"I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how
I wish it were already kindled!'"
Luke 12 : 49
Jesus' picture of the future and the coming king-
dom God skewers several popular misconception
about this earth, Jesus' own mission, and world
peace. Lets listen attentively as He sets the
record straight.
Popular but Incorrect Ideas
1. About this earth. Today the popular thinking
is that the earth is sacred, the "mother" of all life.
We must care for it so it will last forever, right?
Wrong. Jesus' shocking opening statement obli-
terates this idea: read again the devotion above.
Peter has already told us that the earth and its
works will be burned. up" in Judgment
(2Pet. 3:10). There is nothing that is permanent,
then, except the eternal souls of human beings
and God's everlasting Word.
Jesus is reffering to the time when God's plan
will have run its course when all the pain, all the
headache, all the disasters, all the calamities,
all the consequences of sin to will be finished.
when it's all over, when Judgment's done, when
family of God will be united in peace, Jesus
longed to fulfill His role as Judge because that
would signal the death of sin and the dawn of the
new heavens and a new earth. Remember, He
holds the blueprints for another world, a grander
place that He has designed for us. As Peter wrote
"We are looking for new heaven and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13).
Although we must be wise stewards and have
respect for the work of God's hands, this earth
is not the paradise God has planned.
2. About Jesus mission. some people believe
Jesus came to subdue the world with philosophy
of love, but that the forces of hate overwhelmed
Him and killed Him. The Cross, therefore,
symbolizes the tragic end of Christ's impossible
dream. However, the Cross was no mistake; it
was the centerpiece of Jesus mission. "But I have
a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am
until it is accomplished!" (Luke 12:50) The
"baptism" would be no dip in the Jordan river, but
an immersion in the fiery cauldron of God's wrath.
Jesus came to suffer God's judgment so that we
might avoid it (see John 3:16-17). The Cross sym-
bolize spiritual victory, not defeat. it is the bridge
of peace joining sinful people and a holy God.
3. About peace. Another popular but incorrect
idea is that our human power can establish peace
in the world. It's a noble aim, but an unrealistic
and even misguided one. Even Jesus didn't come
to established world peace. On the contrary, He
frequently disrupted it! Read (Luke 12:51-53).
Remember, Christ offers us peace with God, not
peace with the world. Nor, necessarily, peace with
our families The more we live as citizens of His
kingdom the more disharmony we can expect
between us and the citizen of this earth.
I wish it were already kindled!'"
Luke 12 : 49
Jesus' picture of the future and the coming king-
dom God skewers several popular misconception
about this earth, Jesus' own mission, and world
peace. Lets listen attentively as He sets the
record straight.
Popular but Incorrect Ideas
1. About this earth. Today the popular thinking
is that the earth is sacred, the "mother" of all life.
We must care for it so it will last forever, right?
Wrong. Jesus' shocking opening statement obli-
terates this idea: read again the devotion above.
Peter has already told us that the earth and its
works will be burned. up" in Judgment
(2Pet. 3:10). There is nothing that is permanent,
then, except the eternal souls of human beings
and God's everlasting Word.
Jesus is reffering to the time when God's plan
will have run its course when all the pain, all the
headache, all the disasters, all the calamities,
all the consequences of sin to will be finished.
when it's all over, when Judgment's done, when
family of God will be united in peace, Jesus
longed to fulfill His role as Judge because that
would signal the death of sin and the dawn of the
new heavens and a new earth. Remember, He
holds the blueprints for another world, a grander
place that He has designed for us. As Peter wrote
"We are looking for new heaven and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13).
Although we must be wise stewards and have
respect for the work of God's hands, this earth
is not the paradise God has planned.
2. About Jesus mission. some people believe
Jesus came to subdue the world with philosophy
of love, but that the forces of hate overwhelmed
Him and killed Him. The Cross, therefore,
symbolizes the tragic end of Christ's impossible
dream. However, the Cross was no mistake; it
was the centerpiece of Jesus mission. "But I have
a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am
until it is accomplished!" (Luke 12:50) The
"baptism" would be no dip in the Jordan river, but
an immersion in the fiery cauldron of God's wrath.
Jesus came to suffer God's judgment so that we
might avoid it (see John 3:16-17). The Cross sym-
bolize spiritual victory, not defeat. it is the bridge
of peace joining sinful people and a holy God.
3. About peace. Another popular but incorrect
idea is that our human power can establish peace
in the world. It's a noble aim, but an unrealistic
and even misguided one. Even Jesus didn't come
to established world peace. On the contrary, He
frequently disrupted it! Read (Luke 12:51-53).
Remember, Christ offers us peace with God, not
peace with the world. Nor, necessarily, peace with
our families The more we live as citizens of His
kingdom the more disharmony we can expect
between us and the citizen of this earth.
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