| << | Contents | >> |
God's Emerging City
God has answers for the increasing darkness in our nation. He is not nervously pacing the corridors of Heaven wondering how immorality got so prevalent. Yet while He is not nervous, neither is He complacent; He has a plan and a timetable. He intends to increasingly display His own glory upon His people so that those in darkness might see a great light and be redeemed. The Lord has no intention of simply turning the planet over to the evil one; His objective is to fill it with His glory.
Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.
Isaiah looked into Israel’s future and saw that though the prevalent darkness upon the Earth in his own lifetime would continue, God would interrupt human history with a glorious visitation. The Lord was going to rise upon the Jewish nation and His glory would be seen.
Indeed, deep darkness did cover the Earth in the years following Isaiah’s ministry. The Babylonians ruled the known world, followed by the Medes and Persians. Then came Alexander the Great and finally the mighty Roman Empire. However, into the midst of this deep darkness came a brilliant shaft of glorious light.
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned. From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus Christ was God’s answer to the prevailing darkness upon the Earth two thousand years ago; His solution has not changed. There is no plan B.
I used to interpret Isaiah’s statements about God’s glorious response to world darkness as simply a study in contrast. Great darkness would indeed cover the Earth, but God would arise in glory to show a different way. Recently it began to dawn on me that the Lord is not interested in simply contrasting light with darkness. Rather, His glory is the solution to the problem. Darkness and light are not to simply co-exist; one of the two must diminish and ultimately disappear. Jesus Christ is God’s answer to the universal scourge of sin.
The incarnation of Christ brought the greatest revelation of the glory of God that mankind had ever experienced. When men looked into the face of Jesus, they actually saw God put into human terms. Perfect Light had invaded the darkness. But then rather than simply stay on Earth as a single individual, He promised to come personally to every one of His people by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
And the light shines in the darkness…
(John 1:5)
Christ’s answer for mankind’s need is the light and glory of His own presence upon His people. When He pours out His Spirit upon the Church, it is not so that we might simply look different from those in darkness, but so that they would recognize their lack and stream to the light.
The Gentiles (Hebrew, GOY – the nations) shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
The promise was not that the nations would see every one of their citizens born again, but that nationally they would change direction. They would shift their course and turn toward the light as God’s glory arose upon His people.
We have certainly seen this scripture fulfilled in some measure in many nations. Starting from Jerusalem, God arose powerfully upon His people (Acts 2), and within a few centuries the pagan Roman Empire turned toward Christianity. [14] Other examples would include Wales because of the Welsh revival, Europe and England because of the Reformation and America because of the Great Awakenings.
We can only speculate on what these nations would look like today if it were not for God’s intervention in past revivals. As dark as our present societies are, they would clearly be worse if not for God’s sovereign merciful visitations. We need Him to arise afresh in our day.
To understand the Scriptures correctly concerning God’s purpose in Church history, we need to understand the phrase the last days.
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
(Hebrews 1:1 - 2 NASB)
Simply stated, the last days are the centuries wherein God reveals His will in and through His Son. In other words, it is the entire Church age (See also Acts 2:16 - 17; Hebrews 9:26; 1 John 2:18).
The problem though is that many Christian teachers have expressed pessimism concerning the future of the Church during these last days. Many seem to doubt that Jesus will bring much change among the nations by the power of His Holy Spirit. To many, His only recourse seems to be to physically appear and take His people to Heaven. Then as darkness fills the Earth He can pour out His judgments on the nations.
However, a quick glance at Isaiah Chapter 60 paints a different picture. The prophet clearly stated that nations would shift in their direction because of a gradual dawning of the glory of God arising from Israel.
Certainly it is true that judgments must come upon the rebellious and that Jesus will visibly return to end the age. However, sound Christian eschatology must accommodate God’s stated intention for nations to turn toward Him as He reveals His glory among His people.
Because the Church has been affected by pessimistic theology, our American culture has as well. We have taught that the world will get worse and that Jesus will soon come and rescue us from the increasing darkness. As a result, we see a growing expectation both inside and outside of the Church for life to get worse. Since all nations are influenced both positively and negatively by the Church of Jesus Christ in their midst, many unsaved Americans now view the future negatively.
Aren’t they supposed to be asking us about the hope that is within us?
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
Is such hope only about one day going to Heaven? Or are we to have a present hope concerning God’s plans for His people in this life?
Isaiah has Good News for us. Starting with the initial deluge of His Holy Spirit upon His people two thousand years ago, the Lord has subsequently interrupted human history with many visitations of His Spirit. And indeed, nations have changed their direction and shifted toward the glory of God. Today, our prayer is that He would again gloriously visit His people as a solution to the darkness in our land.
Search Comments
This page has been visited 0026 times.
| << | Contents | >> |
10 per page