In
Dubai the emir technically (and actually - through his family) owns all the oil
revenues which are of astronomical proportions. He uses this to enrich the
emirate and build an ultra modern city. He is future proofing the city from the
end of the oil revenue which is not far away. The UAE is rearranging the
economy to account for this falloff in oil revenue. The current revenue is
shared with all the citizens of the Emirate.
Non citizens do not share in this
revenue. So the citizens of the Emirate are all wealthy people. The work of
building and the ordinary running of Dubai is largely carried out by non
citizens who get a wage but do not share in the wealth or the future of the
Emirate. They only draw a wage for the work they do. Citizens share in the
wealth of the Emirate in a range of ways. They are all, in some sense, part of
the Emir's family.
The
is an earthly example of what the Kingdom of God is about. Many do the work of
the kingdom but only the citizens share in the wealth of the kingdom. It is
only the Sons of God who are the true citizens of the Kingdom of God. The UAE
is like a copy of prosperity in the midst of a hostile middle east. They have a
"benevolent dictator" who really cares nor his people.
Jesus
takes this to a much higher level. While the UAE is materially prosperous, the Kingdom
of God has ultimate prosperity, " Life, and that ABUNTANTLY".
No comments:
Post a Comment