My thoughts are going back to the fall Holy Day season and when you think about what it pictures, the World Tomorrow, it will give you great hope. It gives me enthusiasm, zeal, with thoughts of the future. That is what it is all about.

I want to ask you a question, "Are you ready to rule a city?"

Now this is a pretty awesome thing to think about, isn't it? Are you ready to step into the reins and take over this area, here in Portsmouth Ohio, and run the city and run it right?

When Jesus Christ returns, He will give His people authority to rule. He will give you a part, a managing part, not only to teach, but to manage in the very Kingdom of God. This is our role, this is what we are training for. When Jesus Christ returns, the Church of God, those who have died in the faith, and those who are still alive, will be resurrected and born into the very Kingdom of God, changed in a twinkling of an eye to immortality (1 Corinthians 15). We will be together for the first time, all those people that have dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ, that have died in the faith, and those that are alive will be changed. What a miracle. We will come together, from different walks of life, and work together in peace and harmony and unity.

All of God's chosen people will stand before our elder brother Jesus Christ, and we will be waiting to receive our responsibilities in the Kingdom of God. A new world government that will stop the problems that we see within all the governments around the world today. Things are going to change.

As we stand before Jesus Christ, we will sense the awesomeness radiating from Him. No wonder the Israelites trembled at the very thought and sound of Jesus Christ, who was the God of the Old Testament, when they saw His presence at Mount Sinai and we will think about how His eyes shine, the brilliance that is coming from Him, and you and I are going to be standing before Him, but it's going to be one of kinship. It is going to be one of friendship. It's going to be one of reconciliation. We will be able to look at Jesus Christ and see what He and God the Father is, and that is love.

It is going to be pretty awesome that He knows who you are. He will call you by name. The Savior of mankind knows you, and suddenly as you and I are standing there, Jesus Christ begins to speak, "Well done good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:14-23). After all of the difficulties, all of the trials and tests of life, you have been faithful in the things that I have given you. You have endured to the end (Matthew 24:13). Welcome to the Kingdom of God."

That is pretty inspiring. And then Jesus adds, after He says, "Welcome to the Kingdom of God, I'm going to give you authority over one city" (Luke 19:12-19). Perhaps five or ten cities.

This is awesome! To me, it seems like a dream, but that's our hope and that's our destiny and yet when I think about it, it is kind of scary.

We may ask, "How can I possibly rule a city? What kind of credentials do I have to have to be able to do that? What do I know about running a city? How can I possibly do that?"

Have you ever thought about what it will take to run a city? What will it take to manage a city or maybe even a nation? That is really something to think about. Food, clothing and housing are high priorities for a city. Water and power must be provided. Streets and roads have to be planned and built, building codes have to be established. Garbage must be collected and sewage taken care of. Transportation and school systems have to be established.

What about entertainment and what kind will we have? The kind we have today? I doubt that. My wife made a comment, "I cannot watch anything on TV that doesn't have sex or nudity in it." Those things are things we need to be thinking about? What about how will we pay for these things? Will we use the current tax system or will we go to a tithing system? Where do we get the funds to run a city? We could be talking about millions of dollars.

I don't know much about ruling and governance of a city. When you think about today and the mess that the economy is in. Some of the best minds in the world can not make it work. They fall short, so what makes me think that I can do any better in the World Tomorrow? How can I teach what I don't know? We can think about these things and they seem so humongous that we could become discouraged, but we must realize that the world needs the return of Jesus Christ and we will be there to help Him.

We think about the world. It is battered now by Satan's rule. It will be chastened by the Day of the Lord. The book of Revelation shows the great tribulation and the devastation of civilization. What will the people need as we go into and during that part of the beginning of the millennium. Will they need us to come up and say, "Well, this is the way it is. You do it this way and be blessed or you can do it that way and not be blessed." At first we may have to rule with a rod of iron.

But what do the people need as we begin to rule and lead? They will need someone to put their arm around them, hug them, to love them and to tell them, "It's going be okay."

