THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

The message of the kingdom of heaven (or the kingdom of God as it is also referred to) is one that is central to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ; but many Christians either misunderstand it, or are ignorant of its importance in their day-to-day lives.  The kingdom of Heaven is a place they hope to inhabit after they die, but has no real relevance to them in this present world.  Without a proper understanding of the heavenly kingdom, they fall short of living a truly Spirit-filled life, and become entangled in a temporal system which God has condemned totally, and means to ultimately destroy. 

 

As John the Baptist began preaching in the wilderness of Judea, his message was simple and direct: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).  He was sent to announce the imminent appearance of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the ushering in of a new dispensation; but also, He was announcing a shift from the importance of an earthly, visible kingdom (the Jewish nation) to an invisible, all inclusive kingdom that accepted citizens from every nation, and not just Jews.  Later, after John was cast in prison, Jesus began His earthly ministry by proclaiming essentially the same message as John’s.  He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”  (Mark 1:15)  The “time” that Jesus mentions here being fulfilled is the time, or dispensation, of the law and the prophets.  This we know because He says in Luke 16:16, “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”  (Luke 16:16)  Later, Jesus passed the torch on to His disciples when He sent them out to preach and to heal.  The message that He instructed them to preach was familiar: “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7).

 

References to the kingdom of God in the Old Testament are largely prophetic, but in the New Testament it is mentioned 149 times, mostly descriptive.  In comparison, “church” is only mentioned twice in the gospels.  The gospel of the kingdom was clearly the focus of Jesus’ ministry, of John’s teaching, and of the Apostles’ also.  It was only intensified when the kingdom of God came with power and great anointing on the day of Pentecost as the Spirit fell on the disciples that were gathered in the upper room.

 

The Jews’ expectation of the Messiah was that, when He appeared, He would establish His earthly throne in Jerusalem, and the kingdoms of this world would submit themselves to His glorious kingdom.  Instead, Jesus made it clear to the Pharisees who demanded to know when the kingdom of God should come, that, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20a,21).  This was to be an invisible kingdom, a spiritual kingdom, whose citizens would be all those who claimed Jesus Christ as their King and Savior, and accepted His rule over their entire lives.

 

Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3a).  Being born of the flesh, we can only really comprehend the material things of this world – things we can touch and feel.  Our only frame of reference is earthly, natural, and carnal.  We can see the kingdoms of this world, and can easily grasp how they function and how they are ruled.  We submit ourselves to their laws, principles, and beliefs; and, if need be, even give our lives in defense of them.  We must, however, be born of the Spirit in order to see and understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God.  The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God because he cannot see them and, therefore, they sound like foolishness to him.  These truths are spiritually discerned, and only they who are born of the Spirit can begin to apply them and see the principles of godliness begin to transform their lives.  St. Paul tells the Colossian church that God has, “translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Colossians 1:13).  The word “translated” used here means to remove from one place to another, or to be transposed.  Being born again, we have been placed into the invisible kingdom of God, and are now subject to the principles of that kingdom, which supersede all others.  We now owe our lives and allegiance to the King Eternal. 

 

When He was standing in the judgment hall before Pilate, Jesus said to him, “My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36).  It was not intended to be a physical kingdom at this time, but a kingdom established in the hearts and minds of His servants and disciples.  He said, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice” (John 18:37b).

 

It is evident in scripture that God demands a separation between us and the world.   Abraham, the father of faith, was called out of the country of his birth and from all that he was familiar with, and asked by God to go dwell in a land that he did not know (Hebrews 11:8-10).  God did not remove him from the world, but broke the allegiance that he had with the world.  He was now a stranger in a strange land, and a pilgrim who was simply sojourning in Canaan for a time until God's promises were fulfilled.  God intended for the land to belong to Abraham and his descendants; but, for now, he had to remain unattached.  He was in the world, but he was not of the world.  Likewise, God has called us to be in this world, but not of it.  We may use the things of the world in moderation, but we are cautioned not to abuse them.  One day, we Christians will inherit the earth, but right now we must relinquish our grip on it.  Any effort to build for ourselves kingdoms on earth will fall under the condemnation of God, and will ultimately fail.

 

So, we see two worlds and two kingdoms which are in opposition to one another.  On the one hand, we see the kingdom of heaven which is spiritual, invisible to the natural eyes, and ruled by Almighty God.  On the other hand we see the kingdom (or kingdoms) of the world which is temporal, carnal, clearly visible to our natural eyes, but ruled by Satan, who is the god of this world, and the prince of the power of the air.  It is unavoidable that we will each serve either one or the other.  It is also clear that if we love the one, we will despise the other.  This is just the nature of things.  You cannot serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24-34).

 

God heard the cries of His people when they were in bondage in Egypt, and instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh to, "Let My people go!"  There could be no co-existing with the Egyptians.  There had to be separation.  God, therefore, led the Israelites over the Red Sea and into the wilderness so that they could ultimately inherit the land of promise.  Egypt in scripture is a type and shadow of the world.  Egypt (the world) under Pharaoh (Satan) exacts a heavy price on its citizens.  Our lives are made hard by cruel bondage in many ways, and the wages that we pay for sin is death.  We need a savior to lead us to a new, glorious kingdom, and who will deliver us from the snares of this world.

 

John tells us to, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."  (1 John 2:15-17)  We cannot serve God and embrace the world.  

 

God will establish His kingdom on earth in the ages to come.  In the fullness of time, He will return to execute judgment on all those who have rejected Him in this life.  In that day, we will no longer have the opportunity to make a clear choice to serve Him – the dispensation of grace will have come to an end.  It is today that the invitation is given to us: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Everyone who hears and accepts this glorious invitation has the opportunity to be made clean and new in God’s sight.  God’s grace through His Son Jesus Christ, and the precious blood that Jesus shed on the cross, cleanses us from all sin and secures for us a place in God’s kingdom.  Once this happens, our eyes are open spiritually and we can then recognize the reality of this heavenly kingdom.  We suddenly become aware of the spiritual warfare that is taking place for the hearts and souls of men.  Many things that held us in bondage before now have no attraction to us.  We become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.  Truly, this is a marvelous gospel that we have been given, and it is imperative that we learn to walk in all the fullness of understanding of this kingdom that we have been made a part of.

 

Jesus spoke many parables concerning the kingdom of heaven which teach us how that kingdom operates, and how it differs from all other kingdoms.  These can be found in the Gospel of Matthew.  I suggest that you read them one by one and ask the Father to give you understanding in the principles that are taught there.  I believe God can change your outlook and your whole life as you apply these truths to your everyday spiritual walk.

 

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men" (Romans 14:17, 18).