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V. COMPLETING GOD’S WORK OF THE NEW CREATION
ON THE MAN OF THE OLD CREATION

The dispensation of the kingdom, which is the dispensation of righteousness, is only an age of restoration (Acts 3:21), and as such it is still a dispensation in the old heaven and old earth of the old creation. It will be used by God to chasten, to discipline, and to perfect the believers. It is not in the new heaven and new earth that all the work of the new creation will be completed. God will use the last dispensation in the old creation to complete His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation. That is, He will cause the immature believers in the dispensation of grace to mature in life, and He will cause the repentant Israelites, after the termination of the dispensation of grace, to become constituents of the new race in God’s new creation. Thus, God will complete the work of the new creation on the man of the old creation in the old creation, a work that will produce and perfect a new race. The peoples of the new race will be the constituents of the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth in eternity. They are the object that God intends to obtain in His work both of the old creation and of the new creation throughout the generations for the fulfillment of His economy in eternity. Thus, the processed Triune God and the transformed tripartite man will be mingled as one to be a mutual dwelling place for His ultimate corporate expression in eternity.

SUMMARY

After the conclusion of the dispensation of grace, God will change for the last time the way of His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation. That is, He will set up His kingdom on the earth to carry out His administration that He may accomplish His work of the new creation in the old creation. This is the dispensation of the kingdom, which is also called the dispensation of righteousness; it covers the period from the second coming of Christ to the end of the millennium. In this dispensation, according to His righteousness, He will use the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens to reward the just men perfected in the Old Testament and the overcoming believers in Christ in the New Testament that they may participate in Christ’s kingship and joy. Moreover, according to righteousness, He will perfect the immature believers in the New Testament and also will deal with all the Israelites who repent and believe in Christ at His coming back. The dispensation of the kingdom, which is the dispensation of righteousness, is still a dispensation in the old creation used by God to chasten, to discipline, and to perfect the believers. It is not in the new heaven and new earth that all the work of the new creation will be completed. God will use the last dispensation in the old creation to complete His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation. That is, He will cause the immature believers in the dispensation of grace to mature in life, and He also will cause the repentant Israelites, after the termination of the dispensation of grace, to become constituents of the new race. In this way God will complete the work of the new creation on the man of the old creation in the old creation, a work that will produce and perfect a new race. Thus, the processed Triune God and the transformed tripartite man will be mingled as one to be a mutual dwelling place for His ultimate corporate expression in eternity.

QUESTIONS

  1. Briefly define the dispensation of the kingdom.
  2. Briefly describe how God will reward, according to righteousness, the just men perfected in the Old Testament.
  3. Briefly describe how God will reward, according to righteousness, the overcoming believers in Christ in the New Testament.
  4. Briefly state the significance of receiving a reward.
  5. Briefly state the conditions for receiving a reward.
  6. Briefly explain how God will perfect, according to righteousness, the immature believers in the New Testament.
  7. Briefly explain how God will deal, according to righteousness, with all the Israelites who will repent and receive Christ at His coming back.
  8. How will God use the dispensation of the kingdom to complete His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation?

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Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1   pg 50