It is the understanding of many Christians that the cruelty, injustice, broken relations, sickness and death that have become an inescapable aspect of life on earth are the result of an act of disobedience by the first human couple. Non-Christians presented with such a concept are inclined to regard it as facile, and with some justification, for it is only a third of the story when understood from a more enlightened Christian perspective such as that possessed by the apostle Paul. But before coming to the providential dimension to which the apostle alludes, he also affirms that there is a realm of evil extraneous to humanity that took the lead in that apparent catastrophe; a sophisticated principality of wickedness that endures as a force in the world to the present day:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places{778}
The verse is addressed to Christian believers, but the One who remembers the needs of sparrows is aware that the activity and influence of this evil realm impinges upon the whole human family and all created life. It will appear to many that we are in fact wrestling against flesh and blood for the diabolical activity that Paul was referring to is largely exercised through the human agencies under its control. These are the human seed considered in the previous chapter – they are the darnel poisoning the wheat that must remain until harvest. Of course, the rest of humanity sins and causes plenty of trouble as well, the more so for being led astray and corrupted by Satan who deceives the world through the people he controls. But God holds Satan rather than mankind personally accountable for the world being in the state it is; he will pay by far the greater price, as will his agents. A more profound mystery is why these wicked beings continue to thrive, influence and offend. As one traces events back to the Fall, one should discern that it is not entirely a matter of free will that resulted in wickedness being retained on the earth but divine decree. Yet evil does originate from a malign exercise of the free will that the Creator is bound to give to any being to whom He wishes intimately to relate, starting with the angelic realm. However, it must be acknowledged that the extent to which a created being having chosen a course of evil is then permitted to continue practicing it and hurting others is a matter of divine prerogative, or else impotence or indifference which is certainly not the case here.
Adam and Eve had been warned that if they disobeyed God, they would die that very day. That warning did not refer to physical death for they continued for centuries, nor what would happen to their souls after they died, but to the disruption in their relationship with God whilst they were in the body{779}. Yet this pair could have been eliminated there and then, feasibly with a better outcome for humanity, for they had been created pure in soul and body and unlike fallen man were potentially capable of full obedience. God was not obliged to establish His human creation through such corrupted progenitors; He was well aware of the dire outcomes when He chose to reject what might appear to human minds to have been the logical rebooting option. Yet this incident in the Paradise Garden and the inscrutable way that God chose to handle it is in fact the most staggering aspect of His love for humanity, especially in view of the personal cost to His only begotten Son. As for His earthly creation, many were now to be subjected to a life that was frustrating, vain and unfulfilled{780}. For the bulk of humanity that has been the case: their lives have certainly not been without purpose or a measure of fulfilment and joy, but the primary intention for which they had been created was not accomplished during their earthly lifetime. That had been to experience a living relationship with God and His Christ, described in the Bible as having eternal life{781}. Very shortly after the incident in Eden the divine prerogative was exercised again with the first man to be born of woman. Cain had become entirely alienated from God{782}, yet He still ensured that this psychopath and his seed survived. Again, he could have been eliminated for his fratricide and insolence towards God but instead was provided with a mark for his protection such that he and his accursed seed would continue up until the time of the Flood. The book of Enoch relates how the spirit of Abel petitioned God for Cain’s seed to be annihilated, which duly occurred through the worldwide flood. This clarifies Gen4:10 and Heb12:24 concerning the reference to Christ’s blood speaking better things than Abel. This inspired book also expands on Gen6:1,2 alluded to in Jude1:6 concerning satanic unions with women and the irretrievable corruption it caused. But what cannot be perceived without reference to Enoch yet is needed to understand the rationale behind the universal flood is that these satanic collaborators had imparted knowledge to humanity that the Lord had intended mankind gradually to discover over many centuries. As with Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, humanity in its infancy was not ready for such knowledge which would lead to their destruction, yet could never be unlearnt, hence the need for a radical universal cleansing by water. Enoch19:1 explains that these rebellious sons of God who left their appointed habitation{783} and were responsible for the global contamination and the thwarting of God’s plans for mankind’s development were able to assume different forms to carry out their illicit unions{784}. Through the mercy of God, the bulk of humanity who ignored Noah’s warning and perished in the Flood has subsequently had the Good News preached to them by Jesus Himself{785}, as, the apostle Peter indicates do all the dead have opportunity to hear the Good News so that although having been punished in the flesh “they might live according to God in the spirit”{786}. This is yet another “problem verse” that becomes more intelligible once one understands the context of gospel salvation within God’s broader reconciliatory plans. These imprisoned spirits were given the opportunity to repent and acknowledge Christ’s lordship; they were not to be betrothed as His eternal Bride, nor did they escape punishment for they had been imprisoned for centuries.
