Is the Messianic Kingdom Perfect?
Good Morning Friends,
The Messianic Age according to Wikipedia is a theological term referring to a future time of universal peace and brotherhood on the earth, without crime, war and poverty. Many Abrahamic religions believe that there will be such an age; some refer to it as the consummate “kingdom of God”, “paradise”, Peaceable Kingdom, or the “world to come”. Ever wonder what this place God is preparing for us will feel like? Ever wonder what heaven will be like? Ever wonder what the second heaven will be like? In today’s scripture we explore the Way to this time. The first comes from when the disciples had just eaten the Passover meal together in the upper room. The Way the disciples were learning about was of course Jesus. This Jesus, it is clear, came so we might have an abundant life….freedom from sin. And with this in mind and because Jesus knew that the next few hours would bring powerful inner tensions of polar extremes in the lives of His disciples…because He knew that they would oscillate between fear and love, he comforts them with a vision of hope…a reference point of stability, though temporary…the promise of a new home. And then after Jesus’ return and reign a new heaven and a new earth.
But first as described in Revelation, Jesus comes to reign here on earth. For His return it is a bit complicated as to what will happen. But it does raise a question relevant this morning for me. Will the Messianic Kingdom Be Perfect?
Scripture: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”
John 14:1-4 (NRSV)
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:6-9 (NRSV)
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2:4 (NRSV)
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:9 (NRSV)
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, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Revelation 21:1-7 (NRSV)
Message: We need friends to encourage us in our spiritual growth. We need friends to help us build our character. We need friends to give us strength. Indeed, two people can protect each other, they can complete more work together than alone. On a cold night they can share warmth. Yes two is better than one. But a cord of three is better yet for it is not easily broken especially when Jesus is the third strand. So when it comes to heaven, we need to trust that Jesus will be there, we need to trust in things that we cannot see. We need to realize that words cannot describe what is being prepared for us, though we do believe it will be real, right, relational and rewarding. On this Trinity Sunday it is good for us to contemplate that our future will be an extension of the relationships we have now. And that includes first and foremost our relationship with God in all of the Divine’s complexity. Thankfully much of me and you are already there. Our names are there. Our citizenship is there. Our God is there. Our Savior is there. Our inheritance is there. Whether we will embrace the image or reality of a city or a country or a kingdom or a paradise or a house…we will not just be a guest but a resident. We will call it home and should start imagining where we live now as such a place of stability, if only temporary, for there is to be a new heaven and a new earth in the cycles of our lives…in the transformative movement of Holy History. As we age it becomes clear that what we see in the mirror will not last. We like the seed must die. But if we read scripture right even heaven is not our final resting place for there will be a new heaven and a new earth and that means we get a new home after the new home. The dynamic tension somehow continues. On the way to this place of the heart, this place of intimacy with God, we pray in the tension of faith and decide if we are seeking human wholeness or divine perfection. Sometimes too many instructions get in the way of understanding the directions so I will keep it clear and simple. The way home to God is Jesus and He is not just a systematic approach to living but a dynamic process of great tension in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We too must face this tension of the Way and its creative and integrative work to its completion in Kingdom service. And because Jesus is never ending and as God infinite… and Jesus’ Spirit is in us…the process may never end. And so here on earth as we learn to trust in his presence and in His promise and in His person… And here for a time as we find peace….. Here we finally touch just a little bit of heaven and the crying stops and we embrace Jesus. Someday the entire occupation of the world will be only to know God… perceive truths and comprehend our Creator’s wisdom, our Savior’s redemption, and the Sustaining guidance of the Holy Spirit. Friends, the Messiah is perfect but His Kingdom on earth on His return will be far from perfect. The notion of human perfection can drive us to a despair that amounts to blasphemy. Friends, we are not perfect and yet we can become holy. Indeed our search for truth might lead us to a discussion about Schrödinger’s cat. Here the image of what we see becomes our reality…alive or dead. But that I think misses the point that we are on a journey to holiness that is to uplift God’s image and His truth in us. Friends, the notion of human perfection is nice to contemplate but the message today is about our relationships on the journey to holiness. Imagine Jesus seeing you as being a wave not a particle. The Kingdom work is not done. Our presence here ought to be a foretaste of heaven. It ought to be a place where we are sensitive to one another, developing relationships that will continue throughout all eternity. Our job is, in our relationships, to imagine that reality.
Pray we stop and think about the Messianic Kingdom and heaven and the new heaven on this Trinity Sunday. Pray we meditate on Jesus’ return and the new earth to come. Pray we do not sin but that if we do…when we do, we still find a way through Jesus to God. Pray with praise and thanksgiving that God will take care of us now and forever. Pray others find their way home. Pray that in our soul’s journey from its bodily home to its union with God that we have victory over any sense of loneliness and desolation. Pray for heaven on earth. Pray for a new heaven and a new earth. Pray for the stability and continuous improvement of a place called home… Pray we experience now and forevermore the intimacy of the Father and the true reality of the spiritual life as we connect through Jesus in response to the Spirit placed in us. Pray our very souls resonant with the Trinity.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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