‘Kingdoms’ Past, Present, and Future [v262]

DECEMBER 2020

There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of different kings ruling their kingdoms throughout history, and most have ceased to exist. However, there is a “King” and a “Kingdom” coming that WILL NEVER CEASE, since they will be eternal!

KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD
Kingdoms are one of the earliest types of societies on Earth, dating back thousands of years. There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of different kingdoms throughout history. Kingdoms can be small, such as the kingdom of Tavolara (just 289 square miles), or they can be huge, like the United Kingdom (13,700,000 square miles at its peak size).

[ FYI: At its height, the U.K. it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. The British Empire held sway over 412 million people (23% of the world population at the time), and by 1920 it covered 13,700,000 square miles (24% of the Earth’s total land area). At the peak of its power, the phrase “the empire on which the sun never sets” was often used to describe the British Empire, as the sun was always shining on at least one of its territories. ]

 

The world’s earliest kingdoms developed thousands of years ago when leaders began conquering and controlling cities and settlements. Rulers of the early kingdoms provided protection to their residents, or ‘subjects’. In return, subjects paid taxes or services to the monarch. Kingdoms also had the power to create and enforce laws.

The first kingdoms were established about 3000 BC in Sumer and Egypt (that’s when we first see ‘written’ languages). Sumer was an ancient civilization founded in the Mesopotamia region of the Fertile Crescent situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Known for their innovations in language, governance, architecture, and more, Sumerians are considered the creators of civilization as modern humans understand it. Their control of the region lasted for short of 2,000 years before the Babylonians (founded around 2300 BC by the ancient Akkadian-speaking people of southern Mesopotamia) took charge in 2004 BC

Ancient Egypt was unified around 3100 BC, and lasted as a leading economic and cultural influence throughout North Africa and parts of the Levant until it was conquered by the Macedonians in 332 BC (almost 3,000 years!). Today, Egyptologists—archaeologists who focus on this ancient civilization—have learned a great deal about the rulers, artifacts, and customs of the ancient kingdom of Egypt.

A few thousand years later, the kingdom of Teotihuacan developed in North America. The kingdom was centered in the city of Teotihuacan (in modern Mexico City, Mexico). Teotihuacan probably had more than 100,000 inhabitants, making it among the largest ancient kingdoms in the world at that time.

 

Most, but not all, ancient kingdoms were “empires.” Empires were geographically large political units made of many different cultural or ethnic groups. Empires were often headed by monarchs, making them “kingdoms.” The ancient Egyptian empire was a kingdom ruled by a monarch called a Pharaoh, for instance. The Egyptian empire reached its height in the so-called “New Kingdom” period, under the leadership of the pharaoh Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC). Egypt in that period stretched from modern-day Egypt, along the Mediterranean coast to modern-day Turkey in the north, and to modern-day Eritrea in the south (in Eastern Africa, bordered by Ethiopia).

 

The Middle Ages was a period in history that lasted roughly from about 500 AD to 1500 AD, and is also referred to as the “Medieval Period.” During that time, countless kingdoms formed and collapsed throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Perhaps the most famous European kingdom of the Middle Ages was that of Britain’s legendary King Arthur. The thing is, Arthur may not have existed at all. (Accounts of his kingdom were written hundreds of years after it supposedly existed.) If there was a King Arthur, he probably lived during the fifth century, after the Romans left Britain and before the emergence of actual, historical British kings in the eighth century.

At around the same time, tribes and small kingdoms were warring over parts of Europe. The African kingdoms of Ghana and Mali were among the strongest of the Middle Ages. The Ghana Empire (also known as the Wagadou Empire), formed about 790 AD, and the kingdom emerged as a trading center for gold and salt. The Ghana Empire weakened and eventually collapsed because of rapid growth, drought, and diminished trade.

About 1200 AD, the Mali Empire rose out of what was once Ghana, and it became a strong kingdom under the leadership of King Sundiata. His kingdom stretched from the Atlantic coast of the modern countries of Senegal and Mauritania to the inland area of southeast Mali. One of the kingdom’s major cities was the trade hub of Timbuktu (in the modern-day nation of Mali). Timbuktu was the major trade city on the edge of the Sahara for hundreds of years, trading gold, ivory, salt, and slaves.

 

After many centuries of war and turmoil, stronger and more sophisticated kingdoms began to develop throughout the world. In Europe, the kingdoms of Portugal, France, and England expanded across vast territories after the discovery of the Americas in the late fifteenth century.

Kingdoms established stronger diplomatic ties with neighboring governments to reduce conflict. They relied on treaties and, often, marriages to create strong alliances. Many monarchs of Europe during this period were related to each other. The British Queen Victoria had many grandchildren which were married to people across Europe, a fact that may have contributed to mostly peaceful times during her reign.

 

A few ‘modern’ kingdoms are still ruled absolutely by a monarch. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, King Mswati III of Swaziland, and King Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei are absolute monarchs. Even though all of these kingdoms have legislatures and sets of laws, the monarch remains the final authority.

However, most of the kingdoms that exist today are “constitutional” monarchies. The king or queen acts as a ‘ceremonial’ head of state, with public responsibilities such as promoting tourism and interest in the nation’s history and culture but has no real political authority. In England, for example, Queen Elizabeth II is the official head of state, but the nation is governed by a prime minister and parliament. Other ‘modern’ kingdoms that are ruled by constitutional monarchy today include Thailand, Sweden, Belgium, Japan, and Morocco.

“Timeline of World History” Explainer Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__BaaMfiD0Q

Buy “Timeline of World History” Poster:
https://usefulcharts.com/products/timeline-of-world-history

 

‘KINGDOM’ OF GOD
When one hears the word “kingdom,” I’ve got to believe that most people tend to think of the Middle Ages with medieval castles, kings, knights, and the like. Popular movies about this time period include “Charlamagne,” “The Lion in Winter,” “Camelot,” “Excalibur,” “Knights of the Round Table,” “King Arthur,” “The Knights Templar,” “Prince Valiant,” “Troy,” “Braveheart,” “Gladiator,” “300,” and even Disney’s “Sword in the Stone,” and Monty Python’s “Holy Grail”!

Medieval kingdoms are also popular in the ‘gaming’ world. “Minecraft,” allows one to ‘build’ their own medieval kingdom, exactly the way they want to. [ FYI: This is a series of videos that a Minecraft builder takes input from followers to his YouTube channel to build a kingdom:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isTdaRwwv-s&list=PLPzEE5VVmha7xiXA8MM03V32WKQ6jgqf4&index=1 ].

There are even “Real-time Strategy” (RTS) video games that allow the player to ‘rewrite’ medieval history through bloody siege combat. One can rule, build, and serve your King as a minor lord in medieval Europe, and experience siege, field, and naval combat.
[ https://store.steampowered.com/app/499660/Medieval_Kingdom_Wars/ ].

Even Lego has an entire ‘series’ called “Kingdoms,” that has kits that allow one to build castles, bridges, prison towers, a joust arena, many different ‘carriages’, catapults, a knight’s “showdown,” and more (They even have an “Advent Calendar”).
[ FYI: One example: “Knight’s Kingdom, King Leo’s Castle”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JgfbwMwnaY ].

 

The kings of medieval Europe had absolute power. People lived and died under their whims. A king only had to give a command and it was done. Just imagine that kind of power! Kings were feared and worshipped. Their words became law. Whatever they wanted, they got. In this world, a kingdom is associated with authority and power, but NOT harmony and love.

HOWEVER, the “KINGDOM OF GOD” describes a Kingdom that is associated with authority and power, BUT is ALSO associated with harmony and love!

 

God originally created a perfect Kingdom and gave dominion of it to humans. God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and overall the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the Earth” [ Genesis 1:26 ]. However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God (because they ‘obeyed’ Satan) and were cast out of Eden (Paradise). Satan then ‘took over’ dominion of the Earth.

So, God then began His ‘reclamation’ project to restore His Kingdom back to what it was intended to be originally—with a lot of ‘push back’ from Satan, whom God has allowed to be the “prince” or “ruler” of the world (John 14:30; John 12:31; John 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 2:2; and Colossians 1:13). However, Satan is on a short ‘leash’.

 

To be absolutely clear about what the Kingdom of God is, I want to present four aspects that are true of any ‘earthly’ kingdom around the world, and then compare these to the Kingdom of God. Hopefully, this will simplify all of this for you.

Well, in summary, first of any kingdom has a king who ‘RULES’. Secondly, is that the king rules over ‘SUBJECTS’. Thirdly, is that there are ‘LAWS’ and there are ordinances through which the king governs. Lastly, there is a ‘REALM’, territory, or a geographic area over which the king rules.

Now let’s see how these elements apply to the Kingdom of God, to gives us some clarity. First, Jesus is the King who rules in the Kingdom of God: “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me” [ Matthew 28:18 ]. The Christian believes that Jesus is Lord over EVERYTHING… family, business, government, and the lordship over one’s personal spiritual life. If Jesus is not Lord over all these realms, then the believer is living a “double-minded” life (James 1:8). The believer is called to live “Corem Deo,” a Latin phrase that means “before the face of God.”

The second element are the ‘SUBJECTS’ over whom the king rules. “Now in putting everything in subjection to Him, He left nothing outside His control” [ Hebrews 2:8 ]. God left nothing that is not subject to Jesus. In addition to that, we read these powerful words: “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on Earth and under the Earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” [ Philippians 2:9-11 ]. Every ‘knee’ is subject to Christ the King of the Kingdom. Everything and everyone is subject to Him! There is NOTHING outside of His sovereign rule!

But you might say that this doesn’t seem to be the case since there are many people, institutions, and nations that seemingly are not ‘subject’ to Jesus right now. Well, you would be correct—they are not obeying Him right now. Even Hebrews 2:8 says that, “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him.” However, Hebrews continues to say that ONE DAY we will see every knee bowing before Jesus the King (God’s ‘reclamation’ plan just needs some time to work itself out).

The third aspect of a kingdom is that there are ‘LAWS’ by which the kings govern. Now, there are a few ‘categories’ of laws. First off, there’s the ‘natural’ laws. God has established into His created order the laws of gravity, entropy, and just the way things ‘work together’ in the physical sciences.

Secondly, there is the ‘moral’ law, like the 10 Commandments. ‘Laws’ are also ‘built into’ our conscience (Romans 2:14-15). Jesus essentially boiled all the Laws down to two, which is called the “Great Commandment”: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” [ Matthew 22:37-39 ]. Bottom line, love is the ‘fulfillment’ of the Law (Romans 13:8-10).

Okay then, the final element is the ‘REALM’ over which the king rules. In God’s Kingdom, the ‘borders’ of His Kingdom are infinite! Theologian Abraham Kuyper famously said, “Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’” Theologian R.C. Sproul ‘refined’ this even more by saying, “If there is one maverick molecule in all the universe, then God is not sovereign. And if God is not sovereign, He is not God.” However, Sproul then later further refined his definition: “There is not one piece of cosmic dust that is outside the scope of God’s sovereign providence.” God is sovereign over ALL of creation!

 

THY ‘KINGDOM’ COME
The phrase “Thy Kingdom come” is part of the “Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus taught His disciples as a ‘pattern’ for prayer. The statement “Thy Kingdom come” involves understanding that God’s Kingdom has not yet been wholly ‘fulfilled’ on this Earth. The thing is, “Thy Kingdom come” is not just an expectant yearning for the coming of Jesus in the future, it is a longing ‘plea’. “Thy Kingdom come” also expresses the prayerful desire of Jesus’ believers to see God’s Kingdom expand and become increasingly established throughout the world in the here and now (the “Great Commission” – Matthew 28:19-20).

 

God’s Kingdom was the ‘CENTRAL’ focus of Jesus’ ministry—in the ‘PAST’. He proclaimed “the Gospel of the Kingdom” (Matthew 4:23), instructed His followers to about its character and value (Matthew 13), indicted the scribes and Pharisees about its character and value (Matthew 13), and indicted the scribes and Pharisees for hindering those who sought to enter it (Matthew 23:13). After His death and resurrection, Jesus appeared for 40 days and gave the disciples further instruction about the Kingdom (Acts 1:2-3). In Luke 17:21 Jesus says, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is in your midst” (John 18:36). Israel’s promised ‘King’ (Messiah) was present (Jesus), but they could not reconcile their incorrect beliefs about Him and therefore rejected Him.

 

Also, when one prays, “Thy Kingdom come,” they are praying for Jesus’ ‘sovereign’ rule to be as established on Earth as it is in Heaven. In one sense the Kingdom is already here—‘PRESENTLY’—it’s in the ‘hearts’ of believers. That Kingdom consists of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

 

But, in another sense, the Kingdom is still in the ‘FUTURE’ where someday Jesus will return to Earth again to establish His Kingdom on Earth physically. It’s called the “Millennium Kingdom.” That’s the aspect of the Kingdom believers pray for in the “Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13).

 

Also, within all believer’s prayers ought to be a mindset that recognizes God’s Kingdom-purposes and concerns themselves with furthering those purposes. First and foremost, the Lord’s dominion must be evident ‘IN’ the lives of His followers. Praying, “Thy Kingdom come,” means asking the heavenly Father to help them in their OWN LIVES to be faithful, obedient, authentic, and effective Christians. They then expand God’s Kingdom TO OTHERS by not only words, but also through their actions and the observable qualities of their character (Matthew 7:16, 20; John 13:35; 1 John 3:10). [ What I am trying to do by writing these posts ].

Personally, when I pray “Thy Kingdom come,” I am humbly requesting that Jesus open the ‘hearts’ of my loved ones, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to receive the gift of salvation in Jesus. God’s Kingdom will expand as more people turn to Jesus for salvation. These “Life’s Deep Thoughts” posts are just my small contribution to God’s reign being established throughout the whole Earth, and over every human being so that God’s sovereign rule will come now partially, and in the future in all its fullness and permanence.

 

For the believer themselves, praying “Thy Kingdom come” means that they desire Jesus’ sovereign rule over their lives here on Earth, as they submit to His authority and yield to His control in every aspect of their existence.

 

‘PAST’ KINGDOM
To give you some more detail about the Kingdom of God, let me say that it is the ‘basic’ theme that unites both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The phrases “Kingdom of God” and “Kingdom of Heaven” do not appear in the Old Testament—they are exclusively New Testament terms—BUT the ‘foundation’ of the concept of the Kingdom of God was ‘laid’ in Old Testament times.

The Kingdom of God is eternal. This means it HAS always existed and WILL always exist: “Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations” [ Psalms 145:13 ].

God’s Kingdom existed first in Heaven. Then when God created the Earth, it was His desire that His Heavenly Kingdom be extended to the world He had created.

 

ETERNITY PAST
In eternity past, before the creation of angels or the creation of the Earth and the population of it with man, a Kingdom existed in the sphere of “the Heavenlies,” because of the relationship existing among the members of the Trinity. God the Father was sovereign. God the Son, although equal in person, was subordinate to the Father, and God the Holy Spirit was the active ‘executor’ of the will of the Father (Genesis 1:2-3). Thus in eternity past, there was a Kingdom, involving the right to rule, as well as the ‘sphere’ in which the right operated and the rule was exercised. Indeed, all the elements essential to a Kingdom were present (Timeless; Universal; Providential; and Miraculous).

So, from the beginning, the ‘sphere’ in which God ruled His Kingdom was the heavens, and the ‘subjects’ of His role were the created angelic beings. They were created to praise God (Psalm 103:20-22; Job 38:7) and be the ‘administrators’ of the Kingdom. As such, they were characterized by wisdom and beauty. It is apparent from the Bible that the angelic realm was divided into different ranks of angels, each with individual position and function.

Secondly, the angels were created to minister to God’s will, in keeping with His sovereign authority (Psalm 104:4).

Thirdly, the angels were also created to worship. The prophet Isaiah talked about the Seraphim crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:1-3).

 

Now, the first opposition and rebellion against God’s sovereign authority is described by the ‘fall’ of Satan (Ezekiel 28:1-19; Isaiah 14:12-15).

In Isaiah’s message, he recorded five specific instances in which the will of Lucifer was set against the will of God, and were manifestations of Lucifer’s rebellion:

– “I will ascend to Heaven.” (Isaiah 14:13)
– “I will raise my throne above the stars of God.” (Isaiah 14:13)
– “I will sit in thrown on the mount of assembly, and the most heights of the sacred mountain.” (Isaiah 14:13)
– “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds.” (Isaiah 14:14)
– “I will make myself like the most high.” (Isaiah 14:14)

This rebellion constituted a challenge to God sovereignty, and it continues today in active rebellion against God. Through this rebellion, the one who bore the glorious name of Lucifer (“son of the morning”), is now referred to as “that ancient serpent called the Devil or Satan” (Revelation 12:9).

 

COUNTERFEIT KINGDOM
When Satan rebelled, he instituted his own counterfeit kingdom, a program entirely opposed to God’s authority and to His right to rule. To do this, Satan entice the angels of God to follow him in his rebellion, with one-third of the angels following him in revolt (Revelation 12:9).

In this false kingdom created by his rebellion, Satan is “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and has assumed sovereign authority. Elsewhere, we are told that he is “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and that, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” [ 1 John 5:19 ]. Clearly, the Bible teaches that Satan is the authority behind the counter-kingdom program he instituted against God.

Because Satan’s kingdom was instituted by lawlessness and rebellion, its chief characteristics are lawlessness and rebellion against the authority of God. All who are in Satan’s kingdom oppose God, elevating themselves above Him who alone has the right to rule and be worshiped (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Satan‘s kingdom also is characterized by darkness rather than light (Colossians 1:13). Since Satan is a liar and the father of lies, his kingdom is further characterized by deceit and deception (Revelation 13:14).

Moreover, Satan’s kingdom is not characterized by righteousness but by sin (Romans 6:16-17), not by godliness but by ungodliness (Psalm 1:3-6; Romans 5:6), and not by holiness but by unholiness (1 Timothy 1:9). Satan’s kingdom is also characterized not by obedience but by disobedience (Ephesians 2:2), and not by life but by death (Ephesians 2:5).

 

‘EARTHLY’ KINGDOM
Now, instead of imposing a deserved judgment on Satan and those who followed him in his rebellion, God chose another method by which this would be settled: He created the heavens and the Earth. This creation was designed to provide a ‘sphere’ in which God’s Kingdom might be administered, and through which the question of right to rule would ultimately be consummated.

Then, at the end of the sixth day of Creation, God said of His ‘crowning’ creation (Psalm 8:1), “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” [ Genesis 1:26-27 ].

The concept of dominion is inherent in the image or likeness given to man. God is sovereign, and man was to exercise His delegated authority and thus reflect the authority that belongs to God the Father. In exercising dominion, man subjugated all creation to God. He would establish a Kingdom in this ‘sphere’, one in which the God of Heaven ruled and demonstrated His right to rule.

After God created man, God prepared a special environment in which he was to be placed. “Now the Lord God had planted a Garden in the east, in Eden, in there he put the man he had formed” [ Genesis 2:8 ]. Thus, God had prepared a Kingdom over which He would rule, and had established a theocracy on Earth. (Theocracy simply means “God ruling.”)

With the establishment of the Kingdom of God on the Earthly sphere, God’s purpose for creation had been accomplished. “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” [ Genesis 1:31 ].

There was no need for further creative work. God’s purpose for creation had been accomplished with the establishment of this ‘model’ theocracy in Eden, in which God ruled as sovereign ‘through’ man as his delegated representative. This was God’s unchanging purpose for men and for the Earth (clearly seen in Psalm 8).

 

Thus we see that man was not only constituted as head of this ‘miniature’ theocracy, but Adam—as administrator of the theocracy—exercised the dominion entrusted to him by God.

However, God did not surrender His right to rule in this theocracy: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” [ Genesis 2:16-17 ].

The prohibition against eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was given to test man’s recognition of and subjection to the authority of God.

Now, remember, Lucifer had refused to submit to the authority of God, in his original rebellion, and had declared himself ‘independent’ of God (Well, he was a ‘created’ being). Now, man in this new form of the Kingdom, was tested to see whether he would submit to the authority of God and His right to rule, or whether he would, like Satan, reject God’s to rule and declare himself to be ‘independent’ of God’s rule.

The prohibition, then, was not to ‘rob’ man of that which would have been a pleasure to him, but rather to test his recognition and submission to the authority of God.

Well, the time came when Adam and Eve’s obedience was tested by Satan (Genesis 3), and they disobeyed God.

This was willful, deliberate disobedience of the law that God had laid down. Like Lucifer in the beginning, they wanted to be like God, and they believed the lie of Satan—that by disobedience they could become like Him! BAD choice!

 

TWO KINGDOMS
As a result of Adam and Eve’s transgression, they experienced ‘SPIRITUAL’ death, which is ‘separation’ from God. They passed out of the life that belongs to subjects of the Kingdom of God, and entered into the realm of death—becoming subjects of the kingdom of Satan. Up to this point, the kingdom of Satan had existed only in the heavenly realm where angels were subject to his authority. Now, however, the kingdom of Satan was established here on the Earth, and Adam and Eve became ‘SUBJECTS’ of that kingdom!

From that point forward, all those who were ‘ancestors’ of Adam would be born into the kingdom of Satan, into the kingdom of darkness. ALL OF US! The human race would be characterized by the lawless rebellion that characterized Satan and all those in Satan’s kingdom. As a result of this sin, TWO ‘KINGDOMS’ would develop side-by-side in this Earthly realm. A recurring theme in the Scriptures, then, shows God developing His Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, and Satan propagating his kingdom of lawlessness and darkness in the same realm.

Then God expelled Adam from the Garden of Eden (The Garden was the sphere in which the Kingdom of the God was to be manifested here on Earth.) Exclusion from the Garden suggests that Adam, because of his sin, was also excluded from the Kingdom of God, and was left to dwell in the domain of Satan. God demonstrated His authority by positioning an angel at the gate of the Garden (Genesis 3:24) to keep Adam from the tree of life until a way had been provided for man to partake of it again (Revelation 2-7, 22:2). Even so, there was anticipation that through a God-provided ‘REDEMPTION’ PROGRAM, the Kingdom would ultimately be established on the Earth.

 

So, there is a TRUE King, Jesus, and there is also a ‘FALSE’ king, a counterfeit king, Satan, and through his lies and deceptions he exercises authority here on Earth. Satan confronted Jesus in the desert at the beginning of His Earthly ministry, tempted Him to sin. Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and he showed him all of the kingdoms of the world and all of their splendor and he said, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me” [ Matthew 4:10 ]. It DIDN’T WORK on Jesus! Satan is a false king and he wants to be worshiped like Jesus is. That’s what ‘drives’ him. So, these two ‘kingdoms’ are in a ‘MORTAL’ CONFLICT.

Now let’s look at this false kingdom versus God’s Kingdom. These are two kingdoms that are diametrically opposed. In the false kingdom, Satan rules. He is the ‘king’ of this world. In God’s Kingdom, Jesus is worshipped as King. Satan’s kingdom is marked by lies and deception. God’s Kingdom is marked by truth. In Satan’s kingdom there is ugliness and hatred. In God’s Kingdom there is beauty and love. In Satan’s kingdom there is apathy, and in God’s Kingdom there is compassion. In Satan’s kingdom there is despair, and in God’s Kingdom there is joy. In Satan’s kingdom there is violence, and in God’s Kingdom there is peace. In Satan’s kingdom there is cruelty, and in God’s Kingdom there is kindness. In Satan’s kingdom there is chaos, and in God’s Kingdom there is order and self-control. God’s kingdom IS radically different from the counterfeit kingdom of Satan!

