The First Group: Concerning God’s Plan: Ephesians 3:9-11 (“purpose” can be translated as “plan”); 1:8-11 (“will” can be translated as “plan”); Revelation 4:11 (“will” can be translated as “pleasure”); 1 Corinthians 8:6; Romans 11:36
The Second Group: Concerning God’s Plan to Hand Over All Things to Christ: Ephesians 4:10; John 3:35; 13:3; 16:15; 17:7; Hebrews 1:2
The Third Group: Concerning Christ Creating All Things: Hebrews 1:2b, 3b; John 1:1-3, 10; Colossians 1:16-17; 1 Corinthians 8:6b
The Fourth Group: Concerning Christ Creating Man: 1 Corinthians 11:3; Galatians 4:4-7; Romans 8:28b-30 (“purpose” can be translated as “plan”); 1 Peter 1:2a; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Hebrews 2:5-10; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23
The Fifth Group: Concerning the Condition in Eternity after Redemption: Philippians 2:9-11; Revelation 4:11; 5:12-14; 1 John 3:2
The Sixth Group: Concerning God’s Ordination before the Foundation of the World: John 17:24; Ephesians 1:4-5; Titus 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; 1 Peter 1:20
The Seventh Group: Concerning God’s Ordination since the Foundation of the World: Matthew 25:34; Hebrews 4:3; 9:26; Revelation 13:8; 17:8
Before the foundation of the world, God had a plan. This plan was to head up all things in heaven and on earth, under Christ and in Christ. This plan is based on His pleasure. God is the First Cause; everything is of Him and out of Him. This is the meaning of the first group of verses.
In eternity past, God ordained that there be a house and that the second person of the Godhead, the Son, rule over this house. God committed all things to the Son, and the Son inherits all things. Everything is of the Son, through the Son, and unto the Son. The Father plans, the Son inherits what the Father planned, and the Spirit accomplishes what the Father planned. The Father is the planning One, the Son is the inheriting One, and the Spirit is the accomplishing One. From eternity past, the Father has loved the Son; He is the “Beloved of the Father.” God has loved Him from eternity past. When the Son came to earth, the Father still declared, “My Son, the Beloved” (Matt. 3:17). The Father loves the Son and has given Him all things. Before the Lord died, He knew “that the Father had given all into His hands” (John 13:3). When He resurrected and ascended, it was so that “He might fill all things” (Eph. 4:10). This is the meaning of the second group of verses.
After the Father made a plan, the Son came to create. The Father planned creation according to His own will. The Son agreed with this and created, while the Spirit’s power accomplished it. The Son is the One who created all things. In creation the Son is the Firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15), and the beginning of the creation of God (Rev. 3:14). According to His eternal plan and before the foundation of the world, God ordained that the Son become flesh and accomplish redemption (1 Pet. 1:20). In God’s plan the Son was the first in creation. Therefore, He is the Head of all creation. God planned, and the Son created. Creation was completed for the Son. God created all things in order to satisfy the Son’s heart. Oh! the Lord is so great! He is the Alpha and the Omega! He is the Alpha because all things are of Him. He is the Omega because all things are unto Him. This is the meaning of the third group of verses.
God created man in order that man would be like Christ, having His life and His glory. God expresses Himself through Christ, while Christ expresses Himself through man. God called us to partake of His Son that we would become like His Son and that His Son would be the Firstborn among many brothers. From eternity past until the resurrection, the Lord was the only Begotten. When the Lord was resurrected from the dead, He became the Firstborn. This is why after His resurrection, He said, “Go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (John 20:17). The many sons became sons in the only begotten Son. God caused the only begotten Son to die in order that many sons could be produced. God has made us not only the sons but the heirs as well. God has not only given us the life of the Son but has also caused us to inherit the inheritance with the Son. The Son was made a man, a little lower than the angels for a while. After that He received honor and glory as His crown and will lead many sons into glory. The reason God created man was that man would have the life of His Son and enter into glory with His Son, thus satisfying His Son’s heart. Thank God that He created and redeemed us for the satisfaction of Christ’s heart.
(Morning, January 25)
God predestinated man to be conformed to the image of His Son. (God’s predestination is according to His foreknowledge. His predestination concerns our destiny. His selection concerns us as men. His predestination concerns us in eternity. His calling concerns us in this age.) God wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son, which means that He uses His Son as the mold. From this mold He reproduces us as the many sons, making his Son the Firstborn among many sons. God wants us not only to have His Son’s life, but His Son’s glory as well (Rom. 8:29-30). God wants His Son to lead many sons into glory. God’s Son is “He who sanctifies,” and we are “those who are being sanctified.” Both are of One, and both are from the same Father. Therefore, He is not ashamed to call us brothers (Heb. 2:11). Christ in us is making us the sons of God. In the future He will lead us into glory. Therefore, Christ in us becomes the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). Today we are God’s sons; one day we will be glorified with Christ (Rom. 8:16-17). God wants to dispense His Son’s life to many people, making them God’s many sons so that His Son may become the Firstborn among many sons, having the first place in all things.
