1

The one true God, who created all things, is just, compassionate and wise and has a wonderful plan for his world.

Holy Scripture says:
“The Lord our God, the Lord is One.”¹ “It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom.” ² “The Lord is a God of justice.”³ “The Lord is compassionate and rich in faithful love.”⁴ “I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but Me.”⁵ “God will be king over all the earth, one God and only one.”⁶ “They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain.”⁷ “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”⁸

¹Dt. 6:4 HCSB. ²Jer. 10:12 NRSV. ³Psa. 103:8 HCSB. ⁴Isa. 30:18 NRSV. ⁵Isa. 44:6 HCSB. ⁶Zech. 14:9 MSG. ⁷Isa. 11:9 NRSV. ⁸Hab. 2:14 NRSV.

2

God created humankind to rule the earth under him, but our race rebelled against him and departed from his path, filling our world with injustice and bloodshed.

Holy Scripture says:
“Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin.”¹ “The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually and the earth was filled with violence.”² “Out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.”³“We all, like sheep, have gone astray.”⁴ “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”⁵ “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”⁶

¹Rom. 5:12 NRSV. ²Gen. 6:5, 11 NRSV. ³Mt. 15:19 NRSV. ⁴Isa. 53:6 NRSV. ⁵1 Jn. 1:8 NRSV. ⁶Rom. 3:23 ESV.

3

Refusing to give humankind over to destruction, God began anew with Abraham, calling him to submit to him and promising to bless the whole world through him. God later established his covenant with Abraham’s descendants through Moses.

Holy Scripture says:
God told Abraham: “Go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”¹ God told the Israelites through Moses: “You shall be for me a holy nation. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. You shall have no other gods [beside] me.”² “You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”³ “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life.”⁴

¹Gen. 12:1-3 NIV. ²Ex. 19:6, 20:2 NRSV. ³Lev. 19:2 NLT. ⁴Dt. 30:19 NRSV.

4

After sending many prophets, God sent John the Baptist to announce Jesus’ coming and then Jesus as his Messiah-king to call humanity back to non-violence and bring the blessing promised to Abraham.

Holy Scripture says:
John said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”¹ Jesus said, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”² Isaiah prophesied: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.”³ Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who abuse you.”⁴ “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.”⁵

¹Mt. 3:2 NET. ²Lk. 1:15 NIV. ³Isa. 42:1-3 NIV. ⁴Lk. 6.27-28 NRSV. ⁵Mt. 5:5 NIV.

5

Though Satan and his followers did their very worst to Jesus, nothing they did could stop God from installing Jesus as his Messiah-king and beginning his work of restoration through him.

Holy Scripture says:
Jesus said, “The prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me.”¹“The rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. [But] the Lord declares, ‘I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem.'”² “He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal. His kingdom will never be destroyed.”³“He must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things.”⁴

¹Jn. 14:30 NIV. ²Psa. 2:6 NLT. ³Dan. 7:14 NIV. ⁴Rev. 21:1 NRSV.

6

Having established a new covenant for all people, Jesus has already begun to reign. But he will one day return to bring a sudden end to evil and violence in our world and to rule in perfect justice forever.

Holy Scripture says:
“This is the covenant that I will make. I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”¹ “God raised [Jesus] up. Therefore know with certainty that God has made him Messiah.”² “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”³ “The God of peace will soon crush Satan.”⁴ “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”⁵ “The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.”⁶ “He is named Prince of Peace.”⁷

¹Jer. 31:33 NRSV. ²Acts. 2:24, 36 NRSV. ³1 Cor. 15:25 NRSV. ⁴Rom. 16:20 NIV. ⁵Lk. 12:40 NRSV. ⁶Isa. 9:6 NRSV. ⁷Isa. 11:4 NLT.

7

God now calls every person to submit to his Messiah in company with his people, so they will not be excluded from his eternal kingdom, but know the fullness of God’s blessing through Abraham.

Holy Scripture says:
“God now commands all people everywhere to repent.”¹ “He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.”²“[The Messiah] gave himself to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are eager to do good.”³ “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.”⁴ “The city has no need of sun or moon for the glory of God is its light. Nothing unclean will enter it.”⁵

¹Acts. 17:30 HCSB. ²1 Cor. 4:5 NIV. ³Tit. 2:14 NET. ⁴Rev. 11:15 NRSV. ⁵Rev. 21:23, 27 NRSV.

God’s plan has always been to fill his world with justice and peace. And nothing can ever thwart his plans. God’s ways are far higher than our ways and the one thing violence cannot do is destroy violence. Only love can do that. That is why God sent the Messiah: to restore his perfect rule on earth not by violence, but by love. While it seemed Jesus’ enemies won, the exact opposite was true in fact. Love triumphed through him, defeating his enemies and putting into effect God’s restorative plan for his world.