A lot of things will be destroyed. Dams, bridges, great cities will be in piles of rubble. The ecosystem will be in shambles as well. The work will start from Jerusalem where Jesus Christ will return to and establish the Kingdom of God and He will rule from there (Zechariah 8:3).

God’s Government To Be Restored

A rebuilding will begin. Representatives from the once proud nations that many people look up to now, will be humbled. They will make their way to God's seat of government in Jerusalem. They will want to know and want to learn of God's way of life.

Isaiah 2, and we will begin in verse one, "The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. {2} And it shall come to pass in the last days," just prior to the thousand year millennium, "that the mountain of the Lord's house," God's government, "shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it."

That is God's government that people are wanting to know about.

Verse 3, "And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."

So we, the saints, will be there to help in teaching and helping Jesus Christ.

{4} "And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people:" (settle problems, not the world's way, but God's way) "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks."

The economy of the nations today is geared toward war, and the implements of war. That will change.

"Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."

So we have an economy that is not going to be based on war any more but it will be based on the necessities of people, food, clothing, shelter and jobs of employment.

They will find that the Kingdom of God, and those people there will be eager and ready to help. Christ will have that team of us, all of God's people around the world, there to assist Him.

Was God wrong in calling us? (John 6:44). Choosing us to be part of the first fruits? (1Corinthians 15:23, Revelation 14:4). We certainly are from many aspects not qualified to take care of those things, to be mayors and rulers of cities. I'm not a civil engineer, not a telecommunications expert. I am none of those things. Yet God in His love has called me and He has called you.

First Corinthians 1 verse 26 and 27, "For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh."

Wise after the flesh, that is individuals that do not have God's Holy Spirit. They are wise, in the ways of doing things the world's way.

"Not many mighty, not many noble are called. {27} But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty."

We have two ways of doing things, we have the world's way and God's way. The way of the world doesn't work. The way of God does work.

We have been in training for many years. Some of us God called at an early age because we need a lot of training, to be able to work in the government of God and to do God's will.

No, God and Jesus Christ did not make a mistake in calling us. They knew what they were doing. When Jesus returns the team will be ready.

So we need to remind ourselves that the world has gone wrong. The world was given 6000 years to make it work. They have not made it work, they made it worse. They have not kept the garden as Adam and Eve were given, and they made things much worse. They rejected the knowledge of God.

Human beings from that period of time have tried to find a way that works, and they have failed in every aspect. Yes, they're good at solving technical problems, great things have been done, superhighways, drilling for oil in the deep seas, they can go to the moon, they can split atoms. But, their devices have led and will lead to more and more destruction. Man’s physical knowledge has not produced a way of life that works, no matter how smart they are. It may seem right for a while but it will lead us to the brink of destruction.

For most of us Christians, as we have lived God’s way of life, we've had the opportunity to live our lives on a small scale. Perhaps we have a small family, a small job, our incomes may not be the biggest in the world, but we are able to survive. We get by from paycheck to paycheck, maybe a little plot of land, to be able to raise a small garden, maybe we are single and not able to get out and do a lot of things.

One thing that God wants us to do is to make progress in learning about God's way of life. The older I get, the more I learn what God wants and requires of me and my attitude which has changed in many areas than it has been in the past.

The question comes back to mind, how can I qualify and how can I rule a city? There are many complexities of administration, organizational problems that have to be done when you have thousands of families that are dependent on you. But are the problems really all that complex?

The problems in the world today seems more complex than they really are. Of course we make them that way, don't we? The nature of the problem is not understood and the apostle James talks about that, and shows the cause of the problems in the world.

James 4. Let's read verses 1 and 2. "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?"

We find today that more than at any time in the history of mankind, that the world is pretty much in a mess and people are fighting, and are having protests. They are protesting the government and the way government is handling situations, and sometimes there is total upheaval.

We just read in James about your lusts that war in your members, so the war in your members comes from lust.

Verse 2, "You lust and do not have. You kill (murder and envy) and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask."

We find that greed, I want what you have, even though I had it and I threw it away, I still want it.

