God's Unfolding Plan
Part 4

This Earth Will Pass Away

We know that one day this earth will pass away. And in His infinite wisdom, God foresaw our choice to sin against Him and seek independence. This reveals that the earth was always meant to be temporary, and God—who always has a plan—would use it as part of His greater purpose.

Why Are We On This Earth?

God’s original desire was for us to be with Him, but we rejected that. We sinned against Him, became corrupted by evil, and fell into bondage to sin. As a result, this earth became our prison—separated from the true source of life, marked by a death sentence.

In His grace, God allowed us to experience the darkness, hoping that in our weariness, we would see the truth and return to Him. This earth is but a temporary space where His plan unfolds.

The Futility of Life Without God

God’s plan was that we would eventually grow weary of trying to find meaning and direction apart from Him. Without God, there is no beginning, no end, no truth—and without truth, there can be no love. Nothing that truly matters can exist apart from Him. Without Him, we are here for a brief moment, then gone—insignificant specks of dust destined to fade into nothingness.

He wanted us to see the futility of this world. It’s like building sandcastles by the ocean—one after another. Each time the tide comes in, it washes them away, leaving no trace. No matter how many we build, they never provide meaning or answer the deep question of why we’re here.

The Void Within

God wanted us to understand something essential: we cannot live in peace without Him. Without our Father, the void within us drives us to seek esteem, love, meaning, and purpose. We look for these in others, in the world, and in material things, only to find they fail to satisfy.

Our unmet desires lead us to place expectations on each other that we cannot fulfill. When love fails, we turn to work, entertainment, and possessions to try to fill the emptiness. But this only makes us more selfish, greedy, lustful, and covetous. When these things fail, we turn to substances like drugs, sex, and alcohol—desperately trying to escape our frustration.

When everything else falls short, we turn on each other—hurting, abusing, and even killing one another. As humans, we can’t even live in peace with ourselves, let alone with others. From the Old Testament to the present day, history has proven that we cannot live in peace on our own. We are sinful, just as God declared, and our evil nature confirms it.

A History of Bondage

Things became so corrupted in the Old Testament that God flooded the world because of the wickedness of humanity. In the midst of this darkness, the Israelites cried out to God for deliverance from slavery in Egypt—a powerful symbol of humanity’s bondage to sin. God heard their cries, descended in a cloud, and rescued them, leading them on a journey toward the promised land.

This journey is a picture of Jesus, who saves us and leads us through the wilderness of this world, guiding us back to God’s kingdom.

Law, Sacrifice, and the Cycle of Failure

But for the people to receive God’s help, they had to obey a multitude of laws, rules, and commandments. They were required to make animal sacrifices, stone those deemed unclean, and follow countless regulations. All of this was necessary for sinful people to approach a perfect and holy God.

God made a covenant with His people—promising blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. For a time, the people would follow His commands, only to fail repeatedly. Their lives became an endless cycle of religious rituals, laws, and even death. In desperation, they sought kings, hoping they would be the answer to their problems. But no earthly king could restrain their sinful nature.

Through all of this, God aimed to show them that on their own, they could never be righteous enough to dwell with Him. To remind them of this, He sent prophets to rebuke their sinfulness—but also to promise a better way. A way through a perfect King, High Priest, and sacrifice in Jesus, who would restore our ability to return to God in love.

The Real Hope

We find ourselves in this earthly prison because we rejected God, but there is hope. Through our struggles in this world, God desires that we would finally seek true reform.

He wants us to grow weary of chasing meaning in a fleeting world. He wants us to recognize that seeking love, value, or identity in a world full of imperfection and sin will never satisfy. He wants us to become exhausted by the way we treat each other—showing us that we cannot live in peace on our own.

No amount of self-effort, religion, kings, or political power can fix the wickedness within humanity. Ultimately, God wants us to give up on all these futile attempts and realize that true life—life in a perfect family of love and truth—can only be found with Him, in His kingdom.

The Invitation

This life is not our final destination. It’s the proving ground where God’s love meets our brokenness and calls us home. He is not waiting for perfection—only for surrender. And in Jesus, the way back to Him is wide open.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

"Those who believe in Jesus' name are given the right to become children of God."