Worshipping the God of All NationsSample

Day 5–The End of History

Begin by prayerfully reading Revelation 7:9-12

Fulfilling the Great Commission sounds like an impossible task. Almost two thousand years after Jesus spoke those words (recorded in Matthew 28:16-20), there are still thousands of unreached people groups throughout the world. And even today, with all the technology that we have available in the twenty-first century, it is still a daunting task to get involved in global missions. There are many barriers that need to be overcome in order to reach an unreached people group.

Given these challenging circumstances, it is of great comfort to know how the story will end. In the end, God will accomplish what he desires to do because his plans cannot be thwarted. As Job recognized after his encounter with the LORD: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Similarly, the Psalmist declares that “the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Psalm 33:11).

At some point in the future, so Revelation tells us, people from every tribe and tongue will be worshiping before God’s throne–what a glorious vision of where human history is heading. And we can already get a glimpse of heaven by worshiping God here on earth, particularly when we do so as part of an international community where many countries and cultures are represented.

Reflection and Application

• Utilize a resource like Operation World (Welcome - Operation World) or Joshua Project (Joshua Project: People Groups of the World | Joshua Project) to learn more about the current state of the world with regard to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Why do you think there are still so many unreached people groups today, for example, in a country like Afghanistan?
• When you reflect on the scene described in Revelation 7, how does this change the way you look at human history?