The Goal of Rebellion
As we dive deeper into The Unseen Realm series, we now ask the question, what has rebellion been trying to accomplish since the beginning?
Throughout Scripture, we see a recurring pattern of rebellion against God’s established order. But beneath these acts of defiance lies a greater purpose: the desire to corrupt God’s plan.
In Genesis 3, God speaks judgment over the serpent while declaring a promise of the coming Messiah, the One who would ultimately crush the enemy. From that moment forward, the conflict surrounding God’s redemptive plan becomes a recurring theme throughout Scripture.
We see this pattern unfold in Genesis 4. Abel is killed, but God provides Seth. But, the enemy’s actions do not prevent God’s purposes from moving forward. Even as corruption spreads throughout the earth in Genesis 6, God preserves Noah and his family. The wickedness of humanity could not cancel God’s promise of redemption.
From generation to generation, God continued to preserve the line of the coming Messiah through which His promises would be fulfilled. The enemy could oppose God’s purposes, but he could not overthrow the sovereignty of God.
Jesus Himself draws our attention to the days of Noah and Lot in Luke 17:26–30. His warning calls us to recognize the pattern of rebellion and the reality of coming judgment. The issue is not simply what happened in the past, but what rebellion reveals about the human heart.
At its core, rebellion says, “I will determine my own order. I will decide what is right and wrong. I will be my own authority.”
This same desire appeared in the Garden of Eden when the serpent tempted humanity with the promise of being like God. What began as a challenge to God’s authority continues wherever we elevate our own desires, definitions, and decisions above His Word. The question now becomes personal: Who determines the order of my life?
Who governs my relationships, my choices, my body, my family, and my future? Do I allow God’s Word to shape my convictions, or do I reshape His Word to accommodate my preferences? The conflict between rebellion and surrender is not merely a battle taking place around us. It is a question of lordship within us.
Jesus gives us the perfect example of what submission to the Father looks like. In Matthew 6:9–10, He teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done.” And in Luke 22:42, facing the cross, He prays, “Not my will, but Yours, be done.”
Jesus did not simply teach surrender; He lived it. Even in His most painful hour, He remained submitted to the Father’s will.
As we consider the patterns of rebellion throughout Scripture, we must examine our own hearts. It is possible to recognize rebellion in the world while overlooking it in ourselves. True surrender means allowing Jesus to be Lord over every area of our lives, even when His ways challenge our preferences or require us to change.
The heart of rebellion declares, “My kingdom.” The heart of surrender prays, “Your kingdom come.”
Ultimately, the question is not whether God has established His order. The question is whether we will submit to it.
Is Jesus Lord, or am I?
May our response be the same as the one Jesus modeled: not my will, but Yours be done.
