THE NEW WORLD –THE FINAL PROMISE
God’s plan to redeem the world began with the coming of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. “For God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). Paul had this insight, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to the frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjects it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in pains of childbearing right up to the present time” (Romans 8:19-22).
“The earth is the Lord’s and all the fullness in it; so is the world and they that live in it” (Psalms 24:1), but the head ruler is not. It was Satan that offered all the kingdoms to Jesus (Matthews 4:8-9; Lake 4:5-7). Jesus made this prediction “I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the father and that I do exactly what my father had commanded me” (John 14:30-31). It is the love of God revealed in Christ that sets God apart from the evil the world is experiencing at the hands of the devil. John had this vision of the culprit that initiates chaos and upheaval on earth. “And there was war in heaven. Michael and the angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down –- that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you. He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring (Christians and Jews) –- those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea” (Revelation 12).
The reference to the sea as a barrier for the dragon is symbolic of the two women, Sarah and Hagar who are kept apart by the American continents. The dragon has been successful in recruiting warriors in America that are doing his bidding of destroying God’s remnant without realizing whom they serve. Those with evil intent against God’s people and laws prove by their actions whose servants they are. Jesus offered this description, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? It is because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:42-44). Even Christians shall be pawned into public seclusion and mistrust against each other. Jesus warned, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from their faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people” (Matthew 24:4-5; 9-11).
Satan is only in his early stages of desecrating, defiling and devastating planet earth. According to the revelation Peter received, “The heavens will vanish with a roar; the elements will melt away by fire, and the earth and everything on it will burn up” (II Peter 3:10). Mismanagement will lead to food shortages, two catastrophic accidents and wars and diseases will deplete two thirds of the world’s population in a short time (Revelation 8, 9). After Satan and his angels have finished with this world it will take a thousand years to heal and restore the planet earth. “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless and a great chain. He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him foe a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should not deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let loose for a little while (Revelation 20:1-3). God will give Satan a second chance to amend his ways and then be confined forever (Revelation 20:7-10).
“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads. They came to life again, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life again until the thousand years ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4-6). At the end of Christ’s reign, the second resurrection the rest of mankind will come to life and be judged according to their deeds. Those that have done well will be rewarded and those that did evil will join Satan in his new world (Revelation 20:11-15).
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a great voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning or crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ He also said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said again, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end'” (Revelation 21:1-6). Those that shall dismiss the visions of John will not be allowed to share in God’s New World (Revelation 22).
The Apostle Paul had this disclosure, “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ‘For God has put all things in subjection under his feet.’ But when he says, ‘All things are put in subjection under him,’ it is plain that he is expected who put all things under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one” (I Corinthians 15:24-28). The “New World” is the final Promise and the “Eternal Home” for those that put their trust in Christ.
Stop and Think - Rev Dr. Daniel Kolke 