The Advanced Course
The Advanced Course
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3. God’s Wonderful Plan of the Ages
3. God’s Wonderful Plan of the Ages
“According to a Plan of the Ages which He formed in the Anointed Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:11 - Diaglott Interlinear Translation).
“What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do” (Isa, 46:11 - NIV).
Lesson 1
Lesson 1
The Ages
The Ages
1. In His Plan of the Ages, God separated man’s experiences into three different divisions or ages. 2 Peter 3:6, 7, 13 tell us of these time periods. “ Whereby the world that then was, being over-flowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Man’s Fall
Man’s Fall
2. God created Adam and Eve and established them in the Garden of Eden where they had all that they needed to live forever. (This began the “world that was.”) God put only one restriction on them; they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the Garden. The penalty for eating of it was that they would die (Gen. 2:16, 17). Satan deceived Eve into eating of that tree, telling her that she would not die. Adam also then ate of the forbidden fruit. Because of their disobedience to God’s command, they were not only sentenced to death but were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Please read Gen. 3:22-24.
Man’s Sinfulness
Man’s Sinfulness
3. Outside the Garden things were very difficult. They had to labor and work hard for their needs. Gradually, sin deepened in man. The sin of jealousy and hatred so filled Cain’s heart that he killed his brother, Abel (Gen. 4:8), and things got progressively worse. Gen. 6:5, 6 tells us, “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” Except for Noah, his family of eight persons, and the animals that were in the ark, God destroyed every living thing with a great flood. Please read Gen. 7:17-24. This is what ended what Peter described as “the world that then was.”
This Present Age
This Present Age
4. After the flood Noah and his family began to repopulate the earth. This began what Peter called the “heaven and earth which are now.” In Gal. 1:4 the Apostle Paul calls this the “present evil world.” 2 Cor. 4:4 tells us that Satan is the “god of this world.” In Eph. 2:2 Satan is said to be the “ruler of the kingdom of the air” and that it is his spirit that is “now at work in those that are disobedient.” In rebuking the Pharisees Jesus said in John 8:44, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
5. Because of Satan’s lie in the Garden, he caused all mankind to be born in sin and subject to death. Psa. 51:5 states, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” The Apostle Paul in Rom. 3:10-12, 23 verifies this. “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’ ... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Lesson 2
Lesson 2
God’s Love
God’s Love
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into
the world to condemn the world, but to save the world
through him” (John 3:16, 17).
1. God had a plan for mankind even before man was created. Revelation 13:8 tells us of the “...Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” God, who knows the end from the beginning, knew that man would sin and need a Redeemer. He had made provision for this in His Plan from the very beginning.
2. When God says or plans something, it will come to pass. “So is My word that goes out from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). It is important to realize that God’s ways are very different from ours. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8, 9).
3. God so loved the world that He was willing to send His Only Begotten Son down to earth to die for our sins. God’s Son likewise loved His Father and us so greatly that He willingly gave Himself a ransom, dying for our sins, and opening the way for us to have eternal life. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men -- the testimony given in its proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5, 6).
Lesson 3
Lesson 3
Salvation
Salvation
1. All who have ever lived or who will live have, by the death of Jesus, been given the opportunity to receive the free gift of salvation. “...if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9, 10).
2. Believing in Jesus is essential to salvation. There is no other way that will lead to salvation. “Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
The High Calling
The High Calling
3. In God’s Plan He provided for a Bride for His Son, those who would be Jesus’ faithful disciples and joint-heirs with Jesus in His Kingdom. Romans 8:16-17 tells us, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
4. This hope is held out to those whom God calls during this present time, from Pentecost to our present day. Hebrews 3:1 says, “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest whom we confess.” It will not be offered in the Age to come during Christ’s millennial kingdom. Romans 8:28-30 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” This is the great hope of those who accept this call which they seek: “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life” (Rom. 2:7).
Lesson 4
Lesson 4
Satan Has Blinded Men’s Eyes
Satan Has Blinded Men’s Eyes
1. Not every one has had an opportunity to know Jesus. Billions of heathens, both before and after Jesus’ birth, have never heard of this only name under heaven whereby they may be saved. Satan has blinded the eyes of the world ever since Adam’s fall into sin in the Garden of Eden. 2 Cor. 4:4 tells us, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
2. Those whose eyes Satan has blinded, never truly had an opportunity of knowing the only way of salvation. This being so, our Loving God would have to make provision for this in His Plan. This He did by providing a resurrection for all mankind to live on this earth in a future Kingdom when Satan will no longer be allowed to blind any eyes (Jn. 5:28, 29; Rev. 20:1, 2), when Jesus will reign in righteousness.
The Permission of Evil
The Permission of Evil
3. Questions often asked are -- why does God permit evil? Why does He allow suffering, sickness and death? Why does He permit famines, floods, droughts, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions that bring such misery and death to so many? Why does He allow evil men to get away with their crimes and even to prosper in them? Why does He permit Satan to exercise such evil influence in the earth? God in His wisdom gave man the freedom of choice. God has permitted evil and sin in this world so that all mankind would experience the disastrous results of sin. Experience is always the best teacher and most effective, often conveying the lesson by dire consequences. God has allowed nature to run its natural course, which has often brought about various types of disasters.
