The Millennium - From War to Peace Brandon Buil
God’s Feast days offer mankind a foretaste of His awesome plan. The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ and the saints, giving us a glimpse of what that coming age will be like.
ible changes that are coming and how God will usher in complete peace during the Millennium. The Nature of Animals When my eldest daughter, was about three years old, her impression of a bear was quite fearsome. She would growl and make clawing gestures. Even at that young age, she recog- nized something about the nature of certain animals—they can be violent. We see this frequently in nature pro- grams. Sometimes you intend to watch something beautiful and relax- ing, only to discover that the program is anything but peaceful. Several times our family has decided to watch an animal program because we thought it would be a relaxing way to enjoy God’s creation. Then we look through the titles:
H ave you ever been reading the Bible when something sudden- ly jumps out at you and makes you wonder, Why is that in the Bible? Why are certain stories, phrases and specific actions recorded for those living today? Sometimes God does not explain everything directly. Yet often, these seemingly unusual pas- sages contain powerful lessons that God wants His people to understand. Chapter 17 and 18 of the book of Ex- odus offer several important lessons about leadership. Focusing on chap- ter 17 we can examine three key ar- eas in which the world is currently at war—and how dramatically each will change when Jesus Christ establishes the Kingdom of God on this earth. The Way of Peace Beginning in Isaiah 59:7-8 it states: “Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood... The way of peace they have not known.”
That is the state of the world we live in. Whether through entertainment, mu- sic, video games, relationships, on- line commentary or even an ordinary day at the mall, we live in a world that does not know the way of peace. It is a world filled with conflict, vio - lence and bloodshed. This world is at war on many levels—and ultimately, that is a result of Satan’s rebellion against God. We are looking ahead to the Feast of Tabernacles and making plans, expecting to enjoy wonderful fel- lowship with friends and family. But we should also recognize the deeper meaning of the Feast. It points for- ward to a time when conditions on this earth will be the complete op- posite of what we see today. It will be a time when people will no lon- ger be swift to shed innocent blood. As God’s people keep the Feast they must take time to consider the incred-
“Natural Born Killers.” “Crocs vs. Lions.” “Top 10 Hippo Attacks.”
Much of the animal kingdom is char- acterized by violence, survival and predation. The Bible reveals that Sa- tan’s influence has affected the entire creation. The world we see today is not the way God ultimately intends it to be. The Future Nature of Animals The violent animal kingdom we see today will be transformed. Isaiah 11 describes a coming time when the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the
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A Good Report, Vol. 2 No. 3
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