 

However, at this time, God is allowing Satan to exercise a degree of control over this world (Satan’s kingdom), but it’s only to a limited degree, and only for a ‘season’ (to ‘facilitate’ God’s redemption plan). This explains why we live in a world filled with evil and pain and suffering. These things are a result of the lies that Satan tells, and people believe in those lies and act upon them.

It was because of pride that Satan was cast down from Heaven to Earth, since he desired to be worshipped as God (Isaiah 14:12-15). Therefore, he rebelled against the true God (which all happened before the ‘foundation’ of the world). So, Satan was in the Garden before God placed Adam and Eve in there.

 

Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and the ‘Fall’ occurred. This devastation rippled down through the ages. BUT, here’s the good news: God WILL NOT leave man in his fallen condition. He is on a ‘mission’ to reclaim and to restore His rightful Kingdom from the usurper, Satan, and to restore everything that was broken because of the ‘Fall’. There will be nothing less than the total global transformation of the universe and destruction of the works of the Devil! (1 John 3:8). The entire universe purified of evil and full of the glory of God. So THAT’S WHAT Jesus came to proclaim!

 

Today the transformation to the ‘final’ Kingdom is something the Church is supposed to be doing. However, the complete fulfillment of the transformation will not happen until Jesus comes back a second time.

 

PERISHED KINGDOM
Because of sin, certain curses came upon Satan, the Earth, and man (Genesis chapter 3). The Earth was no longer a perfect and flawless extension of the Heavenly Kingdom. Man no longer had dominion over the Earth, and he was separated from the presence of the King because of sin.

God had offered to extend His Kingdom through a man, but the Kingdom had been rejected. Man lost the inheritance prepared for Him by God from the foundation of the world and Satan took control of the Earth.

 

IMPOSITION OF THE ‘LAW’
Just as the rebellion of Satan did not terminate the Kingdom of God, the rebellion of Adam did not terminate God’s plan to demonstrate and validate His right to rule in the Earthly ‘jurisdiction’. But Adam’s ‘recidivism’ DID necessitate a change in the administration of the Kingdom.

God’s answer to lawlessness was to impose ‘LAW’. While the prohibition placed on Adam and Eve in the Garden could be considered law, the first ‘formal’ law God imposed was the law of ‘CONSCIENCE’. The Apostle Paul, in fact, wrote that Gentiles—who did not have the law of Moses—do, by nature, things required by the law: “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them” [ Romans 2:14-15 ].

Paul defined conscience as the ‘law’ of God—written universally into the ‘heart’ of man—revealing what is right and wrong, and what God approves and disapproves of. Consequently, men are held ‘responsible’ for obedience to this law.

Paul is also showing that God is ‘just’ when He condemns sinners. Men have a revelation of God through the ‘creation’ (Romans 1:19-20), which placed responsibility on man. Because they rejected that revelation, man is held accountable (Romans 1:21-23). The ‘pagan’ Gentile world justly comes under judgment because they have the law of God ‘written in their hearts’ (Romans 2:12-16), and are held responsible for the observance of and submission to that law. Man is not left in ignorance as to what is right or wrong, for the law of God, or conscience, makes that very clear!

So then, a while later, Cain rejected the way of righteousness, and murdered his brother Abel, essentially because of jealousy. Cain then fled from the ‘presence’ of God (which one really can’t do, since God is omnipresent), and established a city which became a ‘home’ for those who would reject the demands of the law of conscience in the future, and choose instead to live in rebellion (Later this city became the ‘center’ of Satan’s kingdom of darkness).

However, the third son to Adam and Eve (to ‘replace’ Abel), was named Seth, which means “appointed one.”

We then see the development of two kingdoms here on the Earth: the kingdom of Satan—centered in the city which Cain built—and the Kingdom of God through the ancestry that sprung from Seth. The descendants of Seth were called the “sons of the kingdom” and the “sons of God.” The “daughters of men,” on the other hand, refer to the Cainites—those who are a part of Satan’s kingdom of darkness.

So then, after intermarriage of the sons of God with the daughters of men—in another attempt of Satan to ‘merge’ the kingdoms—man’s wickedness became evil all the time (Genesis 6:5) and ‘IRREDEEMABLE’, so God, who has the right to judge, flooded the entire Earth to give humanity another ‘chance’ to do it right this time.

After the waters had receded, God reestablished His Kingdom on Earth after the pattern of His original creation in Eden. The Kingdom program of God received a new beginning, and Noah and his family constituted the subjects of that Kingdom. At the time of their departure from the ark, there was no false kingdom operating on Earth.

Since it was fitting that those who are in God’s Kingdom should recognize God’s right to rule and offer acceptable worship to Him, Noah built an altar to the Lord and he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. God then said, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood” [ Genesis 8:20-21 ].

 

‘HUMAN’ GOVERNMENT
God then entrusted His theocratic administration to appointed ‘administrators’ who were responsible to enforce law, punish lawless people, hopefully curbing the development of the kingdom of darkness.

HOWEVER, man rebelled against this form of administration, the administrators failed to discharge their responsibilities, and lawlessness reigned! God responded to this rebellion by scattering people abroad so they were no longer united in their rebellion against Him (Tower of Babel). He then instituted a new form of theocratic administration (His promise to Abraham).

 

‘PROMISED’ KINGDOM
Even though all this happened, God promised to restore the Kingdom of God to man. God said to Satan: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” [ Genesis 3:15 ].

This was the first promise of a King who would someday come and crush the power of Satan. From a woman’s body, the King, Christ Jesus, would come. (Through His death man could be cleansed from sin, reborn into the Kingdom of God, obtain eternal life, and reclaim his rightful inheritance.)

After man failed, God chose a nation through which He could extend His Kingdom throughout the world. God raised up Abraham as the man from whom this nation would descend. He made many promises concerning the nation of Israel and their role in the extension of God’s Kingdom throughout the world (Genesis 12 through 25).

God’s promise given to Abraham while he dwelt in Ur concerning a land and a progeny was confirmed to him by an eternal, unconditional, and unchangeable Covenant.

God came to Abram and said to him, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” [ Genesis 12:2-3 ].

The descendants of Abraham will become a great nation that will be God’s own people: “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you” [ Genesis 17:7 ].

Then throughout the period of the patriarchs, we see that all God had covenanted with Abraham reaffirmed to his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob who, at the close of his life, prophesied that the Covenant would be fulfilled through a “King” arising from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 50:5).

Thus the Abrahamic Covenant becomes the ‘foundation’ of the message the Old Testament writers and prophets delivered to the nation of Israel. It gave hope to the persecuted and the dispersed. (This was also the basis for the development of God’s plan to establish on Earth the Kingdom of God after the Millennium.)

 

Now, the nation of Israel was chosen for ‘purpose’, NOT ‘privilege’. They were not chosen because they were any better than other nations or God loved them more. It was just a choice of responsibility and that responsibility was to extend the Kingdom of God throughout the Earth. God gave Kingdom laws to the nation of Israel.

But the nation of Israel failed in its responsibility to extend the Kingdom. Time and time again, the nation sinned and turned to false gods (Examples of their failures are in the Book of Judges).

[ The promises that God makes to Abraham are PARTIALLY ‘fulfilled’ in the nation of Israel, and are ultimately fulfilled in the universal application of the Gospel ].

 

So, in the continuing ‘saga’, the two kingdoms continued to develop side by side even during Moses’ time. However, there was a small ‘remnant’ who believed God and demonstrated their faith through their obedience, thus revealing that they were subjects of the Kingdom of God on Earth.

Thus throughout Moses’ long reign as a theocratic administrator, it is seen that God dealt with Israel as His Covenant people. Blessings would come to the obedient, and discipline would fall on the disobedient—and the ‘standard’ for obedience or disobedience would be the Law that God gave to Israel through Moses. A Kingdom ‘program’ was being developed which included in it those who believed and validated their faith by obedience. HOWEVER, this Kingdom was constantly being attacked by rebels whose real ‘citizenship’ was in the kingdom of darkness.

 

‘PARTIAL’ KINGDOM
Even though God promised Israel a ‘land’ (the “Promised Land”), they didn’t trust Him. So, God had them wander in the desert for 40 years until the ‘scoffers’ died.
God then made it very clear to the new generation about to enter the Promised Land that He would deal with them on the basis of the principle that obedience would bring blessing and disobedience would bring discipline—and possibly even disaster! If the nation did disobey, the people would not experience the covenanted blessings apart from repentance which produced obedience.

So, during this extended time in Israel’s history, God exercised His rule through “judges.” This preserved the nation and eventually ushered in a new form of theocracy—the monarchy, or theocracy administered through humans kings.

Samuel played an important part in the development of the theocracy. As God’s prophet, he was the instrument God used to set Saul apart as king. Later, Samuel would pronounce judgement on Saul because of his failure to fulfill the functions of the delegated administrator in God’s Kingdom, and then anoint David, through whom God’s covenanted program would come to ITS ‘FULFILLMENT’…BUT, not quite yet. God later entered into an eternal, unconditional Covenant with David, establishing the “Davidic dynasty” as the SOLE RIGHTFUL ‘occupant’ of His Earthly throne.

Through David, a Kingdom of peace and righteousness would be established over the Covenant people in the land that God had previously promised to them. This covenant will have its eventual literal fulfillment here on Earth at the Second Coming of Jesus. This Covenant was made through David with the nation Israel, and must be ‘fulfilled’ by Israel. Thus, Jesus being in Heaven right now IS NOT the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. Thus, there was the decline and division of the monarchy.

 

Because of the excesses of Solomon, the Kingdom was divided. Ten tribes followed a Benjaminite king to form the northern kingdom of Israel, and two tribes remained under the administration of a Davidic descendant to form the southern kingdom of Judah. This division generated continued conflict between the two kingdoms, disrupting the peace brought about through David and Solomon. This conflict continued until the northern kingdom fell to Assyria, and the southern kingdom fell to Babylon (as divine discipline in keeping with Deuteronomy 28). The Israelites came under the rule of Gentiles, which will continue until there was national repentance, at which time a Davidic king would assume the throne again [ Note: That’s what the “Tribulation is ALL ABOUT—God’s official ‘final notice’ to Israel to repent and ‘come’ to Him! ].

[ FYI: For more details about the final Tribulation, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/final-tribulation-v246/ ].

 

‘PROPHESIED’ KINGDOM
To this point, there has been four “Covenants” that God has initiated with the nation Israel. These Covenants not only had a relation to the nation at the time of their inception and built a ‘foundation’ on which God dealt with Israel, but they ‘bind’ God to a course of action in relation to future events (as illustrated in Bible prophecy).

These Covenants featured seven distinct and determinative ‘promises’ to Israel:
(1) a Nation forever
(2) a Land forever
(3) a King forever
(4) a Throne forever
(5) a Kingdom forever
(6) a New Covenant
(7) and abiding blessings eternally

 

Now, much of the message of the prophets was devoted to contemporary issues and contained messages to their own people, however, a good bit was devoted to the prophetic ‘program’ concerning His Kingdom. In the pages of the prophets, we find the message concerning the King, the Kingdom, the nature of the Kingdom, and the program leading up to its initiation.

 

FIRST ‘ADVENT’ OF THE KING
Old Testament prophecies predicted the coming Kingdom and its King, and the New Testament fulfilled these predictions. The Old Testament law laid the foundation for New Testament principles that would govern life in the Kingdom. When Jesus came, He did not do away with the law, but fulfilled it and expanded Kingdom principles on this foundation.

When John the Baptist lifted up his voice in the wilderness of Judea and announced, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” he used terms common to his day. These terms were understood by the nation of Israel, for the hope of the promised Kingdom and its King burned in the heart of every Jew: “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight’” [ Matthew 3:1-3 ].

 

Since Adam failed in this responsibility to extend the Kingdom, God sent a SECOND ‘Adam’, His own Son, Jesus, to do it. Jesus fulfilled this responsibility, as He made it the central purpose of His life and ministry on Earth.

After the imprisonment and death of Jesus’ “forerunner,” John the Baptist, Jesus began to share the MESSAGE of the Kingdom. Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and said, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” [ Mark 1:14-15 ].

From that time on, Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” [ Matthew 4:17 ].

 

When Jesus said the Kingdom of God was “at hand,” it meant the Kingdom had arrived (sort of). Jesus spent His entire life telling people the Kingdom had come, teaching the principles of Kingdom living, and explaining how men and women could enter the Kingdom of God.

Although the Kingdom of God was ‘at hand’, it did not come in ‘visible’ form: When Jesus was demanded by the Pharisees to tell them when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The Kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you” [ Luke 17:20-21 ].

The parables of Jesus about the Kingdom pictured it as seed which was sown, a mustard seed hidden in the ground, a hidden treasure, and a hidden pearl of great price. In all these forms, the Kingdom was present yet not visible. Israel had expected the Kingdom of God to come in visible form, with great fanfare, ruled over by a visible and powerful King: “As they heard these things, He proceeded to tell a parable, because He was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the Kingdom of God was to appear immediately” [ Luke 19:11 ].

 

Israel believed that the true King would immediately establish the Kingdom in all the glory of its previous visible form under King David. God had promised King David that, “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his Kingdom forever” [ 2 Samuel 7:13 ].

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people thought He was coming to establish the visible Kingdom with Jerusalem as its capitol as had been prophesied since Old Testament times.

BUT, it wasn’t time yet. The Kingdom was not to be visibly established. Jesus had already given a parable about leaven in a lump of dough to illustrate the spread of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:33), it was to come through silent, steady growth just as leaven spreads through bread dough.

 

In Jesus’ time, they all believed that the King would come first and then establish His glorious Kingdom that would involve everything that was promised to Abraham: the promise of a great nation, of a land, of a ruler, of a spiritual blessing (Genesis 12), and of a glorious King out of the ancestry of David. They were also promised a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31), where the whole nation would be blessed, the whole nation would become righteous, the whole nation would know God. The prophets said that the Kingdom would be glorious. The wolf would die down with a lamb, and children will play with a cobra snake and not get hurt. They were also waiting for a great river to flow out from Jerusalem to make the desert blossom like a rose. Ultimately, there would be a prevailing peace, comfort and joy, and there would be the absence of poverty and sickness, culminating in a long life.

So, they were waiting for this to happen. In fact, they had put together a pretty good eschatology. There’s a book called, “The History of the Jewish People in the Time of Christ,” written by historian, Emil Schurer. He collected all of the ancient material from the time of Jesus and pieces together the eschatology (teaching about the “end times”) that the Jews basically believed in Jesus’ time. The following is a compilation of what he wrote in that book. Here is what they expected:

“First, the coming of Messiah would be preceded be a time of tribulation or trouble, even like birth pangs. Second, in the midst of this trouble and turmoil there would appear a prophet like Elijah, heralding the coming of Messiah. Thirdly, Messiah would establish His Kingdom, age and glory and vindicate His people. Fourthly, and they found this in the Sibylline Oracles, the nations would ally to fight the Messiah. They would literally interrupt all of their wars to come and fight against Him. Fifthly, the Messiah would destroy all the opposing nations, subjugate them all. Number six, the restoration of Jerusalem would occur. It would be made new and magnificent. Number seven, scattered Jews from all over the world would return to Israel. Number eight, Israel would become the center of the world and all nations would be subjected to the Messiah. Number nine, the Messiah would establish the Kingdom and the Kingdom would be a time of eternal peace, righteousness and glory.” [ Based on my eschatology, that’s pretty accurate! ].

 

They tried on a number of occasions to force Jesus to be a King, and He had to prevent that from happening. In their minds they had enough tribulation in the past, and were living through ‘the’ tribulation. They had had enough. The time was right for the King and the Kingdom to come. They were wary of the subjugation and the oppression of a series of conquerors who had occupied their land, and the Romans were a bit much. So, when Jesus came along, He just couldn’t be the Messiah because He didn’t get rid of the Roman occupation and establish His ‘throne’.

For them, when the Messiah came, He would come with great signs, destroy all the enemies, establish Israel’s national sovereignty and prosperity, rule over all the nations on the face of the Earth. They had no concept of the spiritual, ‘internal’ Kingdom Jesus was talking about.

Because Jesus did not immediately establish a visible Kingdom, a short time later the same people who had received Him as King rejected Him. They turned against Him and called for His death by crucifixion! (BUT, THAT was a VERY IMPORTANT ‘piece’ of the reclamation plan!)

 

JESUS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE ‘PROMISE’
At Jesus’ baptism, He was ‘officially’ recognized by God the Father as Israel’s King, as He was ‘anointed’ by the Holy Spirit for the work that He had come to perform. The Father bore witness of the relationship between the Son and Himself, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” [ Matthew 3:17 ].

God the Father had confirmed the appointment of the Son to the messianic work. Now Jesus was officially designated “Forerunner” to the nation Israel with God’s full approval of His person and work.

 

Now, here’s a very salient and crucial point: The New Testament interprets the Old Testament, and fulfills prophesies from the Old Testament ‘Christologically’ rather than literally.

Theologian Chris J. H. Wright, uses this analogy in his book, “Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament,” that I have found helpful. He says:

“Imagine that a hundred years ago a father promises his son on his twenty-first birthday a mode of conveyance: he promises his son a horse and buggy, when he’s just a tiny boy. And he says, “You know, when you get to be twenty-one, I’m going to buy you a horse and a buggy.” Along the journey of life, cars are invented. And so, when the birthday finally comes, the boy is given a car instead of a horse. The promise has still been fulfilled, but not literally. The father could never have promised the boy a car, because he never understood the concept of a car—father nor son. In a similar way, says Wright, God made his promises to Israel in ways they could understand, using terminology that they could figure on, using categories that they understood—categories with which they were familiar, like nation and temple and material prosperity in the land.”

 

In a similar way, God made His promise to Israel in ways they could understand. He used categories they were familiar with, such as a nation, a temple, and material prosperity of a land. But the fulfillment breaks the boundaries of those categories. To expect a literal fulfillment is to miss the point. Chris Wright continued: “To look for direct fulfillments of, say, Ezekiel in the twentieth-century Middle East, is to bypass and short-circuit the reality and the finality of what we already have in Christ as the fulfillment of those great assurances. It is like taking delivery of the motor car but still expecting to receive a horse.”

All the promises of the Kingdom of God ARE FULFILLED in Jesus, now and in the future!

 

MOST IMPORTANT ‘CONCEPT’
The Kingdom was what Jesus talked about more than anything else, and it was the ‘FOCUS’ of His ministry on Earth: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven” [ Matthew 6:10 ].

This grand vision for this world Jesus Himself lived for, labored for, suffered for, and died for! He also entrusted His disciples this vision to continue to work on after He would leave the earth physically. It, in fact, is the CENTRAL ‘THEME’ of the ENTIRE BIBLE! It’s a vision of the consummation of history the accomplishment of God’s intentions for His entire creation!

 

Just to give you a little idea of how much Jesus talked about the Kingdom, let’s go to Luke chapter 4. He said this, “I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also for I was sent for this purpose” [ Luke 4:43 ]. He began the Beatitudes with, “Blessed are you who are poor in spirit, for yours is the Kingdom of God” [ Luke 6:20 ]. Then talking about John the Baptist, He said, “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John, yet he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he” [ Luke 7:28 ].

In Luke chapter 8, it says, “He began going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the Kingdom of God.” Then, in chapter 9, He called the twelve together, gave them power and authority over all the demons to heal diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God: “The multitudes were following Him and welcoming Him and He began speaking to them about the Kingdom of God” [ Luke 9:11 ]. Then, just a bit later, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.”

To make sure the disciples knew how important the Kingdom of God was, Jesus said: “‘Allow the dead to bury their own dead’, He said, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God’” [ Luke 9:60 ]. Then to emphasize this even more, Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God” [ Luke 9:62 ].

Later, when Jesus sends out the “Seventy-Two” (evangelists), He said to them, “Heal the sick in it [the town] and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near to you. ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the Kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town” [ Luke 10:9 ]. This is ‘SERIOUS’ STUFF!

A final example here (though there are MANY more), is when Jesus was casting out a demon from a mute person in front of the Pharisees, He said, “If I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” [ Luke 11:20 ]. Jesus is showing the Pharisees that He is God, since only God can do these kinds of things, and that if they were ‘against’ Him, they WOULD NOT ’see’ the Kingdom, EVER!

 

So, as you can see, this was a VERY IMPORTANT concept to Jesus. So important that He used the phrase “Kingdom of God” or “Kingdom of Heaven” (the same thing) more than 90 times in the four Gospels! In contrast, the word for “Church” (“Ekklesia”) appears only four times! In fact, Jesus pretty much says it all here: “I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was SENT FOR THIS PURPOSE” [ Luke 4:43 ]. (Emphasis mine).

 

‘KINGDOM’ REJECT BY THE JEWS
In response to Jesus’ presentation of Himself as the covenanted Messiah, the populace who heard His message faced a decision. Because they only knew righteousness as defined by the Pharisees, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount rejected the required Pharisaic righteousness as sufficient to bring them into the Kingdom, and offered them HIS ‘RIGHTEOUSNESS’ as free ‘gift when they ‘received’ Him by faith.

 

As mentioned previously, Jesus validated Himself as the Messiah by the miracles which He performed. When the people expressed a willingness to put faith in Him as the Messiah, the religious leaders offered an alternate explanation of Him: They said He came from Hell and got His power from Satan (Matthew 12:24). Though Christ warned of judgment if this generation persisted in their rejection, the leaders did indeed reject Him. [ Note: This is the “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Matthew 12:22-23, because the Pharisees KNEW Jesus was God, but rejected Him anyway ]. Thus He withdrew His offer of the Kingdom to that generation, and announced judgment instead!

 

A NEW ‘FORM’ OF KINGDOM PREDICTED
Following the rejection of Jesus’ offer of Himself as the Messiah by the leaders in the nation, He revealed a new form in which the theocratic Kingdom would be administered in the age falling between Israel’s rejection of Him as Messiah, and the nation’s future acceptance of Him as Messiah at His Second Coming. Jesus revealed the essential features of the new form of the Kingdom in the parables recorded mainly in Matthew chapter 13.

In considering the interpretation of the parables, it is most important to observe the following words of Jesus: “The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you” [ Matthew 13:11 ]. The parables were designed to teach truth concerning God’s Kingdom program to “believers,” since an unbeliever has the understanding of God’s Word “snatched away by the evil one what has been sown in their heart” [ Matthew 13:19b ].

 

KINGDOM ‘PARABLES’
The Old Testament clearly revealed the essential features or ‘characteristics’ of the Millennial Kingdom. But, what the Old Testament had not revealed was that an entire ‘age’ that would intervene between the offer of the Kingdom by the Messiah and Israel’s reception of the King and enjoyment of the full Kingdom blessings (the “times of the Gentiles” between the 69th and the 70th “week” in Daniel’s prophecy – Luke 21:20-24).

It is very important we understand that Israel’s Old Testament eschatology viewed time into ages: the present age, (which was the age in which the nation awaited the coming of the Messiah); and the age to come, (which was the age of the blessing to be introduced by Messiah at His coming). The Old Testament, however, did not reveal that the offer of the “age to come” would terminate with Israel’s rejection rather than reception, nor did it disclose that it would be necessary for the King to postpone until a future ‘advent’ and the blessings of His reign.

Jesus tells eight parables, each one providing an essential ‘characteristic’ of the Kingdom in this present age.

