Audio Download

The Overview of the Plan of God, Part 10B

How Power Over the Kingdoms of This World Will be Given to the Elect

[Study Aired October 24, 2025]

We are seeking to know what the scriptures reveal about how the Lord will deliver the kingdoms of this world over to His elect. The Lord always prepares hearts and gives Himself an occasion for what He is about to do. The world before the flood was given 120 years of Noah’s ministry warning them of a great flood which would cover the earth. The Lord has been warning this present time of a coming kingdom of God which would ruled over the nations of this world for over 2,000 years. The holy spirit knowing this in advance inspired Peter to give us all this admonition:

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

That is exactly what the carnal mind thinks about  whether Christ Himself will appear again in power to rule “the kingdoms of this world” (Rev 11:15).

What is Peter’s admonition against such thinking?

2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

This, of course, has a spiritual lesson but it is not a spiritual statement. The world was physically “overflowed with water”!

2Pe 3:7  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.
2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

We concluded our last study quoting Revelation 11:

Rev 11:6  These [The Lord’s witnesses in every generation since Christ] have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 
Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. [Rom 12:1; 1Co 15:31; Gal 2:20]
Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 
Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 
Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 
Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 
Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 
Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 
Rev 11:16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 
Rev 11:18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Rev 11:19  And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

“They that dwell on the earth” (Rev 11:10) are contrasted with those who are seated with Christ in the heavens:

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 

Of course the phrase, “Thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned” is first true within the Lord’s elect but those words are also referring to “the kingdoms of this [physical] world” because the Greek  for ‘world’ in Revelation 11:15 is, ‘this kosmos’, and we are told those worldly kingdoms “are become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ…” just as the kingdoms of this world were three times, after enduring great tribulation, given over to those who signify the Lord’s Christ. Those three times were first Joseph, then second Daniel and his three fellow Jews, and the third time the kingdoms of this world were delivered to the Lord’s typical elect was the story of Mordecai and Esther.

In these three instances when the kingdoms of this world are given to the Lord’s elect, they were always first hated by “they that dwell on the earth”. “They that dwell on the earth” are signified in the case of Joseph, first by his own brothers who sold into Egyptian slavery, where he was again hated by Potiphar’s wife, who had him put in prison. “They that dwell on the earth” are signified in the story of Daniel by the Chaldeans who accused the three Hebrew children, who were cast into the fiery furnace, then the Persian “presidents and princes” who had Daniel cast into the lion’s den. Finally in the story of Mordecai and Esther it was first Vashti and then Haman who stood between the king and God’s typical elect before they were given power over the entire Persian Empire.

This book of Revelation is a book which has been “signified”, meaning it is a book of signs and symbols, and the killing of others by God’s elect here in Revelation 11 signifies what happens to the enemies of God’s elect within them. While it is true that God’s elect have literally died with Christ for the words of their testimony, it is also true that when we read that “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them”, this too, has a symbolic application just as the two witnesses ‘kill… with the fire of their mouths’ those who would harm them.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Revelation 11 is the chapter which gives us the order of events surrounding the first resurrection and how that event is connected to the change of administrations from rulership by the powers of the kingdoms of this world over to the rulership of “our Lord and His Christ”. This momentous event is being described in spiritual words which hide their message from the multitudes. So we will let the scriptures themselves tells us the order of the events which are being signified in this chapter.

The resurrection of the “two witnesses” is not a special resurrection for just two men. Two is the number which signifies ‘witness’, and the resurrection of the “two witnesses” signifies the resurrection of all witnesses for Christ who have “fallen asleep in Christ” from the time of the resurrection of Christ until the time of the first resurrection. What we need to notice is the message we are being given in the symbolism of this chapter. Here is a link to an article about The Two Witnesses which reveals that they signify the Word of God in all who witness for Christ.

Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

“A great earthquake” is not a physical earthquake, but is both a spiritual and a political earthquake which will change the power structure of the entire earth.

Isa 29:6  Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 
Isa 29:7  And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

This “earthquake… storm and tempest, and… flame of devouring fire” will destroy “the multitude of nations which fight against” God’s elect, whether it is in the past, at this present time, or in the future. Dispensationally this “earthquake” will shake up and destroy the existing worldwide power structure outwardly, and replace it with the government of ‘our Lord and His Christ,’ outwardly just as it has been doing inwardly for the past 2,000 years. This dispensational ‘earthquake’ will produce “great fear”, and will prepare the hearts of the leaders of this world to receive those who are about to take over the reins of power of “the kingdoms of this world” from those who have literally or symbolically killed God’s “two witnesses.”

