Act 1 describes God creating the world and humanity living in harmony with God and creation. Act 2 tells of humanity rebelling through Adam and Eve, corrupting all relationships and introducing sin and death. Act 3 outlines God's plan to redeem creation by choosing Abraham and his descendants to form the nation of Israel, who will be a light to the nations and show God's design for humanity. God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt and gives them the law at Sinai to guide them as His holy people. The book of Joshua tells of Israel conquering the promised land but then turning from God, leading to cycles of oppression described in Judges.
Act 1 describes God creating the world and humanity living in harmony with God and creation. Act 2 tells of humanity rebelling through Adam and Eve, corrupting all relationships and introducing sin and death. Act 3 outlines God's plan to redeem creation by choosing Abraham and his descendants to form the nation of Israel, who will be a light to the nations and show God's design for humanity. God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt and gives them the law at Sinai to guide them as His holy people. The book of Joshua tells of Israel conquering the promised land but then turning from God, leading to cycles of oppression described in Judges.
Act 1 describes God creating the world and humanity living in harmony with God and creation. Act 2 tells of humanity rebelling through Adam and Eve, corrupting all relationships and introducing sin and death. Act 3 outlines God's plan to redeem creation by choosing Abraham and his descendants to form the nation of Israel, who will be a light to the nations and show God's design for humanity. God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt and gives them the law at Sinai to guide them as His holy people. The book of Joshua tells of Israel conquering the promised land but then turning from God, leading to cycles of oppression described in Judges.
Act 1 describes God creating the world and humanity living in harmony with God and creation. Act 2 tells of humanity rebelling through Adam and Eve, corrupting all relationships and introducing sin and death. Act 3 outlines God's plan to redeem creation by choosing Abraham and his descendants to form the nation of Israel, who will be a light to the nations and show God's design for humanity. God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt and gives them the law at Sinai to guide them as His holy people. The book of Joshua tells of Israel conquering the promised land but then turning from God, leading to cycles of oppression described in Judges.
ACT ONE: GOD ESTABLISHES HIS KINGDOM (CREATION) The curtain opens on the Biblical dramaits first act is Gods creation of the universe. As a supreme ruler, God calls all things into being by His sovereign decree. Each creature plays a part in this grand symphony of creation, and every part is declared good.! Gods creative "or# clima$es in His creation of human beings to be li#e himself and to rule the "orld as His ste"ards. These first human beings, Adam and Eve, en%oy "arm and close fello"ship "ith God in the garden as they carry out their tas# of loo#ing after the "orld, delighting in and developing its rich potentials, and than#ing God. By the end of act one, the curtain closes on a &very good "orld. ACT TWO: REBELLION IN THE KINGDOM (FALL) Bright anticipation characterises the opening of act t"o. God gives Adam and Eve everything they need' their lives are rich and full as they delight in God and the gifts He has given. God places one restriction on them( they are not to eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden or everything "ill be ruined. By submitting to Gods "ord, Adam and Eve learn the %oy of living as trustful and dependant creatures. But )atan offers another "ord, a lie, by "hich Adam and Eve can live. *n a tragic t"ist, they listen to the lie of )atan and contravene Gods command. This treasonous act of rebellion sends shoc#+"aves throughout the "hole creation. Adams and Eves rebellion corrupts the "arm friendship they had en%oyed "ith God as they "al#ed together in the garden, delighting in Gods presence and gifts. They find themselves estranged from