A Lost And Dying World? by Michael Danforth
I find it interesting how so many people describe this global planet as “a lost and dying world.” Yes, I agree, there are some very sad things going on in the world. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of people out there who have not gotten the glorious memo:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Since that day, this same word and glory has appeared in the flesh, your flesh, so that the whole world would know the love of Jesus Christ.
You have heard this message before and it is no less true.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16-17)
You see, contrary to much belief, the once lost and dying world, is not lost and dying anymore.
I say this because, the glory of God and the love of God is becoming more and more visible every day.
David writes,
“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before Him. For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations.” (Psalm 22:27-30)
Wow! I love the songs of David. He was able to see what few were able to see in his day. “Every corner of the earth will eventually remember and turn to the Lord.” It makes you wonder. What did the world forget? What is the world destined to remember?
The earth is beginning to have total recall. All of humanity is destined to remember that they were made in the image and likeness of God. The entire world is going to wake up and realize that God is their Father and Jesus is the first born of God, their brother, their friend. This is not the dawning of the Aquarius as so many have assumed, this is the dawning of global sonship. A lost and dying world? I don’t think so. Yes, I get it. I understand that there are people perishing off the planet every day. However, there’s another side to this story.
Jesus speaks about leaving the ninety sheep and going after the one lost sheep.
“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ (Luke 15:4-6)
Many have used this passage of scripture to emphasize the value of the one lost sheep. While this is a clear picture of “no soul left behind” I think it’s equally important to note that there were ninety-nine sheep already in the Shepherds care.
This is quite the opposite of a lost and dying world.
From sea to shining sea, we are standing on the threshold of untold millions of people who are about to enter into the kingdom of God. Thousands upon thousands will publicly declare their faith in God before I finish this letter. again, this is not an attempt to minimize countless people who have died senseless deaths, of which, only the Lord knows their final state in Him. However, can we at least agree that the world is not lost and dying at the magnitude that many have assumed? Again, one potentially lost soul is one too many.
Concerning the one lost sheep, Jesus emphasizes that the one lost sheep was found. When this one lamb is brought home, the ninety-nine are instructed to rejoice that none was lost. Wow! What an amazing picture of a once lost dying world redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
I pray that this will somehow serve as a glorious example of how all the missing pieces of your life will suddenly come together. Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, are destined to be restored in ways unimaginable. I know many of you reading this have been concerned about your future. For some, a world that once appeared right side up was suddenly turned upside down.
Please, let me speak to you as a prophet, as a poet of God:
“You are in the midst of a supernatural transformation, not a dark and lonely devastation. The test and trials that have shaken you to the core will suddenly be no more. Whether you are the ninety-nine or the one, you will never be no less than a son, or daughter, of the Most High God. Not only will the gates of hell not prevail, but on the winds of glory you will sail. The greatest adventure you have ever known will soon become your triumphant song. While many have viewed the world as one that is lost dying, you will see this same world as a glorious mountain you have been climbing. From its mountain peaks far above every place of life, an entire new world will appear right before your eyes. And those painful tears that once flowed down your face will be seen as living water and His amazing grace.”
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