44 The Goal of History: Christ’s Reign and the End of Death (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

The Christian hope is not just that our souls float off to a better place, but that God will end history well—by raising His people from the dead and putting every enemy, including death itself, under Christ’s feet. In this episode on 1 Corinthians 15:20–28, Krisan Marotta unpacks Paul’s sweeping vision of where the story is headed: from Adam’s failure and universal death to Christ’s resurrection, reign, and final handover of a restored creation to the Father, so that “God may be all in all.” In this week’s episode, we explore:What it means for Christ to be the “firstfruits” of those who sleep, and how the first sheaf of the harvest guarantees that more is coming—our own bodily resurrection. Paul’s big-picture contrast between two representative men: Adam, through whom sin and death entered the world, and Jesus, through whom resurrection life comes to His people. The simple but profound order Paul outlines: Christ raised first, then those who belong to Him at His coming, and finally “the end”—the goal and culmination of God’s plan, not just a stopping point. How Christ’s reign answers our longing for justice as He abolishes every rival rule, authority, and power and establishes God’s kingdom on earth in reality, not just in theory. Why death is called “the last enemy,” and how its final defeat is essential to God’s purpose to remove the curse, undo the fall, and make all things new. How Psalms 110 and 8 shape Paul’s language about all things being subjected under Christ’s feet, and why the Father Himself is the one exception to that universal subjection. What it means that the Son will “be subjected” to the Father so that “God may be all in all,” and how this pictures a perfected creation joyfully ordered under God through Christ. Why denying resurrection is not a minor adjustment but a rejection of the whole plot of Scripture—like trying to retell a story about defeating death without an actual victory over death. How this future-focused hope challenges both a this-world-only social agenda and our desire for an easy life now, calling us instead to live in light of where God is actually taking history. After listening, you’ll come away with a clearer grasp of how resurrection fits at the center of God’s story—not as an optional extra, but as the way He finally overturns death, fulfills His promises, and brings His kingdom to completion. You’ll be invited to set your hope not on fixing this age, but on the return of Christ, the resurrection of His people, and the day when every part of creation reflects God’s holiness and goodness. And you’ll see more plainly what it means, even now, to belong to the risen King whose reign has begun and whose victory will one day be complete. Series: 1 Corinthians: Pride & Prejudice in the church