The Christ Centred Cosmic Civilisation

Episode 88 - The Divine Empire: Shifting Focus from Earthly Gains to Heavenly Treasures

• Paul

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This episode explores the profound implications of the Kingdom of Heaven, urging a radical re-evaluation of how earthly treasures compare to heavenly investments. By examining the teachings of Jesus and the martyrdom of Polycarp, we delve into the disruptive power of living out a faith that transcends material concerns and aligns with the eternal realities of the divine empire. 
 
• The importance of framing the gospel within the context of the Kingdom of Heaven 
• Distinctions between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven 
• Jesus’ challenge to earthly treasure and materialism 
• Political implications of embracing a heavenly perspective 
• The disruptive potential for modern economies if Christians lived according to heavenly values 
• The inspiring martyrdom of Polycarp and its lessons for contemporary faith 
• A call to reflect on true allegiance to the divine empire, not earthly authorities

The theme music is "Wager with Angels" by Nathan Moore

Speaker 1:

Well, welcome to the next episode of the Christ-centered cosmic civilization. And we're still exploring the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. We've had a good look at the extent of it, the cosmic dimensions of it, and it's important then to realise that when we share the gospel, what Jesus meant by that is set very much in the context of this divine empire of the heavens and that for us to try to share the gospel without providing at least something of this awareness of the kingdom of God, of this awareness of the kingdom of God, it's futile in a way, because people just cannot understand what we're talking about when we talk about sin or the idea that God is angry about sin, and people find that very weird or sometimes offensive, because it just seems strange that if God is what the Neoplatonists were to say, for example, kind of background doctrine of God, that's in lots of kind of classical theism, the idea that there's this kind of perfect, abstract being divine, if this divine thing is aware, it cannot have any emotional reaction or genuine relationship, any relationships are only apparent to that divine thing. And so if there is this divine thing that is essentially completely disconnected to the universe and cannot have any real relations with anything in the creation, any real relations with anything in the creation, then it seems very strange to then preach a message that alleges that this divine thing is angry or can be appeased or is seeking relationship or anything like that. I think the only way it can be done is to reduce the gospel to a kind of legal transaction. That's a kind of bureaucratic thing, rather than anything to do with worship or relationship or sacrifice or sacrifice in any real biblical sense. So it's very, very important that we always set the gospel in the context of the divine empire of the heavens, the cosmic Christ-centered civilization. So that's our relationship.

Speaker 1:

Now, just a little footnote thing is to notice that Jesus refers to this divine empire as both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven, and it's Matthew that captures all the kingdom of heaven language. Both sets of language clearly go back to Jesus himself. It's not as if Matthew just edits and just decides. Oh well, when Jesus talks about the kingdom of God, I think I'm more comfortable changing that to something I like better. Obviously that's absurd to imagine that Matthew just freely revises or updates or grades the language of Jesus according to his own preferences. I mean that's laughable. But it's more that the language or the time when Jesus speaks about the kingdom of heaven. That is what captures Matthew's attention and he records that, remembers that and gives voice to that.

Speaker 1:

Now it could be that Matthew perhaps likes to avert his eyes from the divine glory and notices how the divine emperor reigns from heaven with all his holy angelic armies and saints. So in other words, it's the heavenly dimension of this divine empire that Matthew is interested in, not so much that it is God who reigns over it which he does acknowledge that and obviously is interested in that but Matthew notices the heavenly context of the divine reign. The divine empire is ruled from the heavens. The divine emperor is enthroned in the highest heaven, at the right hand of the father, and that notion of heaven is very important.

Speaker 1:

Throughout the Bible, jesus is constantly orientating our focus from an earthly obsession or an obsession with just temporary, superficially seen things, temporary, superficially seen things. And Jesus is often saying but what about the Father in heaven, who is unseen? And he sees what you do secretly, and so on. So Jesus has this idea that there's this heavenly aspect and that does have the notion that there is the kingdom of God and that kingdom of God reign down from the throne of life and authority and power and goodness, truth, beauty, everything, when we really set our hearts and minds on our Father, father in heaven, whose name is holy and who reigns through his appointed, anointed, divine king, his eternal son, who is anointed by the spirit to accomplish all this, all that he wills for his kingdom, wills for his kingdom. That has huge implications for earthly kingdoms and and and how we live in them and think about them and relate to them. It has huge implications for what really matters and that is hard to overstate what counts as political. So it's very interesting when Jesus says earthly treasure is not worth investing in. Earthly treasure is not worth investing in because you can't take it with you, it has no eternal substance to it. You should make heavenly investments because that is treasure that lasts forever.