The individual Christ is different from the corporate Christ. First Corinthians 12:12 speaks of the corporate Christ who is composed of the individual Christ and the church. The Christ here means the church. When we were born, we were all Adam. Today because of Christ’s life in us, we are all Christ. Adam was the first man; Christ is the second Man and also the last Man (1 Cor. 15:47, 45). Before Christ’s death and resurrection, there was only one individual Christ. After His death and resurrection, He imparted His life to many and became the corporate Christ. The above plus yesterday’s closing words are the meaning of the fourth group of verses.
God’s plan originated before the foundation of the world. At that time God loved the Son (John 17:24) and predestinated Him to be Christ (1 Pet. 1:19-20). God then chose us unto sonship (Eph. 1:4-5). (Selection is to select us as men, while predestination is to call us unto sonship.) In eternity past God gave us grace (2 Tim. 1:9-11) and predestinated us to share in His life, not in His Person (Titus 1:2). God foreknew that Satan would rebel, breaking the harmony between God and all things. God foreknew that man would fall and become sinful. Consequently, before the foundation of the world, God conferred with His Son and sent Him to the cross to reconcile all things to His Son, redeem fallen man, and deal with the rebellious Satan. This is the meaning of the sixth group of verses.
God accomplished His plan since the foundation of the world. The Lord was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Our names have been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). (Our selection was made before the foundation of the world.) God’s works of creation were completed from the foundation of the world (Heb. 4:3). His eternal kingdom has been prepared from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34). This is the meaning of the seventh group of verses.
After the Lord’s death and resurrection, “God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). God has made Him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36) and has put all things under His feet (Eph. 1:20-22). Revelation 4 and 5 show the scene of the Lord’s ascension into the heavens after His resurrection, in which He receives glory and praise. Chapter four shows the praise of all the creatures for creation. Chapter five reveals their praises for redemption. God wants to put the enemy underneath the Lord’s feet (Matt. 22:44). Concerning this matter, the church today bears a great responsibility. God is waiting for the church to fulfill this work.
Since Satan’s rebellion and the fall of man, all things have been subjected to vanity. This means that their former goal has been lost and that they have no definite direction. Today all things are subject to vanity and are waiting for God’s sons to be manifested. In this waiting period, all creation is under the slavery of corruption. We see this in the decreasing intensity of sunlight and in the withering of plant life. However, all things have a hope that one day they will be freed from the slavery of corruption. While having this hope, all things groan and travail in pain. When God’s children enter the freedom of the glory, all things will be freed. In the day of the redemption of our bodies, all creation will be set free. But today we can have a foretaste of the power of the coming age. (The church is a foretaste of the power of the coming age, while the kingdom is a foretaste of the power of eternity.) One day our bodies will be redeemed; we will receive full sonship and will enter into the freedom of the glory (Rom. 8:19-23).
When the Lord appears we shall be like Him (1 John 3:2). On the one hand, we are His sons and have His life and nature. On the other hand, we are His heirs, inheriting God’s inheritance in glory (1 Pet. 1:3-4).
Revelation 21 and 22 show us a picture of eternity, not of the millennium. These two chapters speak of four crucial points: (1) God; (2) the Lamb; (3) the city, the physical city with its citizens, the ones God had predestinated before the foundation of the world and whom He gained; these are also the thirsty ones mentioned in Revelation 7; and (4) the nations. God and the Lamb are the center of the city. Revelation 21:9-22 speaks about the city. Verse 23 speaks about the center of the city. God’s glory is the light, and the Lamb is the lamp. Light comes through the lamp, signifying God being revealed through the Lamb. The center of the new creation is the New Jerusalem which is composed of God’s sons. The center of this city is God and the Lamb. The glorious light of God is in the Lamb. The Lamb lights the city, and the bright city shines on the nations. In the city there is only one street and one river. There is only one street, so no man will become lost. This street must be shaped like a spiral. The river is in the middle of the street and flows along with the street. Both the street and the river proceed out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Thus God and the Lamb are the center.
After all things have been subjected to the Lord, He Himself will willingly be subjected to God (1 Cor. 15:28). This is the meaning of the fifth group of verses.
Therefore, we see that from eternity to eternity, all the things God has done are for His Son to have the first place in all things. God’s goal is to make His Son the King over all things.
(Morning, January 26)