Vision Matters

Read: Daniel 7:15-28

His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him. Daniel 7:27

IN WORD

Earth has never witnessed an everlasting kingdom. Some have lasted centuries, and their citizens may have thought they were everlasting. Caesars of Rome certainly believed their dominion was eternal, and for the better part of a millennium, the republic-then-empire certainly seemed to be so. But it weakened and splintered and died. They all do. They are all a brief moment in the eyes of the Ancient of Days.

When all the brief moments are over and the eternal Kingdom stands alone, all other rulers of earth will come and worship the King. Will they still be rulers? Of something? That isn’t clear; the King is generous with His authority toward those who are loyal to Him. But the overlords of this world will be under the dominion of God and His people, with the Son of Man at the center of all worship. As a much later writer tells us, every knee will bow to Jesus and all will confess Him as Lord. That can’t be comfortable for those who claimed their own lordship, but it’s true. Everything that was wrong in this world will be made right.

Think about that. All the rulers of nations will worship and obey God, fully in line with His purposes. What would such a world be like? No wrangling in congresses and parliaments. No strident public policy debates. No more injustice. No power plays, jockeying for position, or abuses of authority. No wasted resources or selfish gains. A Kingdom we can really believe in.

IN DEED

That’s nice, but what does it mean for us? More than we think. These glimpses of destiny are not only for our hope, without which we can’t survive. They are also for partnership in the process. God rarely works out His purposes in this world unilaterally. Even His decree to send a Savior was accompanied by prophecies, invitations to envision, and people who prayed the vision. He gives us pictures and proposals so we can partner with Him. We see, we pray, we labor, we believe. The vision is never peripheral. If the Kingdom comes by faith, it comes through us.

ADDITIONAL READING: Isaiah 45:22-23

A man with the vision of God is not devoted simply to a cause or a particular issue but to God Himself.

OSWALD CHAMBERS