Hi lferretj,
To understand God's plan you realize that His work is a process through the ages. We are now in the 'church age' where the whole world is deceived and Satan is on his throne.
Rev 2:13 "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is.
John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.
In this present age the world is experiencing the flesh, in all it's carnality, good and bad.
But there are a very few that God is choosing out of this world now, to prepare them. These are His Elect and to them the kingdom has come, in SPIRIT.
Here is a section from the transcript of the 'The Gospel Of The Kingdom.'
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,6142.msg49588.html#msg49588 ---
THE ISRAEL OF GOD
Let’s see what Peter had to say about all this, in case you think Peter didn’t understand some of this stuff. Actually Peter was pretty good with the Scriptures. You remember who Jesus Christ gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to? Peter. Peter had it all worked out, he had a little problem there at Antioch, but after that he had it all worked out from then on.
1Peter 2:9 But ye (he is talking to Gentiles) are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own peculiar (special) people…
Does that sound a little bit like Exodus 19? I will make out of you a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Where do you think Peter got it?
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
A chosen generation, a royal means kingly priesthood, a holy nation. A peculiar people, that comes out of about 3 different Greek words, the pronoun 'his' is in there and peculiar really means special. So what this is saying is, you are His - God’s precious people. That’s pretty neat, you are His precious people, not the Israel of old, not the Israel that came down through the seed of the devil, that was who? The Scribes and the Pharisees and they personified it, the leadership of the church and the Temple system, personified the nation. Not that seed, the seed of the devil.
You are the seed of Jesus Christ, you are of this Israel of God, like Paul talked about in Galatians.
Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God.
1Peter 2:9 …so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
So the kingdom of God is what? The Israel of God! It’s those who through the faith of Abraham… that is the same faith that God gave to Abraham He gives to us, that’s the faith of Abraham. We become this peculiar, special people to God.
Now get this. Here's what He said we are. He said I will have a nation and I will have a people and it didn’t happen... but it was a type, a shadow of something that will happen.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that there is an Israel of God, those who are baptized in the Spirit, circumcised in the Spirit and they are now spiritual Israel, Jews. They are the real Jews, the ones that are converted in heart and mind and spirit. Then Peter comes right out and says, you are that royal family, that special people, that kingdom of priests, that holy nation, that’s what you are.
So what is it? It’s the gospel of the kingdom. What is the kingdom? YOU - WE are the kingdom! How about that. We are the kingdom. It’s the gospel, the good news of the kingdom. When you are spiritually converted and you are holy and you are circumcised in spirit and mind and soul and heart you are a spiritual Jew. You are the one that He said back there, I’m going to make you a holy nation, Israel, but not that Israel, that was a type. That was a shadow, that was only going to be a nation of people living in a certain land.
This kingdom is going to what? Bless all the nations. This is a big kingdom and it’s a spiritual kingdom, because the more we do away with the flesh, the more spiritual we get. The more we die to the flesh, the more we grow to the spirit.
So it’s not as negative as it seems when you get old and decrepit like me. The flesh is dying, but hopefully the spirit is growing. Where as I use to be dead in my spirit and soar in my flesh, now I’m almost dead in my flesh and soaring in my spirit. That’s good, that’s the way it should be. Do you see that in your life?
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Gospel Of The Kingdom audio part one:
http://bible-truths.com/audio/M05 GospelOfTheKingdom_p1.mp3
Gospel Of The Kingdom audio part two:
http://bible-truths.com/audio/M05 GospelOfTheKingdom_p2.mp3
So there is a very few being prepare to which the kingdom has come.
But what about the rest of the world? There time will come too, but first Satan will be removed.
Rev 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain.
v. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
v. 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while.
It is at this point in time when Christ will set His throne up in this world (on earth), not a literal throne, but His kingdom (those prepared that He has made ready) will replace Satan's kingdom and rule this world.
Rev 11:15 And, the seventh messenger, sounded; and there came to be loud voices in heaven, saying—The kingdom of the world, hath become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign unto the ages of ages.
So when Christ returns this is the time of the first resurrection. He will resurrected the Elect and they will return to rule with Him.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Mat 25:34 Then the King will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
Rev 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
v. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband;
v. 3 and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them;
Mat 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[3] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
v. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
v. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
v. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
v. 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
This is also the resurrection of the dead, when judgment comes on the world. It is then that the rest of the world will go through the process of being made into His image, in the Lake of fire.
Mat 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting (eonian) fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
v. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
v. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
v. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
v. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
There is an order, I hope this helped your understanding some.
mercy, peace and love
Kat