Antithesis 15 - Last One
The Kingdom of God will not be established by force. The popular idea of Jesus sitting in Jerusalem and using an “iron fist” to crush all opposition is repulsive and contrary to the gospel. What is more, it would not work. Jesus would not be able to eliminate evil by sitting on a throne in Jerusalem. He could control those in the immediate vicinity, but those further abroad would escape his power. His followers could track evil people down and "zap" them, but that would just increase their hostility to Jesus. He might be able to gain control of the world, but it would not be very pleasant place to live.
For Jesus to rule the earth from Jerusalem, the church would have to become a giant bureaucracy. The saints would take orders from Jerusalem so there would not place for initiative and exercise their talents. Being a cog in a giant bureaucracy does not sound like the hope to which we were called. In a bureaucratic age, this idea appeals to men who do not wish to take responsibility, but God would prefer men to be responsible, and exercise authority in obedience to the Word and the Spirit. Unfortunately, Christians still have the yearning for a messiah with a rocket launcher who will “blow away” their enemies.
3 comments:
Incredibly, very good posting. Many thanks for revealing this kind of stuff. I seriously take pleasure in it
Sorry to hear about that place you live in "Christchurch" although the name seems a bit blasphemous to me.
What are your thoughts on 'calamities' ?
I have read your articles on economics, interestingly enough I know that many precolonialist peoples eg maori, aboriginal etc did not survive by 'trade' , trade occured where things some people believed they needed (desired) were bartered but as to what God knew they needed and provided them, they had what they needed.
That is until 'Christendom' arrived not with the Gospel of peace as the apostles preached but delivering a gospel of servitude.
We can all claim Christ but then so does the papacy and it is clearly anti-christ.
We should know of the beast from the sea and the false prophet from the revelation, two evils allowed to rule apon the earth until their end ?
Who is to say that your "NEW" Zealand or my Australia are just mere creations of those two prophesised ?
They are OR they are not
For me I choose that they are and the economic system they have created globally are forms of their control.
food for thought
love john
Thank you for the useful post! I would not have gotten this otherwise!
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