A World Free of Sin and Death

Imagine a world without sin, a world without violence, without corruption, without sorrow, and without death. For most of us that's almost impossible to picture. Everything we've ever experienced has taken place in a world shaped by sin and mortality. Life is temporary, human institutions rise and fall, and every generation eventually passes away.

Even the Bible often describes our lives as being like a vapor. Here for a moment and then gone, but the scripture goes further to tell us that this present world is not the final chapter of God's plan. In fact, the Bible repeatedly speaks about a future time when sin and death will finally be removed from the earth.

But before we talk about that future, we need to understand something very important about the present world. Many people believe that evil in the world is being driven by a supernatural fallen angel, the devil. Yet in other videos we've explored how the Bible consistently teaches that the real problem lies much closer to home, that sin comes from within the human heart. Our own desires, pride and selfishness, lead people to act in ways that oppose the will of God. That's why the world that we live in is filled with injustice, suffering, and death. But the Bible tells us that this condition won't last forever. It tells us that Jesus Christ is returning to establish a Kingdom that will transform the earth.

In the book of Daniel, the prophet described a vision of the kingdoms of men, empires that would rise and fall throughout history. But Daniel was also shown something remarkable. He wrote:

"And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom that shall never be destroyed … It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end and it shall stand forever."

In other words, the kingdoms of men will eventually be replaced by the Kingdom of God and that Kingdom will be ruled by Jesus Christ.

The angel Gabriel announced this very promise to Mary before Jesus was born. He said:

"You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the House of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

So, Jesus was not born simply to begin a new religion, he was born to become the future king of the world. And when he returns, he will establish a Kingdom that brings righteousness and justice to the earth. The problems humanity struggles with today, war, corruption, poverty, violence, will finally be addressed under his rule. The Bible also describes a remarkable period during this future Kingdom. It describes the time when Christ will reign on the earth for 1000 years and during that time the world will be transformed. Nations will be governed with justice. Truth will replace deception. Righteousness will begin to shape human society.

Now it is true, that during this one thousand year reign, the earth will still be inhabited by mortal men and women. People will still live ordinary lives, raising families, working, and learning the ways of God. The difference is they will be guided by the rule of Christ and those who have been made immortal through the resurrection. These immortal saints will serve alongside Christ as leaders and judges in the Kingdom. The world will experience something that humanity has never known before and that's a society directed entirely by God's principles. Sin will still exist during this time, but it won't dominate the world the way that it does today and eventually the Bible tells us that even this stage of history will lead to something greater.

At the end of the thousand years there will be a final judgment. Those who have faithfully followed God will be granted immortality. The rebellious will be removed. And at that point God's purpose for the earth will finally reach its completion. The book of Revelation describes this moment in powerful language. It says:

"Behold the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, … He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

This is the future the Bible promises, a world where sorrow is gone, a world where death no longer exists, a world filled with men and women who live in harmony with their creator. That is why Jesus gave his life. Through his death and resurrection, he opened a way for humanity to be freed from the power of sin and death. God sees the suffering and injustice that exist in the world today. He sees the harm that people do to one another, both openly and in secret. But the scriptures tell us God is patient, that He's giving people time to turn back to Him, because His purpose is not simply to judge the world, His purpose is to restore. And for those who place their hope in Him, the future described by the Bible, is more than just a distant dream. It's the promise of a world beyond anything we have ever experienced, a world that's finally free from sin and death.