God has a master plan which includes the redemption, restoration and the progressive rebuilding of nations. God also has an eternal purpose that is unveiled and expressed in every generation, including the one we are living in right now.
Despite what we may be feeling at this moment in time, God’s incredible plan for the nations is progressively unfolding before our eyes. Many see the destruction, deception and unrest breaking out across the earth and are asking, “what is going on?”
The words of Psalm 2 accurately describe the times we are living in and what we are currently experiencing on planet earth: “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot vain things?” (Psalm 2:1-12) Whatever happens, we must realise that “God sits in the heavens and laughs. He will hold them in derision” (Psalm 2:4). Even though the nations rage and people are plotting vain things, God is on His Throne. He is not anxious or concerned. He wants to elevate His Church so we can see what is going on in the nations from the bird’s eye view of His Throne.
God’s heart is one of restoration, transformation and rebuilding. Whether that’s an individual life, a marriage, a city or a whole nation, the same principles apply. Turn your attention to Hebrews 1:1-4:
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the worlds;
“Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the Word of His power, when He Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; Having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they.”
There are four principles in this passage that God uses for the transformation of nations throughout the scripture, and these are the same four principles I believe He is using again in these days to bring His plan of restoration and redemption to the nations.
1. The prophets and leaders that emerge to represent Him and speak for Him in every generation (Hebrews 1: 1a)
Our faith in Christ is built on the words of those prophets of the Old Testament who pointed to Him hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth. The faithfulness of these people are honoured in Hebrews 11’s Hall of Fame. One of the most important ways God transformed His nation in the past was through the word of His prophets.
In these New Testament times God speaks to us through His Son Jesus, but the prophetic remains a cutting-edge ministry God uses on the earth today. Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Lord does nothing, unless first He speaks to His servants, the prophets.” God has His prophets, His spokespeople, in every generation. Every word they speak today must be built on the words of the prophets that have come before, becoming a mosaic of God’s voice woven through the ages. The Bible also tells us that these prophets and apostles lay the very foundation of the Church based on the Chief Cornerstone, Christ (Eph 2:20).
“In New Testament times God speaks to us through His Son Jesus, but the prophetic remains a cutting-edge ministry on the earth.”
God also anoints leaders who accurately represent Him in every domain of society. It simply amazes me to look at the unfolding of God’s purposes which were written by the prophets so long ago. When you see the appearance of these leaders in scripture it is, without a doubt, part of God’s master plan for the transformation of nations.
Joseph, for example, rose from the prison to the palace to save the nation from impending disaster. The way it happened demonstrated the undeniable hand of God. We are going to see things turn around just like that in our generation. The Josephs, Daniels and Elijahs of our generation will emerge from obscurity to prominence, carrying a God-given strategy in their hearts for the transformation of this nation.
When we begin to see these leaders rise, it will herald a turning point in the nations. The nations may be raging, people may be plotting vain things and society may be polarising in response, but God is raising a new generation of prophetic leaders who are able to add to this incredible mosaic of the prophets of old and point our nation back to Him.
“When we begin to see the Josephs, Daniels and Elijahs of our generation emerge from obscurity to prominence, it will herald a turning point in the nations.”
2. The appearance of Jesus Christ
This is the year 2020. It has been 2020 years since there was a supernatural intervention in the nations that began to initiate the redemption, restoration and rebuilding of nations (Isaiah 58:12). Jesus Christ appeared on the earth 2020 years ago and fulfilled hundreds of years worth of prophecy. He was the Word made flesh (John 1:14).
In the gospels many people Jesus met had come to the end of themselves. They were lost, oppressed by demonic powers, diseased and outcast; and with a word He set them free. The promise is that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). This is not just something that happened 2000 years ago, it is happening in the lives of people all over the world today. Healing, transformation and deliverance is occurring in the nations. Even through the persecution of the church in China, Jesus is at work in a powerful way. Even in the Muslim world, Jesus is turning up in dreams and visions. One of the fastest growing churches in the world is in the Islamic nation of Iran. We know that in the midst of chaos, when the nations are raging, Jesus is appearing!
We are living in difficult times. Tension is rising and nations are under stress. Who is making the nations rage? Isaiah 14:12-21 gives us the answer. It is Lucifer, who is described as the serpent in Genesis, the dragon of old in Revelation, and the spirit of the age throughout the Bible.
Isaiah 14 describes people seeing the fallen angel and asking, “Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?”
The relevance of this description is incredibly accurate for our time. We are seeing cities destroyed across the USA and parts of the world. Who is responsible? It’s not just the followers of some misguided movements. It’s spirit powers capturing people who are caught up in the wrong move. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places…”
While people must always be responsible for their actions, we must be aware that there is a very real demonic world that interacts with human lives that creates deception and causes an outbreak of the type of extreme behaviours we are seeing on the earth right now.
But God has an answer to the devil’s destruction. 1 John 3:8 says “For this purpose was the Son of God made manifest, that He might destroy the works of the evil one.” The very reason for the appearance of Jesus on the earth was to destroy the works of him who is wreaking destruction on our earth. Colossians 2:14-15 tells us that Jesus wiped out every requirement against us, “…having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
When Jesus came to earth it was the appearance of God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit in human form. In Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in Him was the power to shut the gates of hell. He healed all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38), he fed multitudes, he healed the sick, raised the dead and connected the lost with the Father.
Now, the same spirit that was in Jesus lives in us (Rom 8:11). Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). One of the last things Jesus said before He ascended to heaven was that He was giving us, His sons and daughters on the earth, the same authority He had, to trample on scorpions – symbols of these destructive, demonic powers (Luke 10:19).
