Resurrection and Kingdom – 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

Rupert Murdoch is handing over the reins of Fox to his sons, Georgia Seipel handed over the reins of Sonoma Drag Racing to her son Kyle, Saddam Hussein was supposedly going to hand over the reins of Iraq to his sons before they were all killed.  The handing over of power to one’s sons or daughters is quite common.  But in the case of the kingdom, the ceding over will be in the opposite direction, from Son to Father.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.  (1 Corinthians 15:20-28 ESV)

Christ’s resurrection is merely the firstfruits of the harvest God has begun reaping.  It is the first offering to God from the one, Jesus, who has replaced Adam as the head of a new race of those made alive by faith in Christ.  Adam brought death, Jesus brings life.  The kingdom has not come yet.  It comes when the king arrives and he raises those who belong to Him.  Jesus will reign over the earth (for 1,000 years Revelation 20 tells us) and put all enemies under his feet, handing the kingdom then over to his Father.

Jesus will submit the kingdom to the Father and be in subjection to Him.  There is a line of authority in the Trinity.  God the Father, then Christ, then the Holy Spirit.  And yet, each of them is equally God, sharing the one, undivided essence of deity.  God’s plan for history has a conclusion when all of His people are victors over death and sin, and are reigning with Him as He originally intended. 

The “kingdom” the Corinthians think they have already arrived in (1 Corinthians 4:8) is a pale shadow compared to what God has planned.