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Christian Fellowship Network |
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His Story
One of the great truths of this world is that truth is relative. We live in a subjective world where the definition of what is true varies according to:- the viewpoint or beliefs of the observer; the country or society in which you live; and the time of the observation. Many people have gone from hero to zero in a short space of time as information about them has been disclosed. History is re-interpreted when new evidences are found.
What you believe affects your interpretation of what you see. My dictionary cites the Greek and Latin origins of the word history as meaning enquire, narrate and judge. That seems to me to be a perfect summation of the task of the historian. He/she has to enquire into the subject by posing questions and obtaining evidence. Their findings have to be summarised into a narrative, but in the process the evidence has to be evaluated.
The majority of historians follow an evolutionary time-line that commences with the 'big bang' creation of the universe and the 'building blocks of life', and progresses to the evolution of mankind. Primitive man becomes modern man. Stones and flints become tools. Machines are invented and improved. The overall direction is that of increasing complexity and sophistication. Every day, in every way, we are becoming cleverer and cleverer. The humanist view of history is a story that has a beginning but no middle since we don't know where the end will be. The humanist view of history is all about individuals and nations with the rise and fall of empires and power-blocks.
Christ-centred history is bible-based supported by evidence as it is discovered. It is important to emphasise that evidence is continually being discovered through archaelogical endeavours and that this has never contradicted the biblical account. Christ-centred history literally has Jesus Christ as its centre or pivot about which the rest of historical events are found. We have BC before Christ and AD (anno domini) after Christ. The Christ-centred view of history begins with the book of Genesis and ends with the final chapters of the book of Revelation.
In contrast to a humanist view of history, Christ-centred history does not deal with the technological advancement of mankind but his moral decline and redemption. In Genesis 1 we are told of the origins of the world including mankind. In Genesis 2 we are given some additional detail concerning mankind that distinguish humans from all other living things. God breathed life into Adam. Adam was special. So special that he had no counterpart and Eve was brought forth. In Genesis 3 we are told how Adam sinned and the scene was set for the rest of world history from God's point of view.
And then God disappoints the historians. The Bible was not written for historians and God does not give us a properly dated and detailed diary of what happened and when. Instead, in overseeing the writing and compilation of the Bible, God has been selective as to what is included. We learn about events leading up to the Flood but with no certainty of dates. Then we are brought into the activities of one man, Abram from whom comes a people group, the Hebrews who go on to form two kingdoms Judah and Israel.
The civilisations of Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Greece are mentioned only where their activities impact upon this obscure people group. Civilisations such as India and China have no impact on this people group and so there is no direct reference to them. It seems as though the rise and fall of the Roman Empire are irrelevancies to God. As far as God is concerned the most significant event of the times of the Roman Empire is the fact that a Roman edict caused Joseph and Mary to have to return to Joseph's birthplace, Bethlehem. So that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem and the prophecy in Micah 5:2 fulfilled - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
So this is God's view of world history. It is all about Jesus. Why He came. Why He died an undeserved death on the cross, taking the penalty for sin. That He rose from the dead and that all mankind can choose to accept his sacrificial death as sufficient for their penalty for their personal sinful state. It's the normal Christian creed but that is what this world is about. In Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure’. In Ephesians 1:10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth——in Him.
Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it's interesting to see the way in which events have transpired (or has God orchestrated them?) to safeguard the Gospel or the Good News about Jesus Christ. Whilst events generally reflect a world that has been corrupted by sin and is corrupted by man's sinfulness, there are events that seem to indicate divine protection of the gospel message.
As Christianity spread, Roman emperors tried to eliminate the Christians. Nero infamously used oil-coated Christians as human torches in his gardens. Christians were required to denounce their faith in the one, true God and embrace the pantheon of Roman gods...or die. When that failed, the emperor Augustine made Christianity the state religion and brought in ritualistic and legalistic trends that threatened to subvert and stifle the power of the Gospel. This resulted in the Roman Catholic church claiming exclusive rights on Earth to administer both Christians and the scriptures, persecuting those who dared to disagree. Yet the gospel message survived and the scriptures were circulated.
Without taking pride in the fact, it seems to me that Britain was granted a significant role in safeguarding the gospel message through the unlikely agency of King Henry VIII. His motives were questionable but God is no respecter of persons. Through a marital dispute, the Church of England came into being and survived when the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1588. In 1611 the Authorised Version of the Bible was published and the Bible and the Gospel message were firmly in the public domain. Had the Spanish Armada succeeded, Britain would have become a Roman Catholic country, the scriptures would have remained in Latin, and interpreted solely by a subservient priesthood. Now even Roman Catholics can read the scriptures in their own language.
World History = His Story.