God and hide from His presence. Their revolt also damages relations bet"een human beings. Adams and Eves relationship to each other becomes one of selfish mastery. The effects are soon seen as their son ,ain murders his brother, Abel, and as violence and evil spreads among the earths gro"ing population. Their apostasy further ravages the harmonious relationship en%oyed previously bet"een humanity and the non+human creation. Every relationship and every part of human life is no" defiled by their betrayal. Already, even death has entered the "orld. As the curtain closes on act t"o, Adam and Eve are in the middle of a mess. The "hole "orld is no" befouled by their rebellion. ACT THREE: THE KING CHOOSES ISRAEL (REDEMPTION INITIATED) Scene One: A People for !e K"n# Rising Tide of Sin and Gods Faithfulness As the curtain rises in act three, one burning -uestion remains( ho" "ill God respond to a "orld that has chosen to go its o"n "ay and that continues to ignore his good plans. To start, God brings %udgement' He e$pels Adam and Eve from the garden. But God also brings hope "hen He promises to crush all the evil forces that Adam and Eve have unleashed in their foolish mutiny /Gen. 0(123. The ne$t fe" millennia, recorded for us in a fe" brief chapters /Gen. 0+113, are the story of t"o inter"oven developments( the increasing dar#ness of sin and Gods faithfulness to His promise to banish that dar#ness. The tide of "rongdoing continues to rise. *t reaches a pea# in 4oahs time, and God decides to destroy the earth "ith a great flood and start over again "ith one family. God saves 4oah from the great flood on a large boat. After the flood, 4oahs descendants turn out to be no different from their predecessors /cf. Gen. 5(2 and 6(713. 8i#e the previous generation, they ignore God and go their o"n "ay. This continued rebellion clima$es in the building of the to"er at Babel, a monument to humanitys treasonous revolt /Gen. 9(16+11(1+93. But amidst sins for"ard march, God has remained faithful to His promise. :hen the righteous Abel "as #illed God raised up )eth and a godly line that "ould remain faithful to Himself /Gen.;(72+2(073. :hen the "hole "orld became "ic#ed, God preserved 4oah through His %udgement /Gen.5(63. After the flood, "hen 4oah set foot on dry ground, God promised that He "ould protect the "orld from disaster and recover it again from the ravages of human rebellion. <et this long period of human sinfulness and Gods faithfulness ends on a sour note. *n the story of Babel the "hole "orld turns against God. Recovery Plan for Creation: Abraham, saac, and !acob *n spite of human rebellion, God does not abandon His plans for His "orld. About t"o thousand years before =esus, God sets into motion a plan that "ill lead to the recovery of the "orld. This promised plan has t"o parts( >irst, out of this mass of rebellious humanity, God "ill choose one man /=osh. 7;(73. God "ill ma#e this man into a great nation and give that nation a land and bless them. )econd, God "ill e$tend that blessing to all nations /Gen. 17(1+0' 16(163. The rest of the boo# of Genesis traces the ups and do"ns of this t"o+fold promise. The promise is given not only to Abraham but also to his son *saac /Gen. 75(0+ ;3 and his grandson =acob /Gen. 76(10+123. ?any dangers threaten Gods promised plan along the "ay( impotence and barrenness, foreign #ings and their harems, natural disasters, hostility "ith surrounding people, and the unbelief of Abraham, *saac, and =acob, themselves. Through it all, God sho"s Himself to be &God Almighty /Gen. 1@(1' E$. 5(03, the Ane "ho has the po"er to carry out his plan. 4earing the end of his life, =acob moves his t"elve sons and all their families to Egypt in order to escape a famine. The riveting story of his eleventh+born son, =oseph, sho"s Gods faithfulness and control of history as He manages to preserve a people through "hom He "ill bring salvation to the "orld /Gen. ;2(2' 2B(7B3. Freed from Slavery and Formed as a Peo"le >our hundred years elapse before the story resumes. Abrahams descendants, no" #no"n as *srael /the name God gives to =acob3, gro" numerous in Egypt. But success brings its o"n problems. Egypts #ing begins to perceive this e$panding racial minority as a threat. To stamp out the perceived danger, Charaoh reduces *srael to slavery. The boo# of E$odus opens at the height of *sraels oppression under Egypt. *nto this scenario of intense pain and tyranny God chooses ?oses to liberate *srael from the brutal rule of Egypt so that *srael can return to God. *n a series of amaDing incidents, ten plagues bring Gods %udgement on Egypts gods /E$. 