Here is a preview of some of the perspectives on vision

in the biblical books we will read during Vision Season: 

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Old Testament

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• Ezekiel: Ezekiel's visions describe God as the cause of the rise and fall of Israel and all global powers, and they predict that God will take charge in the future to turn the world into a place of justice, beauty, joy, and worship.

• Daniel: Daniel's prophetic visions, especially the vision of the "Son of Man", point us to the future of the world that Jesus, the "Son of Man", will bring into being

• Psalms: Many psalms, especially Ps. 146-150, call us to praise God now because we already foresee the glorious future he will bring when he comes to reign

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New Testament

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• 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Two of Paul's letters emphasize that God's clock is ticking and we need to be ready for the return of Jesus as Ruler of the world

• Revelation: The last book of the Bible is a spectacular vision of the end of history and an urgent call for God's people to be keep trusting him for victory in his campaign, even though the campaign enemies seem to be winning for now.

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Looking back over all this, we gradually realize where and how we fit into the biblical story, and a fantastic thought dawns on us--God wins! His campaign victory will connect, heal, and bless the world exactly as he drew everything up. 

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According to the biblical view of reality, things are not what they seem. Human calculations about the future are miscalculations. People leave God out of the equation and their answers are way off, way different than the future that is actually on its way to us.

 

For example, many people look at the mess we are in and conclude that there is no hope for the world and no chance for ordinary people to have any influence on the world's direction. Their pessimism seems realistic. Look at Gaza.

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Some pessimists withdraw, trying to hold onto the most life they can, making the best of a bad period of history. Other pessimists club together to grab as much as they can so their group will still have some power and pleasure even if other groups are going down the tubes. But either way loneliness, fear, and anxiety are dominant.

 

As the Bible said long ago, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (Prov. 29.18) The idea is that when people have no concept of God's future of justice and peace, they "run wild" (New Living Translation). They grab anything that is not tied down. Society falls apart, and people get trampled.

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Life doesn't have to be that way. In fact, God gave the world a glorious vision of the future under the rule of Jesus the Messiah to prevent all that trampling, but the world turned it down. Instead of getting angry and blasting the world, God has steadily continued with his campaign and strategy, giving second chances, putting some of that glorious future into his people so others can see what it looks like in real life.

 

Read the Bible as the story of God's campaign with yourself as a campaign team member. Get a feel for God's future shalom, his "Peace+". Sense that he is bringing that future about in you already so you can show the people around you what the future will look like and invite them to get in on it. ​