SOWING OF THE ‘SOILS’ (Matthew 6:1-9; 18-23)
Jesus explained that due to the ‘preparation’ of the ‘hearts’ of His hearers, some will refuse to hear, some will hear His message and receive it with joy, but will not continue (usually because of low interest), some would receive His message and try to apply it to their lives, but would ‘fall away’ later because of the concerns of life and material gain (usually because of the ‘cost’ of following Jesus). HOWEVER, some hear Jesus message and become “born again” followers, spreading Jesus’ Gospel message throughout the world.

From this parable we see that an essential feature of the present age will be the sowing of the Word (the Bible) to which there will be different responses.

‘WEEDS’ SOWN AMONG ‘WHEAT’ (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43)
Jesus talks about how the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed his field, but while he slept, his enemy came by and sowed weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). But when his servant told him about this later (when they could be seen), the owner said to allow them to grow up together until the harvest, then the reapers can separate them and put the wheat into the barns and burn the weeds (because sometimes, early on, the weeds look just like the wheat, and one might inadvertently uproot the wrong one).

This is talking about how the ‘weeds’ are unbelievers that follow the Devil in this world (the ‘field’), and that believers are the ‘wheat’, and the angels (the ‘reapers’) will cast those who practice lawlessness (the ‘weeds’) into the “lake of fire” at the end of the ‘age’ (Revelation 21:8), and believers will go to Heaven (Matthew 25:31-46).

Jesus is saying that He (‘through’ believers on Earth) is sowing good ‘seed’ (the Gospel), which will sprout up to be ‘wheat’, but be warned that the Devil is also sowing bad ‘seed’ that will grow up to be ‘weeds’. So, for a while, they live in the same world ‘doing live’ together. However, there’s a BIG DIFFERENCE that will be realized at ‘harvest time’. There will be the eternal agony of Hell for the unrighteous (unbeliever), with the righteous (believer) going to Heaven to be with God eternally.

This parable also anticipates the “Great Throne” judgment at the end of the age to separate the unsaved from the saved (Revelation 20:11-15). The future ‘harvest’ through the ministry of God’s children will see many taken into the Earthly Millennial Kingdom, which will be established at His Second Coming. BUT, those who have rejected the ‘Good News’ and have followed Satan, will be excluded from that Kingdom, FOREVER! Thus the ‘barn’ into which the ‘wheat’ will be gathered is Messiah’s Millennial Kingdom that has always been promised to Israel!

THE ‘MUSTARD SEED’ (Matthew 13:31-32)
The next parable Jesus tells is about the Kingdom of Heaven being like a mustard seed which a man sowed into his field. When it grew up, it was much bigger than it was supposed to be (usually only a large bush), and then the ‘birds’ came to nest in its branches (Matthew 13:31-32).

“Small as a mustard seed” was a Jewish proverb to indicate a very minute particle. In Daniel 4:12 and Ezekiel 31:6, we find that the figure of the spreading tree in which birds lodge indicates a great Kingdom that can protect and provide benefits for many peoples.

This stresses the small and seemingly insignificant beginnings of the Kingdom in Jesus’ time, which will indeed become large someday. It will take some time to come to fruition.

It is also surmised that the allusion to the birds comes from Ezekiel 17:23, where Jesus is deliberately utilizing the imagery from this passage, hinting at the way in which His Kingdom will include the Gentiles.

Thus the parable teaches that the new form of the Kingdom, while it did have an insignificant beginning, will eventually spread out to the ends of the Earth!

THE ‘LEAVEN’
This parable is similar to the previous one in that the ‘leaven’ the woman put the yeast depicts how it quietly multiplies and permeates everything it touches, describing the pervading influence the Kingdom of God will have. [ Whereas leaven is sometimes referred to as an ‘evil’, in this instance it is used as a ‘good’ influence, just as it was referred to in Leviticus 7:11-14 and Leviticus 23:17 ].

Thus, Jesus was teaching that the Kingdom would not be established by outward means, since no eternal force could cause the dough to rise. Rather, this new form of the Kingdom would operate according to an ‘internal’ force that would be continuous and progressive until the whole mixture has been ‘leavened’. This is an emphasis on the Holy Spirit and His ministry in the world.

Theologian Klyne Snodgrass does a good job capturing the essential point:
“The point again is that what you see with Jesus is the beginning of what you hope for in the Kingdom and will surely lead to it. The focus is not the contrast between small and large but the hidden beginning which will result in the completion of God’s work, the leavening of the whole. Something has happened … and will have its full effect. A hidden power, hardly discernible to some, is already and irresistibly working. The Kingdom in Jesus’ ministry has its beginning and is at work, even if in a hidden or unanticipated way.”

HIDDEN ‘TREASURE’ AND VALUABLE ‘PEARL’
The next two parables are about finding something valuable and spending everything one has to obtain them. This pictures something ‘hidden’ from most people (salvation), but for the ones who can ‘see’ it, they are willing to give up all they have to possess it—because it is IMMENSELY valuable!

A man is SO SURPRISED of the great value of the treasure that he had found that he sold ALL he had to acquired the field.

Similarly, in reference to the pearl, evidently, the person who already had the pearl didn’t recognize its worth, but the merchant, who has probably way more experience at determining the REAL value of ‘gems’ did understand its great worth.

Again, the main point of these parables are that everything that this world deems worthwhile or important counts as sheer loss compared to the surpassing value of knowing Jesus and being part of His Kingdom (eternal life). It’s all about what did you ‘give up’ and what did it ‘cost’ you?

The Apostle Paul put is best: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” [ Philippians 3:7-8 ].

[ FYI: For more details about what faith in Jesus might ‘cost’ you, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/it-will-cost-you-v233/ ].

 

While the two parables make the same main point, there is one big difference between the two. In the first parable the man just ‘stumbles’ upon the treasure, and in the second parable, the merchant is already ‘seeking’ a fine pearl.

The two different parables represent the different ways individuals ‘enter’ the Kingdom of Heaven. Some seem to come into the Kingdom almost by accident, however, others, spend considerable time seeking it.

Pastor John MacArthur summarized this well by saying, “It is God who sovereignly ordains the discovery of Christ. He deals with all people as individuals, ordering the steps of each one in accord with His plan, graciously granting to sinful hearts the will and the wisdom to see and appreciate the infinite value of the Kingdom, and thereby motivating them to esteem Christ greater than all the riches of the world. That is saving faith.”

Therefore, this parable clearly pictures Israel, God peculiar ‘treasure’, being taken out of their land because of discipline and scattered throughout the world. (This condition became a reality when Titus invaded Jerusalem and expel the people from the land.) Now, in order for the man in the parable to regain the treasure of which he was deprived, it was necessary for him to purchase the field where the treasure was hidden. This Jesus did by His death: “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” [ 1 John 2:2 ]. So, it will not be until Jesus’ Second Coming that this ‘treasure’ will become the possession of it rightful owner (Matthew 24:31).

Additionally, as far as the merchant looking for fine pearls, Jesus revealed that God will obtain a treasure not only from the nation Israel, but from the Gentiles as well. We understand this from the fact that a pearl comes out of the sea, and quite frequently in Scripture the sea represents Gentile nations. So, once again, we see that a ‘treasure’ from among the Gentiles becomes God’s by ‘purchase’!

THE ‘DRAGNET’
This parable talks about how the fishermen in the Galilee fished the bottom of the lake by dragging a large weighted net. When it was pulled in, it had an assortment of fish and the good fish had to be sorted from the bad fish. This is very similar to the first parable about ‘sorting’ the wheat and the ‘weeds’. However, this seems to be focused on those who ‘claim’ to be believers—and the good and the bad will be sorted in the Judgment. Through this parable Jesus taught that the age will end in a judgment to determine who enters the future Millennial Kingdom and who is excluded from it.

THE ‘HOUSEHOLDER’
The final parable is that of a ‘householder’ (“master of a house”) which teaches that some features of the new form of the Kingdom are identical to features previously revealed about the Millennial Kingdom. However, other features are entirely new and have no correspondence to what had been revealed about the Kingdom in the past! (I LOVE ‘good’ surprises!).

 

KINGDOM PROMISES ‘NOT CANCELLED’
So, as we consider the parables of Matthew 13, we find that in light of Israel’s rejection of Jesus (their promised and prophesied Messiah), God postponed the Millennial form of the Kingdom. It was Jesus that announced that there would be a new ‘form’ of the Kingdom, one that would span the period from Israel’s rejection of Him until Israel’s future reception of Himself at His Second Coming. This present age, with its new form of the Kingdom, would be characterized by the sowing of the Word to which there will be varying responses, depending on the preparation of the person (Sowing of the ‘soils’). Then, the harvest that results from the sowing is the result of the ‘life’ that is in the seed that was sown (the seed’s ‘capabilities’ for growth).

Concurrent with the sowing of the Word (the ‘Gospel’), there is also a false ‘counter-sowing’ (‘Weeds sown among ‘wheat’). Even though the new form of the Kingdom had an insignificant beginning, it will grow to great proportions (the ‘mustard seed’).

The thing is, the ‘power’ of the Kingdom is not external but internal (the ‘leaven’). God will gather a peculiar treasure to Himself through this present age (hidden ’treasure’ and valuable ‘pearl’).

Then, the present form of the Kingdom will end in a judgment to determine who are righteous and eligible to enter the future millennial form of the Kingdom, as well as who are unrighteous and will be excluded from the millennial Kingdom to come (the ‘dragnet’).

Just to keep things interesting, God then says that there will be ‘characteristics’ of Heaven that He has not yet disclosed! Woo-hoo! I’m waiting with ‘bated breath’! ;^D

 

GOD’S ‘INVITATION’ TO ALL
Jesus later indicated that there is an ‘invitation’ that was to be given to that generation to enter the Covenanted Kingdom (In the parable of A King Prepared a Wedding Banquet for His Son – Matthew 22:1-14). However, not all who were invited chose to attend. Therefore, the invitation was extended a second time, and even a third time, in order that the banquet hall might be filled with guests. It was their choice, as well AS YOURS! (God is a ‘Gentleman’, and will not ‘force’ anyone to accept His offer.)

In the light of Jesus’ offer, He instructed that one should, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” [ Matthew 7:13-14 ]. Jesus then gave a warning that revealed the danger of neglecting the invitation He had just given: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” [ Matthew 7:21-23 ].

The invitation to enter the Kingdom was coupled with a warning not to try to enter the Kingdom ANY OTHER ‘WAY’ than ‘through’ Him!

[ FYI: For more details about Jesus being the one ‘way’ to God and Heaven, view these previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” posts:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/the-only-way-v253/
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/two-choices-one-way-v254/ ].

 

So, we can see then that from the parables we can develop an understanding of the theocratic Kingdom, tracing the offer by Messiah, its rejection by Israel, its consequent postponement to a future time, the resultant judgment on the generation that rejected His offer, the new form of the theocracy to be developed in the present age, the events preceding the establishment of the coming Messianic Kingdom, and the characteristics of those who are ‘in’ the Kingdom.

 

DISCIPLES STILL ‘CONFUSED’
The disciples asked Jesus, “Lord are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?” In spite of all Jesus had taught them during the course of His ministry and during His post-resurrection time, they still had not yet grasped the fact that the Kingdom they were anticipating has been POSTPONED to some future time. So, Jesus responded to their question by telling them that the timing was not for them to know (Acts 1:7)—just go out to all the world and tell them of My ‘Gospel’! (the last thing Jesus said to them as He ascended into the Heavens – Matthew 28:16-20 – the “Great Commission”).

Before He left this Earth, Jesus reiterated His promise of the ‘empowerment’ of the Holy Spirit who would help them with the Great Commission He just gave them. Then, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was ‘poured out’ onto them, as well as all believers every since!

This present age—in which the prophesied program concerning the new form of the Kingdom will run its course, and in which the Church Jesus promised has been formed—is indefinite in its duration!

 

DURING THE ‘POSTPONEMENT’
Though the Davidic form of the Covenanted Kingdom was postponed until the Second Coming of Jesus because of Israel’s rejection, the New Testament writers make frequent reference to the Kingdom of God. At times, it is used in reference to the coming Davidic Kingdom, sometimes in reference to the eternal Kingdom, but most frequently it is used in reference to the new form of the theocracy predicted by Jesus (in the Matthew 13 parables). The Old Testament Covenants are referred to, showing that the spiritual blessings that are ours stem from the universal aspects of the Covenants that God gave to Israel. While God’s program would be administered by the nation Israel—and flow through them to those in the nations of the Earth—God had provided for blessings for the world through His people Israel.

I thank God for the blessings that are available for believers while anticipating blessings the Covenant people will experience in the future when they turn by faith back to God in repentance (at the end of the Tribulation).

 

TWO ‘REALMS’
God is sovereign over two realms—the ‘material’ Kingdom’, and the ‘spiritual’ Kingdom. When God created out of His sovereign will, He made things material and He made people spiritual—and He is King of both ‘domains’.

 

Now in order for us to understand His unfolding purpose in the world, it will help us to keep those two kingdoms in mind, or those two ‘realms’ in which God exercises sovereign rule.

First of all, there is the external universal Kingdom over which He rules by creation. Everything He created is under His sovereign power. “The Lord has established His throne in the Heavens and His sovereignty rules over all” [ Psalm 103:19 ]. He’s the King of everything that He has created: “They shall speak of the glory of Your Kingdom and talk of Your power, the glory of the majesty of Your Kingdom. Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and Your dominion endures throughout all generations” [ Psalm 145:11-13 ]. This is the grand, universal, ‘material’ Kingdom of God by which He rules sovereignly over.

Every molecule, every atom, every component of an atom belongs in this Kingdom. But as true as that is, this Kingdom is in a state of rebellion. It is ‘cursed’ by sin and that curse has stained this Kingdom spiritually and materially. The universe is ‘winding down’. The second law of thermodynamics is operating. Entropy is in place. The universe is in the process of ‘disintegrating’.

Now, even though His Kingdom has been cursed, God ‘allowed’ it to be cursed! It has been judged—He judged it—and one day He will restore it. One day He will ‘recover’ it. One day He will restore the Paradise that was lost in the Garden.

So, Jesus came into the world not to ‘establish’ the Kingdom—the universal reign over the created universe—He already had that. He showed it. He could control the sea. He controlled death. He controlled disease. He controlled creation. He could create food and wine out of nothing. He was God and He had power over His whole created universe. He said, “If I wanted to, I could have instantly had a legion of angels” and that “No man takes My life from Me. I lay it down by Myself.” He wasn’t looking for control over the universe. He came to establish the Kingdom in the ‘HEART’ OF PEOPLE!

 

THE PHARISEES
Just like the disciples, the Pharisees didn’t understand what Jesus was saying: “Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them, ‘The Kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you’” [ Luke 17:20-21 ]. Jesus’ PRESENCE in their midst gave them a taste of the Kingdom life (as attested by the miracles that Jesus performed).

First, Jesus begins to correct a misunderstanding of the Kingdom—namely, that it would come with such observable signs that it would be unmistakable: Rome would be overturned, Israel would be vindicated, and an Earthly Kingdom would be established. Jesus said, “No, it is not coming in a way that can be observed like that. There is a mystery about the coming of the Kingdom. It is here in your midst without those kinds of observable signs. It is here because I am here. I am the arrival of the Kingdom, even though I will not overturn the Romans or set up an Earthly Kingdom… YET!”

Jesus told a parable to make clear that the Kingdom is not coming that way now, and that it would be a long time in the future:

“A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’” [ Luke 19:12-27 ].

In other words, Jesus is going back to Heaven and will be gone for some time before He returns to establish His Kingdom in power and glory. Make no mistake about it, the coming of the Kingdom is still future, but IT WILL COME!

 

So, the Kingdom HAS COME (according to Matthew 12:28 and Luke 17:21) and the coming of the Kingdom is STILL FUTURE (according to Luke 19:11-12). This was VERY ‘PUZZLING’ for the Pharisees. It threw them into ‘confusion’.

Even the ‘top dog’ Nicodemus couldn’t figure it out for himself—so he went to Jesus at night (so no one would see him with Jesus and start a rumor). Jesus told him that, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God” [ John 3:3 ]. If you don’t take your ‘blinders’ off, you won’t be able to see the King or the Kingdom. (Jesus went on to say, that “You must be born of the water and the Spirit.” That’s ‘SPIRITUAL’ birth.)

The Kingdom of God is here, Jesus said. His audience did not need to wait for a conquering Messiah—God is already ruling, and we should be living His way now. We don’t yet possess a ‘territory’, but we do come under the reign of God.

 

KINGDOM ‘AT HAND’
Jesus delivers a stunning message that, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” [ Mark 1:15 ]—and they all knew that He was referring to Himself.

The Jews had an immense expectation for the coming of the Kingdom. They were waiting almost in a posture of ‘holding their breath’ hoping that THE King would come. Even at the time of the birth of Jesus, Anna and Simeon were waiting for the Kingdom of God to arrive, the Kingdom promised by the Old Testament prophets and anticipated for centuries.

However, their patience was running out. The ongoing pagan conquerors that had occupied the land of Israel were so distasteful, and the accumulated disappointment was rising. The people wanted ‘THEIR’ Kingdom to come.

 

For example, Joseph of Arimathaea—who showed up to take the body off the Cross—is identified as one waiting for the Kingdom: “Joseph was a man from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the Kingdom of God” [ Luke 23:51 ]. Now, he wasn’t the only one. There were MANY hoping that the King and His Kingdom would come… and get rid of the Romans!

So, when Jesus came, He didn’t ‘look’ like their King, and when He said the Kingdom had arrived, it didn’t look like the Kingdom they were looking for.

 

Jesus was inaugurating the Kingdom as He changed the ‘hearts’ of people, one at a time. For the time being, Jesus’ Kingdom was not ‘of’ this world. However, one day, the Kingdom of God WILL be ‘physically’ manifest on the Earth, and Jesus will rule it from David’s ‘throne’, with Jerusalem being His capital.

Jesus did share many things that must happen on Earth before the Kingdom would be established in its final form. These signs were revealed to help us recognize when the time is near.

[ FYI: You can read of these signs in Matthew chapters 24-25, Mark chapter 13 and Luke 17:20-37; 21:8-36 ].

 

‘PRESENT’ KINGDOM
God, in previous forms of theocratic administration, had centralized the authority in one individual or one arrangement (i.e., human government). However, in the present age, God has divided authority in four different realms we all live—the civil, the home, employment, and religion—thus limiting the area committed to any administrator in the Kingdom. The responsibility of those administrators is the same in any previous form: to bring those under their authority to submission to God, to maintain law and order, and to provide an atmosphere in which men may live in peace because they are in subjection to appointed human authority and consequently to divine authority.

The ‘Church’ has been chosen by God to reveal this mystery of the Kingdom to the nations of the world. Through this, the eternal purpose of God will be accomplished: “Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in Heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:9-10)

So, the Kingdom is coming, PRESENT tense, and will continue to come until Jesus comes back a second time.

 

‘INSIDE’ JOB
So, the ‘new’ Kingdom of God ‘began’ when Jesus was on Earth. It was there then, and it is here now. It is growing and expanding, but the world still can’t ‘see’ it—because it’s ‘invisible’. The Kingdom of God is presently acknowledged in the ‘HEARTS’ of individual believers. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you” [ Luke 17:21 ].

[ FYI: Some Bible translations have “in your midst,” but the original Greek word, “entos,” has a little preposition “en” which means “in.” So, “Entos” means “inside.” ].

Jesus said that it’s ‘IN’ you. It’s set up in your ‘hearts’. The Apostle Paul said that, “The Kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” [ Romans 14:17 ]. It’s an ‘INTERNAL’ thing. It’s righteousness in the heart imputed by faith in Jesus. It is peace with God, and a joy that is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit ‘inside’ the believer.

Jesus said that the Kingdom is ‘IN’ the believer, and one cannot ‘see’ it if they are not ‘born into’ it. If one is still blind and dead (spiritually), one will not be able to see the Kingdom.

[ FYI: For more details about spiritual ‘blindness’, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/are-you-blind-v252/ ].

 

However, it’s moving toward a great day of immense ‘visibility’. When Jesus comes back the second time, every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7), and ALL creation (including humans) will be liberated from its ‘bondage’ to decay (Romans 8:19-21). There will be the unveiling of our ‘inside job’!

 

IT’S A ‘MYSTERY’
The Kingdom is said to be a “mystery” for now (Mark 4:11), because it is not within the range of the natural powers of observation: “The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation” (Luke 17:20)

The Kingdom is presently only SPIRITUALLY ‘DISCERNED’ on Earth. It has been spiritually, but not yet visibly established. The PRESENT ‘VISIBLE’ Kingdom of God is in Heaven.

Heaven is the present residence of God, Jesus, and the angels. Heaven is where Jesus now waits until time for His return to Earth to establish the Kingdom in its permanent, visible form. While He waits in Heaven, Jesus serves as an intercessor for the believer still on Earth (Hebrews 7:25).

 

COUNT THE ‘COST’
So, when you “count the cost” of something, you take inventory of everything that needs to happen before you pursue a goal, and then consider the risks. Now, you may not know every little detail that needs to be achieved in the process, but you can, at least, get a sense of all the ‘big rocks’ that will need to be accomplished in order for you to have success at accomplishing your goal.

This concept isn’t a new one. The term “count the cost” actually is a ‘substantial’ teaching of Jesus in the Bible.

Jesus ‘strongly’ encouraged His followers to deliberate about what it means to follow Him. Many times you get the sense that Jesus’ disciples really didn’t understand what it would take for them to live out His teachings.

So, in order to get His point across, Jesus uses examples of how planning ahead of time can lead to a successful outcome: “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’” [ Luke 14:28-30 ].

This teaching could not be more obvious. Achieving success at the end of the journey starts at the beginning of the journey.

[ FYI: For more details about exactly what Jesus meant about “counting the cost,” view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/it-will-cost-you-v233/ ].

 

SPIRITUAL ‘WARFARE’
Do you remember that I mentioned that since Satan’s rebellion in Heaven, ‘war’ has existed between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan, and the Earth is the scene of this universal rebellion against God? Well, human resources alone can never defeat Satan, but divine resources can. That’s why it’s crucial to understand the resources you have that ensure your victory over Satan (however difficult!).

Primarily, within the believer ‘resides’ the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), who strengthens them and accomplishes more than they can ask or think (Ephesians 3:16, 20). Even though Satan’s attacks are subtle, cunning, and deceitful, and it’s impossible to analyze and anticipate his every offense. So one must focus on strengthening their defenses every day to give them strength and confidence. When they bring their bodies under subjection, walk in wisdom, press toward the prize, cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, work out their salvation with fear and trembling, and live in the fear and admonition of God, He will supply the resources they need when they supply the initial effort.

The Bible tells us to “Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might…For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10, 12), and to “Stand firm against the schemes of the Devil” (Ephesians 6:11 ).

Every battle has an offensive and defensive strategy. The Christian’s offensive strategy is taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), and our defensive strategy is to rely on Christ’s strength and “put on our spiritual armor” (Ephesians 6:11).

[ FYI: For more details about spiritual ‘warfare’, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/ready-for-battle-v235/ ].

 

NOW AND NOT YET
We learn from the Bible that the Kingdom of God is both here now but also not completely here yet. It is in recognizing that the Kingdom of God has come with the appearing of Jesus on the Earth, and that’s why He spoke of it as a PRESENT reality.

