Redemption
Psalm 67:4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.
When God made the earth and put the first man on it, as described in Genesis 1, He called it "very good." He created Adam and Eve, and all of mankind to be with Him. He lived with man face to face, and men were charged with having dominion over the earth. Governing it in partnership with God, subduing it, and unlocking the potential of what God had placed in it. The Bible says God does not change. What He called very good in the garden still is very good to Him.
In the 7,000, or so, years that have followed Adam's rebellion, we have seen the brokenness of man's fall and its effect on creation (war, pollution, famine, self-interested power), but we have also seen the carrying out of God's intention, although stained by sin. Man is still subduing the earth, but with a fallen mind and generally under self-centered and fallen leadership. Yet we still see man unlocking the potential of what was built into the earth. God will always accomplish what He sets His mind to accomplishing, but in His absolutely stunning brilliance, He does it without violating the free will of the object of His love...us!
While man has subdued planet earth in some amazing ways...think microchips made from sand, and fiber optics which move information as light, light bulbs, electricity (the list would be too long to list here)...man has done this in a fallen state:
Genesis 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
What man has accomplished slowly toiling in a fallen earth, with a fallen mind, and a body less strong than intended, under imperfect government conditions in the last 7,000 years has still been stunning if you strip away all the consequences of the fall. But what is even more stunning is what Jesus has planned for man's future!
For most of my life I have had a very wrong idea about heaven... picturing it somewhere other than earth, riding on a cloud, or walking in a vapor-like state from one worship gathering to the next. I've always felt slightly guilty that heaven sounded really boring. Thankfully, this isn't how heaven is described in the Bible at all!
Heaven is coming here. Jesus is coming soon to renew everything back to the condition the Father originally called very good. As the perfect man (and always being God), who has proven His ability to handle absolute authority and power by laying it aside for love, Jesus has been given all authority, power, strength, wealth, wisdom to govern the earth in perfect partnership with the Father. This is what the Father called very good.
When Jesus returns to enforce His victory and make all things new, He isn't going to forget about all the advances man has already made. We aren't going to go backwards in technology to live with fig leaves on like cave men!
Jesus is going to redeem ALL of creation. With His amazing wisdom, He will right every wrong and bless and sanctify every good thing...just imagine the internet with nothing awful, energy with no harmful consequences, technological advances in weeks not decades. We are in for the most amazing adventure with a perfect king on the earth God called very good!
God put everything on the earth that mankind originally needed to live with Him forever in Genesis 1. We are going to see the original and amazing plan of the Father begin to be realized in the perfection of beauty when Jesus returns to drive evil off the planet. The things we accomplish now that are in agreement with God's amazing plan will continue into the other side of eternity!
Revelation 5:12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Psalm 67:1 God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah 2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
When God made the earth and put the first man on it, as described in Genesis 1, He called it "very good." He created Adam and Eve, and all of mankind to be with Him. He lived with man face to face, and men were charged with having dominion over the earth. Governing it in partnership with God, subduing it, and unlocking the potential of what God had placed in it. The Bible says God does not change. What He called very good in the garden still is very good to Him.
In the 7,000, or so, years that have followed Adam's rebellion, we have seen the brokenness of man's fall and its effect on creation (war, pollution, famine, self-interested power), but we have also seen the carrying out of God's intention, although stained by sin. Man is still subduing the earth, but with a fallen mind and generally under self-centered and fallen leadership. Yet we still see man unlocking the potential of what was built into the earth. God will always accomplish what He sets His mind to accomplishing, but in His absolutely stunning brilliance, He does it without violating the free will of the object of His love...us!
While man has subdued planet earth in some amazing ways...think microchips made from sand, and fiber optics which move information as light, light bulbs, electricity (the list would be too long to list here)...man has done this in a fallen state:
Genesis 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
What man has accomplished slowly toiling in a fallen earth, with a fallen mind, and a body less strong than intended, under imperfect government conditions in the last 7,000 years has still been stunning if you strip away all the consequences of the fall. But what is even more stunning is what Jesus has planned for man's future!
For most of my life I have had a very wrong idea about heaven... picturing it somewhere other than earth, riding on a cloud, or walking in a vapor-like state from one worship gathering to the next. I've always felt slightly guilty that heaven sounded really boring. Thankfully, this isn't how heaven is described in the Bible at all!
Heaven is coming here. Jesus is coming soon to renew everything back to the condition the Father originally called very good. As the perfect man (and always being God), who has proven His ability to handle absolute authority and power by laying it aside for love, Jesus has been given all authority, power, strength, wealth, wisdom to govern the earth in perfect partnership with the Father. This is what the Father called very good.
When Jesus returns to enforce His victory and make all things new, He isn't going to forget about all the advances man has already made. We aren't going to go backwards in technology to live with fig leaves on like cave men!
Jesus is going to redeem ALL of creation. With His amazing wisdom, He will right every wrong and bless and sanctify every good thing...just imagine the internet with nothing awful, energy with no harmful consequences, technological advances in weeks not decades. We are in for the most amazing adventure with a perfect king on the earth God called very good!
God put everything on the earth that mankind originally needed to live with Him forever in Genesis 1. We are going to see the original and amazing plan of the Father begin to be realized in the perfection of beauty when Jesus returns to drive evil off the planet. The things we accomplish now that are in agreement with God's amazing plan will continue into the other side of eternity!
Revelation 5:12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Psalm 67:1 God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah 2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
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