THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
THE MESSAGE OF THE Kingdom of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God, is one that is central to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of Heaven is a place we hope to inhabit after we die, but we are often unclear about just what it is and how it has any relevance to us in this present world. Without a proper understanding of the heavenly Kingdom, we fall short of living a truly Spirit-filled life, and we become entangled in a temporal system which God has condemned and intends to ultimately destroy.
When John the Baptist began his 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). His purpose was to announce the imminent
appearance of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the ushering in of a new
dispensation of grace. He was also 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 declared
to Israel, “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 was referring to as being fulfilled was the
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 [the Baptist]:
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. The message was then amplified
when the Kingdom of God came with power and great anointing on the day of
Pentecost as the Holy 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 [you can’t see it with your eyes]: 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 hearts and 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, see, and hear.
Our only frame of reference is that which 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 of God 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. When we are born again, we are placed into
the invisible Kingdom of God, and are then subject to the principles of that Kingdom
which supersede all others. We now owe
our lives and allegiance to Jesus Christ, the King Eternal.
Imagine when you were first born. Before that event, you were content with life
within your mother’s womb. You were
warm, well-fed, cradled, and safe. But
then came that dreadful day when your whole world was turned upside down and
you were forced into a world that was completely foreign to you. You were slapped, and forced to take your
first breath; and then, little by little, you had to learn everything about
this new world and how it worked.
This is similar to what it is like to be born again. It is a brand new world that you are
introduced to. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17). In most aspects,
the principles of this new world are just the opposite of the natural world
that we knew previously. Instead of grabbing
all we can for ourselves, we are taught how to give. Instead of hating our enemies, we are taught
how to love them. Instead of harboring
resentments against those who hurt us, we are taught how to forgive from the
heart. It is like learning a whole new
language. What makes it most glorious,
however, is that we enter into an intimate fellowship with our heavenly
Father. We are able to sense His
presence and discern His still, small voice speaking to us and guiding us in
our choices and in the direction of our lives.
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. This Kingdom would, in
time, become a very real and visible one.
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). Those who hear His voice and
love Him will ultimately be a part of God’s eternal Kingdom which Jesus will
set up at the time of His Second Coming.
BE YE SEPARATE
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 became a stranger in a strange land, and a
pilgrim who was simply sojourning in Canaan for a time until God's promises
were fulfilled. He laid no foundations
there, but lived in tents. 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. “Wherefore come out from among them, and
be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a
Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).
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. It is also clear
that there must be conflict between the two because they are in opposition to
one another. This is just the nature of
things. You cannot serve both God and
mammon [riches,
earthly treasure] simultaneously.
(see 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. Just as
the Israelites needed a savior (Moses) to lead them to a new, glorious kingdom,
we, too, need a Savior to deliver us from the snares of this evil world.
The
Apostle 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, at
the same time, embrace the world!
God will establish His visible 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. By God’s grace, and through
the precious blood that Jesus shed on the cross, we are cleansed from all sin. By sacrificing Himself in our place, Jesus has
secured for us a place in God’s Kingdom.
When we are born again, our eyes are open spiritually, and we can then
recognize the reality of God’s heavenly Kingdom. We suddenly become aware also 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.
·
The Kingdom of Heaven exists today, as it always has, in the
spiritual realm where God dwells, but will someday be established as a physical
kingdom on this earth. "Thy
Kingdom come. Thy will be done in
earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10). This will not occur until Christ appears at
His second coming. The Jews missed the
prophecies concerning Christ's passion, death, and resurrection and thought,
instead, that the Messiah would set up an earthly kingdom at His first
appearing.
·
The Gospel of the Kingdom
was not introduced (though it was
prophesied) until the New Testament when John the Baptist announced that, "the Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand." (Matthew 3:2).
Afterwards, Jesus preached the same message to Israel (Matthew 4:17),
making it clear that God was beginning a new dispensation - and a new covenant
- with mankind. “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). This was a spiritual kingdom established in
the hearts of believers. "...the
Kingdom of God is within you.”
(Luke 17:21).
·
This Kingdom was to be an invisible kingdom. The world would not acknowledge or recognize
it, but it would become very real to those whose spiritual eyes were opened by
means of the new birth. “Except
a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3a;
Luke 17:20a, 21). Everyone who is born
again has been translated into God's kingdom and is, therefore, a citizen (see Colossians
1:13).
·
In fulfillment of Jesus' words, the Kingdom of God came with
power on Pentecost as the believers were assembled together in Jerusalem. The Spirit was poured out upon them and they
were all baptized in the Holy Spirit. "And He said unto them, Verily I say
unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of
death, till they have seen the
Kingdom of God come with power." (Mark 9:1). Many of those who heard these words of Jesus
were, in fact, still alive and present when the Spirit was poured out upon
them. (Acts 1:5; 2:1-4).
·
We, who are Christians, now owe our allegiance to this new Kingdom. We are now subject to its' laws and
principles, and are servants to the one, true King. Our primary loyalties are with our new Kingdom,
not with the kingdoms of this world. We
are ruled by the law of love, and our lives belong to the Master. "For
the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy
in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14:17).
·
Standing in opposition to the Kingdom of Heaven, is the
kingdom(s) of this world. It is ruled by
Satan, who in the beginning was given dominion over the earth when he was
Lucifer, an angel of light; but he has been condemned by God, and is merely
awaiting his final judgment. When we
touch the world, we touch the carnal, the fleshly, and the temporal. We must tread lightly there, or else we may
find ourselves ignorantly serving God's enemy as Peter did when he rebuked the
Lord concerning His passion. (see Matthew 16:21-23). "No
man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
(Matthew 6:24).
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 mostly in
the Gospel of St. Matthew. In this
series of messages, we will explore these parables of the Kingdom in depth to
discover what gems of truth God has hidden for us there. I believe God can change our outlook and our
whole life as we apply these truths to our 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).
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