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RenewingMinds
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Grace Amidst Conflict and Division
We are living in an Age called The Time of the Gentiles, an age marked by conflict and division--between nations (Matthew 24:7), between groups, families, and even the most solemn of unions--marriages.
Jesus said, Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his [own] household.' Matthew 10:34-36. ESV
This Age is characterized by the presence of God's grace amidst conflict and division. In the next age, known as the Millennium or Kingdom Age, human conflict will be mitigated by the physical Return and Kingdom Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ over the earth. Following the Kingdom Age, God will usher in a "New Heavens and a New Earth" wherein peace and righteousness prevail and conflict and division will be but a memory. Today, however, great confusion abounds when the distinction between these two ages and the subsequent eternal state are not recognized. This can happen on either an intellectual or emotional level, resulting in Kingdom conditions being made expectations for the here-and-now.
Each holiday, the famous musical work of Georg Friederich Handel (1685-1759), MESSIAH, is performed in symphony auditoriums and churches around the world. Handel based his lyrics largely upon prophetic portions of the Old Testament which speak of the future kingdom reign of the Messiah. The words for his "Hallelujah Chorus" are taken from Isaiah 9:6 which speak of the Lord Jesus Christ as Israel's Coming Messiah.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ESV
And, Zacharias being filled with the Holy Spirit spoke of John the Baptist, forerunner to the Lord Jesus Christ, in this way:
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:76-79. ESV
And at the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, a "multitude" of angels prophetically sang:
Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Luke 2:14
But to His disciples, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke these solemn and contrary words:
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his [own] household.' Matthew 10:34-36. ESV
Do [you] suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Luke 12:51-53. ESV
Conflict...? Division...? How can this be? Where's the promised love and harmony? Why does the "Prince of Peace" not bring about the "way of peace," and why does he appear to contradict the promised benefits of His coming? The answer is found in understanding the difference between The Times of the Gentiles and the Kingdom Age to come. All Christian pacifists and so-called "peace churches" are fundamentally out of step with God's program for the ages.
The Roots of Conflict and Division
For now, it is imperative for you to understand the biblical teaching of THE DOCTRINE OF THE TWO MEN--the First Adam and the Last Adam. These representative men constitute the foundation of God's dealings with humanity. The First Adam is initially mentioned in Genesis 1:26, 27. By natural heredity, he is the progenitor of all mankind, the Head of the first creation.
By contrast, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Last Adam, the representative Head and spiritual progenitor of a new race and a New Creation. As spiritual progenitor, He is the author of our spiritual birth (John 3:3,7).
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:45-49. ESV
Through Christ's death on Calvary's Cross, His burial, His resurrection and ascension, the Last Adam condemned and set aside all that pertains to the First Adam. The life (animation) which flows from each of these two representative Heads (Adamic sources) is different in nature. There is an inherent antagonism, a deep-seated hatred (enmity) from the humanity of First Adam against the sphere of the Last Adam. This is often seen in a clash of authority. With respect to this antagonism, the Apostle Paul wrote:
But just as at that time the one born by natural descent persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so it is now. Galatians 4:29. ESV
...the sinful mind is hostile to God. Romans 8:7 NIV
The following diagram may help in understanding this spiritual enmity:
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Born-Again Individuals |
In the religious world, "forgiveness" and "tolerance" are the touted panaceas for peace, inclusivism, and for patching over broken relationships. But do they really work? Read:For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. 2 Corinthians 2:15,16. NIV
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