 |
| Image by Flavio Takemoto |
| God Has a Plan for the World |
God made the world. God made man. Man decided that he could decide good and evil for himself. Death and suffering entered planet earth. Violence overtook the planet. God destroyed everyone with a flood – except for Noah and his family.
After the flood God began teaching Noah and his children how to live together in peace – starting by implementing the death penalty for murder. God called Abraham out from all the people in the earth and blessed him, promising that one day his descendant would be a blessing to the nations. Abraham –>Isaac–>Jacob.
Jacob is renamed Israel. Jacob and family move to Egypt after miraculously being saved from a famine.
After hundreds of years and Egyptian oppression God raises up Moses who delivers Israel from Egypt and leads them out into the dessert to be made into a new nation. After 40 years of testing a new nation enters the Promised Land armed with the Law of God – the only time in history where God Himself gave a way of life to a nation IN WRITING – with the clear intent of showing the world how to live the same way.
Israel as a nation fails to live up to God’s heart for a people. Twice they are destroyed.
Within the remains of a very devastated Israel God becomes human flesh – born of a virgin – lives among us – performs signs and wonders, dies a death on a cross to pay for the guilt of the world. His name is Jesus. This Jesus is resurrected and heads up to heaven and sends God the Holy Spirit to earth to fill and empower those who believe and put their trust in Him.
Now the world has God’s revelation of how to live (from Moses) and God’s empowering to do so (through Jesus and the Holy Spirit). The Kingdom of God begins to spread in the time of the Roman Empire and the remnants of the Roman Empire – exactly as predicted by the prophet Daniel.
Individuals are transformed internally by the power of the gospel and the power is manifest externally through ever more “yeasted” societies. Sometimes it looks like the Kingdom is moving forward. Sometimes it looks like it is lost. Look at it over 2,000+ years and it can be seen that it is ALWAYS advancing, even when it appears not to be!
The remnants of the Roman Empire (happens to be Europe) are “yeasted” with the Kingdom. (No, they are NOT themselves the Kingdom, they are “yeasted.”) Spots of Kingdom are planted all over the world. The gospel takes particularly strong roots in The West, but it also takes roots all over the world. From these places it continues to grow. Individuals changed internally –> flowing into families, communities and nations –> manifested externally in every area of life.
This story will continue until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords and every nation and society on earth is filled with the Knowledge of the Glory of the Lord.
Then at some point known only to God in Heaven Jesus will physically return to planet earth and it will be declared that “The Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of Our God and He Shall Reign FOREVER and EVER!”
Friends, there is no greater story! We live a destiny that is filled with hope of an ever brighter and brighter future. It does not depend on our plans but on the plans of a Sovereign God who has purposed that it WILL BE SO!
The Dominion of the Kingdom of God is inevitable! It is wonderful and beautiful. It is love. It is a world where each loves his neighbor as much as himself. It is the fulfillment of the Meaning of Life – to Know God and Jesus Christ. We will Know God and Enjoy Him (and each other) forever.
Hear the story of Jesus with your heart, believe it, be transformed, live it, yeast the world, preach the good news, love God until either you go to Him at death or you witness the day of His Return.
Don’t miss out! Don’t be dragged down by negativity! Don’t look for the end of the world, look for the manifestation of God within it! Look up and be glad because the King Comes!
Hallelujah!