4. It is important to note that events of nature are not necessarily of themselves evil. Earthquakes, for instance, are the results of plate tectonics (or the crust of the earth) moving over the top of the molten lower layers of the earth. These have happened throughout earth’s history since the great flood of Noah’s day.
5. In general, man has chosen to ignore God, and as a result God has ignored man. Though He has directly overruled certain disasters to occur (such as the great flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah), God in general has allowed natural occurrences to have free rein. Why should God offer His protection to a people who do not even acknowledge Him or call on His Holy Name?
The End Of Evil
The End Of Evil
6. In due time God’s Plan provides for an end of all evil. This is what Peter refers to when he says in 2 Pet. 3:7, “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” The prophets of old have predicted this time when the Lord would say “enough.” Zeph. 3:8, 9 tells us, “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.”
7. Consider Psalm 2:7-12: “I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery. Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.’”
8. Daniel 2:44-45 tells us, “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands -- a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces (of the image in the King’s dream). The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.”
Lesson 5
Lesson 5
The Age To Come - The Kingdom
The Age To Come - The Kingdom
1. This Kingdom will be under the rulership of Jesus Christ and will begin when He returns the second time. The first time He came as man’s Savior, the second time He comes to teach them the ways of righteousness. “ For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and right- eousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:6, 7). (See also Isaiah 11:1-5.)
2. This coming time which Luke also tells us of in Acts 3:19-21 was foretold by all of God’s prophets: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”
3. There is no doubt in the minds of Bible-believing Christians that what God has said, time and time again, will happen. The Christian is told to watch and pray, for no one knows the day or the hour when the Lord will return for His church and subsequently set up His Kingdom.
The Church Taken Up
The Church Taken Up
4. The church, the faithful followers of Jesus, will be taken up to be with Jesus before the resurrection of the rest of the world. This is stated in Rev. 20:6: “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” The words “first resurrection” infer that there is another. We read, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29) The “resurrection of life” is the first resurrection. The “resurrection to judgment” is the later resurrection of the rest of mankind.
5. 1 Thes. 4:13-18 tells us of this “first resurrection” in great detail: “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.”
6. 1 Cor. 15:51-53 says: “ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed -- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”
7. Note also that Rev. 20:6 tells us that those raised in the first resurrection will be “priests of God and +of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” This time of blessing to the world was promised to Abraham in Gen. 12:1-3: “The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’” Jesus is the Seed of Abraham that will bless all the families of the earth (Gal. 3:16).
Lesson 6
Lesson 6
The Day of God’s Wrath
The Day of God’s Wrath
1. Zephaniah 3:8-9 tells us, “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jeal- ousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.” Note that God’s wrath is immediately followed by His loving mercy. After His wrath gets the people’s attention, then He will say, “Be still and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10; to which mankind will respond, “... Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salva- tion” (Isaiah 25:9 - KJV).
Resurrection of Judgment
Resurrection of Judgment
2. What is this “resurrection of judgment?” John 5:28. It will be a time when Satan will be bound and no longer able to cast his evil influence on man (Rev. 20:1, 2). Isa. 26:9 states, “When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world will learn righteousness.” Isaiah 11:9 also says, “ They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” The prophet states in Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” To those who are willing, an entire thousand years will be theirs to learn the ways of righteousness.
3. Isaiah 11:1-5 describes the Lord Jesus in His Kingdom. “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him -- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -- and He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what He hears with His ears; but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”
Restitution
Restitution
4. What the above scriptures are describing are conditions that will parallel those in the Garden of Eden prior to Adam’s fall into sin. This is the same “restitution of all things” mentioned in Acts 3:21, a hope that very few people know about and yet it is one of the grandest doctrines of the Bible. In their original perfection, Adam and Eve had all they needed to live forever. This was lost due to man’s sin and is what will be restored. Consider the following prophecies:
5. Micah 4:1-4: “...in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.”
6. “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 65:17-25 ).
The Little Season
The Little Season
7. We read of the “little season” or “short time” in Rev. 20:3: “He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.” Then Rev. 20:7-9 states, “When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth -- Gog and Magog -- to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.”
8. Man still has the free will to choose who he will align himself with even after the thousand years are over. Those who choose not to follow the ways of righteousness will be destroyed, annihilated, in the “second death” as will Satan and all his evil angels.
9. Rev. 21:7, 8 tells us of both those who overcome and choose to follow the Lord and the ways of righteousness and the fate of those who choose to side with Satan and evil. “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Those Who Overcome in Christ’s Kingdom
Those Who Overcome in Christ’s Kingdom
10. Those who overcome will go on living on a restored and perfected earth for all eternity. Isaiah 35:1-6 tells us of the conditions during the thousand-year Kingdom. “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”
11. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’” (Rev. 21:3-5). What a great day that will be when man is reconciled to God and walking in the way of righteousness. Truly, then there will be peace on earth and good will to all men. Love will prevail and all will be considerate of their neighbor and do him good at every opportunity. All will worship God in spirit and in truth. What a grand and glorious day that will be!
End of Study 3 Lessons
Psalm 150:1-3, 6 : “Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp...and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute...Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!”
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