THE ESSENCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES
With tragic events that we hear happen in various parts of the world that have left many in sorrow, pain, loss and even death it becomes imperative for the church to truly understand God’s agenda for the moment. There’s nothing worse than proffering an outdated solution for a today’s problem. I have observed how we have in many quarters declared that all the evil happenings are only signs of the endtimes and that Jesus would soon come.
The church has taken back seat in making a global impact and where some have dared to make a move in that direction they have been slowed down by “ideologies” of how soon we soon see how it will be dissolved by the fire of God’s wrath.
We need to realize God’s effort in those six days to make this earth the most wonderful place that man could exist. He made the entire solar and cosmic systems which is still beyond our comprehension to support life on earth.
Do you know that our milky way has up to 400 billion stars? If Abraham had actually counted the counted the stars in the skies, It would have taken 12,700 years to count the stars per second
Truly God is the most intentional person that there is.
When God promised the seed after the fall of man. Was it not to restore man to his dominion mandate? Was is not that man would enjoy a relationship with here on earth that would transcend any other experience? Was not that same seed not the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world?
So what is the narrative of the Bible? Is it not the journey of man’s place in God’s eternity but manifested on earth and how through covenants God began a journey to restore fallen man to that perfect place. Surely heaven far away is not the goal in His mind. The heavens are not even enough to contain God himself.
It is only one vessel that can contain in His glory and that is MAN. Jesus being the fullness of his glory and the express image of His person came here on earth to redeem man to himself so that being found in Him God would have a home that He would be eternally satisfied with.
Paul understood this well and explains it to the church at Ephesus:
3-6 “How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. (Ephesians 1:3-6” MSG)
To achieve this, the cross had to be in the picture where Calvary would be the final altar where death would this time be a gateway to eternal life finding expression on earth. The man on that cross being the last Adam began a new creation. Reconciliation was offered to restore family.
7-10 “Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.” (Ephesians 1:7-10 MSG)
That final sacrifice was the announcement that God was done with the former system that wholly Identified the entire Jewish world. A new world was born in this world. The countdown begun for the end of that Mosaic age that only produced servants and not sons. God desired family and not employees.
As Jesus spoke about the end of an age. He gave clears signs of things for the disciples to take note of because it would bear direct impact upon that generation. None of the prophecies of Matthew 24 were to expand over 2,000 years.
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.”
34 Assuredly, I say to you, THIS generation will by no means pass away till all THESE things take place.
No wonder there are over 200 failed prophecies over Jesus return, global destruction, Antichrists, 666 etc. We are using the wrong syllabus.
What the goal of that end time?
4 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2)
We are already in that age that Paul talked about as the first century church was living in the transition from the Old to the New covenant. The New covenant was ratified on the cross and the old became old was passing away in that generation.
The message gives us a great insight into that same verse;
“It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.”
We are in the world today as dispensers of His grace and kindness. People in the world today are hurting in many ways and are confused about the essence of life. Only those who understand the heartbeat of the Father can shine as lights in the world. The church has been given the ministry of reconciliation and nothing else can fit the bill.
The only thing that can transform the world is the revelation of the love of the Father which Jesus exhibited here on earth. It was a love that healed the blind, touched the lepers, ate with sinners, dinned with publicans, fed the hungry and anointed 12 confused men as Apostles. This is what the world needs and not another spitting fire over poor choices and morality.
Love wins.
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