Jesus said, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” [ Matthew 12:28 ]. Notice the PRESENT tense. He’s not talking about an entry into some future realm, He’s talking about an entry into a PRESENT realm—into the present rule and reign of Jesus Himself.

So, the Kingdom is NOW, BUT the Kingdom is also something that we anticipate in the FUTURE. Only when Jesus returns will it be FULLY ‘introduced’. It’s only then that Jesus will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” [ Matthew 25:34 ].

So, the Christian ‘belongs’ to the new creation, but has not yet received all of the benefits and blessings of that new creation, because the Christian, for the time being, lives in a fallen world, a world which bears the marks of sin and the marks of God’s judgment against it. So, there is this antithetical dimension: the present age, the age to come; the Kingdom that is now, the Kingdom that is not yet.

 

Those of you who remember Venn diagrams from mathematics at school will identify this very simple diagram where the ‘key’ area is the area where all the circles intersect with one another. The ‘point’ of great interest.

So, I’d like to create for you a Kingdom Venn diagram, so imagine the PRESENT age represented by one circle, the AGE TO COME represented by another—and where the two intersect is the period ‘BETWEEN’ the first and second comings of Jesus. Today, this is where believers are living. Waiting for the glorious return of Jesus for them in the Rapture.

[ FYI: If you want more details about the “Rapture,” view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/blessed-hope-v245/ ].

 

EVANGELISM
Jesus left the Church with one ‘responsibility’: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation” [ Mark 16:15 ], AND before He was take up to Heaven, He also equipped believers with the ‘power’ to accomplish the task: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” [ Acts 1:8 ].

You might ask, “What’s the reason for the delay of the ‘final’ Kingdom?” Well, God has deliberately delayed the return of Jesus so that MANY MORE PEOPLE may have a chance to hear the Gospel, repent and believe. Since God is a gracious, His kindness leads us to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)

SO, are you ONE of the people God is waiting for? If so, you may want to consider reading this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/got-your-attention-yet-v255/

Understanding that the Kingdom already exists can help us give greater attention to the way the world is right now, and we do not forget that the ‘completion’ of the Kingdom is still future. If our only hope is in this age, we don’t have much hope at all! (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Believers don’t harbor any illusions about bringing the Kingdom with their human efforts—they know Satan is to ‘crafty’ and powerful to allow that to happen. However, even though the believer cannot transform this Earth into a heavenly paradise, doing good is still good. We can still try to make the world a better place for at least the people in our ‘sphere’ of influence. This is part of what it means for God’s will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10), to be a Christ-like example for unbelievers to have their conscience ‘pricked’ by.

 

‘FUTURE’ KINGDOM
Back in the ‘beginning’, when Satan rebelled and he and one-third of the angels were cast out of Heaven, their activity was restricted to the Earth. I think that the increasing ‘maladies’ that are inflicting our world are because Satan is getting the sense that his days are ‘numbered’, and he and his demons don’t had a lot of time left on this Earth—so he is pulling out ‘all the stops’.

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended” [ Revelation 20:1-3 ].

 

EVIL ‘DECEPTION’ REMOVED
The first matter for Jesus as He sets up His Kingdom is the confinement of His chief rebel, Satan, and his removal from the earth—which will dramatically change the world. (By this time, God will have destroyed all human rebels at Armageddon – Revelation 19:11-21). The ‘ringleaders’ of the worldwide rebellion, the Antichrist and the False Prophet, will already have been thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20). The final step in preparation for the Millennial Kingdom will be the removal of Satan and his demons.

An angel—possibly Michael—will come from down from Heaven to ‘bind’ Satan. He will cast him into the abyss and seal it. [ The abyss is a place of torment where demons fear to be sent (Luke 8:31) ].

Satan will be incarcerated in the abyss for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3) so he cannot deceive humanity during that time.

 

‘MILLENNIAL’ KINGDOM
After the Tribulation ends at the “Battle of Armageddon,” Jesus will literally reign for 1,000 years on a ‘near-perfect’ earth as “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). Yet, He has graciously promised that His Saints will reign WITH Him. They will rule subordinately over every aspect of life in the Kingdom, and will perfectly carry out His will. With Satan, his demons, and all God-rejecting sinners out of the way, the Millennial Kingdom will be a time of ‘AWESOME’ PEACE.

Imagine a time when there will be no more poverty, and every person will have all that their heart desires! Imagine that there will be no prisons, no hospitals, no mental institutions, no army bases, no gambling ‘dens’, no bars, no houses of ill repute, and no homes for the aged and the infirm. The wolf and the lamb, the calf and the lion, and a little child and the serpent will all play together! The implements of war will be relics of the past.

 

The longevity of life will return as in the days before the Flood of Noah. “No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed” [ Isaiah 65:20 ]. (That means that a normal lifespan will be multiple hundreds of years.) All who die during the Millennium will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium (Revelation 20:4-5) to face their ‘final’ judgment.

The Bible also reveals that all married couples will continue to have children throughout the Millennium. Now, even though the Millennium will involve the perfect government of Jesus, it will also include ‘fallen’ human beings. These people will give birth to babies and raise children, some of whom will not necessarily choose to follow Jesus. As long as they do not externally rebel against the government of Jesus, they are permitted to live during the Millennial Kingdom. But, all ‘outward’ rebellion will be stopped instantly.

 

Israel will not only experience regeneration in fulfillment of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), but they will also be regathered (Isaiah 43:5-7; Jeremiah 16:14-18; Psalm 105:8-11; Genesis 15:18-21, 26:3-4, 28:13–14). They will finally possess the ENTIRE Promised Land that God promised Abraham. Also, the Covenant that God made with Israel—promising a complete national regeneration —will happen, and every Jew in the Millennial Kingdom will personally know God (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Isaiah 22:22-24, 30:18-22, 44:1-5, 45:17).

 

HOWEVER, the thing is, the ‘heart’ of man is going to be no different during this Millennial period than it was before the Tribulation. Sin will be less because Satan and his demonic hoards will be restrained, but there will still be sin and rebellion in people’s hearts, because all humans are born with a sin nature. According to Jesus, the evil that is in the world comes from ‘within’ man. All Satan does is multiply it through temptation. In fact, that is one of the purposes of the Millennium. God is going to use the Millennium to prove that Satan’s ‘religion’, humanism, is ‘bankrupt’ when it purports that the way to change the world is to change society. Humanists take that position because they believe that evil is rooted in society. But the Word of God says that evil is rooted in the fallen nature of man, and that the only way to change the world is to change people’s ‘hearts’!

As the Millennium commences, the Temple has been built and the nations of the earth are coming there to worship the true God and Jesus there. Prosperity reigns in a paradise regained. The ‘Garden of Eden’ is back and it is worldwide! Poverty and injustice are unknown. Everyone has their heart’s desire. It will be an INCREDIBLE TIME!

The bloom of youth is on everyone’s cheek. Cemeteries are crumbling relics of the past and tears no longer flow! The “Golden Age” has dawned!

Jesus’ reign is righteous. Sin is visited with swift and certain judgment. It’s everything that you could never even imagine—BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS!

[ FYI: For more details about the “Millennial Kingdom,” read this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/mankinds-destiny-v247/ ] .

 

‘PERFECTED’ KINGDOM
So, before the eternal Kingdom can be manifested, God must deal with this cursed earth and universe. Satan has long carried out his evil schemes on earth (Ephesians 2:2), so the earth must be purged of all the stains resulting from his extended presence. The old must make room for the new (2 Peter 3:7-13). So, God will consume the earth with fire to burn away the pollution of Satan’s last revolt, and out of the fiery inferno will come a New Heavens and a New Earth.

He will take this earth and reshape it like a hot ball of wax. The earth will be refreshed, beautified, and perfected to what God originally created before it was polluted by sin and changed by the ‘Curse’. It might also be greatly enlarged, because it is going to serve as the foundation for a gigantic city—the New Jerusalem.

Just think of it! As God creates the New Earth, we will most likely be suspended in the Heavens (possibly inside the New Jerusalem), watching the greatest ‘fireworks’ display in the history of the cosmos! All that was ruined in the old Heaven and the old Earth will be totally destroyed and made ‘perfect’ again!

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever” [ Revelation 22:1-9 ].

 

God is determined that no one and nothing will be allowed to spoil or destroy His perfected Kingdom. He is making this brand-new. He is preparing it—has been from all of eternity—and when He finally brings it to fruition, when He finally puts it together in all of His perfected plan, no one or nothing will be allowed to spoil it.

That is why sin will be punished, and justice will be done, and evil will be destroyed. The new Heaven and the new Earth, will be a place in which, Peter tells us, righteousness dwells. When Peter is addressing the prospect of the return of Jesus Christ, he points out to his readers that this new Heaven and new Earth will be a place in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13), and that all that was ruined in the old will be ‘perfect’ in the new.

God will “wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” [ Revelation 21:4-5 ]. What a place this will be since “the old order of things has passed away.” Paradise is restored… PLUS MORE!

God is going to transform it so that it reflects all the glory and all the magnificence that He intended for it in the first place, when we see the new Garden of Eden in all of its pristine beauty.

 

The description of the New Jerusalem is just astounding—the human mind can scarcely take it in. The overall impression of the city is a gigantic brilliant ‘jewel’. It will transcend anything that has ever been experienced. I’ve got to believe that the heavenly city will be far more wondrous then we can possibly imagine!

The New Jerusalem will be a place of indescribable beauty. But the most glorious reality of all will be that formally sinful rebels will be made righteous, enjoying INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP with the Trinity—God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit—and we will be able to serve them, share unimaginable joy and incessant praise…forever!

Lay theologian C.S. Lewis, trying to explain how staggeringly unbelievable Heaven will be, wrote, “Our ability to imagine what eternity will be like is like two infants in a womb talking about what they will be doing once they’re born and are 25 years old.” The Apostle Paul said, that on earth we “see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” [ 1 Corinthians 13:12 ].

 

The eternal city will be ‘incomprehensibly’ wonderful, far more than any human mind could possibly fathom or even begin to imagine! Believers on earth are merely ‘pilgrims’ on route to their final ‘frontier’, the New Jerusalem, just passing through this brief ‘dot’ of time on earth.

[ For an allegory of what a Christian can expect to experience during our lives on Earth, then entering Heaven, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post about “The Pilgrim’s Progress” book:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/leaving-a-legacy-v242/ ].

 

God’s ’DESTINY’ for humanity is finally fulfilled here. God’s plan of salvation, conceived in eternity past, is now brought to full fruition—and it’s going to take Him all of eternity to show you the fullness of who He is, and how much He loves you!!!

 

‘ETERNAL’ KINGDOM
The new creation is going to be worth waiting for. God is not simply going to renew our souls, but our bodies too. God is going to renew the environment in which we then live.

The radical transformation in circumstances is so vast, so rich, so wide, that no wonder the Apostle Paul says that, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him” [ 1 Corinthians 2:9 ]. Indescribable!

 

So, when one thinks of the Kingdom of God, they need to remind themselves that all of God’s promises will be fulfilled in the end, and that God’s people—consisting of all those from every nation and from every era who trusted in Jesus (or faith in God in the Old Testament)—will be united in God’s Kingdom. Submitting to God’s perfect rule, they will experience God’s perfect blessings!

 

THE ‘GOSPEL’ OF THE KINGDOM
So, now that you have a detailed overview of the Kingdom of God—past, present, and future—the ‘GOSPEL’ of the Kingdom is how one can ‘realize’ it! It is the good-news message of repentance, redemption, and restoration offered by God to all who will ‘receive’ Jesus as their Savior.

Those who accept this offer become part of His eternal Kingdom (John 1:12). HOWEVER, those who choose to remain in their sin cannot be a part of this Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21). Although grace makes this offer available to anyone who will receive it, Jesus warned that it would be very difficult to enter His Kingdom and few would do so (Matthew 7:14).

The Gospel of the Kingdom is the news that there is freedom from our ‘slavery’ to sin if we will repent and turn to Jesus (Romans 6:18-19). Our Redeemer has come, but it is difficult to enter God’s Kingdom. Not because God requires impossible standards for us, but because WE do not want to repent and change. We tend to love the darkness more than the Light (John 3:19). Many would rather cling to their old sinful identities than allow Jesus to create them anew! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Those who receive the Gospel of the Kingdom become ‘citizens’ of Heaven and are freed from bondage to this world (Galatians 4:3-9). They are then referred to by God as His “ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Just as an Earthly foreign ambassador retains his national identity when representing his country in another, the spiritual ambassadors of God’s Kingdom owe their allegiance to Him even as they reside in this world. They must follow the heavenly Father’s code of conduct while sojourners on Earth. They need not conform to this world’s habits, values, and lifestyle, because this is not their home! (Romans 12:1–2; 1 John 2:15–17).

Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). So, although the believer must live here until God calls us home (or Jesus comes back to Rapture them), they are not to live for themselves or according to this world’s value system. Those who have been bought by the ‘blood’ of Jesus have been given the right to live according to God’s value system. Citizens of the Kingdom of God live here on ‘assignment’ from our Father (the “Great Commission”). Living with a Kingdom mindset empowers them to make wiser decisions as they invest their lives in furthering the Gospel of the Kingdom.

 

‘SEEK FIRST’ THE KINGDOM
Jesus tells us that we are to seek the things of God as a priority over the things of the world—to seek the salvation that is inherent in the Kingdom of God, because it is of greater value than all the world’s riches. If we are taking care of God’s business as a priority—seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the Kingdom with others—then He will take care of our ‘business’ as He promised!

But how do we know if we are truly seeking God’s Kingdom first? Well, there are a few questions one can ask themselves. “Where do I primarily spend my energies? Is all my time and money spent on goods and activities that will certainly perish, or in the services of God—the results of which live on for eternity?” Believers who have learned to truly put God first, may then rest in this absolute promise: “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” [ Matthew 6:33 ].

The term “seek” in the Greek means “to go after with earnest,” “to pursue,” “to chase” after. It can also mean “to dig up” or “to excavate.” So essentially, it means to go after something “with fervor.” Are you doing so?

 

Many people think that they need to be seeking to be successful so they can provide for their family. Well, that is not necessarily a bad goal to have, BUT God has promised to provide for His ‘children’, supplying every need (Philippians 4:19)—so you don’t have to ‘worry’ about that as much as you probably do!

Now God’s idea of what we need is often different from ours, and His timing will only occasionally meet our expectations. For example, we may see our current need as riches or advancement, but God perhaps knows that what truly we need is a time of poverty, loss, or solitude. The thing is, when this happens—and it will!—we are in good ‘company’. God loved both Job and Elijah, but He allowed Satan to absolutely ‘crush’ Job (all under His watchful eye), and He let that evil woman, Jezebel, break the spirit of His own prophet Elijah (Job 1-2; 1 Kings 18-19). In both cases, God followed these trials with restoration and sustenance.

The thing is, these ‘negative’ aspects of the Kingdom run counter to a heresy that is gaining ground around the world, the so-called “prosperity gospel.” A growing number of false teachers are gathering followers under the message that “God wants you to be rich!” But, that philosophy IS NOT the counsel of the Bible—and it’s certainly not the counsel of Matthew 6:33, which is not a formula for gaining wealth, it is a description of how God ‘works’. Jesus taught that our focus should be away from this world—its status and its lying allurements—and it should be placed upon the things of the Kingdom.

[ Note: Religious ‘apostasy’ is prophesied to be one of the ‘signs’ of Jesus’ Second Coming! – https://markbesh.wordpress.com/protection-removed-v256/ ].

SO, seek first the Kingdom of God, on GOD’s ‘terms’!

 

NOT ‘FAR’ FROM THE KINGDOM
How close is close enough when it comes to entering the Kingdom of God? Well, just ‘knowing’ truths about God and ‘understanding’ His law IS NOT enough! Unless one’s religion shows them their need for Jesus, it will actually keep them from Him—and the Kingdom!

One of the scribes asked Jesus which commandment was the most important.
Jesus responded, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” [ Mark 12:29-31 ].

The scribe agreed, and ‘commended’ Jesus. Jesus then commended the scribe: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God” [ Mark 12:34b ]. The thing is, essentially Jesus was actually saying the opposite, that the scribe was trying to get to Heaven by his ‘works’, which WILL NOT get ANYONE into Heaven!

The scribe had all the information necessary for ‘entering’ the Kingdom, but what he lacked was a commitment to act on what he knew. “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God” [ Luke 9:62 ]. You might know everything ‘intellectually’ about the Kingdom, but Jesus’ rule is not established in your heart until you have made a COMPLETE ‘COMMITMENT’ to Him.

 

I say all this because of another interaction Jesus had with another ‘lawyer’ (“The Rick Young Ruler”). He said that he had kept all the commandments since he was a boy. But Jesus puts his ‘finger’ on the fact that the man did not obey this first and greatest commandment: he did not love the Lord God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. He loved his money more. Therefore, money was his idol, and it would have to go if he was going to go into the Kingdom. He understood that, but he went away sad because he wanted his money more than he wanted the Kingdom. (Mark 10:17-22).

So, after this, the disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” [ Matthew 19:25 ]. If a guy like this can’t get into in the Kingdom, then can anyone get in? After all, he’s ultra ‘religious’. He’s relatively self-effacing and he is concerned about pleasing God. Isn’t this just the ideal person that Jesus is looking for to be in His Kingdom?

Well, no. Jesus answers them, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” [ Mark 1:15 ], and later on, “I didn’t come to call righteous people, I came to call sinners” [ Luke 5:32 ].

 

These stories made me think about all the ways in which a person can get very close to something and yet not experience that ‘something’. It is possible to get the football on the one-yard line, but not get into the end zone. It is possible to become very close to an individual and yet that friendship is never consummated in marriage. We all understand the phraseology “close, but not close enough.” At this most ‘significant’ level, the rich young ruler is described by Jesus in this way: “You are right there on the border. You’re on the one-yard line, but you’re not in the ‘end zone’ yet.”

 

Jesus telling everybody that the time is fulfilled and that the Kingdom of God is near (Mark 1:15). What he meant by that was that the Kingdom of God was now present ‘in’ Himself. On account of that, He asked his listeners to do two things: one, to repent—to turn away from their own agenda in life and their desire to please themselves and go their own way, and to turn away from that—and secondly, have faith—to place their faith unreservedly in the living God, Him!

Jesus has come to ‘gather’ people into His Kingdom, and He is ‘calling’ individuals to follow Him. He’s saying, “Hey, I’m the King. Here’s My Kingdom. I invite you to come and be part it, but you don’t slide in on your own basis. You don’t get in on the strength of religious endeavor.” He made clear that the ‘entryway’ to the Kingdom was, from the very beginning, REPENTANCE and FAITH.

 

That’s what the ‘Gospel’ is all about! “But another has come who has done it, who has kept the law in its absolute perfection, who has fulfilled it in its totality, and who furthermore has not only kept all of that but has paid the penalty necessary for the fact that we haven’t kept all of that” (James 1:25). So, abandon all your efforts to rule your own life, abandon all your attempts to establish your own Kingdom, and enter His Kingdom.

Well, let me ask you: What about you? Is someone going to conduct your funeral service and say, “You know, he spent his whole life on the one-yard line, but he never entered the ‘end zone’. He never ‘called out’ to Jesus. (I praying NOT!).

 

SO, the ONLY ‘acceptable’ response to Jesus’ offer of the Kingdom is to ‘receive’ it, ‘value’ it, and ‘pursue’ it!

Many people who think they are Kingdom citizens will someday be shocked to discover they ARE NOT! Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven” [ Matthew 7:21 ]. Some people think highly of the Kingdom, but never ‘receive’ the King. They call Jesus “Lord” but do not do His will. ‘Lip service’ won’t do! You must ‘RECEIVE’ the King and His Kingdom (John 1:12).

You must also ‘VALUE’ the Kingdom. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure” [ Matthew 13:44 ]. Then He compares this to a pearl that was so valuable a merchant sold all he had to purchase it (Matthew 13:45-46). That is the value of the Kingdom. It is worth ANY ‘SACRIFICE’ you have to make!

[ FYI: For more details about what following Jesus will ‘cost’ you, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/it-will-cost-you-v233/ ].

 

Finally, you must continually ‘PURSUE’ the Kingdom. Jesus says, “Seek first His Kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” [ Matthew 6:33 ]. In context, He was discussing the basic necessities of life such as food and clothing, reminding His disciples that their Heavenly Father knew their needs and would supply them if they simply maintained the proper priorities. Unbelievers characteristically worry ‘incessantly’ about meeting their own needs.

Jesus offers His Kingdom to EVERYONE (Matthew 28:19). The only acceptable response is to receive it, value it, and pursue it. Is that your response? Have you ‘received’ Jesus and, in turn, the Kingdom? Is it ‘precious’ to you? If so, rejoice and serve Him well today. Make His Kingdom your TOP priority. If not, turn from your sin and submit your life to Jesus, who loves you and longs to receive you into His eternal Kingdom.

 

‘KEYS’ OF THE KINGDOM
Jesus had asked His disciples who people thought He was. After hearing several of the more popular opinions, Jesus aimed His question directly at His disciples. Peter, responding for the twelve, acknowledged that Jesus was the “Christ, the Son of the Living God.” After this great confession, Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven” [ Matthew 16:17-19 ].

 

Keys are used to lock or unlock doors. The specific ‘doors’ Jesus has in mind in this passage are the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is laying the foundation of His Church (Ephesians 2:20). The disciples will be the leaders of this new institution, and Jesus is giving them the authority to, as it were, to open the doors to Heaven and invite the world to enter. At this point, it is important to understand how, biblically speaking, one ‘enters’ the Kingdom of Heaven.

After Jesus ascends into Heaven, Peter figures prominently in the ‘opening of doors’ to three different groups of people, so they can ‘enter’ the Kingdom. Peter preached in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, and about 3,000 JEWISH people are saved that day (Acts 2). Peter’s preaching had ‘unlocked the door’ of Heaven for those Jews. Later, (in Acts 8), the SAMARITANS believe the Gospel and ‘receive’ the Holy Spirit. Again, Peter (and John) were present for this event and they ‘unlocked the door’ for the Samaritans. Then, (in Acts 10), Peter brings the Gospel to a Roman Centurion’s household, and they, too, receive the Holy Spirit. Peter had ‘unlocked the door’ for the GENTILES. [ Hmmm… At Jesus’ ascension, He said that the disciples would, “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 1:7-8). The Jews, Samaritans, and the Gentiles ].

The ‘KEYS’ that Jesus had given Peter worked in each case! (“My Word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please” – Isaiah 55:10).

 

Now, of course, keys can be used to lock doors as well as open them. Part of the Gospel message is that faith is necessary. Without faith in Jesus, the ‘door’ to Heaven is shut and barred (John 3:18). As the apostles preached the Gospel, those who responded in repentance and faith were granted access to the Kingdom of Heaven—yet those who continued to ‘harden their hearts’ and reject the Gospel of God’s saving grace were shut out of the Kingdom (Acts 8:23).

 

It is God’s will that ALL be granted access to Heaven (1 Timothy 2:4), however, it will be granted ONLY through the ‘righteousness’ of Jesus. So, to emphasize this for you, consider Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees (the most ‘religious’ of the religious): “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in” [ Matthew 23:13 ]. If the Gospel message is distorted or ignored, or if unrepentant sin is not adequately disciplined, the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven WILL BE ‘SHUT’ in their faces! PLEASE, seriously consider this!

