Empire, or Kingdom?

All of us know that things are happening all over the world right now that get our attention.  There is a lot of chatter in the evangelical community about end times, whether this is the beginning of the end.  Lots of theories.  People are on the bandwagon about so many issues, seeking a space to share their views, all claiming that their thoughts and beliefs are the best ones out there, and all seeking support. 

While there is a place for standing up for what you believe to be true, I would ask for caution in building a belief structure that is so based on what you think is true when, in fact, it isn’t really the main thing we should be focusing on. 

Is the middle east a big part of the prophetic piece?  Yes, it is.  No doubt about that.  Is it where we should be putting a lot of our focus?  No, it is not.   

That might shock a lot of people, but the reality is that we have one main calling as followers of Yeshua, and that is to live like he lived, believe what he believed, and follow what he taught.  He did tell his disciples about end times things, and they were important, but they were not the most important. 

We may want to first ask ourselves whether what is driving us to believe on supernatural things is for building our own empire, or for building the Kingdom of God?  Empire thinking is all about building our own following, our own brand, pushing our own agenda.  Pursuing Kingdom principles as all about loving others, loving God, and obeying His statutes, instructions, and commandments out of love for His grace and forgiveness. 

These are two very different things that take our time, energy, resources, and even our dedication and worship. 

Why is this important? 

At the same time that God was writing His instructions on tablets of stone on Mount Sinai for Moses to give to the Hebrews at the bottom of the mountain, the people were giving gold to Aaron to make a golden calf to worship.  One of these was about the Kingdom, the other about the direction of the Empire.  One has God at the center, the other has what man wants at the center. 

When I get a chance to talk with Christian leaders, which is a lot, our discussions are usually around these topics.  For instance, if I mention that out of our love for God we want to obey His instructions to us.  The other leader might say things like “well Paul says in so and so that we don’t need to do that anymore”.  In my mind I am saying “Empire or Kingdom?” 

As soon as we take out of the desire of our heart to build our Empire the way we want it, we are opposed to the Kingdom of God.  That sounds harsh, but in effect we have replaced what the King of Kings has told us to follow and replaced it with a god made of our own theologies. 

There is an old saying that goes something like this…”glance on the things of this earthly realm, but gaze upon the Holiness of what is to come.” 

That is the main idea here.  It isn’t that things happening on the earth now are not important, or if the rapture is pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib, or has already happened, or what the second exodus looks like, or a Greater Exodus.  Is the earth round?  Have we been to the moon?  The lists go on and on. 

While these things can be debated, and we can discover certain things that are true in our research, none of them compare with the Person, the Way, the Truth.  Jesus.  He is our main pursuit. 

If Christians were honest about what is happening, we are looking for ways to give our allegiance to some other golden calf and not simply obey what YHVH, the Great I AM, has asked us to obey.  We want the parties and the celebrations, the entertainment, the food and drink we so desire.  The fog machines, branding, worship music.   The steeples, big campuses, huge staffs, and multi-million dollar budgets.  Bumper stickers, hats, and shirts. 

 But obedience?  We don’t seem to want that as much.  We want God, but we don’t want His Kingdom.  We want our Empire but still have God’s blessings.