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The History of the Ages - Lesson 21

The History of the Ages – Lesson 21

The 6th period of testing is Grace.  Of course, we are presently in this age.  Men had laws in all previous ages (God’s instruction, commands, etc started immediately with Adam in the garden), but the fullness of the Law came with Moses.  In the same way, mankind also had grace in all previous ages, but the fullness of it came in the Age of Grace with the Christ (John 1:16-17).  

1. The length of this period is unknown, but will run from the time John the Baptist began preaching the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 3:1 (for an understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven read the article so named on the website) until Christ returns to the earth with His saints as described in Revelation 19:11-16.  This is at the end of the 7-year tribulation period, which we will look at separately after the lesson on the 7th and final period of testing called Divine Government (there will be a series of lessons covering the tribulation period, the Millennium and the Eternal State). 
2. The test of this age is to obey the Gospel of Christ.  It is, in fact, a test of faith (again, the article on the website “Grace, Faith and Salvation” might be helpful at this point, as the institutional church has distorted views on these subjects).  The Gospel is summed up in what Jesus said (that’s why I encourage people to get an old red letter edition of the New Testament and just read the words of Jesus).  Again, the article on the website titled “The Sermon on the Mount” would be helpful here.
3. The purpose of this age is, I believe two-fold.  First, the “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” are revealed in this age (“mysteries” is from musterion, meaning, something hidden or not fully revealed).  Jesus taught His disciples many of these principles (Mark 4:11).  Then the Holy Spirit revealed them more fully to Paul and others after Jesus’ resurrection (Romans 16:25-26, I Corinthians 2:7 and Ephesians 1:9-10).  It is this revelation that makes it possible for me to write more clearly of the things that are yet future in the lessons that are to come.  The second is that it is the Age of Grace that marks the beginning of the completion of all that God has planned and promised.  Remember Ephesians 1:10 from just above.  This is a corrected translation: “He planned the fulfillment of the ages of time in order to unify all things under Christ, including the things in heaven and the things on the earth.”  The Kingdom of Heaven is the beginning of the restoration of the Kingdom of God.  This restoration is a step-by-step process that begins in this age and is completed in the next – all in preparation for the eternal state.
4. How did He do this?  He sent His Son (Galatians 4:4, Hebrews 1:1-2).  Then He sent the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-14).
5. What was man’s failure?
6. The world refused to recognize Christ when He came (John 1:10).
7. Israel refused to accept Him as the One Who had been promised (John 1:11).
8. The church failed miserably.  The early church quickly turned into a man-centered, religious institution filled with deception (use any reference you like, most of the New Testament epistles were written for the express purpose of addressing the deceptions of the early church).
9. The major points of God’s judgment during this age are as follows:
10. There is rampant apostasy in the world (I Timothy 4:1-7) promoting false religions and perversions of truth, all leading people to accept only what will lead to their certain destruction.
11. This wide-spread apostasy makes it possible for an even more pervasive and destructive deception and its accompanying rejection of God in the latter part of this age as described in II Thessalonians 2:8-12.
12. The Tribulation Period, a 7-year period of unparalleled trouble on the earth, which will be explained in detail in coming lessons (Matthew 24:15-24).
13. The affirmation of God’s grace during this age is your own personal experience of on-going deliverance through Christ by means of the Holy Spirit (I Peter 1:18-25).