This is the last message that will go out from God at the end of this age and will help usher in the age when God reigns over the earth through His Son Jesus, and His bride, the church. Jesus purchased the earth by His own blood, and He is not coming back to destroy it but to restore it, as we read in such texts as Revelation 21:1-7:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.
We have the greatest hope that has ever been heard on the earth. It is a hope that will not disappoint. It is the gospel, or good news, of the kingdom. One of our primary purposes at the end of this age is to proclaim the coming kingdom of God. This is not bad news about how things are falling apart and judgment coming, but the good news that the King is coming. He is going to make everything right again. The earth will be restored, and it will be the paradise it was originally created to be.
The text above begins with declaring the coming of a new heaven and earth, but this is not speaking of the physical earth but rather the spiritual. There was also a new heaven and earth after the flood, which spoke of a new spiritual realm and a new social order on the earth. We are told that God is going to establish His dwelling place on earth among men. In places such as Daniel 2:44, we are told that the kingdom He establishes will last forever. The Lord did not suffer on the cross to come back and destroy the earth but to save it.
Jesus won the authority to set up His kingdom and could have done it immediately after His resurrection. However, He is seeking a bride to reign with Him. There were other reasons why this age had to play out, but the main one was training for reigning for His people. The overcomers of this age will be resurrected with a new spiritual or heavenly body like His, but we, too, will reign with Him over the earth. He has not given us many details about this, but He has given us just what we need to make it through this age.
The highway that is spoken of in such places as Isaiah 40 is the bridge between this age and the next. A highway is a prepared road for people to travel on. Some cut through bushes, forests, and swamps, bringing mountains down and raising up the low places so that others could get on the road they have made so they can make it to their destination much faster and easier. Therefore, one of our basic goals should be to make the way easier for all who come after us.
So, our first mandate is to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, and our second mandate is to help build a highway to prepare the way for the Lord. The highway is Gods higher way. While we see the kingdoms of this world collapsing as in Daniel 2, the little stone grows into a mountain and then keeps on growing until it fills the whole earth. That little stone is the kingdom of God. It is growing now. We need to understand how it is in contrast to the kingdoms of this world, and we need to recognize where it is growing.
We also see in Revelation 11:15 that when the seventh and last message goes forth, the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord. A transition is coming. Not all of the kingdoms or governments of this world are evil and will be destroyed. Though none are in perfect harmony with God at this time, some which have been built may be a part of the highway that will help lead mankind to the kingdom. For this reason, it should be our resolve that our nation would be one of these. This is why we are devoted to being the salt and light we are called to be in our nation, engaged in the times as representatives of the kingdom, helping to make the way easier for others to travel. Reproduced from Morning Star Ministries with permission.
Post published in: Opinions