SEVEN BILLION AND COUNTING…
“POPULATION EXPLOSION” screamed the Newspaper headlines a day after the Seventh billion baby-Nargis Yadav- arrived into the world at 7.20 a.m. on October 31st , 2011 on a cool Monday morning, at a nondescript community health centre in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India which was besieged by television crews and journalists. Quite predictably many economists cast in the Malthusian mould received the News with mixed emotion. Even as they expressed happiness at the burgeoning human population (a sign of human resilience at a time natural diasasters are the order of the day), they expressed grave concerns about the dimnishing World’s resources to support a booming population. At this stage, it ought to be mentioned that advocacy of birthcontrol measures or its opposition is not the stated intention of this message rather its main intent is to present a Biblical perspective on Scriptural instances where population grew RAPIDLY. Where do we see the instances’ of rapid population growth in the Bible? Besides what does this “Baby Boom” trend mean to a Bible student with eschatological mindset?
In this sermon, I intend to present a few insights under the three headings. Firstly..
Physical…
Exodus 1:7 portrays a Oriental Potentate (Pharoah Thutmose to be more precise - http://www.biblehistory.net/newsletter/moses_pharaoh.htm) with a creased forehead pacing up and down the stairs of an Egyptian palace worried stiff about the booming Israelite population in Egypt. No, he was not worried about having to feed a few extra mouths, rather he foresaw a more damaging threat of a power shift looming in the horizon. In the Land where River Nile flows would “the ruled become the Rulers” was the thought that kept troubling him. So what were his trouble-shooting measures? In the first ever large-scale anti-semitic move of history (now Hitler was not the first nor would he be the last when it comes to anti-semitic propaganda…those who hate God, naturally would hate his people too), he first brutally increased their workload as slaves hoping that the “resultant bad health” would take a heavy toll of the Jewish population. However when that move boomeranged (Exodus 1:12-Hey, greater work, better exercise and consequent improved reproductive health? ), he instigated the mid-wives to slay the Jewish male babies. But the mid-wives, you see, were more keen to remain in the middle of God’s will rather than meddling with it (Exodus 1:15-21). Lo and behold finally emerges the cruel Royal decree “throw Jewish male babies into Crocodile-infested River Nile” (Exodus 1:22). Enter Moses… the “Deliverer” of the Old testament dispensation, just as Christ is of the New Testament one (Deuteronomy 18:15-19, Acts 3:22-23)! That Egypt eventually got its Divine comeuppance from the ONE who has said “It is mine to avenge” (Romans 12:19) for the death of so many innocent male Jewish babies is altogether a different matter (Ten woes culminating with the killing of eldest male of all Egyptian families – Exodus 7-12).
A lesson within a lesson (Hey sermon is like a website with related hyperlinks) ! Just consider some of these startling similarities between the OT Deliverer and the NT Saviour. Advent of Moses’ coincided with baby slaughter, just as that of Christ’s (Matt 2: 16-18). Both Moses’ and Christ as little infants received miraculous deliverance. While for Baby Moses arrived a tender-hearted Egyptian Princess (as per Divine scheme of things) in the nick of time who would “draw him out of water” (thus the name Moses-Exodus 2:10) and later adopt him as her son, for the Christ-child it required an Angelic warning to Jesus’ earthly father Joseph to flee to …EGYPT (Matt 2:13-15)!
Now welcome to one of the Biblical puzzles of the OT era. Let’s revisit Egypt of Moses’ time. If this cruel decree of “throwing male babies into River Nile” had remained in force, then how come 80 years down the line (when Moses led the Jews out of the Egyptian bondage) that the Jewish military population alone zoomed upto 6 lakhs and above (Numbers 1:46) excluding the women folk, children and the aged ones’? Biblical Scholars say that the same compassionate Egyptian princess who “saved” Moses from becoming a meal for the alligators went and pleaded with her father in tears to withdraw his bloody edict. “Yes, I saved this beautiful innocent baby but what about other innocent babies… what have they done to deserve this”- a plaintive cry to this effect melted the heart of even a brutal despot like the Pharoah Thutmose forching him at once to withdraw this savage Law bearing “ethnic cleansing” overtones.
Oh yes, the resources crunch the economists speak about in the wake of arrival of the 7th billion baby? Will not JEHOVAH JIREH PROVIDE (Genesis 22:14)? There are many resources that the Good Lord has “built into” this Planet which are waiting to be tapped. Is not necessity the mother of all inventions? For instance, did we not recently learn to desalinate sea water on a massive scale and consume it as fresh water?
Speaking of God’s proven track record of sustaining His dear ones’. Just consider these facts even as the Jewish caravan numbering several lakhs was trekking across a desert (Exodus 16:1/Deu 1:19), so horrible that spotting even one blade of green grass therein would be akin to sighting a Yeti in a busy New York street!
According to the Quartermaster General of the Army, it is calculated that Moses would have needed 1500 tons of food each day to feed the Israelites. To bring that much food each day, two freight trains, each a mile long, would be required.
Besides that, you must remember, they were out in the desert, so they would have to have firewood to use in cooking the food. This would take 4000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long, just for one day. And just think, they were forty years in transit.
And oh yes! They would have to have water. If they only had enough to drink, cook and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day...and a freight train with tank cars, 3 miles long, just to bring water!
Yours truly recently travelled through that very desert recently albeit sitting comfortably in an AC Bus and can testify with conviction that it is indeed a terrible, terrible desert, where it is all dry sand. I repeat there is nothing but the dry, lifeless mounds of sand all the way.
