Day 46: What Will Father God Do to Complete His Plans?
Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
History is moving toward a certain end, a sure conclusion. The Lord-God planned for this conclusion in the past and is now moving all things toward it. A day will come when this world—now ruled by sin, death, and shame—will be overtaken by the Kingdom of the Beloved Son. When this Kingdom comes, all things will be set right and everyone will be put in their proper place.
What is the Master Story of History to Come?
Father-God is working in Christ to redeem, heal, and restore us. He is also working toward a day when this will be true of all creation. This process of redemption is also a process of setting all things right, putting all things in their proper place. In the ages to come (eternity future) those who have loved God and His truth, goodness, and glory will live forever with Him. For those who have despised these things, God will give them exactly what they have desired: eternal existence apart from all that is true, good, and glorious.
As we look toward the end of history there are three basic realities we will consider:
- Jesus will return to establish His Kingdom on the Earth.
- Every human being who has existed will stand before Jesus for judgment to place them in their proper eternal place.
- A New Heavens and a New Earth will be created free of sin, death, and corruption where the people of the One True God will live with Him forever.
WORDwork:
Read the following passages and answer the related questions.
1 John 2:15–17
Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 2:16 For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 2:17 And the world with its lust [desires] is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.
What does John warn us NOT to do in verse 15? Why does he say this based on what he says in verse 17?
How are the “desires of the world” related to the “love of the Father” in these verses?
Revelation 11:15
The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever!
What do the voices in Heaven proclaim when the seventh angel blows his trumpet? What does this mean? What is the significance of this statement?
This present World is passing away and will come to an end.
In this session, we are beginning to touch on what the Bible reveals about the End Times, the Last Days, the Last Things. This subject of theology is called eschatology and it is one of the most complicated and controversial areas of Christian belief. It is also one of the most important. To get our bearings in life—to figure out reality—we have to know where we have come from (Past) and where we are heading (Future). The topics of Eschatology tell us where we are headed, what awaits us in the future.
When we turn to consider these issues, it is very easy to get bogged down in the details very quickly. What we want to do is look at the big pieces of the puzzle that help us put our lives in perspective in terms of the things that we have some level of certainty about. These are the things that we are convinced and confident about that help us answer the third big question: “Where are we heading?” and “How will it all end?”
First, in the 1 John passage we hear that this current World is passing away and it will come to an end. John uses the term “the world” to refer this present world system of traditions and cultures that are still enslaved to the lies and deception of the Adversary, the Devil and thus stands opposed to the truth, goodness, and beauty of the One-True-God and His Kingdom. This is why we are not to love the world or the things of the world.
John goes on to tell us what the “things of the world” are: the desires/lusts of the flesh, the desires/lust of the eyes and the arrogance/pride of life. These are all the desires/lusts that drive us to place ourselves at the “center of the universe” instead of placing Christ in the center. John warns us that anyone who is governed by these desires can be sure that the love of the Father is not in him or her. These things are all defined by the World not by the Father’s true desires. These worldly desires entice us to find our security, satisfaction, and significance in some source other that our relationship with our Heavenly Father in Christ through the Holy Spirit. John and the Bible warns us that these types of things are idolatry—worshipping something or someone other than the One True God.
The reason these things are contrary to our Father’s desires and love for us is that they are all passing away and will come to an end. The Kingdom that is coming is one that is defined by love and goodness and service not pride and arrogance and selfishness. This brings us to our next point.
The Kingdom of God is coming and will last forever.
A day will come when this world will truly come to an end. Peter tells us:
2 Peter 3:10
But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.
There is a time surely coming when this present state of things will end. But that is not really the end. Peter goes on to say,
2 Peter 3:13
But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell.
After this world comes to an end, a New Heavens and a New Earth will be created by God in which righteousness truly resides. In other words, in that New Creation all things will be set right, all things will exist in line with all that is good and right and just. This New Creation will be the Eternal Kingdom that we hear about in the Revelation 11 passage that we read earlier.
In Revelation, the last book of the Bible, John is given glimpses of the Last Days. Part of what he sees is a series of seven angels who blow trumpets heralding the coming of the end. When the final trumpet sounds, we hear the declaration that the kingdom of this world has at last become the Kingdom of God and of His Christ, His Messiah, His King—our Lord Jesus. This day is coming. It cannot be stopped. The reality of this unstoppable future should shape the view of our lives now. Everything that our Father is doing know in Christ by His Spirit is preparing us for this day.
Has today’s discussion given you a new perspective on any part of your life? Explain.
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
