ. Christ shall be the blessing of the nation, not the Jews. Then who is Christ's seed? For he shall have children. Look in Galatians 3 verse 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus, and if ye be Christ, then are ye what? Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Abraham's seed is a spiritual lineage. It is those who have been by grace through faith born again and translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. This is where the kingdom's at. It's in the redemptive work of how God has purposed to overthrow His enemies. That which Satan destroyed, God has purposed He's going to destroy and reclaim a remnant from the race of Adam. So the seed is Christ, and whoever has placed their faith in Christ, they comprise the seed of Abraham. Now then, let's go to 1 Chronicles 17. We come now to David, and we have this same expression, the seed of David. God continues his redemptive revelation of his purpose. 1 Chronicles chapter 17. Begin reading in verse 11. The seed of the woman, Galatians 4.4, Christ. The seed of Abraham, Galatians 3.16, 28 and 29, Christ. Now, who is the seed of David, and how is it that David shall have a throne? For now there is a kingdom, a throne right, introduced into the concept of God's redemptive purpose to overthrow His enemies. 1 Chronicles 17. Verse 11, It shall come to pass, when thy days be expired, that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons." Do you see a distinction there? There's a seed coming through David's sons. And I will establish his kingdom. Now here the word kingdom is introduced into the redemptive plan of God. He shall build for me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, he shall be my son, and I will take away from him that was before thee. But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established for how long? Evermore." According to all these words and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David." Now, here's Nathan the prophet with a message from God unto David. Who is Nathan and God talking about? Dr. Schofield says it's Solomon. That Solomon is the one who is going to be given a throne. And obviously that can't be true, because Solomon is not still reigning. Solomon left the seed a long, long time ago. Who do you suppose the seed of David is? The same one who is the seed of Abraham. The same one who is the seed of the woman. Now, chapter and verse? All right, let's go to the book of Acts, chapter 13. Let's again let the New Testament apostles interpret the prophets. Acts 13. Verse 22, Paul in his sermon here states, And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king, to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, which shall fulfill all of my will. Of this man's seed, David's seed, hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a what? A Savior, Jesus. whom John had first preached before his coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. Look down in verse 38. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the what? The forgiveness of sin. and by him all that believe are justified from all things which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets." I look back up in verse 33. God hath fulfilled the same unto us, their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again, as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the," what?,"the sure mercies of David." Now David was promised a throne. And that throne, if you'll study it out, is referred to as the mercies of God to David. What comprise the mercies of David, the sure mercies of David? Read on, Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on asleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption. David never lived to see the sure mercies that God promised him come to fulfillment in time. He died. But he died with the hope that there was one coming who would be his seed, who would fulfill those mercies. What did those mercies consist of? But he whom God raised again saw no corruption, be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached the forgiveness of sins. I say unto you by the inspiration of God through the Apostle Paul. that the sure mercies of David is the forgiveness of sin. It's not that David's going to be resurrected from the dead and sit on an earthly throne over there in the Middle East. That's not God's redemptive purpose in his program to overthrow his enemies. He will overthrow his enemies through raising a Savior from the dead. and enabling him to overcome. And whoever believes in that person and work of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior will partake of the sure mercies which God promised to David. And that person is Jesus Christ. To miss Christ is to miss salvation. To miss Christ is to miss the understanding of prophecy. For the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of whom? Of Jesus. Revelation. Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of by the prophets. The seed of the woman Messiah, Christ, Jesus. The seed of Abraham, Christ, Jesus. The seed of David, Christ, Jesus. Now then, let's close with this observation. When was Jesus Christ to be inaugurated into his kingdom? When did or does the kingdom of Christ begin? When will David have the promise fulfilled to him that God promised would take place? Has it already taken place, or does it await fulfillment? That's the issue. Let's go back to 2 Samuel 7. God has promised David that a Messiah is going to come. He's going to suffer, and he's going to be resurrected. But in his sufferings and in his resurrections, he would give unto him the sure mercies of forgiveness of sin and of immortality in the world to come. 2 Samuel 7, verse 12. We want to try to pinpoint now when this was fulfilled, or is yet to be fulfilled. When thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." Now, I submit to you that the kingdom is going to be established while David's asleep in the earth. David's going to die, and while David is in the grave, there's going to be someone who's going to establish the kingdom that was promised to David. Now put that in your thinking caps, all right? The kingdom will be established while David's body sleeps in the earth. Now let's go to the book of Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. This is the day of Pentecost. the inauguration of an earth-shaking event, signs in the heavens, signs in the lives of men, and a great transaction is taking place on the day of Pentecost. What means this thing? Peter says this is the fulfillment of that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel, and he quotes that. Now then, in verse 25, he comes down to the work of Jesus Christ. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face. Keep in mind now, Peter is quoting from David. For he is on my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad. Moreover, also my flesh shall rest in hope David went into the grave with a hope that while his flesh remained in the grave, he was going to go into that grave facing death, that death wasn't going to be the final act by the bill. Death was a great enemy, but it was not going to ultimately conquer David. Look on, still quoting from David, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell. or shield the grave, neither will thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. If you're not going to allow Messiah to see corruption, you're not going to let me see corruption permanently. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life." David understood the redemptive purpose of God in Christ. Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Now Peter stops quoting, and now he's going to interpret what he understands David to mean. