Wednesday, April 23, 2008

EARTH WILL ONE DAY BE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

LIFE IN THE KINGDOM

There has always been an interest shown among many people as to the relationship between c current events such as wars, hike in prices, atmospheric changes etc.; and the end of the age. And I must say it is surely a phenomenon that warrants our attention. It is my personal opinion that Satan is more concerned about the end of this age than most Christians, and probably rightly so as he knows that his time of ruling this earth is about to end. Satan, having been given rule of this planet under God; has been ruling as a rebel ruler ever since he sinned (Ezek. 28:14, 15). But in a soon-coming day, Jesus Christ will take the reigns and rule this earth, He and His co-heirs in the way He originally intended it.

Christ’s reign upon earth will affect every area of life in a large way. The good things which man has vainly sought for without God shall at last be poured out in the kingdom of His Son. One of the biggest changes will be that of nature.

Man enjoys the beauty of nature, the flowers, the mountains, the rivers, and the seashore; but for all its beauty, creation is now under a curse. Christ came that He might destroy or undo the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). Through Him nature will be restored to the “good old days.” The Bible says that man was created to have dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:28:; Heb. 2:6-8). He was created by God and was to be subject to God, his Creator (Gen. 2:6-17). In his original state, he had fellowship with God (Gen. 3:8). He was given life and had access to the tree of life (Gen. 2:9, 16). Once all was peace. There were no weeds, destructive insects, storms, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, deserts, wasteland, crop failures, nor famines. Animals and man lived at peace and in harmony with one another.

But through the act of Satan, sin came into the world through Adam (Rom. 5:12). Sin changed things. Instead of life, we have death. Man, who was created out of the dust of the earth, is now to die and his body returned to the dust (Gen. 3:17-19). He is denied access to the tree of life (Gen. 3:22, 24). Instead of fellowship with God, sin brought spiritual death or separation from God. Instead of being subject to God, man is now rebellious. Instead of having dominion over the earth, the earth is now cursed (Gen. 3:17-19). Nature has been in turmoil and in a never ceasing struggle for survival, but God didn’t create it this way. But now in the words of the Scripture, “We know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Rom. 8:22). God made Adam as the king and gave him dominion over all, but through his sin the curse came upon the creation.

All this vast amount of negativities coming upon this earth has no hope of getting better under this rule; as long as we live under the “principalities and powers, the rulers of darkness, the spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies”(Eph. 6:12), we can only expect things to get worst. But there is hope, I must draw your attention to the words of the prophet Isaiah and the way he explains what life will be like when this earth come under new management, (Christ and His co-heirs):

Isa 11:5-10

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
KJV

Then you might want something as a promise to the believer today:

Heb 4:9

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
KJV

Be sure to be one of those that will receive this “rest” because not all Christians will. If we act the same as “redeemed Israel” acted, we will have the same result:

Heb 3:17-4:1

17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.


Hebrews 4

4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
KJV