Eternal Glory
Eternal Glory – Certain chapters in this life seem so unnecessary. Suffering. Loneliness. Disease. Holocausts. Martyrdom. Hurricanes, earthquakes, monsoons. If we assume this world exists just for pre-grave happiness, these atrocities disqualify it from doing so. But what if this earth is the womb? Might these challenges, severe as they may be, serve to prepare us, to equip us for the world to come?
The apostle Paul would think so. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing.” Eternal glory? I’d like a large cup of that, wouldn’t you? Go ahead and request it. The barista is brewing that cup for you. And everything in this life is preparing you for the next.
Every Person Matters to God
Every Person Matters to God – Life is so much easier if we can just put labels on people. Pigeonholing permits us to wash our hands and leave. “Oh I know him—he’s an alcoholic.” “She’s a liberal Democrat.” “He’s divorced.” Categorizing others creates distance and gives us a convenient exit strategy for avoiding involvement.
But Jesus took an entirely different approach. He was all about including people. Jesus touched lepers and loved foreigners. His Facebook page included the likes of Matthew the IRS agent and some floozy he met at Simon’s house. You see, Jesus set aside the privileges of deity. He took on the status of a slave. He became a human.
Jesus sends this message: No playground displays of superiority. Don’t call any person common. Don’t call any person unfit. Every person matters to God!
From Poverty to Pride
From Poverty to Pride – There’s a predictable progression from poverty to pride. The poor man prays and works; God hears and blesses. The humble man becomes rich and forgets God. The faithful, poor man becomes the proud, rich man. As God said through Hosea, “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me” (Hosea 13:6).
How can a person survive prosperity? Scripture says do not be haughty. Do not think for a moment that you had anything to do with your accumulation. Scripture also makes clear that your stocks, cash, and 401(k) are not yours. 1 Timothy 6:17 warns us to not put our “trust in uncertain riches.” Money is an untrustworthy foundation. Have you noticed that the word miser is just one letter short of the word misery?
The Great Giver
The Great Giver – Scrooge didn’t create the world, God did. Giving characterizes God’s creation. Psalm 104 celebrates this lavish creation with twenty-three verses of blessings: the heavens and the earth, the water and streams and trees and birds and oil and bread. The Scripture says God is the source of “innumerable teeming things, living things both great and small…These all wait for him, that he may give them their food in due season” (Psalm 104:25, 27).
And he does. God is the great giver, the great provider, the fount of every blessing. Absolutely generous, utterly dependable. The resounding and recurring message of Scripture is clear: God owns it all, and God shares it all.
Victory Is Secure
Victory Is Secure – Some years ago I attended a San Antonio Spurs basketball game. It was the final game of the regular season, and it was unique because it did not matter. The Spurs had already won their division. The game had no bearing on their standings.
The game intrigued this preacher. I saw a sermon illustration waiting to happen. Christians occupy the same spot that the Spurs did. According to the Bible, we’ve already won. According to prophecy, victory is secure. According to the message of grace and the death of Christ on the cross, no one can snatch us from our Father’s hand.
So how do we behave in the meantime? Well the Spurs were a good example. They were relaxed, confident, and happy, and they won the game. In these last days show up, play hard, and be happy. After all, the victory is secure.
Our Father Has a Plan
Our Father Has a Plan – Just moments prior to his ascension into heaven, the followers of Christ inquired, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Christ didn’t correct their kingdom conception. Could it be the apostles were correct? That Jesus will establish a kingdom on earth? That he will bless Israel?
Examine the itinerary of your journey home, and you will find ten centuries reserved by God for him to do what he promised to do—establish Eden. Place your ear upon the pages of your Bible and you will hear the hoofbeats of a coming king. A glorious day awaits God’s children. It includes an interlude of earthly abundance, a thousand year reign of Jesus. It most certainly includes an eternity of joy in God’s presence. Our Father has a plan, and he hold us in his hand.
A Thousand Year Reign
A Thousand Year Reign – The plainest reading of Revelation 20 is a literal thousand-year reign of Christ. The apostle John mentions it six times in seven verses. Why not take John’s number literally?
Daniel would have. Toward the end of his life, the prophet Daniel called on God to forgive the Jewish people and return them to Jerusalem. What prompted the prayer? He was reading the prophecy of Jeremiah. “This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years” (Jeremiah 25:11). At the time, sixty-seven years of captivity had passed. Daniel assumed it meant seventy literal years, so he prayed for God to keep his promise.
In the book of Revelation, John promised a thousand-year reign of Christ. I believe Daniel would have taken the number at face value; I choose to do the same.
The Antichrist
The Devils Demise – Satan is a fallen, embittered, and evil angel. He wreaks havoc on earth and leaves devastation in his wake. Every war, worry, and weary soul can be blamed on him. Hence, to imagine Satan bound, locked away from humanity—what an appealing thought! Has this incarceration occurred? Has Satan been removed from the earth and locked away? As far as I can tell, he is still “a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan’s incarceration is a yet-to-be event.
But he will be incarcerated. Revelation 20 declares with the reality of the devil’s upcoming demise. The millennium will be glorious because Satan will be bound, Christ will be crowned, and we will reign with Jesus for a thousand years.
The Devils Demise
The Devils Demise – Satan is a fallen, embittered, and evil angel. He wreaks havoc on earth and leaves devastation in his wake. Every war, worry, and weary soul can be blamed on him. Hence, to imagine Satan bound, locked away from humanity—what an appealing thought! Has this incarceration occurred? Has Satan been removed from the earth and locked away? As far as I can tell, he is still “a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan’s incarceration is a yet-to-be event.
But he will be incarcerated. Revelation 20 declares with the reality of the devil’s upcoming demise. The millennium will be glorious because Satan will be bound, Christ will be crowned, and we will reign with Jesus for a thousand years.
A Millennial Kingdom
A Millennial Kingdom – I believe Jesus will someday rule from the physical city of Jerusalem for a thousand years. The earth will be restored to its garden-of-Eden splendor, and we will walk on a perfect planet in perfected bodies.
What leads me to that conclusion? One reason is that a millennial kingdom provides an opportunity for God’s covenants to be honored. God said, “…fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). But with rebellion came the fall. Consequently, humanity has fallen from its intended position as ruler of the earth.
What’s more, unfulfilled covenants remain between God and Israel. God also made a covenant with David. It requires that Jesus sit on David’s throne and rule over David’s kingdom, the nation of Israel. The millennial kingdom allows for this to occur. And I’m so excited for you and me to be there and be a part of it.
