curse

A Glimpse into the Future

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb … The lion shall eat straw like the ox … The weaned child shall put his hand in the vipers den” Isaiah 11:6-9

Isaiah is giving us a glimpse of how the world will be when Jesus returns and establishes His earthly kingdom. The world Isaiah is describing is not the same as the one we observe and experience today. There has been an account of a vegetarian lion that refused to eat meat but that is considered an extraordinary circumstance. When Jesus reigns there will only be vegetarian lions. The passage tells us that leopards, bears and wolves will also be vegetarian. Cobras and vipers will not bite young children even if a child is unintentionally rough when playing.

In many respects this will be a return to the world as it was before the curse. There will be harmony among all the animals in Christ’s kingdom and people will be able to interact with them without fear of harm. This also means that animals can interact with people without fear of harm. Neither of these scenarios is possible at present.

Jesus’ death on the cross for our sin is the only reason that the curse can be removed. “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)! Because we have only lived in a world where the curse exists it is impossible for us to imagine exactly how a world where the effect of the curse has been significantly reduced will be. In this chapter Isaiah gives us a glimpse. Revelation twenty tells us that Satan will be bound and that resurrected Christians will reign with Jesus during that time. There are other passages in the Bible that add to the glimpse that Isaiah gives.

The most notable aspect of this period is not the restored earthly order among animals and people or even Satan being bound and unable to deceive people. The most notable aspect is that “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” and “The Gentiles shall seek Him” (Isaiah 11:9, 10). We can only begin to imagine living in an environment where the most common topic of discussion is not the weather but Jesus Christ! All the inhibitions and distractions that plague us now will be wiped away.

Where is that Donkey when you Need Him?

“The word that the Lord puts in my mouth, that I must speak” (Numbers 22:38)

What if all the preachers in the world followed Balaam’s conviction? Surely we would have a much different world with many less confused Christians. Of course, Balaam didn’t come to this position without the Lord’s most unusual intervention. Tempted by gold and silver Balaam tried to have a foot in both camps. Surely God would let him have wealth and remain in His service! There have been and are many Christians who have followed in Balaam’s shadow and want the benefits of being a Christian without surrendering what the world offers. Enter the donkey! Balaam seems so set on this path that even his donkey speaking and debating with him didn’t seem unusual.

Sadly, today we do have preachers who do not follow Balaam’s eventual conviction and they do curse Israel. Where is that donkey when you need him? Balaam refused to curse those whom God has blessed. “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce who God has not denounced? (23:8) he questions rhetorically in his response to Balak. The anticipated answer is that he cannot go against the word of the Lord.

Balak may be a representation of the world of unbelievers whether they attend a nominally Christian church or not. He wanted Israel cursed and destroyed. He thought Israel’s God was like his own god but they are vastly different. Balak’s god comes from the imagination of men and remains an imaginary god. Israel’s God is the living Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.

Balaam reaffirmed the Abrahamic Covenant, “Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you” (24:9) and nothing has changed or will change in this regard. “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (23:19). There is no way God is going to revoke or change His covenant with Abraham. If we believe that He has or will then we will never have assurance of salvation. If we believe that He will break His covenant with Abraham then, to be consistent, we must believe that He could break His covenant with all who have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation. This is contrary to all Scripture. It is unthinkable that God would demand that we be faithful to Him and His word when He is Himself is unfaithful!

Anyone who believes that God has broken His covenant with Abraham and replaced Israel with the church follows after Balak in his comprehension of God. Such people are attempting to curse Israel whom God is blessing but instead they will receive the curse. They have a god of their own imagination that is not derived from the Bible and is most certainly not the God of Abraham and bears no resemblance to our Lord Jesus Christ. That which Balak desired for Israel came upon himself. The same will happen today to those who curse Israel. The word of the Lord to Abraham remains the same, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you” (Genesis 12:3). Balak did not know this but after the donkey spoke, Balaam did know it.