November 17: CONSIDER ALL THE WORLDS
. . . . the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. Luke 3:38
Luke provides us with a reverse genealogy for Jesus that goes all the way back to Adam, the son of God. Originally, Adam’s role was to be God’s representative upon the earth. Unfortunately, he surrendered that role to Satan through his disobedience to God, a failure of leadership.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. Job 1:6
Satan presented himself before God as the representative of our world. Many Bible scholars agree that this meeting of the sons of God consisted of representatives from other worlds. The writer of Hebrews refers twice to other worlds:
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His [only begotten] Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the worlds. Hebrews 1:1-2
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God… 11:3
Our world is different from the other worlds in that its inhabitants have fallen into sin. Every one.
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Matthew 18:12-13
Our world is different from the others in that it is a stage upon which is playing out the great controversy between Christ and Satan. Satan would have God’s sheep to be eternally lost, but it is the love of Christ that runs after those lost sheep. This spectacle is being observed by the other (unfallen) citizens of God’s creation.
For I think God has been placing us emissaries on display at the tail of the parade, like men condemned to die in the public arena: we have become a spectacle before the whole universe, angels as well as men. 1 Corinthians 4:9 (CJB)
Oh, Lord, my God! When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made… This opening line to the beloved hymn HOW GREAT THOU ART can help us to realize that those worlds are certainly considering ours with intense interest. God is on trial! We are given the opportunity to study His character—which is unchanging—and decide whom to believe and obey. The truth is, He has laid His great heart bare in demonstrating His perfect love for the fallen human race. At the end of earth’s history, He will be utterly and completely vindicated. His righteous Law of Love will never again be contested.
Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies. Psalm 119:97-98a