Christ,and the laws of nature
Can we see the present-day reality of the thousand-year Kingdom Age in Christ? It is a delight to our soul to behold the grand disregard that Jesus, when the occasion warranted, showed for the "laws" of nature. Nature responded to Jesus’ will like a puppy to its master.
During the Jubilee the earth and its elements will be under the control of Christ-filled saints just as God ordained from the beginning (Psalms 8:6; Hebrews 2:5-8). In Christ as Son of Man, control over nature by a man was demonstrated in daily living.
The believer has only to call to mind the multiplying of the loaves and fish. While mankind loses its soul seeking material security, Jesus joyously multiples the food that is available until his followers have eaten their fill. We are not advocating that men should not work. This is a trap into which some of the converts fall. What we are teaching is that in Christ the "natural laws" of earth are subject to the higher laws of cause and effect of the Kingdom of God.
It was so when the Spirit of Christ brooded on the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). It was so "when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7). It was so when Jesus of Nazareth walked out of the cave of Joseph of Arimathea. It is so today as healings and miracles are being witnessed in the churches. It will continue to be so during the thousand-year Kingdom Age and on into the incredible glory of the new heaven and the new earth.
The multiplying of the loaves and fish was a demonstration of the power of the age to come. Christ is the eternal Jubilee—our everlasting song of glory and melody of praise. God desires that we press into the Jubilee, into Christ, today. We shall, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
A fish from the sea responded with the Temple tax (Matthew 17:27). Apart from whatever symbolic meaning this episode may have, we see here an example of mastery of Christ over the elements of the earth. We can notice also, in the incident of the fish and the tribute money, an illustration of the manner in which animals and nature will work together to serve mankind during the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
It is significant that Jesus chose Peter to go and get the money—"Go to the sea, and cast a hook"—in that Peter was a fisherman, no doubt a good one, and would rush back to his nets at the first opportunity. Jesus put a miraculous touch on Peter’s natural ability.
By sending Peter, a fisherman, on such an errand, Christ was bringing into view the subordinate role that toiling for material gain has in the Kingdom of God. Peter was not to catch a boatload of fish and sell it for the money.
"Go and take hold of the first fish that comes up," Jesus directed, "and the amount of the tribute money will be in its mouth." This is the Kingdom of God, the Jubilee.
During the thousand-year Kingdom Age there will be, as there are today, innumerable interesting, pleasurable, and constructive tasks to perform instead of the soul-deadening, frantic labour that crushes the joy (and Christ) out of the hearts of people.
Scientists bring us into bondage by attempting to remove God from "natural law." They are ignorant of the fundamental laws of cause and effect, of the fact that the things that are visible were created by the invisible Word and Spirit of God.
Christ, on the other hand, sets us free by declaring that to mankind has been assigned ruler ship over the universe (Hebrews 2:5-8; Revelation 21:7; John 14:12).
During the thousand years of righteous government that are at hand, the elements will be "alive" to the extent that they will obey the Word of God proceeding from the mouth of the saints. This ruler ship exists today but we are required to ask, seek, knock, and abide in Christ without letup until God moves His hand in answer to our prayers. Christ shall move and modify the physical elements as necessary when we are abiding in His will.
Christ marvels at our unbelief.
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:39-41)
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. (Luke 17:6)
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. (Matthew 21:21)
Christ walked on the water. Why not? Is a son of God helpless when confronted with the laws of gravity and molecules? We are not advocating presumption. It may be recalled that the adversary attempted to persuade Jesus to perform a presumptuous act in jumping from the gable of Herod’s Temple (Matthew 4:5,6). Christ refused because it was not the Father who requested that He throw Himself down.
There did come a time when the Father directed Christ to walk on the Sea of Galilee.
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. (Matthew 14:24,25)
What a contrast between the power of men and the power of Christ!
Jesus had directed the disciples to get into a ship and cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He sent the multitudes away. However, the wind was blowing against them. The ship was being rocked by the waves that were mounting every minute. By the early hours of the morning the disciples were making no progress at all and were in danger of their lives.