 

ONE MUST BE “BORN AGAIN”
Nicodemus was Jewish and a Pharisee (the most religious of the religious). [ FYI: His very name means “superior” ]. He was also a “ruler” of the Jews, a member of the Sanhedrin—the Jewish High Court. He was one of only 71 in all of the land of Israel. This guy was a ‘big shot’—the very top echelon! But, he had some questions for Jesus.

During their conversation, Jesus said something ‘stunning’ to Nicodemus, “‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Nicodemus responded, “How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” So, Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:3-7).

The phrase “born again” literally means “born from above.” Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his ‘heart’—a ‘spiritual’ transformation, a new birth. Being born again is an act of God whereby eternal life is ‘imputed’ to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). Being “born again” also carries the idea of “becoming children of God” through trust in the name of Jesus (John 1:12-13).

To further answer Nicodemus’s questions about being ‘reborn’, Jesus began talking about the wind: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” [ John 3:5-8 ].

In this analogy, Jesus was comparing physical birth and growth with spiritual birth and growth. Jesus points out that Nicodemus need not marvel at the necessity of the Spirit causing one to be “born again.” Nicodemus naturally believed in other things as difficult to understand, such as the wind, which he could not see. The effects of the wind are obvious: the sound is heard, and things move as it moves. The wind, unseen, unpredictable, and uncontrollable, is mysterious to us, but we see and understand its ‘effects’. So it is with the Holy Spirit. We do not see the Spirit, but we do see the ‘changes’ the Spirit produces in people. Sinful people are made holy; liars speak truth; and the proud become humble. When we see such changes, we know they have a cause. The Spirit affects us just as the wind affects the trees, water, and the clouds. We don’t see the cause, and we don’t understand all the in’s and out’s of how it works, but we do see the effect and believe.

When an infant is born, he continues to grow and change. A year later, two years later, ten years later, the child has changed. They do not remain an infant because a live birth results in growth. We may not see this growth happening, but we see the changes it produces. So it is with being ‘reborn’ spiritually. When a person is born again in their spirit, they are born into the family of God “like newborn babies” (1 Peter 2:2). This birth is not visible, but it begins to produce changes that are evident. The following are some changes that follow a new ‘birth’:

– The “fruit of the Spirit”: Someone who has experienced the new birth will begin to exhibit character qualities that are more like Jesus. This doesn’t happen overnight, but just as a fruit tree grows and begins to produce fruit in season, the new believer will begin to produce godly character traits such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These traits are the natural result of yielding to the Spirit and spending time with God in His Word, with His people, and in worship.

– Godly Choices: Sins that once captivated the believer begin to fall away as they grow closer to Jesus. Their new birth broke the power that sin had over them and now enables them to live in freedom. Romans chapter six explains that we have died to our old way of life and are free to live as we were designed to live. Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.” This ‘death’ to sin is an ongoing process as the believer grows in their faith and love for Jesus (1 Peter 4:1).

– Love for Other Christians: One of the changes the new birth produces is love: “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” [ 1 John 4:19-21 ]. A person who has been born into the family of God ‘craves’ fellowship with other believers. God did not create a team where players can be traded. He did not create a corporation where employees can be fired. He created a family where every member is valued and equally loved! As part of His family, every member is to love and appreciate all the other members of this worldwide ‘family’.

– Spiritual Gifts: A part of God’s welcome package to those who are born of His Spirit are spiritual ‘gifts’ that they can use to serve Him and edify the Church. Spiritual gifts are special abilities that enable the believer to be more effective in the particular ‘callings’ God places on their lives. As each member uses their gifts for the good of all, God’s family thrives.

 

So, just as new babies crave milk, and, without it, they won’t grow, likewise, new believers should crave biblical teaching, or they won’t grow in their faith. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” [ 1 Peter 2:2-3 ]. The new birth is ONLY THE BEGINNING of the life God designed for us. He wants us to receive the privilege of calling Him “Abba, Father” (Matthew 6:9; Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

 

So then, your question just might be, “Why does a person need to be born again?” Well, the Apostle Paul said, “He made you alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” [ Ephesians 2:1 ], and “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [ Romans 3:23 ]. Sinners are spiritually ‘dead’. When they receive spiritual life through faith in Jesus, the Bible likens it to a ‘rebirth’. Jesus was emphatic that ONLY those who are “born again” have been forgiven of their sins, have been reconciled to God, and will have eternal life in Heaven!

How does that come to be? Well, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” [ Ephesians 2:8-9 ]. When one is ‘saved’ (“born again”) and spiritually renewed, they become a ‘child’ of God. Trusting in Jesus, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the Cross, is the ‘means’ to be saved. Then, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” [ 2 Corinthians 5:17 ].

The Apostle John said (describing a “born again” person), “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning because they have been born of God” [ 1 John 3:9 ]. God our Father is holy, and He desires that His children become holy like He is (1 Peter 1:15-16). When we are born of God, we have a new ‘heart’, one that wants to please God (Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:9; Colossians 1:10). This does not come about by good intentions or white-knuckled effort. We please God the Father by surrendering to the Holy Spirit who lives ‘within’ the believer. We allow Him to change our desires, our goals, and our will to conform to His (Romans 8:29; Philippians 2:13). Just as a baby grows to look similar to the parents to whom it was born, so does the believer grow to be more like Jesus when they are “born again” of God (Philippians 3:10; Romans 6:1-2). God has ‘removed’ our sin from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

The thing is, the BIG distinction between your natural birth and your new birth is this: you didn’t have any choice in your natural birth, BUT YOU DO have a choice about your new birth!

 

So, are you ‘born again”? If so, GREAT! HOWEVER, if you have NOT trusted in Jesus as your Savior, will you consider that the Holy Spirit might be ‘prompting’ you right now? (Maybe that’s why you are reading this right now). If you want to go to Heaven after you die, you MUST to be “born again”!

My strong suggestion is to humbly surrender yourself to Jesus, genuinely repent of all your sins (‘turn’ from them and ‘go’ the opposite way), ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and then believe that Jesus is your Savior and the ‘propitiation’ for the judgment of your sins (“All have fallen short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23).

 

Again, if you are being ‘prompted’, pray a prayer of repentance and become “born again” today! (“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” – John 1:12-13).

If you want to accept Jesus as your Savior, and become “born again,” the following could be your prayer. Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. It is only trusting in Jesus that can save you from the penalty of your sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Jesus, and thank Him for providing for your salvation.

“God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I place my trust in Him for my salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness, and the gift of eternal life with You!”

[ Note: There is a “Reconciliation Prayer” below that could help you ‘talk’ to God about all this right now ].

 

If you are not sure about all this, PLEASE consider reading the following previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” posts:

https://markbesh.wordpress.com/are-you-blind-v252/

https://markbesh.wordpress.com/the-only-way-v253/
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/two-choices-one-way-v254/

https://markbesh.wordpress.com/knowing-assurance-v243/
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/benefits-of-assurance-v244/

https://markbesh.wordpress.com/it-will-cost-you-v233/

 

THE KINGDOM IS ‘WITHIN’ YOU
What did Jesus mean when He said, “The Kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you” [ Luke 17:20b-21 ].

Well, Jesus’ answer was that the Kingdom of God was not coming in the manner the Pharisees were expecting. The Kingdom would NOT be inaugurated with spectacle or splendor. There would be no great and magnificent leader who staked out a geographical claim and routed the Romans. Rather, the Kingdom would come silently and unseen, much like how leaven works in a batch of dough (Matthew 13:33). In fact, Jesus says, the Kingdom had already begun, right under the Pharisees’ noses. God was ruling in the ‘hearts’ of some people, and the King Himself (Jesus) was standing among them—although the Pharisees were oblivious to that fact.

 

Jesus was telling the Pharisees that He had brought the Kingdom of God to Earth. Jesus’ presence in their midst gave them a taste of the Kingdom life, as attested by the miracles that Jesus performed. Elsewhere, Jesus mentions His miracles as definitive proof of the Kingdom: “If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” [ Luke 11:20 ].

 

For the time being, Jesus’ Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). However, one day, the Kingdom of God will be manifest on the Earth (Isaiah 35:1), and Jesus will rule a physical Kingdom from David’s ‘throne’ (Isaiah 9:7) with Jerusalem as His capital (Zechariah 8:3).

 

GOD’S ‘RULE’ IN ONE’S LIFE
Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” [ Matthew 6:33 ]. Because of our tendency to get ’sidetracked’ by life and ‘worldly’ things, Jesus then said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” [ Matthew 6:19-21 ].

To do this, Jesus said to KEEP ON SEEKING: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” [ Matthew 7:7-8 ].

[ FYI: For more details about ‘asking’, ‘seeking’, and ‘knocking’, view these previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” posts:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/got-your-attention-yet-v255/
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/persistently-p-u-s-h-v261/ ].

 

In the “Lord’s Prayer” (a ‘model’ for prayer given to believers by Jesus), “Thy Kingdom come” is also a request for Jesus to ‘reign’ in one’s life. In its fullest sense, this is an affirmation that you are willing to relinquish the rule of your own life so the Holy Spirit can use you to promote the Kingdom in whatever way He chooses.

That kind of prayer can be difficult because we tend to be preoccupied with ourselves. But if you concentrate on conforming your prayers to God’s purposes, you will be assured that you are praying according to His will.

[ FYI: For more details on prayer, view these pervious “Life’s Deep Thoughts” posts:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/persistently-p-u-s-h-v261/ ].

 

‘COUNTERFEIT’ KINGDOM
The kingdom of the world, as we know it, has fallen to the dominion of the evil
one, Satan, and the whole world lies under his power. It is a kingdom of rebellion, of lies, and of deception against the holiness, righteousness, and truth of God’s Kingdom (1 John 5:19; Matthew 24:24; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; John 8:44; 2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Satan proposes all kinds of false notions of what can fulfill mankind’s deepest and most earnest desires, but they don’t! Satan has completely deceived the world into thinking that the things he suggests like lust, gluttony, greed sloth wrath, envy, and pride (the “Seven Deadly Sins”) will satisfy us, but they will not. [ A slightly different set of sins can be found in Proverbs 6:16-19 ].

 

Lay theologian C.S. Lewis wrote once, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” If I can’t find true ultimate satisfaction here on earth, then I was made for something better! Lewis knew something about the greatest need of the human soul—to be LOVED ‘authentically’ by our Creator.

But, what we have done is replaced God’s love with ‘counterfeits’. We have bought into the lies of the Devil! We attempt to find our identities in the fraudulent ‘loves’ of the world—and the Apostle Paul helps us identify them: “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God” [ Ephesians 5:3-5 ]. So, in this passage, Paul presents us with counterfeits, cautions, and some cures.

Believers must ‘flee’ the counterfeit ‘loves’ of the world by heeding the Apostle Pauls’ warnings. Things like engaging in an adulterous relationship outside the covenant of the husband and wife is a ‘counterfeit’ in God’s ‘eyes’. It’s a ‘corruption’ of something God made holy. (Even just viewing inappropriate images or videos of the opposite sex makes one ‘impure’ and offends a holy God).

Covetousness and greed—the desire for extreme amounts of things like money, power, popularity and influence—are essentially desiring something more than God. Even just wanting your way all the time is covetous. Delighting in something other than God will eventually ‘destroy’ someone: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” [ 1 Timothy 6:9-10 ].

Whatever desire leads you to ‘walk away’ from the faith, can ‘disqualify’ you from an inheritance. Again, Jesus said to seek His Kingdom and the things that you need will be provided. Jesus ended this conversation with: “Where your ‘treasure’ is, that’s where your heart will be” [ Luke 12:34 ]. What is your ‘treasure’?

Jesus told a parable about how one’s ‘treasure’ can affect their eternal ’outcome’. It is about a rich landowner whose land produced abundantly, and he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” [ Luke 12:16-21 ]. Lust, greed, and pride are really BIG ‘counterfeits’, and can keep you from the Kingdom!

 

Let me suggest three ‘cautions’ concerning counterfeits. The first is being ’persistent’ in a counterfeit. This essentially proves you are not a ‘child’ of God, since you are not repenting. ‘Worldly’ grief is characterized by what someone has ‘lost’ that is important in the world, like power, position, privilege, whereas godly grief is characterized by realizing that they offended a holy God. Those with ‘worldly’ grief only will prove themselves to be a ‘counterfeit’, and will ultimately ‘forfeit’ the inheritance in the Kingdom of God (which they most likely never had in the first place).

Now, I’m NOT saying that a believer doesn’t sin. I’m just saying that when they do, it ‘grieves’ them so much it produces repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10; 1 John 1:9). Repentance is a characteristic of a believer’s life (1 John 1:9) since they have been given a new ‘identity’ and the “old man is gone and the new man has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:9).

Many people are distracted by the ‘kingdom’ of this world, and the Bible says that if one is still living a life of rebellion toward God, they “shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” [ John 3:36b ]. Wow! Just let that ‘sink in’.

Humble thanksgiving is one antidote for counterfeit loves. It definitely is the cure for idolatry, because it is impossible to be both thankful and sin at the same time. They cannot co-exist!

Another antidote is to ‘starve’ sin. Stop ‘feeding’ it! Stop ‘fueling’ the fire! ‘Strangle’ it until it is gone! Remove the ‘outlets’ that are feeding that temptation. Symbolically ‘choke out’ the oxygen until it stops burning—extinguish it!

Jesus warned, “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the Hell of fire” [ Matthew 18:7-9 ]. That IS SERIOUS!

SO, those who continue to persist in the lifestyle of the kingdom of the world, will have NO ‘INHERITANCE’ in God’s Kingdom. One must repent and stop reaching for the counterfeit loves that only leave one empty. Reach then for the authentic, sanctifying, freeing, and completing love of God—which can be found ‘in’ Jesus!

 

‘BUILDING’ GOD’S KINGDOM
So, the “Missio Dei” (the mission of God) is to establish this new Kingdom on Earth as it exists completely in Heaven right now—and God is using His people (believers) to help move this mission along a few ’steps’.

This is kind of like the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites. The “chosen people” were given the mission of conquering a specific geographic area (Canaan) and they were to come into this area and replace the false gods that were worshipped there and replace those gods with the worship of the one true God. Well, today, God’s people aren’t just limited to Israel. The ‘Church’ now has this task, and it is to take conquest of not just a specific geographic area, but the entire world!

It’s called the “Great Commission.” It is nothing less than to establish the rule in the reign of Christ over every aspect of society. If you are a Christian, you are called into the mission with God to establish His rule and reign on Earth: “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” [ Matthew 28:16-20 ].

 

The first ‘mission field’ for the believer to impact is the most basic, ‘elemental’ unit, the family. God created people and then instituted marriage—so that social unit is where God says the believer should start evangelizing and showing Christ-like character (the ‘fruit of the Spirit). It’s been said that as the family goes, so goes the nation. Well, let me modify that a bit: As the family goes, so goes the Kingdom!

Sadly, in our country the family is being ‘destroyed’ and it is no consequence that we are beginning to ‘see’ the ripple effects of that in every area of our culture and society. So, the family will only function as a ‘microcosmic kingdom’ of God when the roles of the husband and the wife are all brought into alignment with God’s revealed intentions. [ Genesis 1:27-28; Ephesians 4:2-3; Ephesians 5:25-33 ].

 

God ‘gave’ the land of Canaan to Israel through a step-by-step process—little by little. Today it’s the same with advances in the Kingdom—little by little, step by step. This often begins in seemingly insignificant ways, but do not underestimate the day of small beginnings! (remember the principle of the mustard seed). God is pleased to work through small and insignificant things to do great works of advancing His Kingdom. That’s been God’s ‘M.O’ for centuries!

It also moves forward when we PRAY. Remember, Jesus taught us to pray, “May your Kingdom come, may your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven,” so that this should be the believer’s ‘call to arms’ daily.

[ For more details on how to be ‘persistent’ in your prayer life, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/persistently-p-u-s-h-v261/ ].

 

The Apostle Paul and Silas were turning their world ‘upside down’ because they were professing allegiance to another King, Jesus. Paul and Silas were considered ‘insurgents’ and revolutionaries in their time because they were upsetting the ‘status quo’ and turning the world ‘right side up’ again! (Acts 17:6-7).

That’s what the believer has to do in their ‘sphere of influence’ (starting with the family). They have to go into the ‘world’ and profess allegiance to the true King, Jesus, and make Him known to all!

 

Now, just like what happened to Paul and Silas in Thessalonica, there was much ‘push back’ about their message, there will be probably just as much for the believer today. So, that’s why the Apostle Paul wrote about how to ‘counteract’ it: with spiritual ‘weapons’.

Satan is NOT going to be very happy that you are spreading the message of the Kingdom, so he will most likely ‘give you a hard time’ and try to disrupt your ‘mission’. Paul describes the believer’s ‘weapons’ (those the Roman soldiers used, who Paul was chained to when he wrote this) to be the believer’s means of Kingdom conquest—the “full armor of God” (Ephesian 6:10-18).

[ FYI: For more details on the “armor of God,” view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/ready-for-battle-v235/ ].

 

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” [ 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 ].

Of all of the ‘weapons’ available, the “Sword of the Spirit” (the Word of God) is the MOST IMPORTANT in winning the ‘battle’ with Satan (Jesus used the Word three times against Satan when He was being tempted in the wilderness, saying, “It is written”). God’s ‘Word’ (presented to us in the Bible) is the MOST POWERFUL source of ‘transformation’ in human history!

 

Now, to allay your ‘concerns’ about your responsibility in all this, the advance of the Kingdom of God WILL NOT be in the believer’s own strength, but filled with the power of God’s Spirit: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” [ Zachariah 4:6 ]. SO, RELAX, let the Holy Spirit ‘lead’ you!

Even though Satan’s counterfeit kingdom is advancing and growing these days, the believer is not to worry about those ‘weeds’. They are to focus on the ‘wheat’, because Jesus says that when He returns He will, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn” [ Matthew 13:30b ].

This is a picture of the COMING of the Kingdom and the final “Great Throne” judgment. The unbelievers will be sent to Hell, and the believers will go to Heaven. SO, what the believer does now MATTERS not just for now, but FOR ETERNITY!

 

Now, it’s easy for the believer to grow weary and to lose heart, for we live in a fallen world everywhere we look. We can see evidence of the counterfeit kingdom and sometimes it causes us to lose heart. BUT, we are NOT to lose heart! We are to remember that Satan HAS BEEN ‘DEFEATED’ and his actions in the world today are the actions of a guerrilla army that has already lost the battle! We are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-3). We are to take encouragement from those who have gone before—the “great cloud of witnesses”—for they were living examples to be encouraged by (Hebrews 11:2-3).

 

The great Irish missionary, Amy Carmichael, ‘forcefully’ advanced the Kingdom of God through her work in India and Japan. She was mindful that Jesus was victorious, and that knowledge spurred her on. So, let her words serve as encouragement to you as you seek to advance God’s Kingdom in the world around you: “Every high thing was cast down at Calvary. Principalities and powers were spoiled there. He made as how of them openly, triumphing over them. We have to do with a conquered foe, not a conquering foe; we follow a Captain who is unconquerable.”

 

The thing is, sometimes the believer doesn’t have to ‘go’ somewhere to evangelize, just living a Christ-like life ‘in front’ of others can be enough. British theologian Lesslie Newbigin said, “Live in the Kingdom of God in such a way that it provokes questions for which the Gospel is the answer.” Unbelievers are ‘dumbfounded’ sometimes because of the ‘reactions’ of believers, and their curiosity gets the best of them, and THEY make the first ‘move’—THEN you can evangelize!

Be an ‘ambassador’ for the Kingdom. The believer is ‘placed’ here in this moment—between time and eternity—and they have the responsibility to encourage people to put their trust in King Jesus and to be ready to ‘meet’ Him when He returns (or takes them up in the Rapture). Jesus said that He would equip the believer with everything that is necessary to tell the whole world about Him (primarily the Holy Spirit – John 14:16-16; John 16:7; 1 John 2:27).

 

Believers must actively advance into enemy-held ‘territory’ and transfer sinners from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13)—all to the obedience to Christ. That’s how the Kingdom grows.

[ For more details on how to be an ‘ambassador’ for Jesus, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/go-tell-all-the-world-v234/ ].

 

WRAP UP
Kingdoms are one of the earliest types of societies on Earth, dating back thousands of years (to about 3000 BC). There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of different kingdoms throughout history, most all having ceased. However, there is a “Kingdom” that WILL NEVER CEASE, and that is the KINGDOM OF GOD.

The Kingdom of God is synonymous with the Kingdom of Heaven, and the concept of the Kingdom of God takes on various shades of meaning in different passages of Scripture. Broadly speaking, the Kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and His Kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). So, in one sense, the Kingdom of God incorporates everything that ‘IS’.

More narrowly, the Kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are NOT part of the Kingdom of God. In contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts ARE part of the Kingdom of God. In this sense, the Kingdom of God is spiritual—Jesus said His Kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and He preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17). The Kingdom of God can be equated with the sphere of salvation is evident in John 3:5-7, where Jesus says the Kingdom of God must be entered into by being “born again.”

The Kingdom of God has several aspects. The Lord is the Sovereign of the universe, and so in that sense His Kingdom is universal (1 Timothy 6:15). At the same time, the Kingdom of God involves repentance and the new birth, as God rules in the hearts of His children in this world in preparation for the next. The work begun on Earth will find its consummation in Heaven (see Philippians 1:6).

 

When Jesus talked about the Kingdom, he didn’t emphasize its physical blessings or clarify its chronology. He focused instead on how people get ‘into’ that Kingdom, and how they live ‘for’ that Kingdom. We enter the Kingdom when we respond to God with faith and allegiance, when we come under his authority. We then seek to live in way that is reflective of that Kingdom.

A man wanted to inherit eternal life, and Jesus said he should keep the commandments (Mark 10:17-19). This was apparently just a teaser of an answer, because Jesus soon added another command: He told him to give up all his possessions for the heavenly treasure (Mark 10:21). He decided not to. Jesus commented to the disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23). The disciples then asked, “Who then can be saved?” (Mark 10:26).

In this passage (and in its parallel in Luke 18:18-30), we see several phrases used to indicate the same thing: receive the Kingdom, inherit eternal life, have treasure in Heaven, enter the Kingdom, and be saved. When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” He was using another phrase to indicate the same thing: We enter the Kingdom by ‘orienting’ our life to Jesus, which it is not possible for us to do, but it is possible with God. He makes the impossible possible (Luke 1:37).

Jesus also indicates that several concepts are similar: seeking the Kingdom, being given the Kingdom, having a heavenly treasure, and giving up trust in physical possessions (Luke 12:31-34). One seeks God’s Kingdom by responding to what Jesus taught, and that is also the way that one ‘enters’ the Kingdom. (We are talking about a metaphor of allegiance here, rather than physical movement to a new territory.) God’s Kingdom is the realm in which God’s will is done. The Kingdom is parallel to redemption (Luke 21:28, 30).

 

We then learn that the Apostle Paul preached that the Kingdom is closely connected with eternal life (Acts 20:21, 24-25, 32), and that the Kingdom would not be worth preaching if we couldn’t be part of it—and it wouldn’t make sense to risk our lives for it in this age unless we were promised life in an eternal age. One enters the Kingdom only through faith, repentance and grace. Salvation is a present-tense reality as well as a promise of future blessings. Paul preached not only the Kingdom but also about Jesus and salvation (Acts 28:23, 29, 31). These are different ways to describe the same Christian message. One focuses on the result, and one on the ‘means’ by which we get that result.

