God is not distant and impersonal. He didn’t create the universe, wind it up to get it going and then just walk away. He created mankind in His own image, with body, soul and spirit, in order to have a relationship with Him (Genesis 1:27). Humans are not cosmic accidents; they are not the product of billions of years of random chance and natural selection, as evolutionists and secular humanists would have you believe. The apostle Paul reminds us, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
The complexities of God’s ways are above us. Isaiah wrote, “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9). God has always had a masterplan for civilization. His plan is perfect just as He is perfect.
Comprehending the mind of God and the mystery of His divine plan for humanity is contingent upon our appreciation of scripture and what is embedded within the text. Understanding the convergence of the spiritual realm and the physical realm that has played out from the beginning of creation, witnessed the fall of mankind and our need for redemption through the brilliant strategy of the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ and ultimately culminating in His return to judge humanity, is paramount in formulating our worldview and how we choose to live out our faith.
Because sin entered the world through one man (Adam) and brought with it death, sin had to be overcome by conquering death, which required the death of the only one who could not be held by the constraints of death (Jesus). This is what Paul explains in Romans 5:12-19. Jesus laid his life down. No one took it from him. This was the plan all along and the spiritual forces aligned against him were completely bested by Christ and were complicit in facilitating His crucifixion.
It was incumbent upon Jesus to be ambiguous concerning His true identity until the appropriate time in order to preserve His life until He could carry out His divine mission. Once the demons knew who Jesus was (Mathew 8:28-29), it became crucial that His strategy remain a secret so the powers of evil could not undermine God’s plan. In 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 Paul discloses why. “No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
In addition to being convoluted regarding His Messiah status so that the spiritual principalities and powers would not know His plan for the atonement of sins, He needed to be evasive with the religious leaders in order to keep them from derailing His mission. As it turned out, the physical enemies of Christ and their spiritual influencers did exactly what God required for the success of His redemptive game plan. They never saw Christ’s resurrection coming and inadvertently were the catalysts that brought about His sacrifice and ultimately the salvation of the world and judgement upon themselves.
John 12:31-32 chronicles Jesus saying, “Now is the time for judgement of this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” Jesus was serving notice upon the spiritual principalities and powers that govern the world and namely Satan, that he was about to circumvent their strategy to sabotage God’s plan.
What appeared to be the defeat of Jesus was actually the greatest victory over the spiritual powers of darkness in history. Jesus resurrected on the third day, thereby conquering death and paving the way for eternal life, not only for Jesus but for all those who believe in Him.
Pinpoint Precision
When we discover the concealed precision that lies just beneath the surface of scripture we realize that supernatural entities of the spiritual realm have been creating obstacles to humanity’s relationship with God throughout history. They were present when God created mankind (Genesis 1:26) and are mentioned as being members of the great assembly of heavenly hosts (Psalm 82:1, Psalm 89:7, 1 Kings 22:19-23). Additionally, there was Lucifer and his hoard of fallen angels (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:14, 17; Revelation 12:7-10; Job 1:6-7). Satan debuted as the serpent in the garden of Eden that deceived Eve.
By inducing civilization to unite to build a tower to heaven at Babel, these spirit beings brought about the dispersal of mankind when God confused their language causing the cessation of collaboration on the project. This event proved instrumental in the worshipping of other gods by these splinter groups that grew into nations steeped in idolatry (Deuteronomy 32:7-9) and will once again be shown instrumental in the restoration of all peoples to God.
The scrambling of language at Babel was reversed on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit arrived and enabled the disciples to preach the gospel in the languages of the foreigners present, thereby commencing the delivery of the gospel to all nations. In Mathew 28:18-19, Jesus tells the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This continues today as the gospel is being translated and spread globally.
What drove the nations apart at Babel and precipitated diverse and isolated populations impacted more than just language. The resulting cultural differences, ethnic biases, racism and personal prejudices in society all stem from that spiritual downfall and subsequent judgement. Praise God that He has provided the bridge through Christ that is now bringing all peoples back together into one family. This restoration is an integral component in the culmination of all things (Matthew 24:14).
He Will Return
Undertones of the spiritual victory are also concealed in the plan for Christ to return for his church. In similar fashion to how Jesus became like us (manifested as a man), He has promised to make believers like Him when we will be resurrected as He was with immortal bodies like His. Satan knows this will happen but he has no idea when. Just as the identity and the planned sacrifice of Christ was veiled and secretive, so is the timing of the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven. In the same way that the powers of darkness played into God’s hand regarding Christ’s atonement for sin, they will do so again by following the antichrist in an all out rebellion against God that will bring about their complete destruction.
The inescapable truth is that God created humans and spiritual beings with free will and He will not violate that fundamental provision because of His love for us. Everything recorded in scripture is the documentation of the lengths God has gone to in order to maintain the integrity of His original design without circumventing freedom of choice for both humans and angels.
As beings created in the image of God, freedom is an attribute we share with Him which facilitates a vibrant, active and willing reciprocal relationship between us, and is only made possible through faith in Christ. A relationship cannot be one sided. That is why all other religions that attempt to please God through deed and ceremony fall infinitely short of bridging the chasm that separates man from God because of sin. Only God can span this divide and Jesus did.
This reality extends to all worldviews including secular and cultural self-centeredness, and relativism. Without God as the objective moral standard which we aspire to imitate, history has proven that mankind tends to take the path of least resistance and descend into anarchy or disproportional totalitarianism. The prevalence of evil in society is evidence of this undeniable fact. It is a wide road and it leads to destruction.
God doesn’t want to condemn anyone to eternal punishment and he is patient with us and has provided ample time for us to repent and wholeheartedly seek him (2 Peter3:9). He has provided the pathway through Jesus. It is a narrow path and only a few find it and it leads to an entrance, not an exit (Matthew 7:13-14). Additionally, it separates the wheat from the chaff.
God’s promise to Abraham that he will bless all the nations through him is playing out as Christianity spreads the gospel (despite the oppositional forces aligned against it). The apostle Paul was fundamental in igniting the early church two thousand years ago and as evangelism runs it course the gospel will be preached to every nation on earth until the full number of Gentiles has come into the kingdom (Romans 11:25). Then all will be completed as Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
God’s magnificent masterplan dovetails both spiritual and physical agendas perfectly into one beautifully designed strategic initiative that enables freedom of choice and freedom to love while administering justice. Evil is exposed for what it is and the righteous are rewarded with eternal life. All we can say is thank you God for your immeasurable love and mercy.