Isn’t it just like Jesus to give us a directive and then to invent circumstances that confuse us, that prevent our moving ahead, and that attempt to get our attention off Christ and on our problems? The result of such carefully designed situations often is that we lose our faith and become frightened. The purpose of such pressures is to convince us that we can do nothing at all apart from Him.
Christ’s followers were helpless in the storm. They were attempting to perform His will and were facing disaster because of it.
Completely at peace in the midst of the uproar, Jesus came walking on the seas as though He were strolling down a country road. The disciples were frightened and cried out, "It is a ghost."
Jesus didn’t laugh at them. He understood that their terror was intense. Instead, He comforted them.
"Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." How wonderful it is when Jesus comes to us in our hour of terror and assures us He has everything under control.
Peter requested that the Lord command him to walk on the water. None of the other disciples were bold enough to ask. If they had, they all could have held a dance right there in the middle of the Sea of Galilee in the storm and the darkness.
How often we miss glorious experiences with the Lord because of our inability to lay hold on the remarkable Divine opportunities that suddenly appear before us from time to time. In spite of all the fear, noise, and confusion, Peter rose to the occasion.
You and I did not have that particular opportunity to walk on the sea with Jesus in the early morning hours during a violent storm. But each of us will have our chance, in the midst of fear, noise, and confusion, to lay hold on the miracle-working power of the living Christ. However, we must maintain a close contact with Christ so we will be prepared when our moment arrives.
Peter asked Jesus to command him to walk on the water.
"Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
Peter did not jump from the boat as soon as he saw Jesus. He was not presumptuous. He asked Jesus first and then waited for the answer, for the Word of Christ to come to him.
If we expect to experience Kingdom power we must learn to ask Christ first. We must wait patiently for the Word of His power to come to us. We are not to move until He gives the Word.
Today, some are attempting to use "the word of faith" apart from Christ’s direction.
Christ is Lord. The thousand-year Kingdom Age is His Day. In that day, Christ alone is exalted as Lord. He alone possesses authority and power except as He chooses to share His authority and power with His Body, His Temple. If we would work the works of power of the age to come we must always wait for His Word to come to us—on each occasion! It is important that we ask Him to command us.
Peter prayed, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come."
We need to make our request, as Peter did, and come to Christ doubting nothing. Jesus has stated that we do not have the things we need and desire because we do not ask. Peter did not need to walk on the water for any particular reason, he just wanted to do so. Jesus graciously granted him his desire.
Jesus never wastes words.
He invited Peter, "Come."
Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the wind. Therefore he began to sink. The Lord saved him.
Because of his willingness to come to Christ at every opportunity, Peter became the first of our race to experience the power that the members of the royal priesthood will have during the thousand-year Jubilee—that of walking on the surface of the seas and oceans of the earth.
During Old Testament days God parted the water for His servants. Under the new covenant the servants of the Lord walk on top of the water. It is a much superior covenant!
The natural environment is a servant of Christ. It was created by Him and always obeys His voice. The elements of nature react also to sin.
It may be recalled that God said to Moses:
And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. (Leviticus 18:25)
"The land itself vomits out her inhabitants."
Perhaps this is more than a mere figure of speech. The realm of nature responds directly to the spiritual atmosphere. The claim has been made recently that experiments were conducted during which green plants were exposed to hatred and cursing and similar plants to love and blessing. The two sets of plants, it has been asserted, showed marked differences in growth that cannot be attributed to chance. The plants subjected to love and blessing turned out to be much healthier.
All through the Scriptures, commencing with the days of creation, there are incidents that illustrate the relationships that exist between the spiritual environment and the physical environment. There have been some extraordinary examples of these relationships, such as the sun and moon standing still for Joshua, and the incident of the water pouring from the rock to quench the thirst of the parched Israelites.
There have been innumerable lesser incidents, both in Scripture and in our own experience, in which the Presence of Christ and His righteousness have produced a favourable physical environment, whether in bodily healing, deliverance from danger, or good weather on a picnic.
David Wilkerson, in prophetic utterance (The Vision—Fleming H. Revell Company), has warned us that nature is about to go on a rampage unparalleled in history. Earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, famines—every conceivable catastrophe is waiting in the wings for Christ to give the cue.
