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.  He said, “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 would ultimately accept 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 17:20, 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 3:3).  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 transforming 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 transported 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.  That is 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 our inner being 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 one day 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 His children 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 asked him to break 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, instead, 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, miraculously delivered 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 sins that we commit produce spiritual 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 to “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 asked to be a part of.

 

 

We have established from scripture several truths about the Kingdom of Heaven.  To summarize, they are:

 

·  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.  As the Spirit was poured out upon them, they were all baptized in the Holy Ghost.   "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, but also in the other Gospels as well.  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).