 

The Kingdom is relevant not merely because it is the believer’s future reward, but also because it affects how we live and think in this age. They prepare for the future Kingdom by living in it now, following Jesus’ lead. They are bringing the future into the present. As they live in allegiance to Jesus, they recognize God’s rule as a present reality in their own experience, and they continue to hope in faith for a future time when the Kingdom will be filled to the full, when the Earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.

 

The ‘way’ of Jesus is not easy here on Earth, and it might sometimes involve pain and suffering for us—just as it did for Jesus. However, the way of Jesus comes with the good news that we will live again—having eternal life in the age of cooperation, kindness, and love, and there will be no more pain and no more sorrow.

So, even though we are not ‘there’ yet, the believer is already ‘associated with’ the Kingdom—it’s just not fully ‘realized’ yet. They have something wonderful to look forward to, and have something wonderful to live for even now.

 

So, there are three ‘phases’ of the Kingdom—the PAST, the PRESENT, and the FUTURE. The Kingdom was ‘PAST’ from Creation until Jesus left this earth. Then, it became ‘PRESENT’ when the Holy Spirit came to reside ‘inside’ every living believer today. It still is also in the ‘FUTURE’, when Jesus will return for His people and to ‘redo’ the entire universe to be like it was originally in the Garden of Eden before the ‘Fall’ of humanity. A total ‘RESET’! (All the consequences of man’s rebellion—of the spoiled Kingdom, of Adam and Eve’s sin, and the sin of all who have followed them—will be undone and ‘RESTORED’!)

 

However, for now, there are TWO ‘kingdoms’—God’s Kingdom and Satan’s kingdom.

In St. Augustine’s book “The City of God,” he provided the first philosophy of history from a Christian perspective. He explained history in terms of one overarching principle: That from the beginning to the end of time, since the ‘Fall’ of man, there have existed two rival “cities,” two rival “societies,” and two rival “loves.” That, by our nature, we are involved in the city of man, and only by God’s grace, will we ever be involved and devoted to the city of God. He wrote:

“Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord. For the one seeks glory from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of conscience. The one lifts up its head in its own glory; the other says to its God, “Thou art my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” In the one, the princes and the nations it subdues are ruled by the love of ruling; in the other, the princes and the subjects serve one another in love, the latter obeying, while the former take thought for all. The one delights in its own strength, represented in the persons of its rulers; the other says to its God, “I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength.” And therefore the wise men of the one city, living according to man, have sought for profit to their own bodies or souls, or both, and those who have known God “glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened; professing themselves to be wise,”—that is, glorying in their own wisdom, and being possessed by pride,—“they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.” For they were either leaders or followers of the people in adoring images, “and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.” But in the other city there is no human wisdom, but only godliness, which offers due worship to the true God, and looks for its reward in the society of the saints, of holy angels as well as holy men, ‘that God may be all in all.’” [ “The City of God,” Book XIV, Chapter 28 ].

 

Now, just remember that Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, it doesn’t seem to be doing very much at all ‘visibly’ right now, but it will grow into a REALLY LARGE ‘tree’ one day!

 

The Kingdom was what Jesus talked about more than anything else, and it was the focus of His ministry: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven” [ Matthew 6:10 ].

This grand vision for this world Jesus Himself lived for, labored for, suffered for, and died for! He also entrusted his disciples this vision to continue to work on after He would ascend into Heaven. It, in fact, is the CENTRAL ‘THEME’ of the entire Bible. It’s a vision of the consummation of history the accomplishment of God’s intentions for His entire creation!

 

I came across a poem by Raymond Sides, “Jesus, The Kingdom of God,” that does a good job of describing the Kingdom now:

“I carry the Kingdom of God with me;
He is with me everywhere I go.
It’s the Kingdom Jesus proclaimed,
as He taught in this world below.

“The Kingdom of God now stands before you,
living in me, as you can see.
But had it not been for the blood of Jesus,
there would have been no kingdom for me.

“Many of us are filled with the Kingdom of God,
and our lights are shinning bright.
But there are some that have let their lamps grow dim,
because of sin surrounding their light.

“So let’s trim our wicks in our lamps,
which will make our lights shine bright.
And then the Kingdom of God can be seen in us,
through the darkest of all nights.

“There are some of you who have never received the Kingdom of God,
and don’t understand what I’m saying.
But if you will repent of your sins, and truly change your ways,
then you will have this Kingdom of God, just by simply praying.

“Ask Jesus to forgive you for all of your sins,
and ask Him to come into your heart.
And Jesus, the Kingdom of God, will give you
everlasting life and a brand new start.”

 

JUST REMEMBER, Jesus enthusiastically welcomes and invites ALL PEOPLE to be a ‘PART’ of His Kingdom, so one should submit their lives to Him as King and to enjoy all the many benefits as a ‘citizen’ of the Kingdom of Heaven—in the here and now as well as in the future—since it is a ‘retirement plan’ that is ‘out of this world’!

[ FYI: For more details on what Heaven is going to be like, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/a-place-to-retire-v221/ ].

 

To emphasize that God doesn’t want ANY TO PERISH (2 Peter 3:9), Jesus told a parable about laborers in a vineyard:

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius[a] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last” [ Matthew 20:9-16 ].

This parable of the laborers in the vineyard contains 10 principles illustrating that God’s ‘gift’ of eternal life (His “Kingdom”), is ‘EQUAL’ for all believers!

The landowner (God) sought laborers to work in his vineyard—not the other way around, so because God is sovereign in the entire redemptive process, people can have no ‘demands’ on God’s mercy and grace (John 6:39). So, it doesn’t matter that one gets save early or late on their life, all the glory belongs to God!

Secondly, only God sees up the ‘terms’ of salvation. The vineyard workers labored a different number of hours, and no doubt with varying degrees of productivity, but they all received the same pay! Only God’s unchanging grace determines the worth of His ‘gift’, not human merit.

Then, God continues to ‘call’ all kinds of sinners to His Kingdom. This will continue until the very last hour of the present age (which I believe, we are in the last ‘minute’: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/final-tribulation-v246/). While it is ‘day’—before the ‘night’ of judgment—the Holy Spirit will keep ‘drawing’ all who believe into God’s eternal Kingdom, because God doesn’t want “for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Fourthly, God ‘saves’ ALL who are willing. All the vineyard laborers realized their neediness, and gave up their dependence on their own resources, and looked only to the landowner (God) for their subsistence.

Fifthly, God is compassionate on all who acknowledge their utter poverty and hopelessness. When anyone ‘comes’ to Him, God always graciously and lovingly ‘receives’ that person as His own ‘child’.

The sixth principle is that all who came into the vineyard (God’s Kingdom), worked. Even if they entered at the very last hour, the landowner valued their work the same as those who had been there all day. Throughout history, God has used many late-in-life and deathbed conversions to ‘bring’ others to Himself.

Then, God has the supreme authority and ability to keep His promises. Just as the landowner had ample funds to pay each worker their promised amount, Jesus’ ‘atonement’ was sufficient to pay for ALL of the sins of those who believe in Him. God’s gracious promises are always more than sufficient—where sin increases, grace increases all the more! (Romans 5:20).

Eighth, God always gives more than is deserved. The landowner was no more obligated to hire the first workers than the last, and not at all required to pay some workers more than others. ALL received more than they were ‘worth’! In an infinitely greater fashion, no Christian is qualified to receive God’s ‘minimum’ favor, much less than salvation and eternal life with Him.

The ninth principle is that humility and a genuine sense of unworthiness are the only attitudes anyone should bring before God. The day-long laborers lost much of their humility at the end of the day because of jealousy at not earning more wage than the last-hour workers. However, all the laborers had come to the vineyard with the same submissiveness and willingness to receive the landowner’s payment—and all received what they were promised!

Finally, from the beginning to the end, the parable pictures God’s sovereign, boundless grace. The work that the laborers did had absolutely NO ‘bearing’ on what they were paid! Likewise, people’s supposed ‘good’ works have NO relationship to what they may receive through faith in Jesus! Just as sin is the great ‘equalizer’ that cause EVERY person to “fall short of the glory of God” [ Romans 3:23b ]. God’s grace is the ultimate ‘equalizer’, forgiving sin and making every believer EQUALLY acceptable as His ‘adopted children’!

 

SO, which of the laborers bears the closest resemblance to you? OR..are you not even a ‘laborer’ yet?

When Jesus comes back to Earth again, He will completely and eternally ‘inherit’ ALL things (Revelation 11:15). Then, the ones who have trusted Him as their Savior will be “fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17). When they enter into His Kingdom, they will jointly ‘possess’ ALL that He possesses—as joint ‘heirs’!

Again, are you a ‘joint-heir’ to God’s Kingdom? If you are ‘UNSURE’, you may want to consider reading this past “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/knowing-assurance-v243/. If you know you ARE NOT, please read this previous post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/saved-from-death-v219/.

 

So, that’s great that God is not ‘biased’ to anyone, but the Kingdom is something REALLY ‘SPECIAL’ (a ‘treasure’ – Matthew 13:44-46), so Jesus warned that to get into His Kingdom, one would have to “enter through the narrow gate,” and that for MANY, they “will seek to enter and will not be able to enter”! (Luke 13:24). Making this statement even ‘worse’, the Greek word used for “enter” is derived from the English word “agonize.” So, Jesus said that one should ‘agonize’ about entering the Kingdom! The believer only enters the Kingdom of God because of the ‘pain’ of the Cross as well as one’s repentance being mixed with contrition—a sorrow for our sins—and for the cost of the believer’s redemption (James 4:9).

[ FYI: For more details about Jesus being the only ‘way’ into the Kingdom, read this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/two-choices-one-way-v254/ ].

 

Jesus then continued in saying that, “When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from’” [ Luke 13:25 ].

This ‘harkens’ back to the terror of Noah’s unrepentant generation when they found that the ‘door’ of the ark was closed when the rain began to fall (after Noah preached repentance to them for 120 years!). The generation to whom Jesus was speaking—and all the generations that have followed—knew the terror of a closed door. For when they cried out, “Lord,” He said, “I never knew you!” WOW!!!

[ FYI: For more details about another place where Jesus was talking about not ‘knowing’ someone who thought they ‘deserved’ entrance into God’s Kingdom, read this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/presence-withdrawn-v257/ ]

 

SO, the question for everyone to ask themselves is, “Do I ‘know’ Jesus?” This is more than just an ‘intellectual’ belief in a historical figure. ‘Knowing’ Jesus in the ‘true’ sense is an intimate ‘relationship’ with our Creator based on ‘child-like’ trust.

The believer trusts God with their eternal salvation, that He hears their prayers, and that He will supply all of their ‘needs’, and that He will all things out for their good (Romans 8:28). They are “longing for a better ‘country’—a Heavenly one”—and God has “prepared a city for them” [ Hebrews 11:16 ].

 

The next question might then be: Who is in the Kingdom, to whom does the Kingdom belong, and who belongs in the Kingdom?

Sadly, those who DO NOT belong in the Kingdom are most likely the ones most convinced that they are in the Kingdom! It is the elite religionists like the Pharisees and those who followed them, who believed that the Kingdom of God belonged to those who earned it by their morality and by their religion—by following moral law and religious or ceremonial law. Then doing so fastidiously, they had therefore pleased God with their achievements and were granted by God forgiveness of sin and a place in His Kingdom—because they had ‘earned’ it. However, Jesus told about the Pharisee who went down from the Temple NOT ‘JUSTIFIED’ in the ‘eyes’ of God, but only in the eyes of the people who watched him and bought into the religion of human achievement.

The Kingdom DOESN’T belong to the self-righteous. It doesn’t belong to the spiritually elite. It doesn’t belong to moral, spiritual, religious achievers. It doesn’t belong to those who pursue it by works and self-righteousness, like the Pharisee who trusted in himself that he was righteous and viewed others with contempt. The Kingdom DOESN’T belong to him, but rather to the other person, the “tax collector” (who was hated by the Jews since they considered them ‘traitors’ for working for Rome), DID go home ‘justified’, since he humbled himself to God, asking for forgiveness for his sins (Luke 18:9-14). He knew of his own wretchedness and sinfulness, and wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to Heaven, pounding his breast (signifying the wretchedness of his own heart) and saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus said that this man went home ‘JUSTIFIED’, because God only saves those who are humble, not those who are spiritually proud.

So, to whom does the Kingdom belong? It belongs to the lowly and the humble (Note that the first Beatitude is, “Blessed are the poor in spirit [humble], for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” – Matthew 5:3).

[FYI: For more details about the Beatitudes, visit the “Fruits of the Beatitudes” website: http://fruitsofthebeatitudes.org/ ].

 

The Kingdom belongs to those who have no merit, no achievement, no moral, no spiritual, and no religious achievement—those who cannot on their own do anything to earn salvation.

Jesus also said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” [ Matthew 18:3-4 ]. Jesus’ ‘arms’ of welcome are wide open to whosoever will, but all too often, adult pride and developed falsity keep people far from His tender embrace. But, it is those with poverty of spirit, humility of heart, and a ‘childlike faith’ in Him, that can approach His throne of grace with a simplicity that is so precious to Him.

 

Now, elsewhere, Jesus made, in may opinion, His MOST ’FRIGHTENING’ statement: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’” [ Matthew 7:21-23 ]. Oh my!

Jesus is saying that MANY who call Him, “Lord,” will be sent by God to ETERNAL HELL! This is a RIVETING passage in a day and a time when LOTS OF PEOPLE ‘call’ themselves Christians!

SADLY, there are millions of people who ‘feel’ religious who ‘associate’ with Christianity, who would proclaim their identification with Jesus, but will spend eternity in Hell, suffering everlasting punishment!

On the ‘broad road’, there are MASSES of people, and at the Final Judgment they are going to say, “Wait a minute. We call you Lord. We did preaching in Your name. We cast out demons in Your name. We did miracles in Your name.” HOWEVER, Jesus will say, “I NEVER ‘KNEW’ YOU! DEPART FROM ME!”

[ FYI: For more details about this statement of Jesus, scroll down to the “Depart From Me’ section of this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/two-choices-one-way-v254/ ].

 

The thing is, DON’T WAIT until Jesus says that to you! The Bible says that God does not want anyone has to perish but for everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)—just ‘surrender’ to Jesus and yield your life to Him, NOW!

This parable is another reminder that one day ALL will have to face God, and the righteous and the wicked will not be separated on the basis of THEIR ‘good’ deeds! It WILL be on the basis of GOD’S ‘good’ deed when He offered His Son, Jesus, to die on a Cross and that His ’propitiation’ for your sins could be imputed to those who put their faith ‘in’ Jesus: “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” [ Revelation 5:9 ].

However, note again that NOT EVERY person from every tribe tongue people and nation will be saved. There are some good ‘fish’ and some bad ‘fish’ from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and the ‘good’ ones have ‘accepted’ Jesus and the bad ones have ‘rejected’ Him. The point here is that Jesus died IN THE HOPE that ALL MIGHT be ‘saved’.

[ The good ‘news’ is that it is not the believer’s ‘job’ to figure out who is saved—the angels will separate the ‘wheat’ from the ‘weeds’, the good ‘fish’ from the ‘bad’ fish. It’s the believer’s ‘job’ to spread the Good News. For more details about this, view this previous “Life’s Deep Thoughts” post on evangelism: https://markbesh.wordpress.com/go-tell-all-the-world-v234/ ].

 

The bottom line is that the Kingdom of Heaven is open to all who would believe in Jesus and receive Him their Lord and Savior! SO, do you ‘KNOW’ Jesus today? Do you know that you are a ‘CITIZEN’ of the Kingdom of Heaven?

If so, GREAT! IF NOT, you can start your ‘journey’ today with a decision to get out of the ‘starting blocks’ and run the ‘race’ (2 Timothy 4:7). Acknowledge Jesus as your ‘King’ (instead of yourself), repent of your sins, and believe that Jesus, as your Savior, has ‘washed’ clean all your sins and reconciled you to God the Father. [ A Prayer of Reconciliation is available for you just below ].

 

So, with all the ‘benefits’, why would anyone knowingly ‘reject’ Jesus? Well, Hebrews 2:1 says that, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” The Greek word translated “pay much closer attention to” and “Drift away from” both come from nautical usage. The first means “to tie up a ship,” and the second can be used of a ship that has been carelessly allowed to drift past the harbor because the captain forgot to attend to the steerage or to chart the winds, tides, and current. So, the verse could actually read, “We must diligently ‘anchor’ our lives to the things we have been taught, lest the ’ship’ go life drift past the ‘harbor’ of salvation, and be lost forever!”

Most people don’t deliberately turn their ‘backs’ on God they, most of the time, imperceptibly slip past the ‘harbor’ of salvation and end up on the ‘rocks’ of destruction. So, be honest, are you one of these ‘kind’ of people? If so, this message just might be what you need to repent (turn around 180 degrees) of your current life ‘direction’, and ask God to forgive you and make you one of His ‘children’!

 

Jesus’ statement that, “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence” is a graphic picture of the enthusiasm and excitement generated by John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ teaching. People were ‘hungry’ for the truth and would not be kept away from it. For centuries, God’s prophets had predicted the Messiah’s coming, and now that the Messiah (Jesus) was here, nothing could hold back the flood of people wanting into the Kingdom. We see some of this fervor in Luke 5:18-19, when some men literally tore through a roof to get to Jesus, and in John 6:15, when a crowd “intended to come and make Him king by force.”

One should take note of the response of the believing people in Jesus’ day and share their passion. The gift of eternal life is BEYOND COMPARE! (Matthew 13:44-46). Knowing Jesus came to earth to begin the ‘preparations’ for the ‘final’ Kingdom should create an earnestness in the believer to strive to be ‘closer’ to Him. There is NO PLACE for apathy or ambivalence in the follower of Jesus!

 

The believer looks forward to that day when the Kingdom is no longer invisible—when the spiritual Kingdom becomes visible in Millennial glory—and when the new Jerusalem descends out of Heaven to Earth and Jesus sets up His throne there, ruling the world with all righteousness. They look forward to that everlasting dwelling place that is the resolution to the pray that multitudes have been praying for, “Thy Kingdom come… on Earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Believers pray, as did the Apostle John, “Even so, come Lord Jesus,” because they want to see Jesus’ Second Coming and that glorious Millennial Kingdom. They also pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” for that FINAL ETERNAL ‘STATE’. But, for now, they are pleading for the invisible Kingdom to grow and grow, so more people can experience eternal life!

 

Hopefully, all this made you a little better prepared to understand what the “Kingdom” is, why you VERY MUCH WANT to be a ‘citizen’, and realize that the unfolding drama of God’s redemptive purpose is COMING TO A ‘CLOSE’—REALLY FAST!

According to the Apostle Paul, “God is working everything out according to the eternal counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). History is not haphazard, and God is sovereign over ALL the affairs of time, since He is ‘outside’ time, and sees the beginning from the end ALL AT ONE TIME.

 

As a BELIEVER, this should give you a ‘peace’ when you put our heads on your pillow at night. Whatever our political concerns, whatever our social fears, and whatever sense of agitation we may have—ALL the ‘issues’ of 2020—the believer knows that God remains sovereign over all and working out everything for good!

HOWEVER, if you are an UNBELIEVER, how will you respond to this ‘Good News’? Might I strongly suggest you be like the first-century Bereans when they heard the Apostle Paul: “they received the word with all eagerness” [ Acts 17:11b ].

I would also encourage you to be ‘like’ the Bereans and investigate all of this for yourself: “Examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” [ Acts 17:11c ]. DON’T just agree with what I am saying here—CHECK ME OUT! Carefully examine the Scripture for yourself to verify what you are hearing, but then ACT on what you learn—QUICKLY! There may not be much time left to ‘miss’ that devastating ’storm’ coming!

 

One day Jesus will return, and there will be a final ‘DIVISION’. His enemies will be separated from His presence in Hell, and His people will join Him in a perfect new creation (The book of Revelation is the story of a fully RESTORED Kingdom). So, the original Garden of Eden, which was so dreadfully marred, will be TOTALLY ‘RESTORED’ to its pre-Fall glory—and the believer will be able to experience it, FOREVER!

 

I really have a zealous, genuine longing for the perfected Kingdom of God and a new Heaven and a new Earth. That’s why it makes me increasingly concerned to be sure ALL my friends are ‘CONFRONTED’ with the claims of Jesus (so I will ’see’ them in the eternal Kingdom). This is why I do these posts!

 

SO, the real question is, are you a part of the kingdom of man, or the Kingdom of God? Are you following the king of this world (Satan), or are you following the King of Heaven (Jesus)? Your answer will determine ‘WHERE’ you SPEND ETERNITY—in Heaven or in Hell!

 

[ Excerpts by: National Geographic; Rotimi Kehinde; John MacArthur; R.C. Sproul; Willem J.J. Glashouwer; Adrian Rogers; John Piper; Michael Morrison; Walter Blackwood; J. Dwight Pentecost; Alistair Begg ]

 

>>> SUMMARIZATION OF POST <<<

KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD
Kingdoms are one of the earliest types of societies on Earth, dating back thousands of years. There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of different kingdoms throughout history. Kingdoms can be small, such as the kingdom of Tavolara (just 289 square miles), or they can be huge, like the United Kingdom (13,700,000 square miles at its peak size).

‘KINGDOM’ OF GOD
God originally created a perfect Kingdom and gave dominion of it to humans. God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and overall the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the Earth” [ Genesis 1:26 ]. However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God (because they ‘obeyed’ Satan) and were cast out of Eden (Paradise). Satan then ‘took over’ dominion of the Earth.

So, God then began His ‘reclamation’ project to restore His Kingdom back to what it was intended to be originally—with a lot of ‘push back’ from Satan, whom God has allowed to be the “prince” or “ruler” of the world (John 14:30; John 12:31; John 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 2:2; and Colossians 1:13). However, Satan in on a short ‘leash’.

THY ‘KINGDOM’ COME
The phrase “Thy Kingdom come” is part of the “Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus taught His disciples as a ‘pattern’ for prayer. The statement “Thy Kingdom come” involves understanding that God’s Kingdom has not yet been wholly ‘fulfilled’ on this Earth. The thing is, “Thy Kingdom come” is not just an expectant yearning for the coming of Jesus in the future, it is a longing ‘plea’. “Thy Kingdom come” also expresses the prayerful desire of Jesus’ believers to see God’s Kingdom expand and become increasingly established throughout the world in the here and now (the “Great Commission” – Matthew 28:19-20).

God’s Kingdom was the ‘CENTRAL’ focus of Jesus’ ministry—in the ‘PAST’. He proclaimed “the Gospel of the Kingdom” (Matthew 4:23), instructed His followers to about its character and value (Matthew 13), indicted the scribes and Pharisees about its character and value (Matthew 13), and indicted the scribes and Pharisees for hindering those who sought to enter it (Matthew 23:13). After His death and resurrection, Jesus appeared for 40 days and gave the disciples further instruction about the Kingdom (Acts 1:2-3). In Luke 17:21 Jesus says, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is in your midst” (John 18:36). Israel’s promised ‘King’ (Messiah) was present (Jesus), but they could not reconcile their incorrect beliefs about Him and therefore rejected Him.