Years ago, Great Britain was great and very blessed, then those blessings past onto our nation, the United States of America.

Our nation is a great nation. We were blessed through Abraham and his obedience. Many of those blessings are now gone and we have become a debtor nation. Through ignorance, we've done a lot of things and now we are going to have to pay the price.

Our problems are caused by human nature and greed. So many are expressing jealousy in that they want what you have. Resentment, you have a lot more than I have. Vanity, you're more beautiful than I am. Now we can go to the market, it is flooded with things that can make you more beautiful.

Big problems are only small problems that have grown big. Some of those problems have grown huge. The problem of two major powers locked in a hot war seem so complex and yet it is so simple as two neighbors fighting over the back yard fence. "You grass is growing under my fence." Or, "Your dog barks too loud."

They don't know how to settle these disputes! What we have today has exploded but it is essentially the same.

"The way of peace they have not known" (Romans 3:17). People can't work together because of greed. "Your tree is higher than my tree. Cut your limbs off." The problem starts small and escalates.

The cause of the problem and the solution is the same. Love, tolerance, forgiveness, sharing and helping and giving and working with the other person. This is the way that produces peace and happiness and prosperity. It works between people and guess what? If given a chance, it will work between nations.

It's not so big that we can't get a handle on it. It is not so big that we can't go out here and say, "N & W Railroad, shut your railroad down on the Sabbath."

Christ is teaching us now and He is looking at us to see what we are doing in our own lives, not on a large scale, but on a small scale. A very small scale. He sees by the way we solve problems in our own lives.

As I was thinking about this and in spite of my own limited experience, I will have the ability to teach others in the World Tomorrow. But I have to live it and experience it before I can teach it. How do I learn to get along with others unless I press myself to learn that. So I have to learn it and experience it in my life before I can teach others. Then I can say, "It works, it really works."

What about our example, our relationship with our wives, our husbands, and children? How do you solve those problems? "I told you a hundred times not to do that!" Do we do it by shouting, or do we do it by being in a bad attitude? Do we do it by saying, "I am the head of this house, it's my way or the highway." That is not how it works. It works by working together.

Finances is the number one problem in marriages. What about the finances of the United States? What about Europe? What about Spain? What about Portugal? Are they having financial difficulties? Yes. Are they having trade deficits and are people out of jobs? Yes. Is that finances? Yes. Is the government handling the money properly? No!

The world is in a wreck. We are going to be taken down, probably militarily? NO! Probably financially, because we are not able to handle these things properly. It is because of strife and greed.

What about us? We are a debtor nation. Is God able to look at us and see what we are doing with our finances?

Let’s notice what Jesus said about the widow and her two mites in Mark 12, "And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. {42} And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. {43} And he called unto him his disciples, and said to them, "Verily I say unto you, This poor widow has cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: {44} For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.""

Jesus does notice what we do with our finances.

What are we doing? We are looking forward to Jesus saying to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." (Matthew 25:21).

Does this mean that we can be faithful in a few things, maybe I will be faithful here, but not there? We have to be faithful in everything that God has given us. God gives us abilities and we must be faithful in them.

Jesus said in Luke 16 and verse 10, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much."

What does that mean?

To me as a Christian, I want to be in the Kingdom of God. God has given me a little bit. God has given me a good wife and a good family. God has given me the opportunity to be able to travel to different groups and to be able to do so much and to work with the public and to be honest. God has given me a little bit.

God expects me to be faithful. He expects me to go above and beyond what He has given me. To be a wise and a good servant.

"He that is faithful also in much, and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much" (Luke 16:10).

So we see that God is trying us now, in the little bit that we have here, and if we are unfaithful in it, then how is God going to trust us in the Kingdom of God when He gives us all. So, this little thing that He has given us now, are we going to be faithful in it? Whatever opportunity we have? Are we going to be faithful in it?

Verse 11, "If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"

Now we have a little bit to deal with. How are we doing with it? True riches is talking about eternal life. There is a lot that God places on our shoulders at this particular time in learning and what we are to be doing.