We must keep in mind that all natural disasters remain under the control of Christ. It is the Lord who always sits as "king of the flood."
The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth king for ever. (Psalms 29:10)
For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. (Psalms 32:6)
Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? (Amos 3:6)
The prophesied mounting violence of nature will result from the filthy lusts, avarice, murder, and sorcery in which people are submerging themselves. Nature will rise in protest, under the hand of Christ, and rebel against the unclean spirits, against the destroyers of the earth, against the enemies of God and man.
The world has been in the "evening" of the Day of the Lord for the past two thousand years. The "morning" is just ahead. We now are approaching the dark hour just before the dawn. The physical elements will react in fury against the works of evil in the earth.
The disciples, meanwhile, are attempting to "make for the other shore" (the fullness of redemption in Christ).
So tempestuous will be "the sea and the waves roaring" (Luke 21:25), the nations in distress and perplexity, the sun turning black and the moon into blood, the stars of the heaven falling to the earth, men’s heart failing them for fear, that the saints will begin to despair for their lives.
However, in the "fourth watch" of the night, in earth’s darkest hour, just before the dawning of the morning of the Day of the Lord, Christ will come, walking on the sea (on the tumult of civilization). Christ will save His followers—those who are trusting in Him.
In this instance, Peter typifies the victorious saints who will "walk on the water with Jesus" before He "gets into the boat" with the remainder of the Church. "Walking on the water" is the ability to live in the Spirit of God in such trust and obedience that all the difficulties of life prove to be a highway that leads ever upward to the fullness of redemption.
It may be true that we now are entering the darkest hour of earth’s history. Such violence and confusion are about to grip the world that people no longer will be able to manage their environment. Those who remain in the "ark of safety" (in Christ) will be tossed about but will remain safe in the hands of God.
At the height of the storm Jesus will return through the Holy Spirit, prior to His visible, bodily return. The tribulations of the world will be the road on which He walks. The "clouds" that hide the heavens from men will be the "dust of His feet."
The believers will cry out in fear, never before having seen Jesus in this setting.
In that day there will be those in the Church, represented by Peter, who will go to meet the Lord. After having proved that the Person whom they are beholding is Jesus, and not another, they will request and receive the ability to tread miraculously on the tumultuous elements to which other men are subject.
Only the Lord Jesus is to be worshiped in that hour.
Going to meet the Lord when He comes, and walking on the distresses and perplexities of nations, are privileges available to every believer in Christ. Such an adventure requires faith and courage. How about you? The opportunity is present for whoever chooses to act on it.
As soon as Jesus and Peter got into the ship the wind ceased. John adds, "Immediately the ship was at the land whither they went."
When our Lord returns, the saints will receive "immediately" that for which they have been striving so arduously.
Isn't it often true that as soon as Jesus appears we instantly possess what we have been seeking?
The victorious saints always return with Jesus to the Church, bringing with them the peace and victory they have found in the midst of the storm. At once the "winds subside" and the "boat is at the desired haven," which is rest in the Father and the Son.
Only Jesus is to be worshiped in that hour.
In the midst of the catastrophic violence and turbulence that even now are at the door, the Church suddenly will be saved, not by being carried out of the earth but by the Fullness of the Father and the Son entering the personalities of the obedient Christians (John 14:23).
The resurrection and catching up of the saints to meet the Lord in the air will occur after Christ through His Church has demonstrated victory over Antichrist and complete contempt for the worst the enemy can do. The "catching away" is not for the purpose of shielding the believers from suffering but for uniting Christ’s army of victorious saints with the Commander in Chief. It is the prelude to Armageddon.
In the same hour the earth will be subjected to increased disturbances as the creation travails in the labour of bringing forth the Kingdom Age (Revelation 11:13).
Christ Himself instructed Peter to walk on the water, and there was revealed in that fisherman—no doubt to the never-ending amazement of those in later years to whom the story was told—the works of power of the Jubilee to come.
We may need frequent repetitions of this kind of supernatural ability during the missionary enterprise that will cover the earth with the Gospel of the Kingdom during the next few years. We say "supernatural," but miracles are natural in the Jubilee that is at hand.