The Apocalyptic Unveiling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Watching the Christmas Celebration on the set of The Chosen, the performers and the audience in the song Joy to the World, I was reminded of Revelation 7:9-10:

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

This is God’s plan. It is noteworthy that Isaac Watts originally penned ‘Joy to the World’ about the second coming of Christ. 

The current push for diversity, equity, and inclusion in secular politics falls short of God’s plan for His glory. As Bishop Robert Barron pointed out, these are subordinates of God’s standards of love and justice, but not the whole of them. As we work to make our society measure up to divine standards, let us not forget that there are other societies. Not all were visible on the set of the Chosen Christmas celebration, nor could they be.

We know that Christianity has spread to the large people groups in the world. Besides Europe, the Americas, and Australia, there are churches in virtually every nation in Asia. The China Inland Mission propagated the gospel to the Chinese people over a century ago. The Africa Inland mission evangelized many of the people of Africa during the 19th and 20th centuries. Islam includes Jesus as a prophet, despite denying His deity.

Unfortunately the Great Commission is not complete. Wycliffe Global Alliance reports that there are 1892 languages, spoken by 145 million people, for which translation of the Scriptures still needs to begin. These represent the last vestiges of the confounding of the languages that occurred at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:7-9). Although the Holy Spirit gifted the early disciples with new tongues on the day of Pentecost to speak of God’s mighty works (Acts 2:4-11), they were not immediately transported to the far reaches of Africa, Asia, or the South Pacific. This is unfinished work for the church.

Let us keep our priorities in order. The highest priority is God’s glory through the revelation of His nature and character, in our lives and in the world.  Attributes of His nature and character include (but are not limited to) justice and love extended to every human being, which therefore motivates us both as to how our society treats various ethnic and social groups (e.g., illegal immigrants), and also sharing the gospel with those in the remotest parts of the world. To keep diversity, equity, and inclusion in context, God’s glory is the paramount value. We are called to fulfill His commands, which include both justice and love, and the Great Commission. (Matthew 18:19-20)  Jesus earnestly desires all to join in that eternal worship.

Responding to God and His angels tests our heart

The idea that people aren’t aware of God is alien to human experience. The key issue is our response. We have the Biblical case of Samuel, who as a very young child was called by God, and advised by Eli to respond, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10). In the case of Saul of Tarsus, this self-righteous Pharisee, when confronted by Jesus, said “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5) There are numerous other cases in the Bible, for example of rejection, such as those who, at the return of Christ, say to to the rocks and mountains “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb….” (Revelation 6:16)

In the realm of modern experience, there are countless testimonies. Many meet Christ in church in response to preaching and teaching of the gospel. Many of the questioning, the doubting, and the reluctant (not being in church) are confronted directly by the living Christ (in dreams, visions, or Him speaking directly to us) and make a decision for Christ. One example is C. S. Lewis who described himself as the most reluctant convert when he was dragged into the Kingdom of God. He responded to divine revelation of Truth when confronted.

Angels are God’s messengers. Biblical accounts do not show them as having God’s authority except as delegated, but they do assist humans. Modern sightings are rare (much rarer than God speaking to individuals) but we know they are invisibly around us. How often do we escape near-certain calamity by seemingly the minutest circumstance? We talk about guardian angels and glorify God for His divine protection. But Jesus also gave us a very specific warning regarding guardian angels: “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10) When we see little children, or those who are innocent at heart (e.g., mentally challenged of various types), do we welcome them with due respect for their guardians as Jesus cautioned? 

In summary, every occasion of human-divine interaction affords us a choice and opportunity. We reveal our hearts through our response. We can change our heart, but we must make that decision ourself. We cannot complain of the lack of opportunity or initiative on God’s part to reach out to us. God is not as concerned about whether we will rationally choose to surrender when it is clear who He is, as He is about whether our heart is aligned with His. He will accept us on any terms but clearly blesses those who share a desire for His character.