Speaker 1:

Let's just take that one little bit of Jesus' teaching. Just take that one little bit of Jesus teaching. That is an extremely disruptive, dangerous kind of political speech. If Christians really believe that and lived by that, it would be the kind of thing that you could probably you might get arrested for really teaching that. You might get arrested for really teaching that, but because we don't really believe in his divine empire or live according to it. So therefore, we don't believe that and we domesticate that teaching of Jesus to mean something like try to have priorities that are not completely obsessed with material things. So we make it a kind of perspective thing Try to have a better perspective on all your possessions and try to remember that that's not all there is in life or something.

Speaker 1:

But that isn't at all what Jesus was saying. He's saying something much more revolutionary, much more radical, something that is much more politically explosive. He's literally saying money has no real value, certainly not in the divine empire, and you shouldn't bother with it. And you'll remember jesus says this again when people come to him with the want to divide up a will, which was probably a lot of money, and he's just like why are you asking me about this? I don't care, I don't care. Why do you care? Why do you care whether you want a big wodge of money out of an inheritance or not? That shouldn't even. Don't bother me with such trivia. Now to us, that isn't trivia. Whole families are destroyed fighting over an inheritance, a will, the sale of a house or something. Um, people, people will kill themselves over anger and anxiety or kill others over it and whole families can be broken because money means so much to them. I've even seen the Christians get like this. But what is Jesus's perspective? And this is the whole point about it being so political? He's so political because imagine if everyone in a nation, or a huge proportion of a nation, really was converted to follow Jesus and really felt that earthly treasure was not worth investing in, but instead they turned their attention to investing in heavenly things and they didn't accumulate possessions and weren't motivated by money. Now imagine what that would do to an economy.

Speaker 1:

I remember an economist saying when there were Christians I remember this is 10, 15 years ago there was a movement of some Christians who were genuinely wanting to live incredibly simply and buy almost nothing, live as cheaply as possible, share all their money with the church family and invite people to come and join this church family where everything is shared in common, where all the money. There was lots of money and resources available to help people in the church family, because people wanted to live this way and so they could care for many people in this church family, and so, yeah, it was bringing in people to learn how to be disciples of Jesus, to be cared for Now. I remember there was an economist who'd heard about this and looked at it and was genuinely frightened that this might spread, because I forget the exact wording, but the wording was something like this is very dangerous because this lifestyle would entirely destroy the Western capitalist system of economics and government and life, and I loved that quote. He recognized how incredibly politically explosive the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, was if people took it seriously and really believed that that is the kingdom that matters and that the treasure banked in the kingdom of heaven, the bank of heaven, is much more valuable and it's worth giving up all the treasures of this life. As Jesus says, use the things, using treasures and possessions of this life in order to obtain heavenly, eternal treasures. But this economist was frightened by that because he knew it would destroy the modern Western way of economy. The entire way that everything functions is consumerist and motivated by money, and he knew that would be the end of it, that people actually lived according to the way of Jesus.

Speaker 1:

So this idea then, of the divine empire that ruled from the heavens, from the father through the son, in the power of the spirit it has huge implications for earthly kingdoms, about what really matters, about who we are accountable to, about whose authority we, whose orders we follow. Who are we scared of? Are we scared of the police arresting us if we say the wrong thing, or are we more scared of angels arresting us or destroying us if we say the wrong thing? Is it the enforcement arm of earthly kingdoms that makes us tremble and may silence us or control us, or is it the heavenly enforcement agents and armies that make us tremble? That's all the difference in the world. Who do we bother about? Whose manifesto must be carried out and whose manifestos do not need to be taken so seriously? Who do we? What energises us? Like literally? I got a message this week on my phone from a political party asking me if I would go out on the door knocker to spread the message.

Speaker 1:

Now, I know people who do in fact do that, but how many of us do that for the divine kingdom? Some of us do, but why isn't that just common, that Christians just are out there canvassing for the manifesto of the heavens and living out the manifesto of the heavens? It really frustrates me when Christians say, oh, I'm taking the manifesto of the heavens seriously. That's why I'm campaigning for the government to do this or I'm campaigning against the. I'm like no, no, no, no. That's not what Jesus was saying. He wasn't saying let's get a petition together and go to Herod and see if he will improve the road system or provide a better welfare system or reduce taxes or increase taxes or what it's irrelevant to him. To him he's saying no, no, we, we are, we are doing the revolution, we're living it, making it happen in local church communities where we are. It's not just individuals, neither is it just some like um, like secular government thing. He's like expecting the revolution to be happening in community, as church, now.

