Are You A Citizen?

Oh, I’m sure you are a citizen of India or Canada or America. But are you a citizen of the new country Jesus came to found–the kingdom of heaven? Jesus emphasized this unique citizenship at the start of his ministry. “From that time (after his baptism and temptation) Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near'” (Matt 4:17). Then in his great Sermon of the Mount he explains citizenship in this kingdom and the responsibilities of its citizens.

His sermon begins with the manifesto of his kingdom. It was not to be a kingdom delineated by geography, the racial makeup of its citizens, the military prowess of the government, nor the GDP of this new entity. No, the wealth of this kingdom was in the character of its citizens. He went on in the beatitudes to describe 7 characteristics of heavenly citizens.

First, they are “poor in spirit,” that is humble. Why? Because these men and women understand the rebellious, independent, proud, and sinful nature of their own hearts. They are conscious of their spiritual poverty. They realize they are unrighteous and totally in need of God’s forgiveness to enter his kingdom. Which leads them secondly to “mourn,” that is, grieve over their own sins, confessing them to God and asking for his forgiveness. When they discover to their astonishment, that God forgives them, comforts them, and adopts them into his heavenly family, they become, thirdly, meek. Instead of continuing to adopt the worldly habits of being pushy and assertive and demanding, they become submissive to God’s will relying more on prayer and faith than their own skills and willpower for results.

In Christ’s kingdom, character counts. And those who adopt these attitudes through the help of the Holy Spirit discover a growing blessedness, an increasing happiness.

Fourthly, these citizens hunger and thirst for righteousness. Instead of a passion for wealth and sex and prestige, they delight in God’s commandments which they come to realize are good and perfect. They long for holiness, “without which no man shall see God.”

Fifthly, as these character qualities transform their lives, they become passionate about being merciful and doing deeds that bless others. Sixthly, in order to progress in these qualities, they cull out everything in their lives that is harmful so that they may be pure of heart, that is, have an undivided heart that focuses on King Jesus and all that pleases him. Purity of vision, clarified by Scripture.

Seventhly, they early discover that in essence Christ’s kingdom is not a war-like entity but bent on spreading blessing. And so they spread peace, working always to heal divisions and bring people together in love for each other and Christ.

Strangely, all these qualities of character which ought to be celebrated by mankind do the opposite. They stir up resentment, jealousy, and anger resulting in persecution which heavenly citizens expect and accept. Wherever we look today, whether in Nigeria or France or Canada, citizens of the kingdom of God face persecution to a lessor and greater degree. In Canada, harmful laws are enacted to limit the freedom of disciples to declare truth. In Nigeria churches are burnt and Christians killed.

The kingdom of heaven is distinguished by the character of its citizens. It is important to note that these seven qualities of character are not embraced in isolation from each other. As G. Campbell Morgan writes; “There is a great sequence. Experimentally, no man enters into any of these, save in the order indicated. First, the poverty of spirit, which ends rebellion, and, submissive to the King kisses His scepter; then the mourning that follows; then the meekness that ensues; then the passion that flames; then the service that is merciful; then the purity of heart that enables a man to see God’ and then the great, sweet, strong, influence of peace, and man becomes a peacemaker.  The proportion in which men release this character is the proportion in which they realize happiness.”(Studies In The Gospels, p.45)

To be continued.

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. If I can help you spiritually, let me know. Further articles, books, and stories at:  Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ; Eric’s books are available at: https://www.amazon.com/Eric-E.-Wright/e/B00355HPKK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share) Picture licensed CC BY-SA

Comparing Biblical Prophecy with Weather Prediction

I remember vividly the summer that wasn’t. I would wake hoping that a new day would bring sunshine and clear skies. Instead, another overcast day of intermittent rain. Even early July, statistically one of the driest, hottest weeks of the Canadian summer was soggy and cool. The lawn was waterlogged. All the veggies late. The farmers bit their fingernails as they eyed hay that needed cutting and wheat harvested.

Paradoxically, long range forecasts had predicted a warmer than usual summer. A Canadian forecaster admitted that they had been only 30% right that year. He even confessed that a non-techie could probably do as well. And yet, today’s meteorologists use the most sophisticated weather predicting equipment ever assembled.

