The basic lesson that comes from studying Western civilization, as well as all history, is a simple maxim: What goes up must come down.
At one time or another, all of us have gone through the academic exercise of plowing through the foundational ancient empires that spawned our current 21st century Western world. If it's been awhile since you've thought of Western Civ class, allow me to restart your mental engines down the pathway to long-ago civilizations.
The study normally begins with Egypt and its sand-worn monuments and moves to Babylon under Hammurabi and then returns to Egypt under Ramses. It leaps over to the Mesopotamian empires of the warlike Assyrians and the golden age of the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar. Our standardized studies then deal with the Persians and their nemesis, Greece.
We then proceed with a study of the golden age of Athens under Pericles and the spread of Hellenism by Alexander the Great. Such a systematic study always winds up with the formidable force that was Rome with its seemingly invincible armies and code of law.
The basic lesson that comes from studying Western civilization, as well as all history, is a simple maxim: What goes up must come down. All civilizations, even the best and brightest, run a certain course, even Rome. Stages of societal development always move in an inevitable cycle of infancy, ascendancy, maturity and ultimately decline. None of them are immune. Some of them last longer than others, but they all ultimately "go the way of the dinosaur."
Who is next?
Understanding and expecting this pattern always motivates us to await the next chapter to see who will supplant the people who, for the moment, place their footprints in the shifting sands of history. In doing so, we expectantly turn to a new chapter full of unknown place names, dynasties of rulers, famous battles and contributions to civilization.
The apostle Paul was not immune to this basic historical truism with his educational and travel background. His hometown of Tarsus had experienced multiple occupiers. But God inspired him to look beyond the present circumstances of his time to pen something very special regarding a society yet to come. It comes in the form of a doxology in which Paul is concluding a parenthetical prayer in the midst of the New Testament Epistle of Ephesians. He simply writes, "Unto him [God the Father] be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (Ephesians 3:21, King James Version). A profound revelation if ever there was one: "world without end!"
Consider the implications!
The original Greek word translated by early biblical scholars is aeon from which we derive the English word eon that means "an immeasurably long period of time." Thus other translations of the Bible speak of "forever and ever" or as "forever and ever through endless ages."
Consider the incredible implications of believing in a "world without end." So often we pray "thy kingdom come," but how often do we fully grasp that it is not ever going away?
We find that Paul is anchoring his belief structure and thus his life on a prophecy discovered in chapter two of the book of Daniel. It is here that we discover the basic ingredients of this ageless kingdom for which Paul praises and glorifies God.
An all-powerful king that had conquered other ancient societies such as Egypt, Phoenicia and Judah defined Daniel's world. His name was Nebuchadnezzar.
His capital city of Babylon was rumored to be 100 feet high and had walls so wide that six chariots could ride together on top. Within those walls were magnificent edifices such as the Hanging Gardens, the Great Ziggurat and the triumphal Lion's Gate with its magnificent decorations. King Nebuchadnezzar was a king over kings. It is this same king that seemingly dismisses the historical maxim of "what goes up must come down" as he touts, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30).
This same king who conquered the world had trouble conquering his dreams and asked Daniel to interpret a dream dealing with a great towering image of many magnificent metals that ultimately breaks into pieces (Daniel 2:25-46). Many Bible students have come to understand the various metals of gold, silver, bronze and iron as representing the rise and fall of the gentile kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.
Three specific declarations in one verse
In verse 44 Paul's declaration of "world without end" is given a definition: "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."
Here we notice an abrupt departure from history as we know it. Three specific declarations are embedded here. A kingdom emerges that "shall never be destroyed." This declaration promises to break the cycle we have so far seen in human history. What God introduces through Daniel is not simply the rise of one government after another, but the complete altering of how the future—your future—will exist.
Secondly, it is a society that will "not be left to other people." This new world is not physical as we know it, but extraordinary in the sense of a spiritual habitation.
Lastly, this spiritual realm supplants and consumes all before it and former kingdoms are swept away. It alone exists!
What this verse plainly declares is that this kingdom will not end and will not be subject to people, time or the historical maxim of "what goes up must come down." Simply put, this kingdom that emerges from elsewhere simply is!
"A stone made without hands"
What or who makes possible such a departure from how we commonly comprehend the ongoing turnover of human governments? Here in this verse that cycle screeches to a halt! The answer is found in verse 45. It mentions a stone "cut out of the mountain without hands" that breaks the image. It is described in verse 35 as a stone that "became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."
Who or what can this be talking about? Let's allow the Bible to interpret itself. "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone" (Psalm 118:22). The apostle Peter builds upon the theme surrounding this stone in 1 Peter 2:4: "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious."
Indeed, this stone is none other than Jesus Christ. Yes, the same Jesus not born in a palace but a cow stall in a small out-of-the-way town. Yes, the same Christ that never marched in front of a human army but walked into masses of people who were sick, poor and forgotten by much of society.
Yes, the same Messiah that never built earthly monuments to Himself but placed His monumental truths and teachings in the hearts and minds of men and women to this day. Yes, the same Captain of our salvation who did not offer up others for His cause but gave only Himself when He was rejected by the same people He came to save. It is this same humble carpenter—who has ascended on high, who is coming back as that same heaven-sent "stone shaped without hands"—to frame a "world without end."
The Book of Revelation gives life, color and action to the ultimate future collision between the stone and image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war" (Revelation 19:11).
Verses 19 and 20 of the same chapter describes how humanity's last attempt at a ruling government is to actually try to preserve its power over God's direct intervention. It reads, "And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image."
Amazingly, humanity is going to think it can fight against God and win, but the divine stone of God "made without hands" is going to dash to pieces "the image," which is first introduced in the book of Daniel.
What does this mean to you?
What does this mean to you and me? Simply put, human history will not be simply on hold. It will stop. The kingdom of man will cease to exist. The Kingdom of God will arrive. There will be no more kingdoms or civilizations to learn about. No more place names to memorize. No more lists of kings—just one, Jesus Christ! No more capitals to memorize—just one, Jerusalem. No more emerging religions to discover in the next chapter of a history book. "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12), and He will return for all to see! Yes, it will begin a "world without end."
But you might be saying, "That's it? Just one long, continuous future that never ends? Won't that be boring?"
How about concentrating on the personal qualities that Christ will bring to this prophesied "world without end"? Let's focus on the unchanging nature and attributes of the world to which you are invited. Isaiah 11:1-4 states, "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth." Who could ever tire of this?
But, let's take it a step further. A "world without end" means an end to tears, death, sorrow and crying. It is a society in which there is an end to pain (Revelation 21:3-4). A "world without end" means an end to war under the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
Let Paul's prayer be yours
The prophetic revelation of Paul's statement a "world without end" is designed to motivate every action of our lives. The admonition of "this is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21) is expressed in the words of Paul's prayer where that statement is found.
"When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
"Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more then we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen" (Ephesians 3:14-21, New Living Translation). WNP
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