啟示錄第七號也是最後一號的信息是『我們的神作王掌權！』這是末世從神而來的最後信息，當神藉著祂的兒子耶穌、祂的新婦與教會來掌管全地時，此信息也會協助引導這個世代。
耶穌用自己的血買贖全地，祂的再來不是為了毀壞，乃是為了重建，正如我們在啟示錄廿一章1-7節所讀到的：
我又看見一個新天新地；因為先前的天地已經過去了，海也不再有了。
我又看見聖城新耶路撒冷由神那裡從天而降，預備好了，就如新婦妝飾整齊，等候丈夫。
我聽見有大聲音從寶座出來說：看哪，神的帳幕在人間。祂要與人同住，他們要作祂的子民。神要親自與他們同在，作他們的神。
神要擦去他們一切的眼淚；不再有死亡，也不再有悲哀、哭號、疼痛，因為以前的事都過去了。
坐寶座的說：看哪，我將一切都更新了！又說：你要寫上；因這些話是可信的，是真實的。
祂又對我說：都成了！我是阿拉法，我是俄梅戛；我是初，我是終。我要將生命泉的水白白賜給那口渴的人喝。
得勝的，必承受這些為業：我要作他的神，他要作我的兒子。
我們擁有地上從未聽過的最大盼望，此盼望不會讓我們失望。那是天國的福音或『好消息』，並不是關於事情會如何四分五裂、審判會如何臨到，而是萬王之王要來作王的好消息。祂會再次使每件事在對的次序中；地球會被重建，它會成為最初被造成的樂園。
上面的經文一開始宣告新天新地的來到，這並不是自然界的地，而是屬靈界的地。在洪水之後也有新天新地，指的是地上新的屬靈層面與新的社會秩序。聖經告訴我們神要建立祂的居所在人間，正如但以理書二章44節所告訴我們的，祂所建造的國必存到永遠。主在十字架上受苦並不是為了回來摧毀地球，乃是為了拯救地球。
耶穌贏得建立祂國度的權柄，祂本可以一復活後立即這樣做。然而，祂卻在尋找與祂一同掌權的新婦。這世代為何必須堅持到最後的原因很多，但主要原因是『訓練祂的百姓掌權』。這世代的得勝者將會復活，擁有像祂一樣新的屬靈身體或天上的身體，但我們也將在全地之上與祂一同掌權。祂並沒有給予我們這方面的許多細節，但祂所給予我們的正是我們所需要來度過這世代末了的。
在以賽亞書四十章所提到的大道是介於這世代與下世代之間的橋樑，一條大道是為了預備讓人們走在其上。有些人穿越樹叢、森林與沼澤，將大山削平、山窪填滿，好讓別人可以走上這條大道，使他們更快速與容易達到目的地。因此，我們的基本目標之一應該是使道路更平坦，為著所有在我們後面的人。
所以，我們第一個命令是宣揚天國的福音，我們的第二個命令是協助大道、為主預備道路。大道（highway）是神『更高的道路』（higher way），當我們看見世上的國像但以理二章一樣倒塌時，小石頭會長成大山，並持續成長直到充滿全地。那小石頭就是神的國，現在正在成長。我們需要瞭解神的國是如何與世上的國形成對比，我們需要認出它在哪裡成長。
在啟示錄十一章15節我們看見，當第七個也是最後一個信息釋放出來時，世上的國就成了主的國。一個轉變正臨到，世上的國或政府不全是邪惡與將被毀滅的。雖然在此時沒有一個國與神在完全的和諧中，一些已被建造的國可能成為大道的一部份，協助引導人們進入神的國。為此緣故，我們應該定意讓我們的國家成為其中一國，這即是何以我們致力於在我們國家中成為蒙召的光和鹽，投入在這些時候如同國度的代表，協助使道路更容易讓他人走上去。
(摘自 喬納 word for the week, Week 37, 2010)
預備時候系列
Prepared for the Times, Part 37
Week 37, 2010
The seventh and last trumpet of God in the Book of Revelation is the message “our God reigns!” This is the last message that will go out from God at the end of this age and will help usher in the age when God reigns over the earth through His Son Jesus, and His bride, the church.
Jesus purchased the earth by His own blood, and He is not coming back to destroy it but to restore it, as we read in such texts as Revelation 21:1-7:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,
and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”
Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
“He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
We have the greatest hope that has ever been heard on the earth. It is a hope that will not disappoint. It is the gospel, or “good news,” of the kingdom. One of our primary purposes at the end of this age is to proclaim the coming kingdom of God. This is not bad news about how things are falling apart and judgment coming, but the good news that the King is coming. He is going to make everything right again. The earth will be restored, and it will be the paradise it was originally created to be.
The text above begins with declaring the coming of a new heaven and earth, but this is not speaking of the physical earth but rather the spiritual. There was also a new heaven and earth after the flood, which spoke of a new spiritual realm and a new social order on the earth. We are told that God is going to establish His dwelling place on earth among men. In places such as Daniel 2:44, we are told that the kingdom He establishes will last forever. The Lord did not suffer on the cross to come back and destroy the earth but to save it.
Jesus won the authority to set up His kingdom and could have done it immediately after His resurrection. However, He is seeking a bride to reign with Him. There were other reasons why this age had to play out, but the main one was “training for reigning” for His people. The overcomers of this age will be resurrected with a new spiritual or heavenly body like His, but we, too, will reign with Him over the earth. He has not given us many details about this, but He has given us just what we need to make it through this age.
The highway that is spoken of in such places as Isaiah 40 is the bridge between this age and the next. A highway is a prepared road for people to travel on. Some cut through bushes, forests, and swamps, bringing mountains down and raising up the low places so that others could get on the road they have made so they can make it to their destination much faster and easier. Therefore, one of our basic goals should be to make the way easier for all who come after us.
So, our first mandate is to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, and our second mandate is to help build a highway to prepare the way for the Lord. The highway is God’s “higher way.” While we see the kingdoms of this world collapsing as in Daniel 2, the little stone grows into a mountain and then keeps on growing until it fills the whole earth. That little stone is the kingdom of God. It is growing now. We need to understand how it is in contrast to the kingdoms of this world, and we need to recognize where it is growing.
We also see in Revelation 11:15 that when the seventh and last message goes forth, the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord. A transition is coming. Not all of the kingdoms or governments of this world are evil and will be destroyed. Though none are in perfect harmony with God at this time, some which have been built may be a part of the highway that will help lead mankind to the kingdom. For this reason, it should be our resolve that our nation would be one of these. This is why we are devoted to being the salt and light we are called to be in our nation, engaged in the times as representatives of the kingdom, helping to make the way easier for others to travel.
