Numbers 14:21 (NASB)
but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD.
Psalm 72:19 (NASB)
And blessed be His glorious name forever;
And may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen, and Amen.
Habakkuk 2:14 (NASB)
“For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
As the waters cover the sea.
Deuteronomy 4:24 (NASB)
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Genesis 1:28 (NASB)
God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 6:1-6
Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,
that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.
Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Genesis 8:20-21
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
Genesis 9:1 (NASB)
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
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Why is God a jealous God? Why does He want the earth filled with His glory?
Because He is perfect. Because He is the only source of good, peace, patience, joy, love, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control and faith.
It is found no where else.
Only when He is famous, when everyone knows Him, when the world is aligned under Him, is there peace.
God told Adam to go and fill the earth.
What happened?
The Nephilim – the fallen angels? – came and made a mess. … Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
They abandoned their job to make His glory known throughout the earth.
After God restored order after the flood, He told Noah much the same thing.
He gave man the mission to rule, reign, spread out and fill the earth. Fill the earth with His glory.
What happened?
They decided to stick together and settle in one place…
Genesis 11:1-9
Universal Language, Babel, Confusion
1Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.
2It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
3They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.
4They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
5The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
6The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.
7"Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech."
8So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.
9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.
What did God do? He made them spreadout. Why?
So that His name might be famous throughout the earth.
He is not a needy egomaniac, but good is only found in Him. The more His glory shines, the more there is peace. God very much wants peace for us.
This takes me to my theory. Look at the political map.
What do you notice geographically about the difference?
The large concentrated urban centers. Boston, New England, New York, Washington, Chicago, L.A., Southern Florida, where people are pushed together there is greater focus on how government can solve our issues. We can do it, through legislation, organization and society.
Before you scoff at legislation, remember that man’s heart is on evil from his youth. Why do we have door locks, home security alarms, monitoring services, pin codes, key fobs, identity theft protection, security cameras, guns, guard dogs, TSA, prisons, jails, prosecution, safety training, community watch committees, police, sheriffs, homeland security, FBI, CIA, NSA, Postal inspectors, FDA meat inspectors, Red light cameras, SOX, COBIT, ITIL, GLB, NPPI, firewalls, web proxy filters, spam filters, virus filters and on and on…because evil is everywhere.
Before you join the Tea party and ask for the removal of government and legislation, remember where you live.
What is the other group? We can do better with less government, less inefficient bureaucracy, taxes, debt, control, legislation, regulation.
Yes the economy thrives when there is less, but more people are taken advantage of. See also S&L crisis, Mortgage crisis, Enron, WorldCom, Bernie Madoff….
Do we want less, because we want more reliance on God or because we want more reliance on ourselves?
The answer:
Exodus 25:8
"Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.
Exodus 29:45
"I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.
Leviticus 26:12
'I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.
Jeremiah 31
"At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people."
Ezekiel 37:27
"My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
John 14:23
Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18
Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
"Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord.
"AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.
"And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,"
Says the Lord Almighty.
1 Samuel 8
Israel Demands a King
1And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel.
2Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.
3His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;
5and they said to him, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations."
6But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us " And Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
8"Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day--in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods--so they are doing to you also.
9"Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them."
Warning concerning a King
10So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked of him a king.
11He said, "This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.
12"He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
13"He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers.
14"He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.
15"He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants.
16"He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work.
17"He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.
18"Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
19Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us,
20that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
21Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD'S hearing.
22The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and appoint them a king." So Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."
Deuteronomy 17:18-20
18"Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
19"It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes,
20that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.
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"I believe in political equality. But there are two opposite reasons for being a democrat. You may think all men so good that they deserve a share in the government of the commonwealth, and so wise that the commonwealth needs their advice. That is, in my opinion, the false, romantic doctrine of democracy. On the other hand, you may believe fallen men to be so wicked that not one of them can be trusted with any irresponsible power over his fellows.
That I believe to be the true ground of democracy. I do not believe that God created an egalitarian world. I believe the authority of parent over child, husband over wife, learned over simple to have been as much a part of the original plan as the authority of man over beast. I believe that if we had not fallen, …patriarchal monarchy would be the sole lawful government. But since we have learned sin, we have found, as Lord Acton says, that “all power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The only remedy has been to take away the powers and substitute a legal fiction of equality. The authority of father and husband has been rightly abolished on the legal plane, not because this authority is in itself bad (on the contrary, it is, I hold, divine in origin), but because fathers and husbands are bad. Theocracy has been rightly abolished not because it is bad that learned priests should govern ignorant laymen, but because priests are wicked men like the rest of us. Even the authority of man over beast has had to be interfered with because it is constantly abused."
— C.S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory)
Revelation 19:11-16
The Coming of Christ
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
12His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
13He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
14And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
15From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
16And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
Revelation 20
Satan Bound
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
3and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
4Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
6Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Satan Freed, Doomed
7When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,
8and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
9And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
10And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment at the Throne of God
11Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
12And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:1-9
The New Heaven and Earth
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
4and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;the first things have passed away."
5And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new " And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
6Then He said to me, "It is done I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
7"He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
8"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
9Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
Great thoughts Dad!
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