Now why does God allow such “Desert experiences” (troubles/challenges which far exceed our strength to solve/surmount them) in the lives of His dear ones’? To make us realize that when all our “tiny, puny, finite” resources end, manifestation of His infinite strength in our lives would begin! He is preparing us for eternity…you see…
SPIRITUAL…
Welcome to the Spiritual population explosion! Early Church was growing in geometric progression (Acts 2:47/4:4) and the rabid, xenophobic Jews could not “digest” it. OT heroes (Jews) become NT Villains? NO, far from it…that is why the words rabid and xenophobic have been used advisedly to qualify those Jews opposed to growing popularity of the Early Church (Acts 5:17). By the way, most of the Early Christians of the Jerusalem Church were from a Jewish background.
Behaving very much like the Pharoah did during the Moses’ times, the fundamentalist Jews started persecuting the Christians of the First century AD, whose count was increasing by the day. It is a fact of history (from Cain and Abel times) that one man’s ecstasy is often another man’s agony. Under persecution, did the Early Church wilt? No, rather persecution helped facilitate the spread of the Gospel (Acts 8:1-4) which was shared passionately as much with words as with a radically changed lifestyle of new believers (Acts 19:18-20) and the rest as they say is history.
Now what was recipe behind the success story of the Early Church (empowered by the Holy Spirit, which is available to us of 21st century too)? Let the Scripture take over… They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42). Hey, it doesn’t require rocket science to rock the World (Acts 17:9) rather a simple formula of constant exposure to the Scriptures, frequent fellowshipping (meeting together for corporate prayers) and a consistent individual prayer life. Say Christian is it beyond you to replicate this…
Billy Graham that great and uncompromising preacher once in a Revival meeting held at Los Angeles, shared a passionate message on the Early Church, outlining what needs to be done for the Churches of modern era to become more effective. While many were moved by it, some “cannibal” Christians (apparently a misnomer, however refer Gal 5:15) criticized him of taking Christianity back by 100 years to which he is said to have replied with wisdom borne out of long, enduring relationship with Christ "I did indeed want to set religion back, not just by 100 years but 1,900 years, to the Book of Acts when first century followers of Christ were accused of turning the Roman Empire upside down." Hey, we too can trigger off a spiritual population explosion, if we share the Gospel passionately of what difference Jesus wrought in our lives (Acts 5:32), with the sole purpose of “passing on the joy” we received from the Saviour to others. Talk of being lighted to lighten…
MILLINNIAL
What does this News of population in Planet Earth touching an ALL-TIME HIGH mean to a Bible student, especially to one with a Eschatological mindset? Not many are in doubt as to the sequence of events after the end of “Grace dispensation” (once the Church is raptured, the Grace period would end). The subsequent Seven year tribulation period would culminate with the II Coming of the Messiah, Armageddon war and establishment of the Millinial reign of Christ, during which all the righteous ones’ of history from Abel onwards along with Christians of pre-rapture period, raptured Christians and martyed Christians of the Tribulation period would come back to Earth and rule the World under Christ the God-ordained King (Rev 20:4). Quite a huge number, these rulers would constitute!!!
While on the subject of “ruling”, mind you these “Rulers” would all “serve” and “minister” in love and the Christ-like spirit embellished in the Scripture “Have come to serve than be served” (Matt 20:28).
Some questions here please. Who would enter the Millennium period as subjects to be ruled? Those who accepted Christ as Saviour during the Tribulation period including one-third of Israeli population which was there at the beginning of the Tribulation period (Zech 13:8-9).
Despite many deaths due to different reasons during the Tribulation period of
a) the unrighteous ones, who are cast into hades (Rev 6:7-8/9:13-15) and
b) the righteous ones whose spirits would go to be with the Lord to return in glorified bodies to rule (Rev 6:9/7:9-15),
a colossal number out of the billions (at the beginning of tribulation) would survive the tribulation and a massive number of them amongst the survivors would be “believers”, who would eventually be ushered into the Millennial era in their human bodies (for more on the Book of Revelation, you may click the following link… http://www.jandsmministries.com/rev_pre.asp.)
Time to hit the nail on its head! Why there is rapid population growth, AT THIS POINT OF TIME IN HUMAN HISTORY? The answer is simple. The Millennial reign is around the corner. THE RULED (IN HUMAN BODIES) HAVE TO BE MORE THAN THEIR NUMEROUS RULERS/MINISTERS (IN THEIR GLORIFIED BODIES). The fundamental, age-old principle in any Kingdom is that at any time the Rulers are fewer than the ruled. “Half a minute, Preacher”, I can hear a question coming my way. “Do you mean in 6000 years of Creation from Adam onwards, the number of righteous in Heaven are lesser than the “Believers” population which would come out refined at the end of Tribulation?” ABSOLUTELY YES! For from the beginning, the righteous preferring to walk in the “straight and narrow” have always been in minority (Matt 7:13-14). For instance before the Flood (Genesis 5-8) barring Noah and his nucleus family, how many bothered to have a right relationship with the Creator? NONE!!! No, not even Noah’s own sisters and brothers!!! Or for that matter in whole of Sodom and Gomorrah, save Lot and his nucleus family, how many were found worthy of being saved from a fiery catastrophe (Genesis 19:1-21)? The answer is obvious, isn’t it?
While on the subject of Rulers and the ruled, one ought not to forget that Christians would also have a fulfilling responsibility of judging the angels (I Cor 6:3).
Millennium would represent one big, near-utopian community of Rulers and the ruled living with mutual trust and love for one another for a long time (not eternally but for a long, long time). If Millennium is imminent, more imminent is the Church Rapture. Now if that is not Good News with capital “G”, then what is it! Hallelujah! MARANATHA (Rev 22:20)!
(Suresh Manoharan)
www.jandsmministries.com
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