Before the Foundation of the World
Mark 1:14
14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.
Why is it important that Jesus taught about the kingdom?
Because it was always about a kingdom. On three occasions, the Scripture gives us an insight into three things that were in existence or in the heart of God before the creation of the world.
A Kingdom (Matthew 25:34) A People (Ephesians 1:4) A Lamb (1 Peter 1:19, 20)
Why a kingdom?
Before Genesis 1:1, according to scripture we know there was one kingdom under the dominion of a perfect, holy, and just God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), reigning over a host of angels, elders, seraphim, and creatures. One kingdom until the iniquity of Lucifer is described in Ezekiel 28:13-15 “until iniquity was found in you… your heart grew proud because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor” and further in Isaiah 14:12-14 “I will make myself like the Most High.”
Lucifer rebelled, and in his rebellion, initiated a second kingdom, a dark kingdom with a host of fallen angels who chose to live apart from the authority of their Creator.
Why a people?
Out of the entire created order that pre-existed the foundation of the world, there was not a single creature made in the image of God.
Consider that Genesis 5:1 states that “On the day that God created man He made him in the likeness of God.” Yet in verse 3 we read: “ and Adam… begot a son in his own likeness, after his own image.” From Adam, each successive human being bears the dead image of Adam, not the image of God (Romans 5:12-14). Salvation is primarily about God recovering that which He lost in the garden: A man in His image (Colossians 3:10, Romans 8:29).
The purposes of God are to showcase His image and glory in human vessels. So today, on this earth, there are two races of people: The race of Adam, born of the flesh, and the race of Christ, born again of the Spirit of God.
Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
Why a lamb?
We know that God is love (1 John 4:8). Because He is love, His creation has always had a volition, or will. Simply put, He will not force anyone to worship (love) Him. He knows ultimately that we were made to worship, and we are only complete when He is the center of our worship, but love requires choice. And so, He has given us that choice.
Lucifer chose self-worship. When the serpent (Lucifer) deceived Eve, and caused Adam to transgress, dominion was given to Lucifer over them and all of their offspring (2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 John 5:19, Matthew 4: 8, Luke 4:6, Matthew 12:26, Romans 5:12).
God knew that we had the option to defect. But such was the love of God toward mankind that God the Father and God the Son predetermined that if man were to go dark, the Son would step in to pay for the penalty of that sin.
Ephesians 2:1-9
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.