‘PAST’ KINGDOM
ETERNITY PAST
COUNTERFEIT KINGDOM
‘EARTHLY’ KINGDOM
TWO KINGDOMS
PERISHED KINGDOM
IMPOSITION OF THE ‘LAW’
‘HUMAN’ GOVERNMENT
‘PROMISED’ KINGDOM
‘PARTIAL’ KINGDOM
‘PROPHESIED’ KINGDOM
FIRST ‘ADVENT’ OF THE KING
JESUS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE ‘PROMISE’
MOST IMPORTANT ‘CONCEPT’
‘KINGDOM’ REJECT BY THE JEWS
A NEW ‘FORM’ OF KINGDOM PREDICTED
KINGDOM ‘PARABLES’
SOWING OF THE ‘SOILS’
‘WEEDS’ SOWN AMONG ‘WHEAT’
THE ‘MUSTARD SEED’
THE ‘LEAVEN’
HIDDEN ‘TREASURE’ AND VALUABLE ‘PEARL’
THE ‘DRAGNET’
THE ‘HOUSEHOLDER’
KINGDOM PROMISES ‘NOT CANCELLED’
GOD’S ‘INVITATION’ TO ALL
DISCIPLES STILL ‘CONFUSED’
DURING THE ‘POSTPONEMENT’
TWO ‘REALMS’
THE PHARISEES
KINGDOM ‘AT HAND’

‘PRESENT’ KINGDOM
‘INSIDE’ JOB
IT’ A ‘MYSTERY’
COUNT THE ‘COST’
SPIRITUAL ‘WARFARE’
NOW AND NOT YET
EVANGELISM

‘FUTURE’ KINGDOM
EVIL ‘DECEPTION’ REMOVED
‘MILLENNIAL’ KINGDOM
‘PERFECTED’ KINGDOM
‘ETERNAL’ KINGDOM

THE ‘GOSPEL’ OF THE KINGDOM
So, now that you have a detailed overview of the Kingdom of God—past, present, and future—the ‘GOSPEL’ of the Kingdom is how one can ‘realize’ it! It is the good-news message of repentance, redemption, and restoration offered by God to all who will ‘receive’ Jesus as their Savior.

Those who accept this offer become part of His eternal Kingdom (John 1:12). HOWEVER, those who choose to remain in their sin cannot be a part of this Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21). Although grace makes this offer available to anyone who will receive it, Jesus warned that it would be very difficult to enter His Kingdom and few would do so (Matthew 7:14).

The Gospel of the Kingdom is the news that there is freedom from our ‘slavery’ to sin if we will repent and turn to Jesus (Romans 6:18-19). Our Redeemer has come, but it is difficult to enter God’s Kingdom. Not because God requires impossible standards for us, but because WE do not want to repent and change. We tend to love the darkness more than the Light (John 3:19). Many would rather cling to their old sinful identities than allow Jesus to create them anew! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

‘SEEK FIRST’ THE KINGDOM
Jesus tells us that we are to seek the things of God as a priority over the things of the world—to seek the salvation that is inherent in the Kingdom of God, because it is of greater value than all the world’s riches. If we are taking care of God’s business as a priority—seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the Kingdom with others—then He will take care of our ‘business’ as He promised!

But how do we know if we are truly seeking God’s Kingdom first? Well, there are a few questions one can ask themselves. “Where do I primarily spend my energies? Is all my time and money spent on goods and activities that will certainly perish, or in the services of God—the results of which live on for eternity?” Believers who have learned to truly put God first, may then rest in this absolute promise: “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” [ Matthew 6:33 ].

The term “seek” in the Greek means “to go after with earnest,” “to pursue,” “to chase” after. It can also mean “to dig up” or “to excavate.” So essentially, it means to go after something “with fervor.” Are you doing so?

NOT ‘FAR’ FROM THE KINGDOM
How close is close enough when it comes to entering the Kingdom of God? Well, just ‘knowing’ truths about God and ‘understanding’ His law IS NOT enough! Unless one’s religion shows them their need for Jesus, it will actually keep them from Him—and the Kingdom!

One of the scribes asked Jesus which commandment was the most important.
Jesus responded, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” [ Mark 12:29-31 ].

The scribe agreed, and ‘commended’ Jesus. Jesus then commended the scribe: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God” [ Mark 12:34b ]. The thing is, essentially Jesus was actually saying the opposite, that the scribe was trying to get to Heaven by his ‘works’, which WILL NOT get ANYONE into Heaven!

The scribe had all the information necessary for ‘entering’ the Kingdom, but what he lacked was a commitment to act on what he knew. “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God” [ Luke 9:62 ]. You might know everything ‘intellectually’ about the Kingdom, but Jesus’ rule is not established in your heart until you have made a COMPLETE ‘COMMITMENT’ to Him.

‘KEYS’ OF THE KINGDOM
Jesus had asked His disciples who people thought He was. After hearing several of the more popular opinions, Jesus aimed His question directly at His disciples. Peter, responding for the twelve, acknowledged that Jesus was the “Christ, the Son of the Living God.” After this great confession, Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven” [ Matthew 16:17-19 ].

Keys are used to lock or unlock doors. The specific ‘doors’ Jesus has in mind in this passage are the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is laying the foundation of His Church (Ephesians 2:20). The disciples will be the leaders of this new institution, and Jesus is giving them the authority to, as it were, to open the doors to Heaven and invite the world to enter. At this point, it is important to understand how, biblically speaking, one ‘enters’ the Kingdom of Heaven.

ONE MUST BE “BORN AGAIN”
Nicodemus was Jewish and a Pharisee (the most religious of the religious). [ FYI: His very name means “superior” ]. He was also a “ruler” of the Jews, a member of the Sanhedrin—the Jewish High Court. He was one of only 71 in all of the land of Israel. This guy was a ‘big shot’—the very top echelon! But, he had some questions for Jesus.

During their conversation, Jesus said something ‘stunning’ to Nicodemus, “‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Nicodemus responded, “How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” So, Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:3-7).

The phrase “born again” literally means “born from above.” Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his ‘heart’—a ‘spiritual’ transformation, a new birth. Being born again is an act of God whereby eternal life is ‘imputed’ to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). Being “born again” also carries the idea of “becoming children of God” through trust in the name of Jesus (John 1:12-13).

THE KINGDOM IS ‘WITHIN’ YOU
What did Jesus mean when He said, “The Kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you” [ Luke 17:20b-21 ].

Well, Jesus’ answer was that the Kingdom of God was not coming in the manner the Pharisees were expecting. The Kingdom would NOT be inaugurated with spectacle or splendor. There would be no great and magnificent leader who staked out a geographical claim and routed the Romans. Rather, the Kingdom would come silently and unseen, much like how leaven works in a batch of dough (Matthew 13:33). In fact, Jesus says, the Kingdom had already begun, right under the Pharisees’ noses. God was ruling in the ‘hearts’ of some people, and the King Himself (Jesus) was standing among them—although the Pharisees were oblivious to that fact.

Jesus was telling the Pharisees that He had brought the Kingdom of God to Earth. Jesus’ presence in their midst gave them a taste of the Kingdom life, as attested by the miracles that Jesus performed. Elsewhere, Jesus mentions His miracles as definitive proof of the Kingdom: “If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” [ Luke 11:20 ].

GOD’S ‘RULE’ IN ONE’S LIFE
Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” [ Matthew 6:33 ]. Because of our tendency to get ’sidetracked’ by life and ‘worldly’ things, Jesus then said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” [ Matthew 6:19-21 ].

To do this, Jesus said to KEEP ON SEEKING: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” [ Matthew 7:7-8 ].

‘COUNTERFEIT’ KINGDOM
The kingdom of the world, as we know it, has fallen to the dominion of the evil
one, Satan, and the whole world lies under his power. It is a kingdom of rebellion, of lies, and of deception against the holiness, righteousness, and truth of God’s Kingdom (1 John 5:19; Matthew 24:24; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; John 8:44; 2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Satan proposes all kinds of false notions of what can fulfill mankind’s deepest and most earnest desires, but they don’t! Satan has completely deceived the world into thinking that the things he suggests like lust, gluttony, greed sloth wrath, envy, and pride (the “Seven Deadly Sins”) will satisfy us, but they will not. [ A slightly different set of sins can be found in Proverbs 6:16-19 ].

Believers must ‘flee’ the counterfeit ‘loves’ of the world by heeding the Apostle Pauls’ warnings. Things like engaging in an adulterous relationship outside the covenant of the husband and wife is a ‘counterfeit’ in God’s ‘eyes’. It’s a ‘corruption’ of something God made holy. (Even just viewing inappropriate images or videos of the opposite sex makes one ‘impure’ and offends a holy God).

‘BUILDING’ GOD’S KINGDOM
So, the “Missio Dei” (the mission of God) is to establish this new Kingdom on Earth as it exists completely in Heaven right now—and God is using His people (believers) to help move this mission along a few ’steps’.

This is kind of like the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites. The “chosen people” were given the mission of conquering a specific geographic area (Canaan) and they were to come into this area and replace the false gods that were worshipped there and replace those gods with the worship of the one true God. Well, today, God’s people aren’t just limited to Israel. The ‘Church’ now has this task, and it is to take conquest of not just a specific geographic area, but the entire world!

It’s called the “Great Commission.” It is nothing less than to establish the rule in the reign of Christ over every aspect of society. If you are a Christian, you are called into the mission with God to establish His rule and reign on Earth: “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” [ Matthew 28:16-20 ].

WRAP UP
The Kingdom of God is synonymous with the Kingdom of Heaven, and the concept of the Kingdom of God takes on various shades of meaning in different passages of Scripture. Broadly speaking, the Kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and His Kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). So, in one sense, the Kingdom of God incorporates everything that ‘IS’.

More narrowly, the Kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are NOT part of the Kingdom of God. In contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts ARE part of the Kingdom of God. In this sense, the Kingdom of God is spiritual—Jesus said His Kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and He preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17). The Kingdom of God can be equated with the sphere of salvation is evident in John 3:5-7, where Jesus says the Kingdom of God must be entered into by being “born again.”

The Kingdom of God has several aspects. The Lord is the Sovereign of the universe, and so in that sense, His Kingdom is universal (1 Timothy 6:15). At the same time, the Kingdom of God involves repentance and the new birth, as God rules in the hearts of His children in this world in preparation for the next. The work begun on Earth will find its consummation in Heaven (see Philippians 1:6).

So, there are three ‘phases’ of the Kingdom—the PAST, the PRESENT, and the FUTURE. The Kingdom was ‘PAST’ from Creation until Jesus left this earth. Then, it became ‘PRESENT’ when the Holy Spirit came to reside ‘inside’ every living believer today. It still is also in the ‘FUTURE’, when Jesus will return for His people and to ‘redo’ the entire universe to be like it was originally in the Garden of Eden before the ‘Fall’ of humanity. A total ‘RESET’! (All the consequences of man’s rebellion—of the spoiled Kingdom, of Adam and Eve’s sin, and the sin of all who have followed them—will be undone and ‘RESTORED’!)

However, for now, there are TWO ‘kingdoms’—God’s Kingdom and Satan’s kingdom.

The Kingdom was what Jesus talked about more than anything else, and it was the focus of His ministry: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven” [ Matthew 6:10 ].

This grand vision for this world Jesus Himself lived for, labored for, suffered for, and died for! He also entrusted his disciples this vision to continue to work on after He would ascend into Heaven. It, in fact, it is the CENTRAL ‘THEME’ of the entire Bible. It’s a vision of the consummation of history the accomplishment of God’s intentions for His entire creation!

When Jesus comes back to Earth again, He will completely and eternally ‘inherit’ ALL things (Revelation 11:15). Then, the ones who have trusted Him as their Savior will be “fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17). When they enter into His Kingdom, they will jointly ‘possess’ ALL that He possesses—as joint ‘heirs’!

So, that’s great that God is not ‘biased’ to anyone, but the Kingdom is something REALLY ‘SPECIAL’ (a ‘treasure’ – Matthew 13:44-46), so Jesus warned that to get into His Kingdom, one would have to “enter through the narrow gate,” and that for MANY, they “will seek to enter and will not be able to enter”! (Luke 13:24). Making this statement even ‘worse’, the Greek word used for “enter” is derived from the English word “agonize.” So, Jesus said that one should ‘agonize’ about entering the Kingdom! The believer only enters the Kingdom of God because of the ‘pain’ of the Cross as well as one’s repentance being mixed with contrition—a sorrow for our sins—and for the cost of the believer’s redemption (James 4:9).

SO, the question for everyone to ask themselves is, “Do I ‘know’ Jesus?” This is more than just an ‘intellectual’ belief in a historical figure. ‘Knowing’ Jesus in the ‘true’ sense is an intimate ‘relationship’ with our Creator based on ‘child-like’ trust.

The next question might then be: Who is in the Kingdom, to whom does the Kingdom belong, and who belongs in the Kingdom?

Sadly, those who DO NOT belong in the Kingdom are most likely the ones most convinced that they are in the Kingdom! It is the elite religionists like the Pharisees and those who followed them, who believed that the Kingdom of God belonged to those who earned it by their morality and by their religion—by following moral law and religious or ceremonial law. Then doing so fastidiously, they had therefore pleased God with their achievements and were granted by God forgiveness of sin and a place in His Kingdom—because they had ‘earned’ it. However, Jesus told about the Pharisee who went down from the Temple NOT ‘JUSTIFIED’ in the ‘eyes’ of God, but only in the eyes of the people who watched him and bought in to the religion of human achievement.

Now, elsewhere, Jesus made, in may opinion, His MOST ’FRIGHTENING’ statement: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’” [ Matthew 7:21-23 ]. Oh my!

Jesus is saying that MANY who call Him, “Lord,” will be sent by God to ETERNAL HELL! This is a RIVETING passage in a day and a time when LOTS OF PEOPLE ‘call’ themselves Christians!

SADLY, there are millions of people who ‘feel’ religious who ‘associate’ with Christianity, who would proclaim their identification with Jesus, but will spend eternity in Hell, suffering everlasting punishment!

On the ‘broad road’, there are MASSES of people, and at the Final Judgment they are going to say, “Wait a minute. We call you Lord. We did preaching in Your name. We cast out demons in Your name. We did miracles in Your name.” HOWEVER, Jesus will say, “I NEVER ‘KNEW’ YOU! DEPART FROM ME!”

The thing is, DON’T WAIT until Jesus says that to you! The Bible says that God does not want anyone has to perish but for everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)—just ‘surrender’ to Jesus and yield your life to Him, NOW!

The bottom line is that the Kingdom of Heaven is open to all who would believe in Jesus and receive Him their Lord and Savior! SO, do you ‘KNOW’ Jesus today? Do you know that you are a ‘CITIZEN’ of the Kingdom of Heaven?

If so, GREAT! IF NOT, you can start your ‘journey’ today with a decision to get out of the ‘starting blocks’ and run the ‘race’ (2 Timothy 4:7). Acknowledge Jesus as your ‘King’ (instead of yourself), repent of your sins, and believe that Jesus, as your Savior, has ‘washed’ clean all your sins and reconciled you to God the Father. [ A Prayer of Reconciliation is available for you just below ].

Hopefully, all this made you a little better prepared to understand what the “Kingdom” is, why you VERY MUCH WANT to be a ‘citizen’, and realize that the unfolding drama of God’s redemptive purpose is COMING TO A ‘CLOSE’—REALLY FAST!

One day Jesus will return, and there will be a final ‘DIVISION’. His enemies will be separated from His presence in Hell, and His people will join Him in a perfect new creation (The book of Revelation is the story of a fully RESTORED Kingdom). So, the original Garden of Eden, that was so dreadfully marred, will be TOTALLY ‘RESTORED’ to it pre-Fall glory—and the believer will be able to experience it, FOREVER!

I really have a zealous, genuine longing for the perfected Kingdom of God and a new Heaven and a new Earth. That’s why it makes me increasingly concerned to be sure ALL my friends are ‘CONFRONTED’ with the claims of Jesus (so I will ’see’ them in the eternal Kingdom). This is why I do these posts!

SO, the real question is, are you a part of the kingdom of man, or the Kingdom of God? Are you following the king of this world (Satan), or are you following the King of Heaven (Jesus)? Your answer will determine ‘WHERE’ you SPEND ETERNITY—in Heaven or in Hell!

>>> END OF SUMMARIZATION <<<

 

RELATED POSTS:

“Persistently ‘P.U.S.H.’”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/persistently-p-u-s-h-v261/

“‘Presence’ Withdrawn?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/presence-withdrawn-v257/

“‘Protection’ Removed?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/protection-removed-v256

“Got Your ‘Attention’ Yet?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/got-your-attention-yet-v255/

“Two ‘Choices’, One Way”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/two-choices-one-way-v254/

“The Only ‘Way’”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/the-only-way-v253/

“Are You ‘Blind’?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/are-you-blind-v252/

“Mankind’s ‘Destiny’”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/mankinds-destiny-v247/

“‘Final’ Tribulation”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/final-tribulation-v246/

“‘Blessed’ Hope”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/blessed-hope-v245/

“‘Benefits’ Of Assurance”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/benefits-of-assurance-v244/

“Knowing ‘Assurance’”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/knowing-assurance-v243/

“Leaving A ‘Legacy’”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/leaving-a-legacy-v242/

“Ready For ‘Battle’?”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/ready-for-battle-v235/

“Go ‘Tell’ All The World”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/go-tell-all-the-world-v234/

“It Will ‘Cost’ You”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/it-will-cost-you-v233/

“A ‘Place’ To Retire”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/a-place-to-retire-v221/

“‘Saved’ From Death”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/saved-from-death-v219/

 

‘PRAYER’ OF REPENTANCE
In the Bible, there is a parable that Jesus told about a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the Temple. He notes that the tax collector didn’t even dare to lift his eyes toward Heaven as he prayed. Instead he “beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner’”—and Jesus said that the tax collector “went home justified,” he had been “born again” and ‘reconciled’ by God. (Luke 18:9-14).

If you are ‘sensing’ something like that right now, let me strongly encourage you to HUMBLE YOURSELF, CRY OUT to God, and PLEAD for Him to mercifully ‘SAVE’ YOU! None of us have a ‘claim’ on our salvation, nor do we have any ‘works’ that would cause us to deserve it or earn it—it is purely a gift of Divine grace—and all any of us can do is ask. So, CONFESS YOUR SINS and acknowledge to God that you have no hope for Heaven apart from what He provides through Jesus.

There is no ‘formula’ or certain words for this. So just talk to God, in your own words—He knows your ‘heart’. If you are genuinely sincere, and God does respond to your plea, one will usually have a sense of joy and peace.

Jesus said, “He that comes to Me, I will not cast out” [ John 6:37 ].

[ FYI: This is a great sermon on the “Call to Repentance” by John MacArthur from his book “The Gospel According to Jesus”: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-22/the-call-to-repentance
(Transcript: http://www.spiritedesign.com/TheCallToRepentance-JohnMacArthur(Jul-27-2019).pdf) ].

[ NOTE: If you have ‘tasted the kindness of the Lord’, please e-mail me—I would love to CELEBRATE with you, and help you get started on your ‘journey’ with Jesus! ].

 

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RESOURCES:

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“The Kingdom of God”
By: Martyn Lloyd-Jones

In a culture that views Christianity and the entire gospel message as a tedious religion or just a set of social mores, Lloyd-Jones acts as a herald to bring readers back to the basics. In describing what the kingdom of God is, Lloyd-Jones expresses the importance of looking back to Jesus, living a life dependent on him, and looking toward a future with God.

First preached in the 1960s, a time of widespread doubt and uncertainty much like our own, these twelve sermons unfold the necessity and beauty of Scripture, the truth of what our hearts look like when we understand what the kingdom of God really is, and practical suggestions on how our lives have been changed by that truth. Anyone desiring to uncover-or rediscover-the heart of the Christian faith will be blessed by reading this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-God-Martyn-Lloyd-Jones/dp/1433513404/

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“Thy Kingdom Come: Tracing God’s Kingdom Program and Covenant Promises Throughout History”
By: J. Dwight Pentecost

A thorough study that traces the kingdom program from Genesis to Revelation, relating the various biblical covenants.

https://www.amazon.com/Thy-Kingdom-Come-Covenant-Throughout/dp/0825434505/

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“The Greatness of the Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God”
By: Alva J. McClain

This classic, penetrating analysis of the Kingdom of God as taught in both the Old and New Testaments has been republished in a handsome hardback dust jacket edition. This masterwork was written by the founding president of Grace Theological Seminary, who was a member of the Scofield Reference Bible Revision Committee and a charter member of the Evangelical Theological Society.

https://www.amazon.com/Greatness-Kingdom-Inductive-Study-God/dp/0884690113/

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“Turning Your World Upside Down: Kingdom Priorities in the Parables of Jesus”
By: Richard D. Phillips

The parables of Jesus pose a striking challenge to current thinking about personal relationships, money, security, and success. They search our hearts and try our attitudes, showing us the truth about ourselves and pointing the way God wants us to go.

The parables confront our worldliness with the searching perspective of heaven-all the while deepening our understanding of salvation and the priorities of Christ our King. In short, they turn our world upside down.

Richard Phillips shows how as he explores Jesus’ parables of the sower, the rich fool, the lost treasure, and many more in these thirteen chapters. Discussion questions help to make this book well suited to group or individual study.

https://www.amazon.com/Turning-Your-World-Upside-Down/dp/0875525792/

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“Seek First: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything”
By: Jeremy R. Treat

FIND WHAT MATTERS MOST. BUILD YOUR LIFE AROUND IT.
In an age of distraction, everyone is looking for something that gives purpose and perspective on life. Jesus says it’s the kingdom of God. But the kingdom is not just another religious idea. Rather, God’s loving reign brings clarity and coherence to all of life – identity, work, play, relationships, justice, character – in a way that is profound and practical. Seek First brings theology to the streets, giving a vision for the kingdom that will truly change your life.

“Treat presents the message of the kingdom in a way that gives us a grander vision for life, whether in the workplace or on the basketball court.” – CHRIS BROUSSARD, NBA analyst and sports broadcaster

“Few books do as good a job as this one in showing us how giving up everything for Christ and his kingdom is the pathway to our greatest gain. Seek First is a gem!” – SCOTT SAULS, author and senior pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church

“With insight and passion Treat reveals why we ought to reorient our lives and reprioritize our loves . . . practical and powerful.” – MARIELLE WAKIM, editor, Los Angeles magazine

“A prophetic and urgent note to the generations . . . a clearly written and much-needed book!” – KEVIN J. VANHOOZER, professor, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

https://www.amazon.com/Seek-First-Kingdom-Changes-Everything/dp/031058602X/

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“Kingdoms Apart: Engaging the Two Kingdoms Perspective”
By: Ryan C. McIlhenny

The subject of Christ and culture has occupied the church since its inception. Some emphasize the reality of redemption and the imperative of cultural transformation; others criticize this approach because of the transient nature of this current life and the specific function of “kingdom” activity.

This project focuses on the two competing positions rooted in the Reformed tradition: neo-Calvinism, a nineteenth-century school of thought associated with the Calvinist polymath Abraham Kuyper, and the Two Kingdoms perspective.

