Starting off with a Big Picture

I'm beginning to take a step back from this world to look at the big picture of life via my reading in the Perspectives class. I find it quite interesting that God had the plan that He did. He created Satan and allowed him to set up a kingdom contrary to His own and He didn't cast him into the fiery pit right away. In fact, He allows this kingdom, ruled by Satan, to influence the human beings He created in His own image. He doesn't stop this evil from penetrating into their lives! Why not? Why doesn't He stop evil right away?

Because somehow it's not in His plan. I think He doesn't get glory unless He overcomes this evil in a big way. I think He doesn't get to show Himself - including all of His incredible characteristics - to His people unless sin & evil are amidst us. He would never need to come and live with us and die for us. His glory would never be displayed. I often wondered why in first grade they always told us that our stories needed to have a problem. I thought it restricted me and put me in some sort of a box because I didn't want problems in my story. But little did my first grade mind know that problems are what make stories good. God created the best epic story and it wouldn't be epic if Satan, sin & death were abolished right at the beginning.

How does this shape my view of missions? More on that to come in the future. But first, a fun note on OT/NT connections. So we see there are 2 problems: Satan creates evil & man follows. But God created a solution. He will 1) overcome Satan's kingdom and 2) He will redeem man.

• The latter is showed in Christ being of the seed of Abraham and Issac (Ab's son) is the representation of the coming Messiah because he's a living sacrifice. This sacrifice and redemption is displayed in the animal the lamb (i.e. the Day of Atonement...spotless lamb).
• Now, (1) is shown in Christ being the seed of David and his son, Solomon, is the representation of the coming Messiah because He was such a great king in great splendor. Such is Christ and the animal that displays this solution is the lion because the lion has such great "kingly authority."

At Christ's first coming, He has both overcome Satan's kingdom and He has redeemed man. But they're both still in progress and will be complete at His second coming. This seems quite normal to me, but at the time of the first coming, Jews were confused - even John the Baptist and His disciples.