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For two whole years, Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hindrance! Acts 28:30-31
All nations and all cities will come to an end, except one – the Kingdom of God.
While in jail for two years in Rome, Paul preached about the Kingdom. The Rome in which Paul preached no longer exists – except in ruins.
The Kingdom of God is more vibrant than ever.
We are shocked when something fails, something pronounced secure but then falls quickly. Not just politically but with the economy, perhaps our health, and even planned life goals.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, it changes.
I’ve noticed during pain and death and change, people turn to God. You would think that war and rumors of war or even destructive hurricanes – that tragedy would bring cursing.
Quite the opposite.
When eternity touches time, a thin space between the physical and the spiritual occurs. Those living, doing their own thing, even ridiculing God, sense the presence of the living God.
I’ve watched it happen in funerals while preaching a memorial message.
Conviction on the faces, a sober look of consideration – even with those who deny God. Tragedy often brings repentance, not rebellion. Peter Yancey in his book The Question That Never Goes Away quotes theologian Miroslav Volf (yep, the theologian that you have never heard about):
Those who observe suffering are tempted to reject God; those who experience it often cannot give up on God.
Considering this “thin space” – a sense of someone eternal, loving, in control, waiting, victorious, and capable of healing. Experienced more through trials than anesthetizing “good times.” Life is so complicated and death so utter, yet God draws closer in the confusion. Doubt evaporates in the reality of eternity, as we know deep inside that the hope of the Kingdom makes more sense than the finitude of atheism.
The grand finale of life isn’t darkness but light, not death but life, and certainly not meaningless. That’s the Kingdom of God.
Jesus is Lord and Savior.