“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
How does the story of Scripture end? Well, another founding of a city.
It’s a founding of the heavenly city and the destruction of Babylon. And so what the Bible is trying to get us to understand is the whole arc of redemptive history is a war between these two kingdoms.
It’s a war between those who say it’s me, it’s mine, it’s my kingdom, it’s my name, it’s all about me and I’m going to get as much as I can for myself against a kingdom whose ethic is I’m going to lay it all down for his name and his glory and his kingdom and his will because he reigns.
And in the end of all things we see that the kingdom of man is all destroyed.
Everything that they live for all the wealth and pleasure and everything else eventually at all right out of their hands and it will be destroyed but the kingdom of God is triumphant.
The contrast between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of man is starkly evident in their foundational principles: the Kingdom of God centers on God’s sovereignty and selflessness, whereas the kingdom of man often revolves around self-interest and pride. In the Kingdom of God, the call is to deny oneself and follow Christ, as Jesus states in Matthew 16:24 (ESV): “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” This kingdom values humility, service, and submission to God’s will (Matthew 20:26-28 (ESV)). On the other hand, the kingdom of man frequently exalts self-promotion and personal ambition, as depicted in James 3:16 (ESV): “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” The self-centered nature of human kingdoms contrasts sharply with the selfless, God-centered nature of His kingdom, which calls believers to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33 (ESV)).
As I oversee one of my patients nearing the end of life, I listen as she reflects back on 91 years.
She reflects on regrets asking, “what could have been different?” The response to herself was spending more time with her husband’s interests, instead of saying,” that doesn’t appeal to me,“ or “I certainly don’t have a desire to ever do that.”
The one thing I do not hear her say is, “I could have done more for Christ.” The joy of hearing her talk is the confidence that she spent her life loving Jesus. Did she make mistakes? Yes! She reflects on that also, but she was confident that the knowledge and teaching received from childhood into adulthood had equipped her with what was needed to stay faithful to Christ.
She often says, “I could have given more monetarily into the church,” but she has corrected this in later years by giving more to bless others.
Because of their faithfulness when she didn’t have much, God has given her wealth in the late years of her life.
Her advice to you? Stay faithful and give in to what little you have and God will give you the wisdom for far greater things. Will you make mistakes, yes! Does Christ forgive, yes, but only to a truly repentant heart?
Not until her 40s did she start investing money in the stock market. The children are grown and on their own, she started with $15. It’s never too late to invest in Christ or be wise with money!
As you reflect on your life what will you see? Will you see a repentant heart? A desire to do better? Taking time to love those near you? Will you see faithfulness in your walk with Christ?
