Theology has the ability to dictate how we think and how we think dictates what we do. If our theology is one of escapism, we will not see any value in remaining here on earth and casting out the darkness. This theology was prevalent during the church age in America, who then distributed this theology to the nations through missionaries. But what if this is a doctrine of demons, not the word of God. What is escapism is not God’s plan, but rather overcoming is what He had in mind for us?

Genesis 1 says, God created them male and female in His image and in His likeness and then commanded them to subdue the earth, rule over it and be fruitful upon it. Doesn’t sound like God put Adam and the woman here to escape, but to cultivate. Joshua was told to lead the people of God into Canaan and remove the giants in the land, so they could settle down in what God called the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Again it sounds like cultivate not escape. Jeremiah prophesies to Israel they are going to be taken from the land into Babylonian captivity for 70 years, but then says, “Thus says the Lord, For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, to give you a future and a hope.” I am seeing a pattern in scripture of cultivate not escape. David defeated enemies to the point where Israel had rest on every side, then Solomon penned in Proverbs 2:21-22 says, “For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.” Sounds like more of the same messaging to me.

Now the New Testament is the better covenant, so I am looking not to escape from the earth but to cultivate the land, so how to do we read Matthew 24? Take off your escape theology for a minute and let the word of God speak for itself. “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Who got taken away by the flood? Who is the them? Is it Noah and those in the ark or the wicked in the land? Genesis 8 says, “Then God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.” Noah was put back in the land to cultivate it and received the same command as Adam and the woman in Genesis 1. Cultivate not escape.

Theology matters. If you have an escapism theology you will completely miss the move of God happening right now. The move of God building as we speak is not one of escape it is one of cultivate, overcome, stand, build, plant, prosper. Light is shining in the darkness and darkness cannot comprehend it. The dark has no idea what the Light is doing. We are people of the light, the city set on a hill. My friends, we are about to receive a massive theology overhaul of the likes we have not seen since Luther’s reformation. It’s time to cultivate not escape.