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- Paul preached Christ
- Christ preached the Kingdom of God
- Christ also revealed the Father
The word “Kingdom”, referring to the Kingdom of God occurs 129 times in the New Testament, 59 times just in Matthew.
Questions:
- Is the church the Kingdom of God?
- Does the church create the Kingdom or does the Kingdom create the church?
- Which is first?
- Is the Kingdom of God inside us or outside us?
- Is the Church perfect?
- Is the Kingdom perfect?
- Can there be a Kingdom without a King?
- How many Kingdoms are there?
- Can they be reconciled? How?
The Kingdom of God (Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew) is one of the two key elements of the teachings of Jesus. Drawing on Old Testament teachings, the Christian understanding of the relationship between God and humanity inherently involves the notion of the Kingship of God.
A Kingdom of Righteousness
Scepter of Righteousness
8 But to the Son He says:
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
” (Hebrews 1:8–9, NKJV)
Righteousness And Peace and Joy
16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
” (Romans 14:16–18, NKJV)
The Righteousness of God is manifest in Saved People and then there is Peace and clearly much Joy.
Lawlessness is sin and leads to death and judgement
The Unrighteous
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. ” (Romans 1:28–32, NKJV)
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:7–8, NKJV)
Christ’s Return and Judgement
31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” ” (Acts 17:31, NKJV)
22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. ” (John 5:22–33, NKJV)
Introductory Scriptures
The King and the Kingdom
Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
2 For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.
” (Isaiah 66:1–2, NKJV)
Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”
” (Matthew 3:1–3, NKJV)
Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
” (Revelation 11:15–19, NKJV)
Historical Development
The New Testament is written against the backdrop of Second Temple Judaism
The view of the Kingdom developed during that time included the restoration of Israel to a Davidic Kingdom and the intervention of God in history via the Danielic Son of Man. The coming of the Kingdom of God involved God finally taking back the reins of history, which he had allowed to slacken as pagan Empires had ruled the nations.
The historical framework of the Jewish hope of a Messiah, and the Christian understanding that the person, and ministry of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, his return, and the rise of the Church in history is now how the Kingdom of God manifests must be seen together.
The Son of David will restore the Kingdom of David
The Jews awaited the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel (always David) and either a destruction of the nations or a gathering of the nations to obedience to the One True God. Jesus stands firmly in this tradition.
3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen,
I have sworn to My servant David:
4 ‘Your seed I will establish forever,
And build up your throne to all generations.’ ”Selah
” (Psalm 89:3–4, NKJV)
5 In mercy the throne will be established;
And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.” ” (Isaiah 16:5, NKJV)
The Spiritual and Eternal Nature of the Kingdom of God is first introduced in the book of Daniel.
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
” (Daniel 2:44, NKJV)
The Disciples expectation as Jews
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ” (Acts 1:4–8, NKJV)
Jesus does not correct their assumption but simply sets the timing and the intermediate actions in order.
- There is a Kingdom
- It belonged to the Jews
- They do not have it anymore
- It will be restored
- Not Now
- Get Baptised in the Holy Spirit and make disciples
Jesus’ Teachings
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,2. and saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!”3. For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”
Matthew 3:1-3
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:17
Many Parables
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that
‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
” (Mark 4:10–12, NKJV)
Sermon on the Mount
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ” (Matthew 5:1–3, NKJV)
Death and Resurrection
Jesus suffering and death, puts an extremely important spin on how we see, expect, receive and enter the Kingdom. If the King dies and is then resurrected, and specifically commands his disciples to follows His example then the Christians path is clearly the same.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
” (Matthew 10:38–42, NKJV)
The Mission of the Church
Thus the creation, revelation and growth of the Church begins as Christians repent and grow as we see in the Parable of the Sower.
11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears THE WORD OF THE KINGDOM, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
” (Matthew 13:11–23, NKJV)
When is the Kingdom of God?
Now!
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
” (Matthew 6:10, NKJV)
Later!
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
” (Matthew 13:31–32, NKJV)
The Kingdom of God is characterized by a gradual process rather than an event, and that it starts small like a seed and gradually grows into a large firmly rooted tree.
Eschatology
Various Christian Views
- The Church is the Kingdom
- From Augustine to the Reformation the arrival of the Kingdom had been identified with the formation of the Christian Church, but this view was later abandoned by some Christian Churches and by the beginning of the 20th century.
- Apocalyptic Interpretation (All Future)
- Some Protestant churches had adopted the apocalyptic interpretation of the Kingdom teaching that the Kingdom of God did not start in the first century, but is a future apocalyptic event that is yet to take place.
- Preterism (All Past)
- This eschatological view, interprets some (partial preterism) or all (full preterism) prophecies of the Bible as events which have already happened. This school of thought interprets the Book of Daniel as referring to events that happened from the 7th century BC until the first century AD, while seeing the prophecies of the Book of Revelation as events that happened in the first century AD.
- Preterism holds that Ancient Israel finds its continuation or fulfillment in the Christian church at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
- Realized Eschatology (the manifestation of divine sovereignty over the world)
- In this view the Kingdom is held to be available in the present.
- This view is attractive to liberal Christians who prefer to emphasize the love and goodness of God while rejecting the notion of judgment
- Inaugurated Eschatology (already and not yet) probably the best of you don’t like SPIRIT
- This was later introduced as the “already and not yet” interpretation. In this view the Kingdom has already started, but awaits full disclosure at a future point.
Partial and Incorrect Assumptions re the Kingdom of God
While the concept of “Kingdom of God” has an intuitive meaning to lay Christians, there is less agreement among theologians about its meaning in the New Testament.
The term “Kingdom of God” has been used to mean:
- Christian Lifestyle
- World Evangelization
- Intercession Movement
- Worship Movements
- Pentecostalism and the revival of Holy Spirit Gifts
- Christian Nationalism
- Many other things
Others relate it not to our present or future earthly situation but to the world to come.
Genesis
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.28. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:27-28
We see in Genesis that God created a man (Christ) the women (the Church) and the Garden (Kingdom). God also created the Heavens and the Earth but that is not a type and shadow of the Kingdom of God because there were enemies and there was war.
The Kingdom of God is where God rules and where his law is upheld. This is “in the Spirit” and a state of being, not so much a physical realty or a sphere.
Ultimately it will play out in the body, soul and Spirit
The End!? The New Beginning
14. “And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ 15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. ” (Revelation 11:15–19, NKJV)
All Things Made New
21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
” (Revelation 21:1–8, NKJV)
