Seven Proofs God is in Control of the World

Seven Proofs that God is in charge of the world:

Ps. 2: I have set my Son on my holy hill

In Psalm 2 the Word of God says that men reject God’s truth and plot ways to thwart Him. God responds with derisive laughter then makes a couple of declarations. He says that Jesus Christ will possess the whole earth and that He will crush His enemies with a rod of iron.

Lots of conservative commentators find the fulfillment of Ps. 2 in the millennial kingdom at the end of history. But there is lots of fulfillment right now.

What is the proof? It is the year 2025 and the power of Jesus Christ is undiminished. In fact, it is greater than it ever has been. In Psalm 2:8 the Father says he is giving the nations to His Son. In this video I provide Seven proofs that that is exactly what He’s doing:

1.       Look at the number of Christians in the world. Let’s begin with the raw number of people who are in some sense Christians. 2.4 billion people are listed as Christian by religious demographers. We know that not all of these are devout, born-again believers but in terms of raw numbers Jesus Christ is in the process of possessing the nations. The second largest religion in the world is a Christian cult—Islam at 1.8 billion. The Muslims acknowledge Jesus as a true prophet of God and predict His second coming. So though Islam is a competitor, even an enemy of Christianity, it was also spawned by Christian teachings. That’s over half the world’s population acknowledging the majesty of Jesus Christ.

2.       A better proof of Christ’s sovereignty over the nations is the power of Western, Christian culture. The religion authored by Jesus Christ is by far the most powerful cultural force that has ever existed. As historian Tom Holland and many others have pointed out there are millions of “secularists” in the world whose brains have been formed by Christ even if they don’t know it. And when the Scripture says that every knee shall bow before Jesus and every tongue declare Him Lord, you better believe it. It is happening before your very eyes.

3.       A third proof is the power of the Christian church. It is the largest religious body on earth or in the history of the earth and is by far the most powerful institution that has ever existed. Infidels in the West fight hammer and tongue against it but with limited success. Why are American secularists so hostile toward Christianity? Because they know it is more powerful than they are. As Vance Havner once said attacking the Christian church is like attacking Gibraltar with a pop gun.

4.       A fourth proof are the missions of mercy carried out by followers of Jesus all over the world. Jesus’ compassion for the poor has been bitterly criticized even in the modern world by philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche and the followers of Adolf Hitler. But Christ’s love for the orphan, the poor, the suffering, and the disadvantaged has triumphed all over the world and dominates countless organizations and even governments, and people who do not count Christ as Savior. They are still determined to carry out His will on behalf of the wounded of our world.

5.       A fifth proof is the astonishing material blessing he has bestowed on billions who have risen out of poverty due to the spread of His message. Jesus Christ and His followers are the authors of free market economics, the only system in history to produce sustained economic growth. And grow we have. In America we are approximately 100 times richer than the people of Jesus’ day. And people all over the world have seen their wealth increase because of His influence on economic systems.

6.       A sixth proof that the Father has given the nations to the son is the power of Christian missions. The Protestant missionary movement of the past 200 years has been the most successful cross-cultural mission in the history of the world. We can use Africa as a simple example. In 1900 there were approximately 15 million African Christians. Today there are 700 million. Matthew Parris is a British atheist who grew up in Africa. He wrote a column some time ago taking about the superiority of Christianity in Africa. “Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.” What Parris observed in Africa is true all over the world. Christ makes people triumphant. Christian missions has spread that triumph everywhere.

7.       Finally, the fulfillment of Psalm 2 is seen in the destruction of evil.. One of the great historians of our era is Paul Johnson, who is British. His book, Modern Times, is a wonderful overview of the twentieth century and I have used it a number of times in my university classes.   The front piece of the book is a quote from Psalms 2: “ You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now, therefore, o ye kings; be instructed o ye judges of the earth.” Johnson’s thousand-page book chronicles the destruction of evil regimes during the 20^th century—Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini, Mao, and many others. God has destroyed them and committed them to hell. Vance Havner has a great observation about the attempt to rid the world of the Bible. “They have tried to bury the old book over and over but the deceased pops out of the casket during the interment to outlive all the pall bearers.”

 Jesus Christ reigns triumphant over His enemies just like Psalm 2 says He will.

More: Matthew Parris on the power of the Christian faith: http://www.rootedinjesus.net/docs/Parris.pdf

For evidence of Jesus impact on economics see Rodney Stark’s book, Victory of Reason, especially his section on “Inventing Capitalism.”