Delivering the Kingdom to the Father

In 1 Corinthians 15, we find a striking map of events that will take place at Jesus’ return. Today, Sinclair Ferguson opens this chapter to consider the goal of history and the ultimate triumph of Christ.

On Things Unseen this week, we’ve been reflecting on the return of the Lord Jesus, His second coming. Earlier in the year, we reflected on what’s sometimes called individual eschatology: death, and judgment, and heaven, and hell. But this week we’re really thinking about cosmic eschatology—that is, what’s going to happen at the end of history when Christ returns.

Remember how the angels told the Apostles after Jesus’ ascension, “He will return again from heaven in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven”? And this is the big thing, the main thing: this same Jesus is going to return. The Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He’s the One who’s going to return. But that’s not all we know about the future, is it?

I wonder if you’re familiar with the way Paul gives as a basic theological map of the future. He does it in 1 Corinthians 15:20–28, the great chapter in the resurrection. He gives us what we might call a taxonomy, a shape, of Christ’s future triumph.

First of all, the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus has already taken place as the firstfruits of our resurrection. Second, when the Lord Jesus returns in majesty and glory, our bodily resurrection will take place. Thirdly, Paul says Jesus will destroy all opposition towards Himself, all opposition to His kingdom, and He will put all His enemies under His feet, and in particular, the last enemy, death. Then Paul says the “end” will come.

Now, “end” is an interesting word, isn’t it? It can mean: “That’s the end. There’s no more. Finished. Done. End of.” But there’s another meaning to the word “end,” isn’t there? Remember the first question of the Shorter Catechism: “What is the chief end of man?” There, “end” means “purpose” or “goal.” Here, perhaps, Paul actually means both. Christ’s return will be the end of the present story, the close of history. There’ll be no more opportunities to hear the gospel or to respond in faith and repentance. But also, the end will come in the sense of the goal will be reached. The destiny for which God created the world in the first place will have been accomplished. Everything will be under the dominion of the Lord Jesus. And at that point, Paul adds, “Then comes the end, when [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (1 Cor. 15:24).

But listen to this: Paul goes on to say, “When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.” I wonder if you have noticed that verse in 1 Corinthians 15:28. What a vision that is.

But what does Paul mean by saying the Son Himself will be subjected to the Father? Does he mean that the Son, Jesus, is really a kind of second-rank deity, eternally subordinated to the Father? No, I think if you remember Paul’s perspective here in 1 Corinthians 15, it all becomes clear and rather wonderful. Paul is talking here about the way in which we all die in the first man, Adam, but we’ll all be raised through Jesus Christ, whom he describes as the second man and the last Adam. You see the idea? It’s that Adam was made as God’s image to exercise dominion over the earth and to expand the garden of Eden into the whole earth. But he failed, and he sinned, and he fell, so he was never able to bring the completed work back to the heavenly Father and say, “It is finished, Father, and we offer it to you as our gift.”

But now, the Son of God has taken our human nature, has become the second man and the last Adam, and He has undone what Adam did and done what Adam failed to do. And at the end, as the second man and the last Adam, He will take it all back to His heavenly Father, fulfilling what He first said on the cross of Calvary: “It is finished, Father, and we bring it to you as our love gift.” And then, leading the whole creation, He will bow in our humanity before the Father and crown Him Lord of all.

That’s why He has regained all authority in heaven and earth and brought everything under His dominion. He’s done it for our sake so that, at the last, we might give everything back to the Lord. And then, as the second man, as the last Adam, along with all those whom He has saved, He’ll lead us in worship of His Father and ours. What a day that will be. No wonder Paul speaks about loving the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.