Speaker 1:

Now we don't need to wait for some act of parliament to allow us to live out the kingdom. We are going to live out the kingdom, whether we're allowed to or not, in that sense, and that once we see the divine emperor ruling over the heavens and the earth and once we've tasted something of the atmosphere of his throne room, then that has a profound impact on how we view the rulers and the authorities and the powers of this present darkness. Then that changes how we are controlled and what we are free to do. You know, we could be put in prison, but they cannot take away our citizenship of the kingdom of heaven. And even in a prison, we go on living out the kingdom. We go on with the manifesto, the political revolution that can't be stopped. We carry on living out the kingdom, regardless of the government that we're under, the tyranny, the regime. So yes, as an example of that, I love.

Speaker 1:

I remember many, many years ago, probably 40 years ago, reading the first time I read how Polycarp in the second century was martyred and Polycarp goes. You know, he has overlap with the apostles themselves, sort of thing, but he becomes. He's a very important early church leader. He's a very important early church leader and what's powerful about him? He is caught up in the cosmic civilization, the divine empire, the kingdom of the heavens, the kingdom of God. He's obviously very caught up in it. And so when the Roman authorities, there's a guy who's a Roman pro-consul authorities, the, the, there's a guy who's a roman pro-consul, like a senior, uh, power in the empire. He is polycarps, arrested. He could have escaped, actually, but he doesn't want to. He, he, he, um. He comes along voluntarily, almost really, and, uh, he is being interrogated on pain of death.

Speaker 1:

And if you live only according to the, the kingdoms of this world and your horizon of treasures and pleasures, health and wealth. Is this world, this passing age? That is that then you are under the control of those who can take, who can harm your body or take away your physical life. Because if that is the ultimate threat physical pain or physical imprisonment or or physical shame or embarrassment in the public sphere or even being killed If that is the ultimate then you are controlled by the powers of this age. But if those things, if you've passed beyond the fear of those things and are looking at a much bigger, eternal, a much weightier perspective, where you're after treasure that is much more valuable, you're after life that lasts forever, you're after much bigger things and you're satisfied with nothing less than the great divine ruler, rather than being intimidated by an earthly ruler. So that's how Polycarp is.

Speaker 1:

So let me just read some of this martyrdom of Polycarp for you. It says this the proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, the proconsul tried to persuade him to apostatise. That is, you know, turn away from Christ, give up on Christ. And he said have respect for your old age, swerve by the fortune of Caesar, repent and say down with the atheists. Okay, let's just pause for a second there. So what's interesting is the fortune of Caesar, the good fortune, the blessing of Caesar. Don't you want that and you're an old man and respect that that you want to have comfort in your retirement. Don't you want to play golf and have a nice retirement home and go on holidays and enjoy life in your retirement? Isn't that what you want? Doesn't that matter most to you? Isn't that what you've lived and worked for? So swear by the fortune of Caesar and you can have that. And then notice he says repent, repent, turn around, change your mind, think differently. So he has the proconsul has a message of repentance, but he's asking Polycarp to repent of following King Jesus in the kingdom of heaven, of following King Jesus in the kingdom of heaven. And then he says he asks him to say down with the atheists.

Speaker 1:

So Christianity, of course, was considered to be atheism because the Christians didn't bother respecting or honoring or trusting in or investing in the gods of this present age. So all these Roman gods, greek gods, norse gods, we might say Hindu gods or Islamic gods or whatever, we don't bother with them, they mean nothing to us, we laugh at them, we ignore them. They are no threat to us, that what they offer is no interest to us. To us it's like we don't believe in them. They may actually exist, these dark powers. They may exist, but we don't believe in them. We live as if they don't exist for us, and that was how Christians have always been. There's only one God who's actually shown up and been part of human history and come not to be served but to serve us. That's the real God. So, having seen the real God and become a citizen of his kingdom, we don't bother with the other God, these other so-called gods, and so we're like atheists really.

Speaker 1:

Atheism, of course, is a kind of sect of Christianity really. And in the future, episodes of Christ-Centered Cosmic Civilization really, and in the future, episodes of Christ-Centered Cosmic Civilization. I want to dive deep into that, have a real look at the history of atheism and how it grows out of Christianity. Because right from the beginning we are the disbelievers, that skeptical disbelief in these gods. That's us. And so the proconsul says that to him. You just change your mind and say down with the atheists.

