God's Secret Plan For the Salvation of Mankind (eBook)

Introduction

The Secret Hid in God Before the World Began

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: (Acts 2:22-23)

When studying a new subject, it’s always best to start at the beginning. This simple statement, however, takes on even more meaning when applied to the subject matter at hand. For you see, it was in the very beginning, before time and eternity, that the three persons of the Godhead agreed on a plan to counter the effects of two future events, which we now know as Lucifer’s rebellion and Adam’s fall. They would have a catastrophic effect on both the Heavenly and Earthly realms of God’s creation. For a very important reason, then known only to God, this plan had to be kept secret until Christ’s redemptive work at the cross had been completed. What Christ accomplished at Calvary remained a mystery until the ascended Lord Jesus Christ revealed it to the apostle Paul over the course of his thirty-year ministry (Rom 16:25; 2 Cor 12:1,7; Gal 1:12; 2:2; Eph 3:3).

Through God’s foreknowledge of all things (Acts 2:23), he knew that sin would originate in an angel named Lucifer, and that this anointed cherub would turn against his Creator (Isa 14:12-14; Ezek 28:15-16). He knew that Lucifer would organize a rebellion, and that one-third of the angelic host would join in the insurrection (Rev 12:4), resulting in the corruption of both the Heavenly and Earthly realms of his creation.

God also knew that through a single act of willful disobedience by a man named Adam, God’s ownership and man’s dominion over the Earth would be turned over to Lucifer (Luke 4:5-7). He knew that Adam’s sin would require spiritual disconnection, resulting not only in his death, but that of the entire human race (Gen 2:17; Rom 5:15). And so, with both realms of his creation corrupted by sin, and dominion of the Earth turned over to Lucifer, as he knew they would be, God set into motion a secret plan which he ordained before the world began (1 Cor 2:7).

The first step in God’s secret plan was to provide for the salvation of mankind. By the determinate counsel of the Godhead (Acts 2:23), Christ would be sent in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom 8:3) to pay the sin debt of the entire world through his work of reconciliation at Calvary’s cross (2 Cor 5:19-21). When completed, God the Father would bestow his free gift of righteousness upon all who trust in the finished and all-sufficient work of his Son (Rom 5:17-18). Finally, the Holy Spirit would complete the transaction by joining the new believer to the very person of Christ himself, thus sealing him for all eternity (Eph 1:13). This part of the plan has already been put in place.

The second step in God’s secret plan is yet to be fulfilled. It calls for those individuals whom God has saved to become the very instruments of his reclamation program. It calls for him to form two separate and distinct groups of people, one to reclaim the Earthly realm of his creation, and the other to reclaim the Heavenly.

Prophecy concerns the nation of Israel, God’s holy nation (Ex 19:6). It describes how this kingdom of priests will one day rule and reign with Christ here on the Earth during the Millennial Kingdom and into eternity (Zech 14:9; Matt 19:28; Rev 20:6). None of this was a secret, for it had been prophesied since the world began (Luke 1:68-75; Acts 3:21). Satan knew all about it, and even deceived himself into thinking that he had the power to prevent it from happening (Luke 4:5-7; *cf. Matt 28:18).

The Mystery, on the other hand, concerns the Church of this age, the Body of Christ. It describes how this new creature (2 Cor 5:17) will one day rule and reign with Christ in Heavenly places for all eternity (Eph 2:6-7; Phip 3:20; 2 Tim 4:18). The Mystery was a secret hid in God from the foundation of the world (Rom 16:25; Eph 3:9; Col 1:26). Satan was kept in ignorance of it, for had he known, he would never have had Christ crucified (1 Cor 2:7-8). It was at the cross that Christ broke the devil’s power of sin and death over mankind (Rom 6:6; Col 1:13; Heb 2:14), where Satan was made to look like a fool in front of his subordinates (Isa 14:16-17; Ezek 28:18-19; Col 2:15), and where he unwittingly sealed his fate in the Lake of Fire for all eternity (Isa 14:15; Rev 20:10). His power over mankind has been reduced to an evil influence, and this only elevates his hatred for God. All he can do is to try and keep lost individuals blinded to the power unto salvation found in the glorious gospel of Christ (Rom 1:16-17; 2 Cor 4:3-4), and to spoil the testimony of those whom God has saved (Eph 6:11; 1 Tim 3:7; 2 Tim 2:26).

* The abbreviation cf. comes from the Latin conferatur, meaning to confer or compare. It is an indication to the reader that what comes before the abbreviation stands in contrast to what comes after it. Compare the following Scripture verses found in John’s gospel account, in which our Lord and Savior speaks of future judgment (John 5:22; cf. John 12:47). It serves as a good example of the importance of right division and dispensational Bible study.

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15)

In this verse of Scripture, the apostle Paul presents the only method of Bible study approved by God. The term rightly dividing means to cut straight or dissect correctly, much like a skilled surgeon. Thus, to rightly divide the word of truth simply means to separate the word of God precisely, so that each part can be compared to the other, and then put back in its proper place. Yet in the same epistle, Paul tells us:

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Tim 3:16)

But if all Scripture is for our learning, then why does the word of God need to be divided? Good question. Interestingly, the answer to this seeming contradiction does not involve twisting the meaning of rightly dividing, but rather determining the correct meaning of the word of truth. In order to discover exactly what Paul means by this expression, we must examine one additional verse of Scripture.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Eph 1:13)

Thus, we discover that the word of truth is equivalent to the gospel of your salvation. By combining all three verses, and substituting one equality for the other, we finally understand what our apostle has been trying to teach us in 2 Timothy 2:15 and 3:16:

Study to show yourself approved by God, a workman needing not to be ashamed, correctly dividing the gospel of your salvation. All Scripture is profitable for your learning, but always keep your gospel separate from all others!

Our gospel is the Gospel of the Grace of God, preached by the apostle Paul and intended for both Jews and Gentiles under the Dispensation of Grace. Those who believe this gospel become part of the one true Church today, the Body of Christ (Eph 1:22-23; 3:1-9; Col 1:18). According to the Mystery, these believers are destined to inherit the Heavenly realm of God’s creation.

The other gospel of great importance is the Gospel of the Kingdom, preached by Jesus Christ, John the Baptist and the twelve apostles, and intended specifically for Jewish believers under the Dispensation of Law (Matt 4:23; 10:5-8). According to prophecy, they will become the saints of the Millennial Kingdom, those whom God the Father has predestinated to inherit the Earthly realm of his creation. It is imperative to rightly divide the word of truth in order to keep these two gospels separate and distinct from one another. Failure to do so always results in confusion.

See the quote by Myles Coverdale, found on the page preceding the Author’s Note, in which he lays out the rules associated with rightly dividing the word of truth. Right division is not something new, but if you’re new to right division, begin by making sure you understand the text and the context of the passage of Scripture under consideration. Then, determine who is doing the speaking, and to whom are the words being spoken. This alone will put you light years ahead of the average Bible student.

Understanding the Dispensations of God

The word dispensation is found only in the epistles of the apostle Paul, though the concept itself is evident throughout Scripture. A dispensation is a distribution, an act of dealing out or dispensing. Thus, when we speak of the dispensations of God, we refer to his dealings with mankind, which have changed several times through the course of history. Each change of dispensation marks the beginning of a new way in which God deals with man, especially regarding the terms of salvation. By the time that his plan for the Heavens and the Earth has been fulfilled, there will have been a total of eight...