17(173, and *srael is miraculously saved from the po"erful Egyptian army as they cross the Eed )ea. >inally *srael arrives at the place "here they "ill meet God?t. )inai. There God meets *srael in an a"esome display of lightning and fire. :hy has God done all of this for *srael. God has a %ob for them to do. They are to be a nation and #ingdom that function li#e priests. Their tas# is to mediate Gods blessing to the nations and to act as a model people attracting all peoples to God /E$. 19(0+53. This is the calling that "ill shape *srael from this point on( they are to be a sho"case people and model before the nations that embody the beauty of Gods original design for human life. After giving them this tas#, God gives them the la" to guide their lives, and the people of *srael commit themselves to living as Gods faithful people. God then commands them to build a tent "here he "ill ta#e up residence. >rom no" on, "herever they go, God "ill live visibly among them. *n 8eviticus "e see ho" *srael is to live in communion "ith a holy God. The boo# of 4umbers contains the story of *sraels %ourney from )inai to ,anaan. Fnfortunately *sraels unbelief re-uires that they spend forty years in the "ilderness before arriving at ?oab, on the threshold of the promised land. *n Geuteronomy, *sraels leader, ?oses, instructs *srael on ho" they should live "hen they arrive in the land. *srael is poised to enter the landthey are committed to being Gods people and sho"ing the nations around "ho God is and the "isdom of His original creational design for human life. As *srael sits poised for entry, ?oses dies and the leadership is passed on to =oshua. Scene T$o: A L%n& for !e People #ntering the $and: !oshua and !udges The boo# of =oshua tells us ho" God #eeps his promise to give *srael the land. The 8ord leads *srael in con-uering the land and %udging its "ic#ed inhabitants, and then he distributes the land among the t"elve tribes. The boo# ends "ith =oshuas pleas for *srael to remain faithful as Gods people. =udges opens "ith *sraels disobedience( they refuse to "age "ar "ith unbelief and to purge idolatry from the land /=u. 13. God comes in covenant %udgement and tells *srael that they "ill no" have to live among the ,anaanites /=u. 73. =udges tells a sad story of ho" *srael turns from God and continually succumbs to the ,anaanite pagan "orship and lifestyle. God finally lets the ,anaanite and neighbouring peoples rule and oppress them until *srael cries to Him for help. And He responds in mercy, raising up military leaders, #no"n as %udges, to rescue them. :ith each cycle of rebellion, though, the situation gets "orse. The boo# ends "ith t"o stories that illustrate *sraels foul rebellion and "ith *sraels repeated cry for a #ing to deliver them from this mess /=u. 71(723. %ings and Pro"hets )amuel is the last great %udge, as "ell as a priest and prophet. The boo#s of )amuel, named after him, tell of a time of great change "ithin the *sraelite nation. *srael as#s God to give them a #ing so they can be li#e the other nations /1 )am. 6(2, 19+7B3. )o God uses )amuel to appoint )aul, and then Gavid, as the first #ings over His people. )aul is a failure as a #ing, but Gavid serves God as a faithful #ing, defeating *sraels pagan neighbours, enforcing Gods la", and moving Gods residence to =erusalem. Here, at the hub of the nation, Gods presence is a constant reminder that God is *sraels real #ing. )olomon, Gavids son and successor, builds the temple as a more permanent place for God to live and hear the praise and prayers of His people. Gespite being given great "isdom from God, )olomons marriages to foreign "omen lead him to "orship other gods, and his ambitious building pro%ects earn him a reputation as an oppressor. Guring the reign of his son Eehoboam, this oppressive spirit results in the splitting of the nation. The ma%ority