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New Testament Reading - The kingdom of Christ

²⁰But the fact is that Christ did actually rise from the dead and has become the first of millions^a who will come back to life again someday.

²¹Death came into the world because of what one man (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Christ) has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead. ²²Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who are related to Christ will rise again. ²³Each, however, in his own turn: Christ rose first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will become alive again.

²⁴After that the end will come when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind. ²⁵For Christ will be King until he has defeated all his enemies, ²⁶including the last enemy — death. This too must be defeated and ended. ²⁷For the rule and authority over all things has been given to Christ by his Father; except, of course, Christ does not rule over the Father himself, who gave him this power to rule. ²⁸When Christ has finally won the battle against all his enemies, then he, the Son of God, will put himself also under his Father’s orders, so that God who has given him the victory over everything else will be utterly supreme.

1. Literally, “the firstfruits of them that are asleep.”