Although all who came off the ark were blessed by God, one of the sixteen seeds stemming from Noah’s sons was cursed, leading to the wickedness of Sodom, Gomorrah and the Canaanite territories resulting in their partial annihilation. Of course, wickedness continued through till the time of Christ and until the present day, and that is not surprising in view of the role Satan himself has been permitted:
Then the devil taking (Jesus) up on a high mountain showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to him, all this authority I will give you and their glory for this has been handed over to me and I give it to whomever I wish; therefore, if You will worship before me all will be yours{787}
Satan is a liar, but he had no hope of deceiving the Son of God on such a matter, nor did Jesus deny Satan’s claim to have been given authority over the world’s kingdoms, rather He would later affirm it. Jesus described Satan as the “leader of the world order”{788}, whilst Paul refers to him as the “prince of the power of the air”{789} and John as holding the whole world under his control{790}. Unlike in the coming age of the Kingdom of Christ, Satan is not currently prevented from deceiving the world{791} but in spite of the salt and light provided by the worldwide churches and many people of good will outside them, he continues to preside over a principality of wickedness that impacts upon nations and their governance, greatly adding to people’s suffering. This prince had not been cast out after the resurrection of Christ{792} – it looked initially as though that was being indicated by the short-lived witness of expelled demons and miraculous healings, but the Adversary’s final ignominy has been deferred. The Great War and Jewish Holocaust of the last century reinforce the fact that Satan’s influence has scarcely been eroded nineteen centuries into the Christian era.
Yet God is Love personified and He knows best. Suffering is no accident: “I form the light and create darkness; I make peace and create calamity. I the Lord do all these things”{793}. Spiritual masters have proposed solutions in the past: Thomas Aquinas asserting that “God permits evil so as to bring out of it a greater good”. More specifically he proposed that “diverse grades of goodness occur in things, many of which would be lacking if no evil existed; indeed, the good of patience could not exist without the evil of persecution"{794}. Without evil and the dysfunctional practices associated with it, there would be no place for virtue, or it would not so clearly be seen to be virtuous and something to delight in; not only in human affairs but in the worshipful admiration of God Himself. If Satan had not been permitted his triumphs there would have been no victory for God and His Christ for there had been nothing to conquer. How could God have demonstrated the extent of His love and grace if He could have spared His only Son? If Adam had not sinned or the humanity project rebooted, there would have been no need for a Saviour. And what a Saviour: O felix culpa, quae talem ac tantum meruit habere Redemptorum{795}.