of the tribes brea# a"ay in the north /*srael3, leaving behind a fe" southern tribes /=udah3. >rom this time on, the t"o halves have their o"n #ings. The boo#s of 1 and 7 Hings and 1 and 7 ,hronicles tell their stories. The story is of a do"nhill slide into rebellion led by unfaithful #ings. >ar from being a sho"case to the nations, Gods people push his patience to the point at "hich He e$pels them from the land. God see#s to halt their deadly course by raising up prophets to call them bac# to repentance. Eli%ah and Elisha are the prophets "ho feature most prominently in 1 and 7 Hings. Through these prophets, God promises that if *srael "ill return to him He "ill be gracious and continue to "or# "ith them. He also "arns that if *srael continues to rebel He "ill bring %udgement and finally send them into e$ile. As *sraels situation becomes more incurable, the prophets promise that God has not given up. *n fact, He promises He "ill send a future #ing "ho "ill usher in a reign of peace and %ustice. This promised #ing "ill achieve Gods purposes for His creation. The "ords of the prophets fall on deaf ears. And so, first the citiDens of the northern #ingdom /@77 B.,.3, and then the citiDens of the southern #ingdom /265 B.,.3 are captured as prisoners by the ruling empires of the day. #&ile and Return The ten tribes of the northern #ingdom are scattered to the corners of the earth. The t"o tribes of the south go into e$ile in Babylon. &Beside the rivers of Babylon "e thought about =erusalem, and "e sat do"n and cried, says the "riter of Csalm 10@. &Here is a foreign land, ho" can "e sing about the 8AEG. /10@(1, ;3. E$ile is a devastating e$perience for the *sraelites. :hat happed to Gods promises and purposes. Had he given them up for good. Guring this e$ile, God continues to spea# to them through prophets li#e EDe#iel, e$plaining "hy this crisis has come and assuring them that they still have a future. After over a half decade in e$ile, the "ay is opened for *srael to return to =erusalem. )ome return' but most do not. *n time, under the leadership of Ierubbabel, EDra, and 4ehemiah, =erusalem and the temple, "hich had been burnt by =udahs invaders, are rebuilt. But *srael, =erusalem, and the temple are only shado"s of their former selves. The Ald Testament ends "ith *srael resettling in the land, but resettling on a small scale and facing huge threats. They live in the shado" of the super+po"ers of their day. :ith the promises of the prophets echoing in their ears they "ait for the day "hen God "ill act to deliver them and complete His redemptive "or#. As the curtain falls on act three, *srael has failed to carry out the tas# God gave them at )inai, but hope remains because God has made promises. INTERL'DE: A KINGDOM STOR( WAITING FOR AN ENDING (INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD) Bet"een the end of act three /Ald Testament3 and the beginning of act four /4e" Testament3 there is an interlude of four hundred years. This period is called the intertestamental period. Guring this time, *srael continues to believe that they are Gods chosen people and that God "ill act in the very near future to bring His #ingdom. Fnder the oppression of the Cersians, Gree#s, and, especially, the )yrians and Eomans, the flame of hope ignited in =e"ish hearts is fanned into a raging inferno. Ho" Gods #ingdom "ill come, "ho "ill bring it in, and "hat "ay to live until it comeson these things there is much difference among the Charisees, )adducees, Iealots, and Essenes. But all of *srael agrees( their story is "aiting for an ending. The #ingdom "ill come soon. And so they "ait in hope. ACT FO'R: THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM (REDEMPTION ACCOMPLISHED) Act four. The curtain rises. *nto this setting of feverish anticipation for Gods #ingdom steps a young =e"ish man, =esus of 4aDareth. He announces the #ingdom has comein him' God is no" acting in love and po"er to restore the creation and humanity to live again under the #ind rule of God, the "ay God designed it all in the beginning. The gospels, ?atthe", ?ar#, 8u#e, and =ohn, tell the story of this man =esus, "ho claims to be sent by God to accomplish the rene"al of the creation. =esus, ho"ever, is not the #ind