Daily Readings & Thought for May 13th. “PROCLAIMING THE KINGDOM”

We complete reading ACTS today: the last 2 verses show us us that Paul was in Rome for “two whole years … and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” Notice the emphasis on Paul proclaiming God’s Kingdom – it is sad that as the generations passed that the message preached became totally corrupted to one of human imagination, that of an immortal soul existence in heaven.However our reading in Isaiah has wonderful details about God’s Kingdom that “shall come to pass in the latter days … and all the nations shall flow to it … and say: Come let us go up … to the house (temple) of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths for out of Zion shall go the law and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem … he shall judge between nations … nation shall not lift up sword (weapons) against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” [2 v.2-4]. The kingdom Paul was proclaiming was that revealed in Isaiah and other prophets as well as by Jesus Christ.But Isaiah has another vision of our days: three times in the last 11 verses of this chapter we encounter the phrase, “in that day”! His vision describes a time when the kingdoms of men come to an end and “the lofty pride of man shall be humbled” [v.11]. It is a message against “every high tower” [v.15] and never have buildings been built higher than today. Later Isaiah sees in vision “the day of the great slaughter when the towers fall … the LORD comes from afar, burning with anger … to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction” [30 v.25,27,28] This compares with words in today’s chapter, “the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day … when he rises to terrify the earth” [v.17,19].Those who do not know God’s word will indeed be terrified. But those who know God’s word, although their faith will be tested as “man is humbled and each one is brought low” [v.9] – they will then rejoice in the total wonder of those days. Will you be there? You make the answer now!