The ultimate purpose of human suffering
But this is not the whole story: evil is a temporary yet essential component within the plan of human destiny. Suffering is neither a result of divine impotence nor a miscalculation; as well as being the backdrop to highlight the beauty and loveliness of the good and therefore of God Himself, its principle purpose is to prepare humanity for the next phase of her development. That is not mere philosophical speculation, it is a biblical reality that again has been historically eluded through a failure to grasp both the context of gospel salvation within broader providence and the nature of the age to come. Human beings created to be a little lower than the angels and currently possessing bodies originating from dust{796} are destined for glory and service at least as splendid as that of the angels{797}. Suffering and consequently the existence of evil is a necessary part of deification which requires human beings to be, as it were, stretched or go beyond themselves in order to be fitted for such a destiny. The Son of Man set the pattern: He tasted death for every man for our salvation, but there is something else we are told about His death:
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God{798}
The highlighted phrase is not the one on which one would normally focus. The Godhead’s love for humanity and the Son of God’s obedience and suffering to deal with our sin are rightly the usual focal points. But Jesus’ awareness of the joy and glory awaiting Him is nevertheless referred to and it hints at what is being adduced in this chapter: the divine principal that suffering is beneficial, indeed necessary for those who are to be glorified. Jesus might appear to be the exception, for He is worthy of glory through divine birth right. Nevertheless:
It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering, for both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren{799}
And later in Hebrews:
Though He were a Son, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered, and having been perfected He became the author of eternal salvation for all who obey Him{800}
In Jesus’ case His suffering could have nothing to do with personal purification, for He was without sin. It pertained to His personal capacity and office, especially that of High Priest:
Therefore, in all things (Jesus) had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make a propitiation for the sins of the people, for in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted{801}
His awareness and personal experience of human suffering also prepares Him for His role as Supreme Judge of humanity. It set a pattern and example for those who as co-heirs must support Him as priests, kings and judges; they are to share in Christ’s glory but must firstly share His suffering:
Now if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ; if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory{802}
Here is an advantage that human beings have over the angels of heaven: a personal day-to-day experience of sin and suffering. Such might not be advantageous if human destiny were to be confined to the spiritual realm: a blissful stasis beholding the vision of God’s glory, wonderful though that is for those who have fallen asleep as Scripture describes the temporary separation of body and spirit in heaven. But the emphasis from the Old Testament prophesies, the gospels, the epistles and Revelation as far as the next age is concerned is for the elect of God to be “the children of the resurrection”{803}. For the believer’s destiny once resurrected does not merely consist in beholding but participating with God in eternal union with His Son. But as with any marriage, howsoever the Bridegroom may relate to His Father through eternity so must His Bride for they are now in union; and whatsoever His Son’s activity and domain, so shall His co-heirs share in it{804}. Clearly the spouse concept is mystical in the sense of the “wife” being a corporate identity, but so is Christ’s bride-in-waiting the Church, which functions as His Militant Body on earth; each person playing his or her role as a member of that spiritually directed administration. Paul also affirms that eternity will comprise numerous ages{805} and, no doubt, many surprises. If the Church thinks she can be clear about the precise nature and procession of eternity, she must surely think again. For this few millennia of human history on this pinprick we know of as earth is in terms of time and space a grain of sand within the desert of eternity. Who knows what plans God has for the limitless theatre that is His universe? For God’s Word became flesh; Jesus being from two natures, human and divine, yet essentially one subsistent nature as the incarnate Word of God. Humanity has therefore been permanently incorporated into the Godhead, indicating future physicality and terrestrial activity as well as the prospect of beholding the divine Glory that historically has tended to be the focus and expression of the Christian’s future hope. Yet the faithful shall not be disappointed, for being in eternal union with the One “in whom dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily; the Head of all principalities and powers, we shall be complete in Him”{806}
Yet it is the whole human family that suffers in the present through the devil’s malevolence, and for a similar purpose; for all the scattered seed of God will in due time enjoy future communion with the divine glory; it is a question of staging, the faithful of the Church being the first fruits. For when Jesus comes again:
He shall be glorified in His saints and be marvelled at by those that believe on that day just as our testimony among you was believed{807}
This is re-affirmed in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians:
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive; but everyone in his own class{808}: Christ the first fruits; afterwards those who are Christ’s at His coming{809}
“Christ the first fruits” refers to the Church{810} which on one occasion Paul simply refers to as Christ{811} for it is, after all, His mystical Body on earth. Christians are the first fruits of creation{812}. Jesus is also described as the first fruit but He was never “dead in Adam” in the Pauline sense being Himself the Second Adam; and He cannot be a “class of those in Christ” for He is the Christ. Moreover, Paul is referring to those who would be made alive in the future which cannot include Christ Himself but to Christ’s elect and those who believe at His coming.