Speaker 1:

Now Polycarp, it says, looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium and, gesturing towards them, he said down with the atheists. So you see that there said down with the atheists. So you see that there, for polycarp, it's the pagans worshiping the gods they're. They're atheists because it is for polycarp. They don't believe in the true, living, eternal god, the maker of the heavens and the earth, the one who made the very spiritual beings who may now claim to be gods. So, as far as he's concerned, though, they believe in lots of gods, from a Christian point of view, everyone's an atheist other than Christians.

Speaker 1:

Ok, now the proconsul urges him. Ok, now the proconsul urges him swear, turn away from Christ, reject Christ and I will set you free. And Polycarp answers 86 years I have served Christ and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king and my saviour? Again, notice, jesus is the king and the saviour. And again, just a little footnote on how, so often, the gospel that is proclaimed today is only trying to talk about Jesus as a saviour and very little about him as king or the divine emperor. And even when people do talk about him as king, they have it as a very kind of earthly perspective on authority, not at all the kind of divine authority that he has. Anyway, there's Polycarp. How can I blaspheme my king and my saviour.

Speaker 1:

The proconsul said I have wild animals here and I will throw you to them if you do not repent. And then Polycarp replies call them. It is unthinkable for me to repent, from what is good to turn to what is evil. I will be glad, though, to be changed from evil to righteousness. So there's Polycarp you don't turn from what's evil, you don't turn from what's good to what's evil, but it's a good thing to turn from evil to good, and of course, that's the repentance that Polycarp believes in, not a repentance that's from goodness to evil.

Speaker 1:

So notice though again and this is the reason I'm reading it Polycarp is not intimidated by earthly authorities. He doesn't feel he has to do what they say if they contravene the true authority, the divine Jesus. So the proconsul says look, if you despise the animals, if you don't take these wild animals seriously, I will have you burned. And then Polycarp says something that's very famous, and it's a terrifying perspective, and it helps us to see why Polycarp doesn't take the pro consul's threats seriously. But because Polycarp is aware of some much greater level of threat, and this is what Polycarp says.

Speaker 1:

So the proconsul said if you don't take the animals seriously, I'll have you burned. Polycarp says you threaten me with fire which burns for an hour and is then extinguished, burns for an hour and is then extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire, of the coming judgment and eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want. Well, that's.

Speaker 1:

And then if you read the story of what happens it's complicated, of how he is martyred, but right at the end, as he's about to die, he says this it's ready to be an acceptable burnt offering to God. It's ready to be an acceptable burnt offering to God. He looked up, polycarp, looked up to heaven and said again that, turning of his gaze, his attention, to heaven, to the throne room of heaven, and he said this O Lord, god Almighty, the father of your beloved and blessed Son, jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels, powers and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before you, who live before you, I give you thanks that you count me worthy to be numbered among your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body, through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice, as you, the true God, have destined and revealed to me and now fulfilled. I praise you for all these things. I bless you and glorify you, along with the everlasting Jesus Christ, your beloved Son to you. With him, through the Holy Spirit, be glory both now and forever. Amen.

Speaker 1:

What a prayer, what a perspective, amazing. He's grateful that he's able to be martyred, even like being burned. Why is he? Because he regards it as such a high honor to be counted worthy of suffering and dying for the kingdom of heaven. That, to him, is a tremendous privilege and he is full of praise that he's been allowed to be given that honour. A martyr's crown awaits him, totally certain that as soon as he dies, he will be with those who are the righteous who live before you. But notice as well how he calls to mind the concept of the angels and the powers and all the creatures of heaven and earth, all who are part of this great divine empire of the heavens.

Speaker 1:

And so, yeah, far from being intimidated by the violence, the threats of death and so on that the pro-consul gives, polycarp welcomes them, welcomes them, and the fact that Polycarp was like that had a huge impact on that crowd because they had never encountered something like this before. They could understand people who were interested in politics and fighting for like to improve life here and now. But to have someone who kind of didn't even care about life here and now but was so fixed on this future eternal life shared with this living God Wow, they've never seen things like that before. And do we see that? It's rare. It's rare to see that. And so, as we come towards the end of this episode well, actually I won't say anything more I'll save the next kind of perspective on this for next time. Let's, let's let's have Polycarp with that prayer echoing in our minds as we come to an end.