It’s hard to watch the news these days, isn’t it? The unrest we are witnessing internationally, domestically – on our borders, in our nation’s major cities, and everywhere in between, remind us that it was never meant to be this way. There must be more than this, right?
Yes, this isn’t what the Kingdom of God on earth was supposed to look like. But Eden hadn’t looked like it very much either, but that’s only because the mission hadn’t been carried out yet. At least, for a moment, it was a reflection of God’s goodness. But after The Fall, centuries of human history went in exactly the opposite direction of God’s Kingdom because its stewards were negligent, unequipped, and, well, downright rebellious. The result was tragic, even devastating. That’s why we see corruption and violence in our world today. This is not at all the picture of God’s nature.
“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.” (Genesis 6:11)
Unfortunately, this is still the general condition of our world today. We can see the places where The Kingdom of God has created a haven from the falleness of the world, and places where The Kingdom values have drastically upgraded a culture’s well-being. But even the havens and the cultural improvements mingle in a society made up of imperfect human beings, and our imperfections taint everything. In this age, we see a unique mixture of influences in which the true colors of The Kingdom of God are muted by the unkingdom, and the true colors of the unkingdom are brightened up by The Kingdom. Some people see a bland mixture with little distinction, but our eyes are more discerning, aren’t they? The people of God’s Kingdom know where this is headed.
Yes, the contrast will grow clearer and clearer as time goes on, and the choice between kingdoms will become more and more obvious. But in the meantime, our job as children of God is to expose the beautiful colors of His Kingdom everywhere we can, and heighten the contrasts for others to see. The mission that was distorted in The Garden has been given back to us along with the authority we once had and then squandered. Jesus, the “second Adam,” as Scripture calls our King, has secured the keys of His Kingdom for you and me, and recommissioned us as His agents. What does that mean? Only this, that a world that is corrupt and full of violence still has a viable alternative. Praise God, that is Good News! Yes, The Days Of The Unkingdom Are Numbered.
Have a glorious weekend. Make it better by worshiping The LORD with those who know they have been given the keys to His Kingdom, who have been transformed by Him so that they may reveal His beauty and peace to a world that is desperately longing for it. Yes, we, as God’s stewards, know the best is yet to come and we always live with that in mind.
All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.
“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)
Vic Alvarado 