The above aligns with Old Testament prophecy that all who shall call on the name of the Lord will be delivered from perdition. Logically the same principle applies to those who have died having never had the opportunity to know the Saviour, and that is substantiated on two occasions in the first epistle of Peter{813}. On the other hand, those alive at His coming who are not of God and refuse to obey the gospel of Christ will in Paul’s language be set ablaze{814}, removed from God’s presence and everyone else’s. By “not obeying the gospel” is meant refusing to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ even after His identity has been manifested. For one can only obey or refuse to obey what has been clearly presented and understood. So when Christ re-appears on earth and indeed wherever He has presented Himself in person there can be no excuse for those who reject Him. Likewise, if a universally agreed announcement of the coming Kingdom of Christ were provided to the world from a re-unified Church it would be a clarion call that would seriously need to be heeded{815}. And such would be the roll call: Who is on the Lord’s side; who will serve the King?
The Church as the Kingdom of Christ on earth is involved in a spiritual battle with satanic forces but cannot eradicate them. World peace and Christian dominion cannot occur in this age. The darnel will grow till the end of the age, then the reapers (God’s angels not the Church) will remove it and destroy it{816}. The Pilgrim Church was never intended to be in the business of “ruling the nations with a rod of iron”{817}. That refers to what is to be done in the next age such that when all earthly authorities have been subjected to the Arbitrator{818}, His Kingdom will be handed over to His Father for whatever subsequent ages may hold in store within a restored heaven and earth{819}.
Christian submission to earthly authority
The Christian gospel was not intended to be subversive in terms of its adherents’ approach to earthly authority. Jesus is Lord of the Church and King of the believer’s heart, but the Christian is to render to “Caesar” that which is his or her due, otherwise he is denying the faith{820}. Yet if a particular tyrant should require the Christian to worship him or her as a god or directly oppose the teaching of Christ then to render to God what is God’s may require the ultimate price of martyrdom. For most that is not the reality, though of course it hasn’t always been the case. Yet even Paul lived happily in Roman lodgings for two years teaching and evangelising “without hindrance from anyone”{821}. His principal opponents and the instigators of his frequent imprisonments were more often unbelieving Jewish leaders than the civic authorities. Likewise, he instructed the churches to respect and pray for those in authority over them, as these were established by God for their good{822}.
However, the current structure and composition of the earthly authorities is not as a reigning King Jesus would wish them to be, for the personal qualities required for those participating in any administration of His would be quite different; more in accordance with His predecessor David: people after His own heart. For what is subverted by the Christian gospel is how authority is to be exercised – both now in the Church where he who leads becomes the servant of servants, and in the future where it will not be the militarily powerful who inherit the earth but the gentle and the peacemakers{823}. Even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. Under the present arrangements the gentle, the merciful, the pure of heart and the peacemakers are the people least likely to be running the kosmos (world system); nor have they ever been throughout the gospel age; nor can they be because of the continuing presence and influence of Satan and his seed. For when Jesus is King in an executive sense, Ephesians2:2 will not apply - Satan and his hold over people, death and sickness will have decisively been dealt with, not merely assured for the future. Spiritual renewal of individuals through the centuries has been the Church’s other vital function in order that elect people from every nation and age, the chosen and faithful will have been prepared to participate within God’s realized Kingdom at their resurrection together with those alive at His coming.
