The unifying theme of the Bible is not that our puny souls can or will be rescued for a hereafter home within the confines of the pearly gates above, paved with streets of gold—in some place called heaven. It is much bigger than that! We have made small that which is meant to encompass the world. Jesus reminded the people of his time that something greater has come into the world. Something greater than the Temple, he said. “Something greater is here.”
What is it? What is that greater thing, this unifying theme of the Bible? It is the Kingdom of God. It announces the fact that this present age is dying and a New Age is struggling to be born. This New Age is not in heaven, but here where we live, work, play, and love. This world. It is an unconsummated thing at present, but the Bible proclaims it is even now penetrating the old and will come to fruition. We live in the tension between what is and what is meant to be—between the old kingdom and the Kingdom yet unseen and unrealized.
When the Old Testament prophet spoke of swords beaten into plow-shares and a total end to violence and war (Micah 4:3; Isaiah 2:4; 11:9) he was speaking of the New Age to come. When the prophets envisioned the desert that would “rejoice and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1), a time of unimagined plenty (Amos 9:13-15) they were talking about the New Age that is to come. When the prophet said that a day would come when men “shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid,” he was announcing the coming of the New Age. That very theme of the Old Testament takes on new meaning in the New Testament.
The Good News of the gospel is all about this New Age. The gospel proclaims that the power of the New Age has broken in, has been let loose, and has grappled with the demonic powers of darkness, and defeated it on a Cross. The old age lingers on in its death groans—but the New Age has already conquered it and will eventually be triumphant. The old order is passing away, and the new order is coming into being.
Without this understanding, without this promise, without this larger vision of the New Age, we are caught, imprisoned, and held in bondage by the demonic powers of the present moment. We can say things will never change. We can give up all hope and responsibility for this world, retire from it by our self-congratulatory “I’ve been saved” mentality and not care about anyone else or anything else in this world, but this is not the biblical call. God cares for all and calls us to give witness to His Presence, Justice, and Love right here, right now, in this world, the world He loves and intends to save and make new.
No comments:
Post a Comment