My wife Kristina is a lady with peculiar habits. She worked on a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle on our dining room table, which our grandchildren had left her after their visit. Now, most people look closely at the picture on the cover of the puzzle box, to get a good idea of how the tiny puzzle pieces fit together. Kristina works on the puzzle upside down and never looks at the picture on the box, because she says, “I like to exercise my brain this way.”
Kristina also has a habit of reading the last pages of a novel before she starts reading the front pages of the book. When I tell her that she is ruining the surprise ending, she insists, “I enjoy knowing who will be alive at the end of the book, so I don’t have to worry about them while I’m reading.”
I can’t change the way my wife reads or how she trains her brain, but I do have some concerns that may apply to you. Many of us are upset about the moral decadence in America. We are offended by the political climate and worried about the long-term health of our nation. This has led many to the erroneous conclusion that “Things will get darker and darker until the Lord comes again.”
When it comes to the Bible, I have read the back of the book, as well as the rest of the book, many times. There are scriptures that say wickedness will increase and the love of many people will grow cold (Mat. 24:12). However, there are also many scriptures that teach the triumph of the Lord’s Kingdom. The most frequently quoted Old Testament scripture in the New Testament is Psalm 110:1, The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make all your enemies a footstool for your feet (Mat. 22:44, Mk. 12:36, Luke 20:42-43, Acts 2:34-35, Heb. 1:13, 10:13). Do you believe Jesus will sit at the right hand of the Father until all his enemies are defeated and submit to him?
Daniel the prophet interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2. The interpretation of his dream was that a Kingdom would come after him that was established by God. God’s Kingdom would crush the kingdoms of the world and it would eventually fill the whole earth. Jesus also said the Kingdom of God would start like a tiny mustard seed and it would grow huge.
Historically, areas like Turkey and Greece have had thriving churches at one time which diminished because of persecutions, or the backsliding of the next generation. Nevertheless, the gospel has continued to spread, and the influence of the Kingdom of God has continued to grow from a tiny band of disciples to the greatest and most powerful force on earth. The influence of God’s Kingdom now affects not only the Church, but also education, medicine, business, human rights, justice, and food distribution. The blessings we experience in these areas have been impacted by the Kingdom of God.
As a sports fan, if your favorite team falls behind, you don’t give up in resignation prematurely. Fans know that comebacks are possible in sports. Competition is exciting because we don’t know the outcome of a game until it is played out. In a great movie, you may know that the hero will somehow survive. The excitement comes because you don’t know how the hero will outwit the bad guys.
We have a picture of the Lord’s triumph shown to us in the Bible. Light and truth will put the Lord’s enemies under his feet because they are destined to bow before him. We see pieces of the historical puzzle in front of us and by faith we watch the Lord put them together. Sin and evil impact society like sickness affects our bodies. In a similar way that good medicines destroy harmful bacteria, light can dispel darkness and truth declared by the power of the Holy Spirit can overcome sin.
Those who believe in Jesus have a part in his triumph because it’s our job to spread the gospel throughout the earth. We are light and salt in our generation. Let your light shine brightly, because that is your calling, and your privilege. Your obedience will bring a reward.