As a Bible teacher, I love to dream with my students about the Coming Kingdom. Scripture speaks of God’s Kingdom being initiated through Christ’s life here on earth and growing through the spread of the gospel then reaching its consummation at Christ’s return. At that point, what we now refer to as the Coming Kingdom will be, for believers, living a perfect life in a perfect place forever. It will be the Garden of Eden without the possibility of sin.
Students often express how the thought of living forever kind of freaks them out. This is usually when I move to the board having them name the things that constitute their best days, and I write all that they say on the board. Once their list is recorded, I’ll ask, “Do you ever want those days to end? Now imagine those days in their perfect state.”
I feel joy when my students dream about the Coming Kingdom, so you can only imagine how I felt in the following conversation with my ten-year-old son.
One day last week on the way to our neighborhood pool, my son was riding his bike next to me and said, “Mom, I dreamed last night about when Christ returns. It was a beautiful day then a tornado came. Everything became dark then a light with hands and a face behind it came out from the tornado. Then people floated up, and I saw gold dust come from out of the ground. The earth was disappearing. Then when everyone was in the clouds, a gold tower with waterfalls appeared, and there were clean, cool lakes with no sharp rocks.” I told him what he dreamed was so cool and asked if he’d draw it for me. (This child of mine is an artist.) He put his first drawing (of the bright light with hands and a face coming out of a tornado) on black paper. It’s spectacular. His second drawing of the gold tower is the featured image for this entry.
Do I believe my child has insight from the Lord on what Christ’s return will look like? No. I believe Matthew 24:36 when the gospel writer wrote, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Do I believe, though, that my child is literally and figuratively dreaming about the Coming Kingdom and that his mind being wrapped around the day of Christ’s return will impact how he lives his life here on earth? Absolutely. For my children, my students, myself, and for you, I hope we are living life now in light of Christ’s return. Doing so impacts the decisions we make and puts life into perspective.
Every Old Testament person mentioned in Hebrews 11 had a kingdom focus. Listen to what the author of Hebrews wrote –
13 These [OT believers] all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Each OT believer recorded in Hebrews 11 knew that his/her life here on this earth was not the end. They knew there was a heavenly city, their homeland, waiting on them. Is it a gold tower with waterfalls that flow into clear lakes? I don’t know, but I do know that it will be more than my son, or you, or I could ever ask for or imagine, hope for, or dream.
Coming home from the pool, my son continued his train of thought. He said, “And mom, the other day I was looking through my yearbook. I saw Miss Graham’s message to me. She said I’m so creative and God will use me to help build his kingdom.” Miss Graham was my son’s teacher this past school year. I opened his yearbook. Here are her exact words: “You notice things others do not. I cannot wait to see how the Lord is going to use this gift He has given you to build His kingdom.” Miss Graham’s words stuck with my son. (Thank you, Miss Graham!) He connected his unique design by God to being an instrument in building the kingdom by spreading the gospel.
If you are reading this and you know Jesus, I hope you can connect your unique design by God to your purpose in spreading his gospel. You are a part of his Kingdom work. And one day, hopefully soon, after he has gathered all of his children to himself, we’ll be together in our homeland!