Mat 27:54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

“The great city” that falls in this prophecy is “the city wherein our Lord was crucified” of verse 8, and that “city” is the same as the “great harlot” who is until this very day sitting on “many waters” which symbolizes and signifies all the nations of the whole world under their own religious false doctrines. That “great whore” signifies all religion in opposition to Christ and His Christ in every generation.

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

These two verses (Mat 24:34-35) prove that the words of scripture have an application in every generation since Christ, including the last generation before the thousand year reign.

“The tenth part of the city” (Rev 11:13) also is a figure of the subjugation of the flesh because that is what the number ten signifies as this article demonstrates. (http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers_ten/).

Being “a tenth part of the city” signifies the carnal religious leaders  of that “great city where also our Lord was crucified”, which dominated our lives for so long. As we have demonstrated with the Old Testament types of Joseph, Daniel and his three friends, and with Mordecai and Esther, it was always the religious leaders who are the first and most vehemently opposed to Christ and His Christ. “The tenth part of the city fell” because God’s elect are in the process of being established and being given “power over… the kingdoms of this world.”

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

“Seven thousand” is not seven thousand men, any more than “two witnesses” is simply two men. Seven is the number which signifies completion, and a thousand signifies all flesh, which in its totality is being given completely over to “our Lord and His Christ” to rule over this earth for “a thousand years.”

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Notice the effect which this resurrection of those who have died in Christ has upon those who have slain them:

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

This event does not take place in a vacuum either within or without. People really take note when anyone is raised from the dead, and it concerns them greatly. With modern technology it is literally possible for this verse to take place on an outward global scale where the resurrection of God’s “two witnesses”, signifying “the dead in Christ”, could be witnessed worldwide, producing the “great fear” which we are clearly told falls upon those powers who are responsible for the death of God’s elect, just as they feared the resurrection of Lazarus and the resurrection of Christ and all the saints who were “resurrected… after His resurrection”. The turning of the tables which reversed the king’s order to destroy all the Jews in all the provinces of the Medes and the Persians, typified the resurrection from the dead, of those Jews who were as good as dead. It also produced great fear in Haman and his house, just as the resurrection of Lazarus produced great fear among the chief priests in Christ’s day:

Joh 12:9  Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 
Joh 12:10  But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;
Joh 12:11  Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.

The resurrection of Lazarus was known far and wide. It caused the chief priests to fear for the loss of their influence over the people, because that is exactly the effect which the first resurrection will have upon the whole world when Christ appears because that is what God intends for the first resurrection to do.

Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 
Mat 27:52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Mat 27:53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Mat 27:54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done,they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Consider the witness and the effect which the resurrection of a symbolic 144,000 will have on a world which will be in the state of mind described in these verses of Luke 21:

Luk 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem [“that great city where also our Lord was crucified”] shall be trodden down of the Gentiles [Rev 11:2, “forty and two months”] until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Luk 21:25  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26  Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 
Luk 21:27  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Joh 18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world [G2889: ‘kosmos’]: if my kingdom were of this world [kosmos], then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

The first resurrection, the resurrection of all the saints of God from the time of Christ to the time of that resurrection, will be a significant part of what will “shake… the powers of heaven”, signifying the hearts and minds of the rulers of this world. That blessed and holy first resurrection will dignify all who are given a part in it, and it will bring about the atmosphere and the conditions which will cause the leaders of this world to abdicate their positions and to submit to the rulership of this world by the saints of God, just as Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Ahasuerus were made to relinquish the power of the kingdoms of Egypt, Babylon and the Medo-Persian empires to those whom God had selected to rule over “the nations of this world” for a thousand years.

“The four and twenty elders”, whom we have demonstrated in our study on Revelation 5 to be just one more symbol signifying the redeemed elect, tell us that the anger of the nations and the wrath of God will clash at this time, and God will simply take to Himself His own great power, and we are told He “has reigned”. These “four and twenty elders” also tell us that this takes place at “the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that you should give reward to your servants the prophets and to the saints, and to them that fear you name, small and great.”

Rev 11:16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 
Rev 11:18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Rev 11:19  And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

“The ark of His testament” signifies the Lord’s witnesses, and the temple signifies the Lord in whom we dwell:

Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Joh 2:20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
Joh 2:21  But he spake of the temple of his body.

Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

There is one other scripture which we need to mention in relation to how the saints will be given the powers of this world and will be made to reign over the kingdoms of this world. That section of scripture is:

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 
1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [Greek: precede] them which are asleep. 
1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

“The dead in Christ shall rise first” means they will be resurrected before those who are alive and remain are changed and are “caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air [in the spirit]”. Revelation 11 reveals that this event will take place at the end of the sixth trumpet and at the beginning of the seventh trumpet. Notice what we are told:

Rev 10:5  And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6  And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

“When he shall begin to sound” demonstrates that these are symbols of a process of our judgment. Revelation 11 supplies more details of what happens at the end of the sixth trumpet and at the beginning of the seventh trumpet, “when he shall begin to sound”:

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into [the dead bodies of the two witnesses], and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 
Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

God is not playing star wars. When we read “there was war in heaven”, we are not being told that the outcome of that war is in doubt. Christ has been given “all power in heaven and in earth” (Mat 28:18). He controls all of the minds of all men at all time. This is how the world is being run even at this moment:

Job 23:13  But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.
Job 23:14  For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. 

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. 
Pro 16:5  Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. 

Pro 21:1  The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. 

Pro 20:24  Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?

So when we read “[the two witnesses] ascended up into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them”, what we are being told is that their enemies are being made aware of who is on earth and who is in heaven, and the next few verses make that point very clear:

Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 
Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 
Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 

We have demonstrated that the seven trumpets are blown by the seven priests of God:

Jos 6:8  And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

That is the foundation for the seven angels which have the seven trumpets in Revelation 8:

Rev 8:6  And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

We are plainly told that “the seven stars” in Christ’s right hand are “the angels of the seven churches.”

Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

These are the same “seven angels” who blow the seven trumpets and who pour out the seven vials. Here is who they all are:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

These seven priests, these four beasts, the four and twenty elders and these seven angels are, one and all, symbols of God’s elect, our Lord’s Christ, who will be given the kingdoms of this world when He “take[s] to [Himself His] great power, and… reign[s]”. Who needs military might, when, as we have just demonstrated, God has the power over the very thoughts of all men?

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.

That is just how simple it will be for God to take to Himself His own power and rule over the kingdoms of this world:

Rev 11:16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 
Rev 11:18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

God simply says the Word and He takes to Himself His own power, and He reigns, and He gives reward to His servants… the saints… and they shall rule with him a thousand years”:

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

We have demonstrated that preparation for all of this is brought about through the fear which God places in the hearts of the rulers of this present age, just as he placed great fear in the hearts of the ancient kings of Egypt, Babylon and Medo-Persia. This transfer of power will largely be accomplished, not only through fear of “those things which [they are made to see] are coming on the earth” which fear God Himself will bring upon the leaders of this world, but also through their witnessing of the resurrection from among the dead of “them that are asleep in Christ.” Peter, James and John had never met or seen pictures of Moses or Elijah, and yet they were made to know who those men were at the transfiguration of Christ on the mount. The enemies of God’s two witnesses will also be made to know who all these people are who have been raised up from among the dead and who it is who have been “give[n] power over the nations…”

Luk 21:26  Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 
Luk 21:27  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [With those who have fallen asleep in Christ]

Men’s hearts will fail them for fear, and they will see “the Lord and His Christ”, coming to rule over the kingdoms of this world.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

That is the atmosphere and the conditions which will be extant when “the kingdoms of this world… become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ”. That is what is a good part of what is written concerning how the transferring of power from the rulers of this age to the rulers of the next age will take place. The kingdom of God will rule through the thousand years and through the lake of fire. The little season of rebellion will be put down by Christ without even breaking a sweat, and then His firstborn, first fruits, as our brother Larry Groenewald has said, will begin the second part of their double portion inheritance by judging angels in something known as “the lake of fire” which, in spite of all we have been taught, is really nothing less than the greatest single work of God’s chastening grace which He will ever perform upon His prodigal children:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire [including those in “the lake of fire”]. 

In our next study on the overview of the plan of God we will see how the scriptures reveal the goal of His plan for mankind. What we will see is that God will, in the end, be all in all, and we will see once again, that even this, the final goal of the plan of God will be accomplished by and through His spiritual Israel, His firstborn firstfruits, “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”.

Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

[Click here for next installment.]