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David. He is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day." Now, where is David at while Peter is preaching? Where is his body at? Still in the grave. When did God say he would establish David's kingdom? 2 Samuel 7. while David slept in the grave. Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne, he, David, seeing this, before spake of the what? the resurrection of Christ. Not the second coming, but the resurrection of Jesus Christ. David understood that the Messiah would come to his throne in his kingdom through his resurrection. Go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature. All authority has been given me in heaven and on earth, the Great Commission. that his soul was not left in hell, neither did his flesh see corruption." Now, what's the application? Peter believed that because Christ was resurrected that he had throne rights. Now he makes the application to the Jewish hearers. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God Where was Jesus at while Peter was preaching? He's exalted, is he not, Brother Jim? Where's David at? His body is still in the grave. The kingdom has come. The kingdom has been established. Look on. And having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost He has shed forth this which ye now see and hear, for David is not ascended into the heavens, he hasn't been resurrected yet. But he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore," conclusion, Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." You talk about nailing them to the wall. He nailed it right here. David's still in the grave. David would promise the kingdom, and it was called the sure mercies of David. And this kingdom would be established through David's seed. That seed is Christ. And Christ came into his kingdom at the resurrection when he ascended to the Father's right hand. And David's still in the grave. Now, my people, that's pre-resurrection. That's pre-resurrection. You say, what does that mean? It means something like this. The dispensational premillennial view holds that the resurrection will be established when the Lord returns, and then the kingdom will be set up after the resurrection of David and the saints. Now think about it. When is the kingdom going to be established? Is it after the saints are resurrected, after David is resurrected, or is it before David is resurrected? And Peter says it's before. I preached that message one time down in the hills of Oklahoma. A fellow came up and, boy, he was troubled. He said, man, do you realize what you preached tonight? I said, well, I may or may not. Clear me up. He said, what you preached is post-millennialism. I said, no, I'm not post-millennial. He said, you've got to be. He said, you've just got to be, because you preach that the kingdom is established before the resurrection. To be a premillennialist, you have to believe it's established after the resurrection, and it's established after the second coming of Christ back to this earth, when Jesus shall reign in Jerusalem. I said, no, I'm not either one. He said, boy, you're messed up, aren't you? He said, you don't know the Bible. I said, well, there is another view, and it's called simply this, the present kingdom of Jesus Christ. That Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of the prophets, and he inaugurated and established a kingdom which God had ordained from the foundation of the world, would be the instrumentality of overthrowing the destroyer and establishing the crown rites of King Jesus. And Jesus Christ suffered at the hands of Satan and sinful men. They took him, and with wicked hands they crucified and put him to death. But Tim, God raised him from the dead, and he's never going to be humiliated again. And he exalted him and gave him a name above every name, and at the name of Jesus every knee is going to bow and confess that he's King of kings and Lord of lords. He's there now. That's why I don't doubt anymore. That's why that when problems come, I can look and see that there is someone who is touched with the feelings of my infirmities at the Father's right hand. He's in control. And He's just not the eternal God. He is a God who can be touched with my feelings because He became a man to know what it's like to be a human being and live in a body. Jesus Christ is my Lord. and he is my Savior. So I maintain to you that the kingdom which was promised through David was established at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it has begun there, and that it will be completed at the second coming of Christ, not begin at the second coming of Christ. How do you say that, Pastor? One final passage this morning. 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15. Verse 20. Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order Christ the firstfruits. Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection. Not as Dr. Schofield says, Christ and then the firstfruits in the rapture. That's not what the text says. Christ is the firstfruits. Afterward, they that are Christ at his what? When are the dead in Christ going to be raised? At his coming. Christ rose first, David still remains. At the second coming of Christ, David shall be raised, and all those who have died in Christ. Then cometh the what? What did you say? The end. What do you believe, Brother Gable, is going to take place after the resurrection? Eternity! Eternity is inaugurated at the return of Christ. Then comes the end. Why can the end be said? When he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God. Do you know Christ was given a kingdom? He was promised that kingdom before the foundation of the world. It was introduced in Genesis 3.15, announced again in Genesis 12 to Abraham, announced again to David in 1 Chronicles and in other passages. Giving up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule, all authority and power, for he must reign till he put all enemies under his feet. That means he's reigning now, and he's still yet got enemies to overthrow. And the last enemy that shall be destroyed is what? Now, when is death destroyed? At the resurrection. When does the resurrection take place? At the second coming of Christ. And the last enemy is destroyed at the second coming of Christ. So his kingdom is consummated, completed. It does not begin at the Second Coming. It is completed at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. For he is now removing all mine enemies and conquering them. He's already dealt with my pardon problem. But you know, I have a problem. You know what it is? I have a bad record in heaven, Tim. I have a bad record up there. I've got a lot of sin charged to my account. But you know what? It's all been charged to Jesus Christ, and now he's pronounced me pardoned. So I have a good record in heaven. But there's something else. I've got another enemy. I've got a bad heart down here on earth. But you know what? Jesus Christ has the power to change my nature and to sanctify and cleanse me within. I've got another problem too, though, Tim. I've got to get out of this thing alive. That means I've got to die. And in Jesus Christ there is the power to resurrect me from the dead. He is my solution to my bad record in heaven. He is my solution to my wicked heart that I have. He is my solution to getting me out of the grave and giving me an immortal body. Everything I need is in Jesus Christ, because he is now an overcomer, and he is now leading captivity captive. O my people, look to the present Lordship of Jesus. He's our hope and our mainstay. Let's stand together.