In the current age, as the apostle Paul refers to the matter, God has placed all things under Christ’s feet, but as ultimate victor and overseer rather than reigning Monarch, albeit that He already is Head over all to the Church{824}. The kings of the earth are inferior to Christ and answerable to Him in final judgement, but they do not currently take their orders from Him more’s the pity. That is why the Christian’s citizenship is said to be in heaven, for that is where His ultimate allegiance lies, where his Lord is located and his spiritual treasures are being deposited. The Old Testament prophets on the other hand expected the promised messiah to be based in Jerusalem, enthroned as king of Israel and thereby king of the world, acting as Great High Priest for the Jewish nation who in turn were to function as a Kingdom of priests and monarchs for the world{825}. But for now, “He has to remain in heaven until the time comes for restoring everything”{826}.
The Messianic Kingdom
The Catholic Church has long rejected pre-millenarianism as an approved doctrine, although it was the predominant view of the ante-Nicene Church Fathers including Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Hippolytus of Rome, Tertullian, Cyprian, Barnabas and Lactantius and by deduction others who they had instructed or by whom they had been instructed. Such were supported initially by Augustine of Hippo together with a good number of his contemporaries inside as well as some breakaway groups outside the Church. It was initially Marcion who challenged the consensus in the second century; he was later clearly shown to be a heretic. The other key influences were Augustine who changed his mind and Origen of Alexandria who was inclined to a Platonic spiritualism; these colossi of the Western and Eastern Church ensured that Millenarian views came to be rejected by the fourth century, no doubt reinforced by the conversion of Roman Emperor Constantine which transformed the Church’s perspective with regard to its relationships with the political structures of the world. The Eastern Orthodox Church has regarded the final book of the New Testament (the Revelation of Jesus Christ provided to Him by God){827}, as very much a mystery and is predominantly a-millennial. For an outline of why pre-millennial views had largely been abandoned by the middle ages, Wikipedia proves useful background{828}; the consensus being that (once again) Augustine’s influence was a key factor.
Yet such is God’s wisdom, for the vague and predominantly spiritualized eschatological understanding that the Apostolic churches in East and West have held for centuries has been perfectly suited to the recruitment process for Kingdom. Unlike early chiliasm, particularly in its perverted hedonistic form, the predominant Church teaching since the beginning of the middle ages will have held little attraction to vain, faithless, materialistic glory-seekers and such are not the people the Lord has wished to recruit into His service. That was evident at His first visit, where the superior and erudite of the religious establishment were bi-passed and the angels’ “Good News of great joy that shall be to all people”{829} was announced to shepherds on a hillside. Its propagation was spearheaded by an apprentice carpenter from Nazareth of all places{830} who turned out to be the promised Messiah. He in turn had recruited uneducated fishermen and the like to support Him and they would go on to turn the world upside down. It is only now as the end of the age approaches that those who think of this as the millennial age depicted in Revelation are liable to become discouraged and be unprepared for the lead-up to what is to follow.
In terms of fleshing out more eschatological bones the Bible does not lend itself to dogmatism, nor has “eye seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love Him”{831}. So whilst Peter foretold the destruction of the heavens and earth at the time of Christ’s coming, he was in no doubt that a new heaven and earth would be created{832}. Others understand Peter’s reference to the vanishing sky and burnt-up earth to be a typical use of cosmic language to denote a cataclysmic event within the time-space universe, a hypothesis supported by extra-biblical writing of that period. Paul, John and Enoch all of whom were physically or spiritually transported to heaven to glimpse the future indicate that the Son of Man is coming to restore and liberate creation, although that will be a devastating and destructive event for those who continue to resist the Good News of His Kingship once that has been elucidated{833}. Most accept that planet earth and certainly the kosmos (world order) will be radically altered after Christ’s coming, though quite how different the former will be has not been elucidated. There have always been certain data the Lord would not supply to anyone, even those who were about to establish His Church{834}.
Although ex-canonical, the Book of Enoch is regarded by many as inspired, valid for reference and introduces itself as something written for the express benefit of those living at the very end of the current age{835}. It foretells a messianic rule on earth together with the “elect and holy”, whilst at the same time envisaging an entirely ne