The Coming Theocracy

I’ve been considering writing a series of blogs to challenge current Christian worldview. This kind of action stands the chance of producing volatile reactions. One challenge with sharing worldview issues via a blog is keeping the reader aware of authorial premises without rehashing the same in each blog. So, if I follow through with my thoughts, I’ll occasionally refer back to this post, The Coming Theocracy, a foundational truth guiding my worldview.

I look forward to the consummation of an eternal theocracy. It is present now in measure, but its full arrival will displace or complete all other governing systems. The theocracy I look forward to is the reign of God over the hearts of every person. People’s actions will no longer be guided by political, economic and religious principles and beliefs, but by what they see God doing.

In a nutshell, here’s why I anticipate this kind of theocracy: 

God created people and then commanded them to subdue and have dominion over creation (Gen 1:28). As God intended it, people were given this capacity to subdue the whole cosmos. Created in the image of a creator (Gen 1:26) and walking with God as a norm (Gen 3:8), people had potential to subdue and have dominion over creation (the original theocracy) to an extent that is difficult for us to imagine. However, people decided not to subdue and have dominion according to his presence, a situation where they could see what he was doing (they hid, Gen 3:8). In effect, they just decided for themselves what to do. Apart from subduing and having dominion according to what is seen in God’s actions, exploitation follows, something that certainly persists today. Exploitation would be exponentially worse if man’s authority over creation had not been limited.

Because man’s potential would have been exponentially disastrous apart from relation with God, he introduced a variable that limited potential; he cursed creation for people’s sake (Gen 3:17, see KJV or Hebrew text to get the 2nd person possessive intended here), creation is now against people instead of subject to them. I believe this to be explained more clearly by Paul in Romans 8:18-25. God subjected creation to futility, i.e., purposelessness. Creation’s designed purpose was to be subject to people, it was instead temporarily subjected to “no purpose.” Creation waits eagerly for the restoration of its original purpose. First, though, people have to arrive at their intended place, in the presence of God, where they can see and hear. So the curse, or the subjection to purposelessness, was done in hope. The hope was to bring people back to God. They come back to him because creation is against them, thus exposing their need for him.

We look to Jesus, the first fruit (1 Cor 15:23), to see what will be for all who are in Christ. Jesus did only what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19). He healed, fed, stilled storms and etc. . . . all examples of subduing creation. At the consummation of the Kingdom, we will all obey in the same manner as did Jesus and creations’s purpose will be restored. We will then command it, not according to what we decide, but according to what we see the Father doing.

The consummation will look like this: Jesus will return with the church-dead; the church-living will go out to meet them (1 Thess 4:16, 17; Rev 21:1, 2) and usher them in; when he arrives, he and angels will remove everything that causes sin and law-breakers so that people who desire to subdue according to God’s desire will remain and those who have no desire for God to reign over them will be removed (Matt 13:41-43; 24:40, 41); God will from that time into all eternity be with men (Eph 1:10; 1 Cor 15:28; Rev 21:3-7).

So, I ask myself, what systems will govern in the coming theocracy? I opine that rule will be less systematic and more relational. I imagine the potential of people to subdue the cosmos as they see what God is doing in it. 

We have a responsibility to, as much as is possible, live this theocracy out even now. The Kingdom is now present in measure (Luke 11:20; 17:20, 21), the Holy Spirit in disciples of Christ; it is something that we seek first (Matt 6:33); it is something we pray for and should be the answer to whenever possible (Matt 6:10).

What I anticipate governs how I view and participate in existing systems. Not that I avoid participation, but I appreciate them as temporary stopgaps, many with redeemable aspects.

Mountain Community's Mission Statement

A faith community manifesting the life of Christ in our place and time. 

Why did we choose this for our mission statement? As the church, i.e. the body of Christ, we should continually look back to the life of Christ as he mistered in Palestine and realize that we should do similar things in our place. So this statement provokes us to measure what we do against what he did and does? 

It can be difficult, once a church begins, to reemphasize away from the event that it initially converged around. Many churches initially converge around a Sunday morning meeting...not a bad thing in  itself, but I think its common to struggle from there toward significant missional events. 

Here in Boone, we are presently working toward quantifying community needs. It is our hope to converge around needs, from there move into small communities of faith that take ownership of community need, and from there, eventually, to corporate worship events. We want missional outreach to be the natural and expected gathering draw for our community of faith.

Moved by compassion, measuring by mercy, acting in selfless love and doing only what the Father showed him, Jesus taught, healed, fed and made disciples. Recognizing what Jesus did in his body of flesh, we, Jesus’ body of flesh today, in our place and time, moved by his Spirit, do what Jesus did and does.

We are . . . always carrying in the body the death 

of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also 

be Manifested in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, RSV).