“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel 2:44
What does the fact that God is sovereign over history have to do with an individual believer, on this side of Pentecost, and the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy concerning the universal outpouring of the Spirit? And what does the knowledge of every believer’s union with Christ have to do with how the Christian is to live, in a manner that will glorify God? To both questions comes the same response. God has, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, interjected Himself, intervened into time and space, into this very present moment we call “today,” to reveal Himself by the saving work of Christ, and the manifest power of Christ’s life by the indwelling Spirit. For what purpose “today?” To this question there is but one answer, and it has to do with the glory of God, and the salvation of men in this present age.
In the book of Proverbs, there is revealed the importance in God’s eyes of having a vision, not just any vision, but one of the truth, and of God. The author writes: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (29:18) In the book of Hosea, we find a parallel verse basically declaring the same thing when the Lord says: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 3:6) That lack of knowledge may be the willful rejection of the truth, but it may also be the lack of exposure to the truth, an ignorance of the truth. The point is, as the old saint so well expressed it in his prayer in Psalm 71:18, “Now also, when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to everyone that is to come.” In the New Testament, at the conclusion of Christ’s words to His disciples, He gave them a commission, which said: “All power is given unto Me in heaven, and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo I am with you always, even uno the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:18-20) In what has been declared to be the Great Commission, the Lord Jesus brings to bear the imperative of spreading the eternal truth of Him, His gospel, and His way of salvation. He goes on to specifically reveal that this message, given by His authority and power, is not to be just known, but to be embraced, believed, and obeyed. Why? It is because His truth, and His alone, sets the sinner free from sin and death. His power, according to the truth, can unlock the prison cell of sin and Satan, to liberate the helplessly lost soul. The message throughout time and eternity has been that the eternal God who is the Creator, is also the Great God who is the sole Redeemer and Savior of men. This is why in heaven, one of the greatest songs of praise and blessing of God is heard when “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, heard I saying, ‘Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.'” (Rev. 5:13-14)
So, why must we grasp something of the present day working of the Sovereign God of Empires? It is because we are part of the story of those empires, with a very real, eternal purpose and task, one of primarily walking with God, communing with Him, that He may speak and testify of the truth, and His saving life through us.
Dear Father, Speak freely through us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.