Do you believe George Orwell’s prophecies[1] that our world will become increasingly under the domination and rule of big brother? What about John Lennon’s imaginary world[2] where there’s no heaven, no hell, no countries, no religion, no killing or dying, just a brotherhood that makes “the world live as one”?
It doesn’t matter if we have a pessimistic
view of a world ruled by big brother or an optimistic view of a world ruled by
an unrealistic brotherhood, the same thing is missing. The God who created man
in his own image and likeness is gathering to himself a people of his very own
that he can restore to the image and likeness of his Son and no one can stop
him.
Let’s consider what Jesus promised to do
throughout all the course of history that makes both the Orwellian and
Lennonian worldviews incomplete in a heading-in-a-deadly-wrong-direction kind
of way.
When Jesus was telling his disciples about
what he was doing, he summarized it like this: “on this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”[3]
On the rock-solid faith of that band of
disciples, Jesus would build his church. It would be “the household of God”,
“a holy temple in the Lord,” “a dwelling place for God by his Spirit.”[4]
And, because it would be Jesus doing the building, this will continue taking
place all the way through the last days no matter how many big brothers and brotherhoods
are attempted.
The problem with both Orwell and Lennon is
that they were dead to their Creator. Their worldviews leave out the one person
who makes reality what it is.
On the Orwellian side, big brother cannot
stop Jesus from building his church even under the most severe dictatorships
and totalitarianism the world has ever seen. The church that flourished in the
evil’s of the Roman Empire, the sinfulness of the Jewish religion, and the
fairy tale world of Greek and Roman mythologies, is flourishing in countries
that are trying the big brother method of stamping it out.
On the Lennonian side, there is no loving
brotherhood that will ever get along so well apart from knowing and loving Jesus
our Creator that the whole of humanity will unite under such a banner. There
will always be people in the world that are hearing Jesus’ voice and following
him where he leads, and they will never be satisfied with the Christless world of
a fading Beatlemania.
In God’s Book he states the distinction
like this: “Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall
be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.”[5]
Even though evil men and nations do appear
to put God’s children to shame by taking their land and houses, putting them in
prison, disowning them from families, denigrating them to the lowest castes of
society, or even broadcasting their beheadings for all the world to see, and
even though evil people and nations seem to get away with their prideful celebrations
of sin, God has decreed the final act of the play.
When Jesus returns to gather those who
belong to him, those who trusted in him will not be put to shame, while those
who willingly worked against the divine plan will be ashamed forever. At one
and the same time, Jesus’ brotherhood will enter into his joy for eternity,
while,
the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hide themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”[6]
It doesn’t matter whether the world of the
time has achieved more of an Orwellian big brother totalitarianism that has
horribly persecuted Jesus’ church for refusing to bow to its deception, or more
of a Lennonian brotherhood that has denounced and oppressed Jesus’ church for
refusing to let the world ride its yellow submarine into Utopian oblivion, all
who have rejected Jesus the Creator, no matter whether leader or follower, will
cower at the appearing of the unstoppable Savior who comes as King and Judge of
all.
There is coming a time that, “at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.”[7]
Everyone who bullied or believed the big
brother lie will bow before Jesus and confess that Orwell was wrong and Jesus the
Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. Everyone who bullied or believed the
imaginary brotherhood will bow before Jesus and confess that Lennon was wrong,
there can be no unity apart from Christ, and the Son of God is King of kings
and Lord of lords forever.
When Jesus was introduced to the world, he
came with this description: “In him was life, and the life was the light of
men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”[8]
Both Orwellian and Lennonian movements have
tried to stomp out Jesus’ church. However, since Jesus is the one building it,
and in him is the light of life, “he is able to save completely those who
come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”[9]
And, with Jesus himself interceding for
those he is saving, not even the gates of hell can stop him from building his
church. The only issue for you is whether you are joining Jesus in his work.
© 2021 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the
English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text
Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.)
[1] Referring to George
Orwell’s book, 1984, published in 1949.
[2] Referring to John
Lennon’s song, Imagine, presented in the album by the same name in 1971.
[3] Matthew 16:18
[4] All of this is found
in Ephesians 2:11-22.
[5] Psalm 25:3
[6] Revelation 6:15-17
[7] Philippians 2:10-11
[8] John 1:4-5
[9] Hebrews 7:25 (NIV)
