DRAWING NEAR
December 24
The Restriction of Man's Destiny
"But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him" (Heb.
2:8).
God's original destiny for man was restricted by man's sin.
God gave man dominion over all the earth, and the earth supplied his
every need. All he had to do was accept and enjoy the earth as
provided for him. But Adam sinned and Satan usurped the crown. A new
chain of command was born: the earth now rules man.
To know how true that is, all you need do is look at the amount of
effort expended on restoring the ecological balance of the earth.
Environmentalism is a popular watchword of our day. Yet with all our
modern technology, we are still unable to gain control over the
earth.
Look what happened once Adam sinned: no longer could man easily
harvest what the earth provided--now he had to toil by the sweat of
his brow (Gen. 3:19). Women would experience pain in childbirth
(3:16). Murder soon followed in Adam's family. God had to destroy
virtually all mankind in the Flood because they had become so
debauched.
Much of the animal kingdom now lives in fear of man and cannot be
tamed. Where once the earth produced good things naturally and
abundantly, now it produces thorns, weeds, and other harmful things.
Extremes of heat and cold, poisonous plants and reptiles,
earthquakes, typhoons, floods, hurricanes, and disease were all
products of the Fall. Man was no longer a king but a slave--a dying
creature fighting a losing battle with a dying earth.
Amazingly, the earth is aware of its condition: "For the creation was
subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who
subjected it" (Rom. 8:20). Now it eagerly awaits for the day when the
sons of God, believers, are manifest in the kingdom, for then it will
be liberated from the bondage of corruption (vv. 19, 21-22).
There is coming a day, in the wonderful plan of God, when man will
receive once again the dominion that he lost. May our Lord hasten its
coming!
Suggestion for Prayer:
Thank God that He will one day redeem the earth from its subjection
to the curse.
For Further Study:
Read Isaiah 60:21, 65:25, 2 Peter 3:13, and Revelation 21:27. What
will characterize the new earth?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Genesis 3:16-19
16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and
your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire
shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your
wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying,
'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In
toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you
shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to
the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to
dust you shall return."
Isaiah 60:21
21 Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the
land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I
may be glorified.
Isaiah 65:25
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat
straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall
not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain," Says the LORD.
2 Peter 3:13
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Revelation 21:27
27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or
causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the
Lamb's Book of Life.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
http://www.gty.org/Gospel/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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