of #ing *srael is e$pecting. He is not the freedom fighter "ho "ill thro" off the Eoman yo#e and ma#e *srael great again. *n fact, he seems more li#e a "andering teacher or prophet. Though he announces the arrival of Gods final entry into history, nothing seems to happen. =esus goes about gathering a small community of insignificant follo"ers around him and calls them the ne" vanguard of Gods coming ne" "orld. Gods po"er to restore is evident as =esus heals people and frees them from evil spirits. His invitation e$tends beyond the &"ashed and acceptable( he "elcomes religious and social outcasts into his ne" community. As he challenges the customs and e$pectations of the day, he arouses gro"ing opposition among the leaders. =esus teaches his follo"ers to live lives steeped in love, forgiveness, and righteousness. He tells them stories to help them understand the unusual "ay in "hich Gods ne" rule "as coming. The #ingdom is coming, not by destroying your enemies but by loving them, not by using force but by suffering, not by revenging but by forgiving, not by retreating from the &un"ashed but by compassionately involving yourselves in their lives. =esus does not meet the e$pectations of his contemporaries for "hat the coming #ing "ill loo# li#e. )o, "ho is he. =esus poses this very -uestion to his follo"ers. Ceter ans"ers in faith( &<ou are the ,hrist, anointed #ing, the )on of the living God /?att. 15(153. *ndeed, his follo"ers believe =esus is present to reveal "ho God is and "hat He is doing to recover the "orld. But the ma%ority of =esus fello" =e"s do not recognise him. Apposition to his "or# mounts until they arrest him, put him on a moc# trial, and ta#e him to the Eoman governor for e$ecution. =esus is handed over to suffer the most appalling of all deaths Eoman crucifi$ion. )urely no #ing "ould die such a disgraceful deathJ <et his follo"ers declare "ee#s later that it is at that very momentin the shame and pain of the cross that God accomplishes his plan to recover his lost and bro#en "orld. Here =esus ta#es the sin and bro#enness of the "orld on himself so that the "orld might be healed. He dies, nailed to a cross, to ta#e the punishment that a guilty humanity rightly deserves. *t is no" possible for the "orld, and all people in it, to be made right "ith God. Ho" can his follo"ers ma#e such a preposterous claim. Because of the resurrectionJ They believe =esus "al#ed out of the grave and is alive from the dead. :hat astonishing ne"sJ ?any people, even a cro"d of 2BB, see =esus alive. His resurrection is the sign of his victory over evil' it is the first evidence of a ne" "orld da"ning. But before that ne" "orld comes fully =esus gathers his follo"ers and gives them a tas#( &<ou are to continue doing "hat you sa" me doing /=ohn 7B(713. &<ou are to ma#e #no"n Gods coming rule in your lives, your deeds and your "ords. Gods ne" "orld "ill come in time. :hen that happens, everything that resists that rule "ill be destroyed. But until then, announce its coming and sho" by the "ay you live that it is a reality. * limited my "or#, =esus says, &to *srael. 4o" you are to spread this good ne"s of Gods coming "orld through the "hole "orld. After these instructions =esus ta#es his rightful throne, in heaven at the right hand of God. ACT FI)E: SPREADING THE NEWS OF THE KINGDOM (THE CH'RCH*S MISSION) Scene One: Fro+ ,er-.%le+ o Ro+e The boo# of Acts begins "ith the sudden and e$plosive coming of the Holy )pirit, "hose coming the prophets and =esus, himself, had promised /Acts 73. He comes, intent on bringing the ne" life of Gods #ingdom to all "ho turn from sin, believe rene"al has come in =esus, and are baptised into the emerging #ingdom community. This ne" community is established and commits itself to doing those things that God promises to use to rene" in them the life of the resurrection( the :ord of God, prayer, fello"ship "ith one another, and the 8ords )upper /Acts 7(;73. As they do this, the life of Gods #ingdom more and more sho"s itself in =erusalem, and the church begins to gro". The church spreads from =erusalem to =udea and into )amaria. Then a ne" centre is established in Antioch /Acts 11(19+763. Here too, =esus follo"ers embody the life of the #ingdom, li#e the =erusalem community does. But the church at Antioch also catches a vision for ta#ing this good ne"s to places "here it has not been heard. And so they commission t"o men, Caul and Barnabas, for this tas# /Acts 10(1+03. Caul plays the biggest role in the spread of the good ne"s throughout the Eoman Empire. He "as once a militant enemy of the church, but a dramatic encounter "ith =esus turns him into a leading missionary to the non+=e"ish "orld. An three separate %ourneys he travels throughout the Eoman Empire establishing churches. He "rites thirteen letters to these ne"ly founded churches to encourage them and instruct them about ho" to live as follo"ers of the risen =esus. These letters, along "ith others, eventually are collected into the 4e" Testament. Each of these letters continues today, in the t"enty+first century, to give valuable instruction on "hat to believe about the good ne"s and ho" to live faithfully under Gods rule in our daily lives. Getting bac# to Acts, Caul is finally arrested and shuffled from one official to another, from one hearing to the ne$t. The boo# of Acts ends "ith Caul being transported to Eome and living there under house arrest. 4ot a very satisfying ending to a dramatic story of the spread of the gospelJ But Acts ends "ithout finality for a reason. The story is not finished. *t must continue to unfold until =esus returns again. Scene T$o: An& Ino !e En"re Worl& This is our place in the storyJ The story of Gods people, gro"ing in numbers and gathering from every nation into one community, has continued for 7BBB years, and it continues today. Any "ho hear the call of =esus to follo" him must centre their lives in him and commit themselves to living the life of Gods #ingdom. >aith in =esus brings the gift of the )pirit, a foretaste of the full #ingdom meal that is yet to come. To use a different metaphor, the church is no" a previe" of the coming #ingdom. The church pic#s up *sraels tas# of being a sho"case of "hat God intends for human life /E$. 19(0+ 5' cf. 1 Cet. 7(9+173. The church is to continue the #ingdom mission that =esus began among the =e"s, a #ingdom established no" among all the people of the earth. The church today is guided by the stories of the church in Acts as it faces ne" and very different conte$ts for its mission. The mission of Gods people is to ma#e #no"n the good ne"s of the #ingdom. This is "hat gives the contemporary time period its meaning. And since the rule of =esus covers the "hole earth, the mission of Gods people is as broad as creation. *n effect, Gods people are to live lives that say, &This is ho" the "hole "orld "ill be some day "hen =esus returnsJ ACT SI/: THE RET'RN OF THE KING (REDEMPTION COMPLETED) =esus promised that one day he "ould return and complete the "or# he had begun. And so his people live in the confident e$pectation that every challenge to his loving rule "ill be crushed and that the His #ingdom "ill come fully. :hen he returns, the dead "ill be raised and all people "ill appear before him in %udgement. Gods opponents "ill be overthro"n, earth and heaven "ill be rene"ed, and Gods rule "ill be complete. The last boo# in the Bible is Eevelation. *n that boo# =ohn is ushered into Gods throne room to see ho" things really are. He is sho"n that, "hatever evidence e$ists to the contrary, =esus, "hom the church follo"s, is in control of "orld events. He is moving history to"ard its appointed end. At that end, the old "orld dominated by evil, pain, suffering, and death "ill be overthro"n. God "ill again d"ell among humanity as He did in the beginning. He "ill "ipe a"ay tears. There "ill be no more death, mourning, pain, suffering, or evil. :ith %oy, those of us "ho have follo"ed this story anticipate hearing Gods o"n voice( &* am ma#ing everything ne"J /Eev. 71(23 The marvellous imagery of the last chapters of Eevelation directs the readers gaDe to the end of history and to the restoration of the "hole of Gods creation. He invites all the thirsty to come even no" and to drin# the "aters of life but "arns all those "ho remain outside the #ingdom. The Bible ends "ith a promise repeated three times&* am coming soon /Eev. 77(@, 17, 7B3. And "e echo the response of the author of Eevelation( &<esJ ,ome 8ord =esus.