Watching the Chosen is like having this constant spoiler alert, because I have read the Bible. I know how the story will end. I know which disciples will follow and which will not. Lately, seeing what’s happening in Israel, and all around the world, I feel similar, but not always in an upbeat way. It’s sobering seeing all the things spoken about in God’s Word coming to fruition. Yet it’s also exciting to think about Jesus returning soon. While the end of the world will involve great catastrophes and utter chaos, it will also involve the saving of many souls! Let me explain just a bit of the story of the Bible and how you fit in to this overarching greatest story ever.
God created the world. It was perfect. An angel, Satan, wanted God’s power and attempted to gain it. He led a rebellion with one third of the angels and was defeated, cast down to the underworld. Then Satan tried to deceive the first woman, Eve, and her husband Adam, who was with her. Once they disobeyed God, evil entered the world, and pain, and death and disease and dying. God said then that He would send a descendant of Adam and Eve’s to crush the serpent’s head. In other words, God would send Jesus to defeat death and Satan through Jesus being killed, but then raising from the dead! And so God did (Genesis 3).
Jesus came and lived a perfect life, showing us as humans how to live for God. After He rose from the grave, He walked the Earth for 40 days and then ascended into Heaven. That means He like, floated up to Heaven, y’all. What? C’mon. He just rose from the grave! He’s got this! But right before Jesus left the earth, He said to His disciples, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me,” (Matthew 28:18, paraphrased). As my three-year-old super hero loving son would say, Jesus has ALL the powers in the world!
Jesus continued, “therefore go” (Mattew 28:18-20, paraphrased). Note how He did not say to sit, but to GO! But where? “Into all the world, making disciples and baptizing them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20, paraphrased). That means both evangelism and discipleship are crucial. We are to tell people about Jesus and also help them grow in their walk with Him, so that they too can tell others about Jesus.
All the world means everywhere! Every tribe, tongue and nation! Sound scary? Jesus had comforting words for you who fear, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, paraphrased). He who has all the powers will be with us. We needn’t fear! And everywhere! Once every tribe, tongue, and nation has heard the Word of God, then the end will come (Revelation 7:9-10). We’re so close to translating God’s Word into every tongue! But, pssssst! I’ll let you in on a secret. Nothing has to happen before Jesus returns. More things could happen, but nothing has to happen. Only the Father knows the day and the hour, but we are to be ready always for His return (Matthew 24:36).
After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the disciples stood, like deer in headlights watching the clouds. Angels returned and told the disciples something like, “Yo, you heard the Man, be on with it, go! Don’t stand around here! Be off with you! And by the way…Jesus will return in the same manner in which He left…from the clouds” (Acts 1:10-11). If you’re still with me, here’s where it gets really exciting! So the disciples went and told the world about Jesus. They were all (but one)* martyred for their faith. They produced a lot of other diehard believers and the news of salvation through Jesus spread rapidly! Due to persecution, people fled, into all the world.
For many centuries, the church was one, Catholic church. At some point, some people in England wanting freedom of religion risked their lives to sail across the sea to a place called America. There they struggled and many did die, but eventually, they persevered. They fought and finally achieved freedom of religion. Then the Gospel spread even more! King James of England at one point had the Bible written down. (Note, this might be a bit out of order…but you get the idea!) With that and the Gutenburg printing press, imagine how that accelerated the spread of the Gospel. William Tyndale determined to translate the Bible into other languages. That accelerated the Gospel to other parts of the world too. Martin Luther, a German theologian, and a slew of others, determined that the Gospel was being distorted and they needed to preach that salvation came by faith alone through grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). So they courageously broke away from the Catholic church, which was the Protestant Reformation. Then came the Wesleys, who went to America with the Gospel and started the Methodist church and the Wesleyan movements. Lutheran churches were also started in America. Somewhere in there, we had Charles Spurgeon in England, the Prince of Preachers, who preached to thousands. About the same time, DL Moody came to know Jesus and gave his life to God in America. He preached to people in America’s civil war. He started a school, Moody Bible Institute, a church, Moody Church, and possibly most important, he developed the idea of Sunday School for children! The Welsch Revival took place after that.
From Moody’s impact alone, many ministries and missionaries have been sent all over the world with the gospel of Christ. About fifty years later, Billy Graham entered the scene to take his place. About that time, Israel, as a country became independent again, and the desert started blooming. These things happened as a result of prophecies mentioned in the Bible (Ezekiel 37, Isaiah 35). As Billy Graham led evangelical meetings all over the world, ministries like youth for Christ and Campus Crusade for Christ were started as a result. Those ministries continued to send people all over the world with the gospel of Christ.
Meanwhile, earthquakes increased, tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters increased in frequency, as the Bible said they would (Matthew 24). Nation has risen up against nation. We hear of wars and rumors of wars. People in the last days will be lovers of money, as they are now. “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:2-5). This describes our society today.
And yet, Jesus has not returned yet. I mention those people above just to give you a picture of the overarching story of redemption we get to be a part of. Jesus told His followers to go and bring people back into a relationship with Himself. We get to be a part of that story now. We get to take our place against the devil’s schemes and play a part in the greatest story ever told (Ephesians 6:11). Therefore, go, and do whatever the Lord has called you to today with all your heart, as if working for the Lord, and not for men (Colossians 3:23).
Footnote
*They tried to kill John, but he survived, so he was banished. But for the record, he’s also the disciple who was put in charge of caring for Jesus’ mother, so perhaps God saved him so that he could continue caring for her (John 19:26-27).
