Make no mistake; the nations of the world are not friends of the people of God. At the risk of sounding unpatriotic, even a so-called "Christian nation" is an oxymoron because, "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." (1 John 5:19)
The reign of God is in complete opposition to the rule of nations. With the blowing of the final trumpet, when Jesus returns and the righteous dead are raised, it is said:
"We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:17-18)
Did you notice that phrase, "the nations were enraged"? Such is the response when the Lord God has "begun to reign" through the direct jurisdiction of His Son as King over the 1,000-year kingdom. The government of the world and the government of God are in radical opposition to one another.
It's a challenging dilemma but every follower of Jesus Christ must decisively determine his/her true allegiance: the system of the world or the system of God. Jesus calls us to that choice:
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Matthew 6:24)
There is an uneasy coexistence of the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God today. Followers of Christ, out of necessity, have dealings with both systems. The challenge is to be certain that our true allegiance is to the kingdom of God even as we use the systems of the world to advance the purposes of the kingdom of God. My struggle is in working out the proper balance and relationship between these two systems in my own life, just as it is your struggle.
I'm reminded of Joshua's challenge to the nation of Israel: "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)
May we each clearly see the distinction and delineation between the system of God and the system of the world and decisively choose throughout our activities today.
Steve
The reign of God is in complete opposition to the rule of nations. With the blowing of the final trumpet, when Jesus returns and the righteous dead are raised, it is said:
"We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:17-18)
Did you notice that phrase, "the nations were enraged"? Such is the response when the Lord God has "begun to reign" through the direct jurisdiction of His Son as King over the 1,000-year kingdom. The government of the world and the government of God are in radical opposition to one another.
It's a challenging dilemma but every follower of Jesus Christ must decisively determine his/her true allegiance: the system of the world or the system of God. Jesus calls us to that choice:
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Matthew 6:24)
There is an uneasy coexistence of the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God today. Followers of Christ, out of necessity, have dealings with both systems. The challenge is to be certain that our true allegiance is to the kingdom of God even as we use the systems of the world to advance the purposes of the kingdom of God. My struggle is in working out the proper balance and relationship between these two systems in my own life, just as it is your struggle.
I'm reminded of Joshua's challenge to the nation of Israel: "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)
May we each clearly see the distinction and delineation between the system of God and the system of the world and decisively choose throughout our activities today.
Steve
posted by steve @ 11:16 AM
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