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mujerdegloria 109F
15 posts
12/16/2014 8:55 am

Last Read:
12/21/2014 11:19 am

Week 2 - The Present World (John 12:31-33)


Week 2 - The Present World
Monday
Scripture Reading:Job 38:6-7, Isa. 14:12-15, Ezek. 28:17, Eph. 6:12, Heb 2:5-7, 1 Jn. 5:19, Rev. 12: 9
“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself”(John 12:31-32)
The Present World Under The Influence Of Its Prince
The Bible reveals to us that the world which is to come will not be given to angels, but to men. It is encouraging to know that we can be those who will rule the coming world (Heb. 2:5-7). Thank the Lord; this brings us much encouragement and hope, as it foreshadows a promising future. On the other hand, when reading these verses, we realize the need to work out own our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12).

As Christians, we already embraced the gospel of grace, so the problem of sin has been solved. Now, in the present, we must seek the ultimate objective of God's salvation, of His eternal purpose: to grow in the divine life and become mature sons, able to rule with Christ in the next age.

In the previous week, we saw that God created the universe full of beauty and splendor, far beyond what we can imagine (Gen. 1:1, Job 38:6-7). So too was Lucifer, the angel that God assigned to rule it. But he, arrogantly using the gifts, the beauty and wisdom given to him by God, filled his heart with pride (Ezek. 28:6, 17). This made him believe that the prominent position he had reached was due to his own ability, and so his heart was uplifted.

Because of his pride, Lucifer coveted a higher position. His greed became uncontrolled, unrestrained and carried him to the extreme of wanting to be like the Most High (Isa. 14:13-14). As a result, God cast him to the Earth, together with all the angels who followed him in his rebellion (v. 15, Rev. 12:9). These became the principalities and powers of the air, mentioned in Ephesians 6:12. Finally, as a fallen angel, Lucifer became Satan, which means God’s adversary, and usurped the world we live in today, the present world, which opposes God and tries to destroy everything He does.

According to the account of recreation in Genesis 1 and 2, we can see that God gives much importance to man. He created man and woman in order to restore the original condition of the Earth. But as we know, the couple commissioned by God for this purpose was deceived by the serpent, which induced them to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, causing death and sin to enter into humanity (Rom 5:12 ).

The present world is evil and dark since it is in the hands of Satan (Gal. 1:4, Eph. 6:12). The Gospel of John shows us that there is a prince who governs it (12:31) and created a system to control it.

There are now over two hundred nations and all are affected by this evil system. There is confusion everywhere harming the wellbeing of the citizens. This is the work of the enemy and proof that the world lies in the evil one (1 John 5:19). It is he who provokes intrigue, conflict and dissension among the people to carry out his designs, which are to kill, steal and destroy the man created by God (John 10:10).

Due to the disorder that prevails in this world, we must respond by working out our salvation to participate in the kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy that the Lord Jesus as the Prince of Peace, will bring upon the earth in the coming world (Isa. 9:6, 32:1 Rom 14:17). Amen!