Without any equipment, biblical prophets score an accuracy rate of 100%. By contrast if forecasters even score an unlikely high of 90%, an unpredictable hurricane—part of the 10% they miss—can still wreak devastation. Of course meteorologists have to rely on human calculations whereas biblical prophets relied on God’s inspiration. We should not be surprised that whatever God predicts comes to pass without fail.

The accuracy of the Bible’s prophecies should astonish us. Neither the Koran nor the Hindu Vedas nor the Bhagavad-Gita contain prophecy. The same can be said of Buddha’s sayings, those of Confucius, and the Book of Mormon. About 30% of the Bible’s content, however, consists of prophecy—part of that is prediction and part preaching.

Jesus’ life and death followed an outline laid out in prophecy centuries before his birth. In the gospels a repeated refrain draws our attention to this fact. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. . . . this is what the prophet has written. . . . and so was fulfilled what the Lord has said through the prophet.”[1] The way Jesus’ life fulfilled prophecy is nothing short of miraculous.

But consider several more obscure prophecies. John Blanchard writes, “Around 920 B.C., an unnamed prophet told Jereboam, the first King of [divided] Israel, that his throne would one day be occupied by a king called Josiah, who would sweep away the widespread idolatry promoted by Jereboam. This seemed nonsensical to the all-powerful Jereboam but 300 years later Josiah “did just as predicted.[2]

Take another example. Between 740 and 700 BC Isaiah predicted a series of events including the fall of Jerusalem, the Babylonian captivity, the return of the exiles, and the rebuilding of the temple under someone named Cyrus. About 200 years later these events transpired exactly as prophesied. Without divine inspiration, Isaiah could not have known the name of the future king of a kingdom (Persia) that was not even in existence during his lifetime.

Scores of other examples could be cited. To demonstrate the impossibility of prophetic fulfillment being the result of chance, Peter Stoner picked 11 prophecies. As explained in his book, Science Speaks, he calculated that the probability of their fulfillment would be one in 8×10⁶³. John Blanchard explains what this would mean. “If we were to scoop together a pile of coins equal to 100 billion stars in each of two trillion galaxies in just one second, and then add to the pile at the same rate every second, day and night, for twenty-one years, we would be ready for the test. If we then asked a blindfolded friend to pick out one marked coin from this incomprehensibly massive pile, his chances of doing so would be one in 8×10⁶³, the same as the likelihood that” the prophets would have been accurate.[3]

I appreciate weather forecasters. They do the best they can with their equipment but when I want certainty about the future, I turn to the Bible. The future is in the hand of the Father. We need not fear the unknown. The trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will arise. Jesus will return with all his saints. Every eye will see him. There will be a day of judgment and all evil will be overcome. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. Tears will be wiped away. The kingdom will come. All this, and much more, we can know for sure.

Eternal God, I read the prophets with amazement. Thank you for the astounding book you have given us. Accurate in all it affirms—past, present, and future. Although my understanding of all the details about the future is quite limited, I know I can trust you to work it out for your glory—perfectly. The future is in your hands. Amen! 

Get my new book Doctrine in Denim, Concise devotional studies on the Essential Doctrines of The Christian Faith. Truth to anchor our Faith in a time of Drift and Doubt. For personal devotions; small groups, or reference. As a paperback or ebook. Available wherever Amazon operates.

(Watch for a reprint of Down A Country Road from which this was taken. Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. If I can help you spiritually, let me know. Further articles, books, and stories at:  Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ; Eric’s books are available at: https://www.amazon.com/Eric-E.-Wright/e/B00355HPKK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share)

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[1] See Matt. 1:22; 2:5,15,17; 3:3, etc.

[2] John Blanchard, Does God Believe In Atheists? Darlington: Evangelical Press, 2000, p. 409 Read Blanchard’s short, but excellent section on prophecy from page 407 to 410. For this specific prophecy compare 1 Kings 13:1,2 with 2 Kings 21:25 – 22:2; 23: 15-18

[3] Ibid, p. 409,410

Can We Really Know Truth? – Doctrine in Denim

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(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. If I can help you spiritually, let me know. Further articles, books, and stories at:  Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ; All Eric’s books are available at: https://www.amazon.com/Eric-E.-Wright/e/B00355HPKK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share)