The Kingdom Versus the Government of Man
Today, the majority of all national and international problems facing our world stems from bad or poor government or religion. This includes global hunger, health epidemics, wars, terrorism, racial and ethnic conflicts, segregation, nuclear tension and economic uncertainty.
Please make a mental note: Throughout history, mankind's greatest challenge has been to learn how to live with himself and his neighbors. From Africa to Australia, Asia to Alaska, or Brazil to Botswana, the situation is always the same. There is tribal warfare, racial and ethnic conflicts as well as full-scale war woven into the story of mankind. This all progressed after man failed to listen and obey God's Word in the Garden. In all of these social and cultural expressions of mankind, the one thing that has always evolved was some kind of authority structure, a form of leadership or government mechanism to establish and maintain social order. To establish a social order, is to refrain from a choice society.
In a question that Jesus responded to concerning the signs of the end of the age, Jesus responded with this statement: Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Notice, Jesus referred in verse 14 to the gospel of the Kingdom, not the good news. Why? Because the gospel of the Kingdom IS the good news. I want you to be aware, those signs which Jesus spoke of are the beginning of sorrows. It all is a process. In essence, there is much more to come.
We have many different leaders in that system that we call democracy, but in the Kingdom of God there is only one King and system (Kingdom). Please note: The need for government and order is inherent in the human spirit and is a manifestation of a divine mandate given to mankind by our Creator. Man was created to be governor and ruler and therefore it is his nature to seek some authority mechanism that would bring order to his private and social world. Government is necessary, desirable, and essential to mankind's social context no matter how primitive or modern. This is the key reason why man continues to search for an effective way to govern himself.
Do you understand why Jesus made this statement? "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." It is the governing of our King that makes the difference. His laws and His principles.
Matthew 24:3-14 Matthew 6:33
Continue to Part 2
Please make a mental note: Throughout history, mankind's greatest challenge has been to learn how to live with himself and his neighbors. From Africa to Australia, Asia to Alaska, or Brazil to Botswana, the situation is always the same. There is tribal warfare, racial and ethnic conflicts as well as full-scale war woven into the story of mankind. This all progressed after man failed to listen and obey God's Word in the Garden. In all of these social and cultural expressions of mankind, the one thing that has always evolved was some kind of authority structure, a form of leadership or government mechanism to establish and maintain social order. To establish a social order, is to refrain from a choice society.
In a question that Jesus responded to concerning the signs of the end of the age, Jesus responded with this statement: Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Notice, Jesus referred in verse 14 to the gospel of the Kingdom, not the good news. Why? Because the gospel of the Kingdom IS the good news. I want you to be aware, those signs which Jesus spoke of are the beginning of sorrows. It all is a process. In essence, there is much more to come.
We have many different leaders in that system that we call democracy, but in the Kingdom of God there is only one King and system (Kingdom). Please note: The need for government and order is inherent in the human spirit and is a manifestation of a divine mandate given to mankind by our Creator. Man was created to be governor and ruler and therefore it is his nature to seek some authority mechanism that would bring order to his private and social world. Government is necessary, desirable, and essential to mankind's social context no matter how primitive or modern. This is the key reason why man continues to search for an effective way to govern himself.
Do you understand why Jesus made this statement? "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." It is the governing of our King that makes the difference. His laws and His principles.
Matthew 24:3-14 Matthew 6:33
Continue to Part 2