It does not want to see Christ fill all things. It does not want to see the establishment of an Irresistible Kingdom. There is opposition at every step. Whether it is the attack of the adversary or the rebellious independence of man, God often appears to be hemmed in by His own determination to reach out to the nations of this world. And yet, no matter how far removed from God’s Purpose things seem to get, we find a divine constancy at work. More often than not, God works behind the scenes, below the surface. That is the reason why Jesus so often compares the Irresistible Kingdom to a seed: buried in the earth, hidden away, but working all the time.
“So is the Kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knows not how. For the earth brings forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest is come” (Mk. 4:26-29).
“He knows not how” the seed grows and produces fruit. Once the seed is in the ground it just naturally comes forth the way God intended – but not immediately. First the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Like everything else in God’s creation, it is progressive.
Likewise, we “know not how” this Irresistible Kingdom continues to grow and develop, yet it persists in doing so. It really is irresistible. Eventually the harvest will come and we will see the end result. Only then will the magnitude of God’s infinite wisdom and the greatness of His Purpose be revealed in all its fullness.
The Underground Ekklesia
When a group of people who used to have the freedom to live and work out in the open are then forced to live and work secretly, we say that they have gone underground. The Ekklesia has, for all intents and purposes, been underground for 1700 years since the Church successfully established itself as a counterfeit. There is a reason why the period of time known as the Dark Ages was so dark. Political and cultural issues aside, as the Church grew and prospered, the Life, Light, and Love of Christ that had once been so predominant in the early Christians simply faded away. New generations of people came along and were assimilated into a religious system that mixed Christian ideology with pagan rituals and symbolism. That the Roman Catholic Church dominated this period of history should come as a surprise to no one. That is not to say that there were not some bright lights shining in the darkness, but those bright lights were often persecuted and snuffed out by the Church. The stark reality is that Christianity as a religion about Jesus successfully eclipsed Christianity as a relationship with Jesus.
What do we say to this? Will we say that God’s Purpose has been thwarted? Will we say that His Irresistible Kingdom is not so irresistible after all? Do we believe that God only spoke and acted during the first century and then lapsed into silence and inactivity after the last book of the Bible was written? Certainly not!
The good news is that even if the Ekklesia has been underground, it is still growing and developing. When the season is right it will burst forth and once again those who have eyes to see will indeed discern the blade, the ear, and the full corn in the ear. In fact the blades have already broken ground in several places and we are even beginning to see some ears taking shape.
If you have traced the recovery of the Heavenly Order so far then you know there have been many obstacles and hindrances to God’s Will over the last six thousand years or so of the history of mankind. So far God has defeated everything that rose up to challenge His Purpose in Christ. Not only has He defeated it, but He has actually used evil to bring about good and further increase His Son. The Scriptures provide us with every expectation and assurance that God will continue to do the same with our generation. He is very much an active part of world affairs, whether they be secular or sacred. The Institutional Church is not too difficult for God to handle. With a blink of His eye it will collapse. But He has allowed it to grow and prosper for the time being, and we know that tares and wheat will continue to grow together until the great Harvest at the end of the age.