We are to grow and learn to be faithful and loyal in the small things and as God sees that, He is watching and judging. Where is judgment today? When it comes to God and His way of life, judgment is on the house of God (1 Peter 4:17) and it is on us. What are we doing with it?

So we have to be faithful in the little things and then we will be given greater responsibilities.

Matthew 25 is about stewardship and what is given to you and how you deal with it. Are you a good steward? Some were not good stewards and they disqualified themselves

The decisions required to live God's way of life are really very simple. They are basically saying 'yes' or 'no' to the law of God It is not that complicated and does not have to be. But we as human beings have the tendency to make it more complicated.

Let's go back to the very basic thing in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Did God test them to see if they would be obedient? Yes He did. I am going to simplify this. This is one of the most basic areas. Food. God said "Don't eat it!" What did Adam and Eve do? They ate it. Now that is pretty simple, isn't it? What got into Adam and Eve? Greed and lust.

We think "I can't do this!" Yes we can. We are learning on a very basic level to live God’s way. And what works is simplicity.

A very simple decision, and Adam and Eve made the wrong choice.

Hitler and Gaddafi proved to be unsuitable for rulership. There are many rulers today that are not fit and unsuitable to be rulers.

God's way of life, the Kingdom of God, is going to bring peace to this world. Do we get that? It is going to bring peace, not strife. People are going to work together. We have to show God now that we can live that way of life, that we can bring peace, amongst ourselves. That is where it starts, amongst ourselves, and by the grace of God, it will explode and flow to others.

In the World Tomorrow there will be many architects, civil engineers, artists, plumbers, technical people and they will start rebuilding with our help. Doing it the right way, realizing that their way of doing things has been wrong.

People can repent and change. In the Old Testament Ahab was one of the most wicked rulers of Israel and God said of Ahab, "Look at Ahab. He has humbled himself before me?" He has changed. The most wicked ruler. "because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring this punishment upon him all of the days of his life" (1 Kings 21:29).

Amazing. All people have to do is repent and change.

We will be there to help individuals to change. They will come in humility, repentance, and be shown God's way of life.

Our leadership and what we are learning now, and how to work with and deal with people, in humility, and doing it God's way, is what the world needs. It needs love and the way God wants it done.

When we go through Isaiah 11, it talks about God will no longer be hidden. In the millennium, God's way of life with us helping Jesus Christ, will flood the earth like water. Peace and harmony, through Jesus Christ, will reign. People will begin to rebuild. If they make mistakes, guess who will be there to help them? We will!

Isaiah 30 tells us that, as things change, we will be there to help Jesus Christ. Part of our responsibility as teachers is related in Isaiah 30 beginning in verse 20, "And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not your teachers be removed."

The people of the world who remain alive, who will have lived through a lot of problems, we will be there as priests and kings (Revelation 5:10) and teachers and at whatever job that God gives us.

"And your teachers shall not be removed into a corner any more, but your eyes shall see your teachers."

Today we may be rejected in many areas, with people who do not want to hear the truth. There is coming a time that God will open their eyes and they will say, "Hey, we made a mistake." They will want the truth and nothing but the truth.

Verse 21, "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk you in it," when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left."

So what God is doing today is preparing us, His people, for that very job, to straighten this mess out.

Christ will reward us because He will have complete confidence in us. We will receive authority to rule but we will do it the right way with the love of God.

We are being judged by the choices we make now on a small scale. The same choices, the same decisions on a much larger scale will work. We will be armed with knowledge and wisdom and power. Each of us as God's chosen people, at that time, will be able to rule, one city, five cities, ten cities, perhaps nations (Luke 19:12-19). We will rule with Jesus Christ in the way of peace for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4), because we will have the backing of God and we will have the opportunity to change this world and to do it God's way.

This article was transcribed with minor editing from a sermon given by:

Gary Evans

Transcribed by: bb 6/17/17

You can contact Gary Evans by Phone: (937) 217-2430