The Coming Glory

Today, I was reviewing Jonathon Edwards' on concerted efforts of prayer by the church. His main point in asking for increased prayer for God's Kingdom to come is that many Old Testament passages promise a measure of glory and gospel coverage over the earth that was never realized before Christ and has yet to be seen since His coming. For that reason, these prophecies remain unfulfilled, and the job of the church is to pray until they come into being.

He quotes passages in Isaiah of the ends of the earth seeing His glory, the isles hearing of His love, all nations coming to worship Him, and of course, my favorite: the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord just as the waters cover the sea.

Do you believe? Can you believe this is the future God has for us. Edwards argues that although every knee will bow to Jesus in Judgement, there are other implication of He and His people inheriting the earth. It's a promise of fullness, all nations being blessed in His seed, all the land coming under the ruling of the One who created it all in the first place.

I, for one, am tired of a half-powerful Gospel which lasts just long enough to hold up against the forces of Anti-Christ. A survival mentality has stripped the church of their commission to occupy until He comes. What does it mean to occupy-to fill every enemy land. To fully possess. Not a word of all God spoke to Joshua was left undone, and we must fully believe the Gospel has the power to totally transform tribes, nations, and peoples of the earth with the mustard seed destined to grow, the leaven destined to spread throughout the whole earth.

I like Edwards because he is totally Biblical, finding passage after passage that cannot be fulfilled but for a historic outpouring of the Spirit which propels the church beyond anything we've yet to experience. He says it must start with us, being gripped with a spirit of prayer, and as people see God's people aflame, multitudes will be drawn to the heat.

Rather than gather his escatology from the Washington Post, or Hollywood snapshot of end time scenerios, or of obscure rapture passages, Edwards offers a systematic view of a growing church from Genesis to Revelations, always growing, becoming brighter, under the sovereign Hand of God, with the express purpose of spreading over every portion of God's created earth. Pray for that!