3. The Miracle of the New Creation
Whenever a human heart turns to God and invites Him in, the most incredible miracle occurs. Not only does Christ come to live inside that person, but that person begins to live in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away and behold, all things have become new.” This scripture means you have literally become a new creature, a new species and a new type of man or woman. This is God and you, combined.
In each of us there is the old man or woman with the old, sin nature. This is what we were born into when we came into this fallen world. But when Christ comes to live on the inside, He is giving me new life, renewing my spirit day by day and taking me from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18). You are His precious, purchased possession, redeemed by the highest price possible, the price of Christ’s own blood. How much He paid for you and how much He is continually investing in you speaks of your eternal value and worth to Him. You realise you are not a nobody, you are a son, a daughter, a child of God. As you become renewed and upgraded through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, you become wiser, bolder, more courageous, growing in your understanding and revelation of who Christ truly is, and who you are in Him. This is what it means to live as a new creation.
“The scripture clearly shows the trajectory of the sons and daughters of God compared to our adversary, the devil. As time goes on he is begin reduced and we are being elevated by the spirit of God.”
In this context, consider again the words of Isaiah 14:16. It describes people gazing at Lucifer and wondering how this man could really have made the earth tremble and the nations rage. You can clearly see the trajectory of the sons and daughters of God compared to our adversary, the devil. He may be wreaking havoc at the moment as he has throughout history, but as time goes on he is being reduced and we are being elevated by the spirit of God. It’s almost an unfair fight because greater is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
4. The Church in Every Nation
What is the Church? Maybe what you have seen of the Church doesn’t measure up, but God’s master plan for the transformation of the nations will come in and through His Church. This is not just any ordinary church, but the Church of the Living God. In this time God is bringing forth a Church that is supernatural, that represents Him and has His heart. This is the Church that is becoming Zion.
When God begins to transform the raging nations in Psalm 2, the turning point is in verse 6, “I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion…”
This has a historic context in what God did in the nation of Israel, but in these last days it also has a prophetic context. Zion speaks of His Church in the last days (Heb 12). Right now while the nations are raging, something is happening on the inside of the Church. There is a gathering together, a collective energy in many churches in our region and across that state that is remarkable.
God is not finished with the nations. Wherever people can truly turn to God, the nations can turn around. In the Old Testament Jonah was sent to Ninevah – a city of 120,000 people destined for destruction. Jonah eventually went and preached repentance before God and that whole city turned around. In these days ahead I believe we are going to see whole cities, whole communities and even whole nations turn around. God is going to bring everything to life again.
”We are going to see whole cities, whole communities and entire nations turn around. God is going to bring everything to life again.”
This is part of the rising of the Church Unusual. We are used to ordinary church where you go, you don’t engage with anyone except the ushers at the door, you sit at the back, go as quickly as you can, then struggle through the week to make it back. But Church Unusual is a praying church, a church that understands what it means to rule and reign with Him in heavenly places. This is a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden – everybody knows it is there. It is a church that is rebuilding cities and nations through transformed lives. It is a Church that is transcending denominations and divisions. It is Zion, the assembly of the firstborn and the gathering of men and women made perfect by Him (Heb 12:22-23). People who hold the truth of the scripture, who aren’t manipulated by the culture, philosophies, governments or politics of the day. They live under the authority of heaven and are agents of change in their communities and nations.
In the months ahead I believe there will be more unprecedented happenings that will testify to the greatness of our God and right at the centre of it will be a praying, interceding, loving, Jesus-following, empowered Body of believers. This is the Church that has the grace to govern and the power to prevail. This is the Church that Jesus described to Peter in Matthew 16 when He said “I am going to build My Church (ekklesia) and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
The first way we saw God’s Master Plan for the Transformation of Nations was through the prophets of old. This laid the foundation for the transformation of nations in the future.
The second aspect of God’s Master Plan was the appearance of Jesus Christ. Even though it’s 2020, He can appear in your life. You can meet with Him personally. He can also appear in our nation once again through the manifestation of His sons and daughters (Rom 8).
The third aspect is through the miracle of the new creation. This is what happens when you invite Christ into your life – His spirit comes from heaven and connects with your spirit on the inside and the two become one, forming a new creature. It’s no longer just you, God lives on the inside. This is the mystery of Christianity. Religious Christianity has no power to change the world, but a person who realises they are a new creation and God lives in them, can bring great change into their environment.
The fourth aspect is through the emergence of His Church on the earth. The transformation of every nation, community, family and marriage begins by inviting Jesus into our hearts and lives. If you would like to take this step, I would encourage you to pray this prayer and make contact with us or another church in your area:
“Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe in Jesus Christ and that He is Your Son. I believe He died for my sin and that You have raised Him from death to life. I will trust Him as my Saviour and follow Him as Lord all the days of my life.
“Guide my life and help me to do Your will. Baptise me in your Holy Spirit. Let my body become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Come Lord Jesus, and dwell in me.
“I pray this in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
THIS BLOG IS BASED ON PS BRIAN HEATH’S MESSAGE ‘GOD’S MASTER PLAN FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF NATIONS’
Pastors Brian and Lynne Heath have been married for 40 years and served as the senior leaders of City Builders Church (formerly COC) at Sale, in the heart of Gippsland, for the past 27 years.
Brian is one of the longest serving pastors in the Gippsland region and has become a true father to many spiritual sons and daughters and a valued mentor to younger ministers and community leaders.
Brian has a strong prophetic dimension to his life and carries the apostolic grace to build strong churches and to teach, train, impart and prepare the Church for the last day’s harvest. Brian believes the church of the future will not only carry the grace to win souls, but to impact and influence every domain of society.
Brian is also part of an apostolic team that travels regionally and throughout the Pacific. He is also working with ministry partners to build an alliance of like-minded ministries, churches, individuals and organisations that desire to rediscover and rebuild the Christian foundations that this great nation was built upon.