Zechariah says it clearly! “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth, and His name one” (Zech. 14:9). You may respond, “God has always been King over this earth, right?” Yes! But not in the sense spoken of here. This world is in disorder and our nation is in confusion. Our government is shaky! Our laws are shaky! Whether we want to admit it or not (even before the pandemic), we no longer live in a “United States of America.” We have become more and more the divided states. The cultural elite (a highly educated wealthy class) that live in major coastal cities, determine the culture that the rest of us absorb. These cultural elites produce the movies that we watch, the books that we read, the songs that we sing, the professors that teach on our university campuses (that we send our children to), and they control the vast media that determines the news that we absorb – daily. There is a constant flow of graduates from major universities who have been brainwashed to believe that man, reason, and science are the only wells of truth worth drinking from. Belief in the God of the Bible is quickly jettisoned from their thinking. Our western culture worships at the shrine of indulgence and gratification. Pleasure-seeking is the motive behind everything we produce and do. Many bow the knee to the shrine of sensual satisfaction. The altar includes technology, sports, fashion, movies – you name it. It is impossible to miss.
We are living through a sexual revolution! In public areas, sex screams at us at every turn – from television to movie screens, from billboards to the pages of magazines. The shelves of bookstores bulge with volumes about sex and graphically display its wares. Television talk shows freely discuss pornography, impotence, premarital sex, group sex, sadomasochism and many other variations of sexual behavior. Sodomy is completely normalized.
High tech media shopping online, large metropolitan malls constantly bombard us with things that we simply cannot live without; new techno gadgets of every kind. Included are new homes, cars, guns, boats, clothes, and sporting equipment.
Our culture is sports crazy. We have hunting and fishing shows to appeal to every sportsman. We have the professional football, college football, major league baseball, college baseball, professional basketball, college basketball, golf, hockey, car racing, boxing, and tennis – and world competitions for each. It never lets up. Parents get their children involved in sports of some kind shortly after they learn to walk. Children learn quickly that winning is everything – losing is for losers. Parents make sure that every child is a winner. It is a self-esteem thing. Sports quickly become far more important than church, in the eyes of children. Oh, we may tell them that church is important, but children quickly see through that. What they see in us is far more impressive than what we say.
Our churches must comply with the world in order to survive. The majority of them are trying. Every church must have a “family life building.” That is where the real action takes place. There must be programs designed for every age group. Whew!
It sounds bizarre, but I have personally enjoyed the quiet during the pandemic. My little farm provides the perfect place to listen and to think. Every so often I imagine I hear blowing in the wind a quiet sadistic malevolent chuckle. Why? God’s Word tells me that Satan is the prince of this world and the god of this age and he blinds us to the truth (John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4). In fact – God’s word says that the devil now holds the title deed to all the kingdoms of this earth. That’s impossible you say. But he has proof of ownership. It is verified when he offered these kingdoms to Jesus Christ. He took Christ to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time – along with all their glory. That’s impressive. Catch the glimpse. He told our Lord that all the kingdoms of the world have been delivered into his hands. And not only that but he can give them to whomever he chooses (Lk. 4:5-7). The devil offered Christ everythingjust to worship him. Jesus did not indicate that the offer was bogus, He just told Satan to worship God and Him only. John fully agreed with Christ saying that the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). The wicked one is very good at what he does.
I think I get it now – the truth of the words of Zechariah that the LORD shall be king over all the earth makes perfect sense. Catch the future tense – shall be! God is not now the King the way He is going to be king. Wait! Is God sovereign? Yes! Is He the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Yes! Does He control Satan? Yes! And God is now chuckling behind the chuckler. Jesus Christ will one day hold the real title deed to the earth in His hands. He will take it from His Father – the real owner. “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne” (Rev. 5:6-7). One day the Lamb will open this scroll – the title deed to this world – and take it back from Satan the usurper. One day the devil’s time will end, and then will come “the days of the King.” One day when we stand before Him, we will wish we had lived [now] the way we should have lived. Many long for that day. Stay safe and stay tuned.