Read today’s texts first: Ezekiel 38,39; Psalms 145; Revelation 20
MAXIMize YOUR DAY
The secret to staying within God’s Kingdom and
enduring with Him to the end is submission to the King.
enduring with Him to the end is submission to the King.
This morning is one where we can say with Hannibal Smith (head of the A-Team), “I love it when a plan comes together!” All the assigned passages dovetail perfectly. In fact, the prophecies concerning Gog and Magog in Ezekiel connect seamlessly to John’s prophecy in Revelation. They were written over 600 years apart about an event yet to happen more than 2000 years later. And the reason these powers will fall is conveniently explained in the hinge-pin Psalm: Your Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations…The Lord…lifts up all who are bowed down…The Lord watches over all who love Him, but the wicked He will destroy (145:13,14,20).
History is an anthology of great kingdoms rising and falling. They seem so powerful and unstoppable while they are in power, but they all come crashing down eventually. The same will be true for the one world-wide superpower that attempts to mess with God and His people in the end time. I love the Tshirt I saw in Jerusalem of a map of Israel filled with intimidating cactus thorns under which reads, “Don’t Mess With Israel.” While funny and somewhat true, it misses the point. Israel’s pride has been its downfall, just like every other kingdom around them. The only constant is God’s promise and it’s that promise alone that has sustained His people Israel under the old covenant and His people the church under the new.
The secret to staying within His Kingdom and enduring with Him to the end is submission to the King. Bowing down to Him and loving Him keeps us within the protective boundaries of His eternal Kingdom, but pride will always lead us outside the walls into the line of fire. “Lord, keep me humble today and every day of my life so I can pass the ultimate endurance test!”
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