How you think on this issue will affect how you interact with the culture around you. It’s an important debate because we want to speak God’s words fairly into that culture.

https://www.amazon.com/Kingdoms-Apart-Engaging-Two-Perspective/dp/1596384352/

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“The Teaching of Jesus concerning The Kingdom of God and the Church”
By: Danny E. Olinger and Geerhardus Vos

Fewer works on the kingdom of God have been so helpful and yet so overlooked. Originally published in 1903, this work by Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949), Professor of Biblical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, surveys the teaching of Jesus concerning the kingdom of God. It covers the kingdom in the Old Testament, the meaning of the biblical words for kingdom and kingship, the present and future aspects of the kingdom, the essence of the kingdom, the relationship between the kingdom and the church, and finally the saving benefits of entering the kingdom. Throughout, Vos confronts certain conceptions of the kingdom that had arisen at the end of the nineteenth century, about which he was concerned. This work has been cited little in academic literature on the kingdom of God, which is unfortunate. Vos exposited an inaugurated kingdom with a future consummation long before G. E. Ladd popularized it. This new introduction by Danny E. Olinger, editor of A Geerhardus Vos Anthology: Biblical and Theological Insights Alphabetically Arranged (P&R, 2015), provides critical historical background for understanding Vos as a person and as a scholar. Olinger explains the academic debate about the nature of the kingdom that lies behind Vos’s polemical work and also surveys the academic reactions to Vos’s ideas. For a proper understanding of Vos’s theology of the kingdom of God, this reprinted work with a new introduction by Danny Olinger is indispensable.

https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-concerning-Kingdom-Church-Classics/dp/1948048027/

Second Edition:
https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Concerning-Kingdom-Church-Second/dp/B089279DMY/

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“Kingdoms in Conflict”
By: David Pawson

A ‘kingdom’ is a group of people ruled by one person, the ‘king’, who makes all the laws himself without their votes or approval. The concept is anathema to contemporary democracy and its confidence in government by the people, the naive assumption that majorities will always get it right. History does not encourage optimism. There have been more bad kings than good, even in God’s chosen people Israel. Behind our world’s problems, which baffle our finest politicians and philosophers, lies a fundamental, racial and fatal error of having chosen the wrong king. Born into his kingdom, he has deceived us into thinking we can each of us be our own kingdom, inevitably clashing with each other, as individuals or nations. The only solution is to find the right king and become his loyal citizens. One day all other kingdoms will be shaken to pieces but this will remain, for ever. Only then will the conflict, in which every one of us is involved, be resolved.

https://www.amazon.com/Kingdoms-Conflict-David-Pawson/dp/1909886041

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“Living in the Kingdom of God”
By: Sigurd Grindheim

This brief, accessible book offers a unique approach to the theme of the kingdom of God and to biblical theology. Sigurd Grindheim explains the whole Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God, discussing its implications for the Christian, the church, and politics. Grindheim shows what it means that God rules on earth, how his rule is established through the work of Christ, and how this rule is embodied by the church today, offering a new vision for the church’s role in the kingdom: putting God’s gifts to work.

https://www.amazon.com/Living-Kingdom-God-Sigurd-Grindheim/dp/1540960323/

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“The Kingdom of God is Within You”
By: Leo Tolstoy

Cited by Mahatma Gandhi as one of the most important influences in his life, Tolstoy’s magnum opus The Kingdom of God… is a culmination of his thirty years of Christian thinking and reflection. He challenges the modernization of the church and lays the sgroundwork for a new organization of society based on a literal interpretation of Christianity. Readers are reminded of the messages of Jesus Christ to “turn the other cheek” and to take the path of nonresistance when confronted by threats or violence. A landmark book for Christianity.

https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-God-Within-You/dp/1453640703/

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“God’s Devil: The Incredible Story of How Satan’s Rebellion Serves God’s Purposes”
By: Erwin W. Lutzer

“It is the best treatment of the person and work of the enemy I have ever read.” — R.C. Sproul, from the foreword to God’s Devil

Many Christians are oblivious to the Devil and his schemes, and this is precisely the problem. If you don’t know why you need to know about the Devil, then this book is especially for you.

In God’s Devil, pastor and scholar Erwin W. Lutzer takes us to the corners of Scripture to which we seldom go. With surprising insights and potent quotes at every turn, God’s Devil will:

– Teach you how Satan fits into God’s great plans for the world
– Give you confidence in God’s everlasting victory over Satan
– Equip you to withstand Satan’s schemes against you

Martin Luther once said, “Even the Devil is God’s devil.” So while this is a book about Satan, it is even more about God’s sovereign power over him. Read it for comfort, read it for peace, and read it for strength.

https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Devil-Incredible-Rebellion-Purposes/dp/0802413137

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“The Conquering Kingdom of God and God’s Sovereign Future Rule”
By: Barrett L. Pickett

At some future time not far removed from the present, a stunning prophecy will come to life before the eyes of all of mankind. The Bible tells us that at the very return of Jesus Christ, the proclamation that put to rest the age-old struggle of wills, of just who will rule the earth, will be settled once and for all. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth (Revelation 19:6). This book includes “The Conquering Kingdom of God” and “God’s Sovereign Future Rule.” “The Conquering Kingdom of God” covers: * Understanding the Iron Rod * The Unchangeable Counselor and King * Jesus Christ the Controversial * The Eternal Objective * The Plan of God and Eternity “God’s Sovereign Future Rule” covers: * Christ to Inherit * Universal Worship of God * The Worship of the True God * The Kingdom, Power, and Glory

https://www.amazon.com/Conquering-Kingdom-Gods-Sovereign-Future/dp/1621377881

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“The Gospel of the Kingdom. A Popular Exposition of the Gospel according to Matthew”

[ Charles H. Spurgeon ]

Book (PDF): http://classicchristianlibrary.com/library/spurgeon_charles/Spurgeon_Matthew_Exposition.pdf

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“The Kingdom of God Is Within You”

The Kingdom of God Is Within You Leo Tolstoy – FULL Audio Book | Greatest Audio Books – The Kingdom of God Is Within You (Russian: Царство Божие внутри вас [Tsarstvo Bozhiye vnutri vas]) is the non-fiction magnum opus of Leo Tolstoy. The book was first published in Germany in 1894 after being banned in his home country of Russia. It is the culmination of thirty years of Tolstoy’s Christian anarchist thinking, and lays out a new organization for society based on a literal Christian interpretation.

The title of the book is taken from Luke 17:21. In the book Tolstoy speaks of the principle of non-violent resistance when confronted by violence, as taught by Jesus Christ. In reading Jesus’ words in the Gospels, Tolstoy notes that the modern church is a heretical creation: “Nowhere nor in anything, except in the assertion of the Church, can we find that God or Christ founded anything like what churchmen understand by the Church.”

Tolstoy presented excerpts from magazines and newspapers relating various personal experiences, and gave keen insight into the history of non-resistance from the very foundation of Christianity, as being professed by a minority of believers. In particular, he confronts those who seek to maintain status quo: “That this social order with its pauperism, famines, prisons, gallows, armies, and wars is necessary to society; that still greater disaster would ensue if this organization were destroyed; all this is said only by those who profit by this organization, while those who suffer from it — and they are ten times as numerous — think and say quite the contrary.” (Summary from Wikipedia.org)

[ Leo Tolstoy ]

Audio Book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onP3VNQ8mU0

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“THE SEARCH FOR MEANING” WEBSITE

This site presents discussions on the 12 most commonly asked questions about the Christian faith.

The 12 discussions are accessed by the “tabs” at the bottom of the page. The tabs are numbered 1-12. Roll your mouse over them and you will see the question displayed at the right. Click on the number to select that question.

Within each question (i.e. tabs 1-12), there are subtopics (or dialogues) to select that appear as smaller tabs underneath the numbered tabs. Roll your mouse over them and the title of these topics is also displayed to the right. Click on the open rectangle to select that dialogue.

For each question (1-12), a link to related resources and an optional flowchart is provided. To access this material, click on the respective words, “Related Resources” or “Options Flowchart.”

To play a more detailed discussion of the subject, between two people, select the desired dialogue and click on “Play Audio Dialogue.”

In the upper right-hand corner of the page, there is an icon that looks like binoculars looking at a question mark. Click on this icon to return to the homepage.

In the upper right-hand corner of a “Related Resources” page, there is an icon that looks like some books. Click on this icon to get to an “overview” page that has links to all of the resources for all of the questions. There also are additional “appendices” for most of the questions.

In the upper right-hand corner of a “Flowchart” page, there is an icon that looks like an Org chart. Click on this icon to get to an “overview” page that has links to all of the flowcharts.

http://4vis.com/sfm/sfm_pres/sp_q1_d1_1of10.html

[ Content by: Bill Kraftson and Lamar Smith; Website by Mark Besh ]

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“FRUITS OF THE BEATITUDES” WEB SITE
(The ATTITUDES of Jesus that produce the CHARACTER of Jesus)

CLICK ON THE LINK to view:
http://fruitsofthebeatitudes.org/

FACEBOOK PAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/FruitsOfTheBeatitudes/

[ Mark Besh ]

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[ P.S.: If you would like to investigate further how ‘good’ one must be to qualify for Heaven, visit the following link:
http://www.4vis.com/sfm/sfm_pres/sp_q9_d1_1of10.html ].

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ARTICLES:

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“History of the World: Every Year”

The entire history of the World from the rise of civilisation to the present day.

[ Ollie Bye ]

Animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymI5Uv5cGU4

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“Biggest Empires in History”

In this video, on a World Map,I will be graphically showcasing you the biggest empires in World history. Note that these empires are ranked by SIZE not by POWER or INFLUENCE.

[ Serbian Mapping ]

Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rSu6EdLV_c

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“The Biggest Empires in World History”

[ General Knowledge ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS4T60bC1TY

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“Overview of the Middle Ages”

The European Middle Ages (or Medieval Time) is roughly 1000 year span of time from the end of the Roman Empire (in the West) to the beginning of the Renaissance. This video gives as overview with maps and touches on the key events like the Great Schism, Crusades and Black Death.

[ Khan Academy ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ZJujqa0YQ

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“The Middle Ages – Introduction – 1”

In this video we take a first look at the Middle Ages.

[ History Den ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK0BnvvgY8w

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“The Middle Ages in 3-1/2 minutes”

An animated timeline from the book ‘Science: a Discovery in Comics’ by Margreet de Heer.

[ Margreet de Heer ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EAMqKUimr8

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“How the Normans changed the history of Europe”

In the year 1066, 7,000 Norman infantry and knights sailed in warships across the English Channel. Their target: England, home to more than a million people. Around the same period of time, other groups of Normans were setting forth all across Europe. Who were these warriors, and how did they leave their mark so far and wide? Mark Robinson shares a brief history of the Normans.

[ Mark Robinson ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owf5Uq4oFps

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“Is Afghanistan the Graveyard of Empires?”

[ Epimetheus ]

Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-4Xzszp3lw

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“Medieval Europe: Crash Course European History #1”

Our European history is going to start around 1500 with the Renaissance, but believe it or not, that is not the actual beginning of history in the continent. So, today, we’re going to teach you the broad outlines of the so-called Middle Ages, and look at events like the Black Plague, the Hundred Years War, and the Western Schism of the Catholic Church that set the stage for the history of modern Europe.

Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNCw2MOfnLQ

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“1000 AD – A Tour of Europe / Medieval History Documentary”

Kingdoms of:
Germany 0:00
France 14:51
Normandy 18:42
Britain 19:22
Scandinavia 19:55
The Baltic Sea 26:55
Poland 27:50
Bohemia 28:49
Hungary 30:53
Eastern Roman Empire 34:50
Bulgaria 37:34
Kievan Rus’ 41:18
Volga Bulgars 43:12
Serbia 51:45
Croatia 54:30
Venice 55:20
Armenia 56:25
Georgia 57:14
Fatimid Egypt 59:52
Al-Andalus 1:02:51

[ History Time ]

Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HapGfrGR_gE

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“Medieval Kingdom Wars – King of the Castle”

Medieval Kingdom Wars is a hugely ambitious game from a tiny indie studio, blending ideas from Grand Strategy and RTS classics, and it also features a big map of Europe, so I’m 100% on board…

[ Many A True Nerd ]

Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-LEPYnDzC8

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“Medieval Kingdom Wars Gameplay Review”

I’m playing Medieval Kingdom Wars, a real-time grand strategy game by Reverie World Studios. The game features a campaign mode where you select a lord from one of the European countries during the Middle Ages. In addition, there is an online skirmish battle mode and a story-based

[ James Allen ]

Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH56puAuc8U

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“Kingdom”

Resource library at National Geographic

[ National Geographic ]

Listing: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/resource-library/?q=kingdom&page=1&per_page=25

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“Ancient Egypt 101”

The ancient Egyptian civilization, famous for its pyramids, pharaohs, mummies, and tombs, flourished for thousands of years. But what was its lasting impact? Watch the video below to learn how ancient Egypt contributed to modern-day society with its many cultural developments, particularly in language and mathematics.

[ National Geographic ]

Teaching: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/ancient-egypt-101/

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“The Kingdom of God, Volume 1”

Look out an airplane window at 35,000 feet, and you’ll see patterns in the landscape below that would be unobservable from the ground. In the same way, when we examine the sixty-six books of the Bible through a wide-angle lens, we discover far more than a collection of disjointed writings. The Bible is one book, inspired by one Author, with one supreme subject: Jesus Christ, who came to secure God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.

In volume one of this two-volume survey of the Bible, Alistair Begg takes us through the Old Testament, showing us how God was perfectly ordering His plan for salvation from the very beginning. Each life and story in the Hebrew Scriptures adds insight to our understanding of humanity’s promised redemption and points us to Christ. From the world’s creation to man’s fall, then through the ups and downs of Israel’s history, we see His merciful hand at work on every page.

[ Alistair Begg ]

Study: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/kingdom-god-volume-1/

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“The Kingdom of God, Volume 2”

Look out an airplane window at 35,000 feet, and you’ll see patterns in the landscape below that would be unobservable from the ground. In the same way, when we examine the sixty-six books of the Bible through a wide-angle lens, we discover far more than a collection of disjointed writings. The Bible is one book, inspired by one Author, with one supreme subject: Jesus Christ, who came to secure God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.

In volume two of this survey of the Bible, Alistair Begg traces Scripture’s main theme as it unfolds in the New Testament. At the advent of Jesus, what was partial in the Old Testament found completion in the arrival of the true King. After His death and resurrection, Jesus then sent out His people to preach His Gospel to the world. But the story doesn’t end there: this same Jesus will return to usher in a perfect kingdom in which all that has been ruined by sin will be restored.

[ Alistair Begg ]

Study: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/kingdom-god-volume-2/

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“Bearing Fruit for the Kingdom of God”

[ Troy Black ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VzNSIYDTOQ

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“Kingdom of God”

Sermon Series:
– The Gospel of the Kingdom
– The Kingdom of God
– The Kingdom of God is at Hand
– Not Far from the Kingdom
– Entering the Kingdom
– The Signs of the Kingdom
– The People of the Kingdom
– A Kingdom Which Cannot Be Removed

[ Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones ]

Sermon Series: https://www.mljtrust.org/free-sermons/kingdom-god/

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“Children and the Kingdom of God, Part 1 (Luke 18:15-17)”

We come this morning to the gospel of Luke again in our ongoing study of this great treatment of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ by the inspired physician, Luke. And we come to a brief but potent and important portion of Scripture, chapter 18 verses 15 through 17; Luke 18 verses 15 through 17. And I’ve entitled this section, and it’s suitable, it’s the obvious title, “Children and the Kingdom of God,” “Children and the Kingdom of God.”

All of us who are Christian parents, all of us who have been given the responsibility to raise children, carry the weighty concern for their eternal destiny. In fact, there probably is no greater concern in our lives than that. Surely there is none. We pray for the salvation of our children. We work for the salvation of our children. We expose our children to gospel truth. We endeavor to live before our children in such a way as to bring honor to Christ and make the gospel attractive. We engage our children with every opportunity we can in the life of the church that they might be influenced by the things of Christ. We are selective about who our children play with and who they associate with and where they go to school because we want good gospel influences to prevail in their lives. And that’s a very, very understandable thing for parents to do because there is no greater concern than the salvation of our children. We want our children in heaven and not in hell. We are compelled with the eternality of life and the consequence of rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel should that be the path that our children would take. [more…]

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AZpOiGGf3A

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“Children and the Kingdom of God, Part 2 (Luke 18:15-17)”

If you will open your Bible now to Luke chapter 18, we’ll return to the passage in verses 15 through 17, Luke chapter 18, verses 15 through 17, and our second message on the subject, “Children and the Kingdom of God,” “Children and the Kingdom of God.”

We are all, as parents, grandparents and relatives, all of us connected to families, tenderly disposed, are we not, toward little ones, drawn to them, to the fragile character of their lives, to be protectors of them, to enjoy their unconditional affection and love and the sheer joy that comes from their delightful presence. But more than just what comes to us by virtue of their life in this world we are concerned about their eternal souls. And as parents and grandparents and Christians, we concern ourselves with children and their place in the kingdom of God. And they carry our hearts in a very, very unique way do these little ones. And we want to understand how God views them. And the passage before us is critical to an understanding of just exactly how God views little ones in relation to His kingdom. [more…]

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIuwWV4R4Go

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“Of Such Is the Kingdom of Heaven”

Our Lord tells the disciples that the gospel sets up a kingdom. Was there ever a kingdom which had no children in it? How, then, could it grow? Jesus tells us that children are admitted into the kingdom; nay, not only that some few are here and there admitted into it, but, “of such is the kingdom of God.” I am not inclined to get away from the plain sense of that expression, nor to suggest that He merely means that the kingdom consists of those who are like children. It is clear that He intended such children as those who were before him—babes and young children: “of such is the kingdom of God.” There are children in all kingdoms, and there are children in Christ’s kingdom; and I am not certain that John Newton was not right when he said that the majority of persons who are now in the kingdom of God are children. When I think of all the multitudes of babes that have died, who are now swarming in the streets of heaven, it does seem to me to be a blessed thought that albeit generation after generation of adults have passed away in unbelief and rebellion, yet enormous multitudes of children have gone streaming up to heaven, saved by the grace of God, through the death of Christ, to sing the high praises of the Lord for ever before the eternal throne. “Of such is the kingdom of heaven.” They give tone and character to the kingdom; it is rather a kingdom of children than of men.

Our Lord tells us that the way of entering the kingdom is by receiving. “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” We do not enter into the kingdom of God by working out some deep problem and arriving at its solution; not by fetching something out of ourselves, but by receiving a secret something into us. We come into the kingdom by the kingdom’s coming into us: it receives us by our receiving it. Now, if this entrance into the kingdom depended upon something to be fetched out of the human mind by study and deep thought, then very few children could ever enter it; but it depends upon something to be received, and therefore children may enter. Those children who are of years sufficient to sin, and to be saved by faith, have to listen to the gospel and to receive it by faith: and they can do this, God the Holy Spirit helping them. There is no doubt about it, because great numbers have done it. I will not say at what age children are first capable of receiving the knowledge of Christ, but it is much earlier than some fancy; and we have seen and known children who have given abundant evidence that they have received Christ and have believed in Him at a very early age. Some of them have died triumphantly, and others of them have lived, graciously, and some are here now, grown up to be men and women, who are honourable members of the church.

We know that infants enter the kingdom, for we are convinced that all of our race who die in infancy are included in the election of grace, and partake in the redemption wrought out by our Lord Jesus. Whatever some may think, the whole spirit and tone of the Word of God, as well as the nature of God Himself, lead us to believe that all who leave this world as babes are saved. Now, how do they receive the kingdom, for in the same way must we receive it? Certainly children do not receive it by birth or blood, for we are expressly told in John’s gospel that the children of God are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh. All privilege of descent is now abolished, and no babe enters into heaven because it was born of a pious father or mother, neither shall any be shut out because his progenitors were atheists or idolaters. My solemn persuasion is that the child of a Mahomedan, or a Papist, or a Buddhist, or a cannibal, dying in infancy, is as surely saved as the child of the Christian. Salvation by blood or birth there can be none, for the gospel dispensation does not admit of it: if saved, as we assuredly believe they are, infants must be saved simply according to the will and good pleasure of God, because He hath made them to be His own.

Children dying in infancy in China and Japan are as truly saved as those dying in England or Scotland. Babes of swarthy mothers, infants born in the kraal of the Hottentot or the wigwam of the Red Indian are alike saved, and therefore not saved by any outward rite, or by the mystic power of a priesthood. They are raised to the kingdom of heaven by the free and sovereign grace of God. How are they saved, then? By works? No, for they have never wrought any. By their natural innocence? No; for if that innocence could have admitted them to heaven, it must also have sufficed to save them from pain and death. If sin be not upon them in some form, how is it that they suffer? The imputed sin which makes them die prevents our believing that they claim heaven by right of innocence. They die because of Adam’s fall. Sad consequences of their being born of fallen parents. Mark their appealing looks as the dear little ones look up in their suffering, as if they would fain ask why they must endure so much pain. We look at them with all the deeper grief because we cannot help them, and are made to reflect upon the mysterious union of the race in its fall and sorrow. The anguish of the dying little one is a proof of Adam’s fall, and of its participation in the result thereof. The dear babes live again, however, because Jesus died and rose again, and they are in Him. They perish, as far as this life is concerned, for a sin which they did not commit: but they also live eternally through a righteousness in which they had no hand, even the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who hath redeemed them. We know little of the matter, but we suppose them to undergo regeneration ere they enter heaven: for that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and to enter the spiritual world they must be born of the Spirit. But whatever is wrought in them, it is clear that they do not enter the kingdom by the force of intellect, or will, or merit, but as a matter of free grace, having no reference to anything that they have done or have felt. In that same manner you must pass into the kingdom entirely through free grace, and not at all by any power or merit of your own. You will enter heaven as fully by grace as if you had never lived a godly life, nor had practised a single virtue.

Now we have to think of another sort of children; these who outlive the time of infancy and become children capable of actual sin, and of knowing Christ, and being converted. Many of these by faith enter the kingdom. Now, as these children receive the kingdom of heaven, so must we receive it. How do the children receive it? I answer, a child receives the gospel with humility, with simple faith, and with unworldliness. Children are not held up to us as an example in all things, for they have faults which we ought to avoid, but they are here praised in this point,—the way in which they receive the kingdom. How does a child receive it? First, with humility, He is humble enough to be without prejudice. Take a little child and tell him about Christ Jesus the Saviour, and if God blesses the telling of the story of the cross, and he believes it, he receives it without having any wrong views and notions to battle with. Many a man goes to hear the gospel with the idea that Christ is merely human; he cannot get rid of that prejudice from his mind, and therefore he does not receive Christ Jesus the Lord. Another comes to hear the word with the recollection of all that he has heard and read of infidelity, heresy, and profanity: how can he profit till this is removed? Another comes with his mind stuffed with proud self-righteousness, with a belief in priestcraft, or with a reliance upon some form or ceremony. If we could get this lumber out of the soul, there would be some hope; but all this is a hindrance. Now, the dear child, as he listens to the story of the love of God in Christ Jesus, has none of these prejudices to spoil his hearing. Very likely he does not even know that such evils have been invented by man, and he is blessed in his ignorance. He will find out the evil soon enough; but for the present he humbly drinks in the word, and prays,—

“Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
Look on me, a little child!
Pity my simplicity;
Suffer me to come to Thee.”

Now, this deliverance from preconceived notions is what we greatly need. Just as your little boy or your little girl must believe, even so must you. There is only one way for the shepherd and the sage, the philosopher and the peasant. The little child receives Christ humbly, for he never dreams of merit or purchase. I do not recollect ever having met with a child who had to battle with self-righteousness in coming to Christ.

[ Charles H. Spurgeon ]

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“The Kingdom of God”

Reformation is fueled by men and women who are confident that their true citizenship is in the kingdom of God. This confidence enables them to take bold stances for the gospel in the most difficult environments. This session considers our citizenship in the kingdom of God as foundational to serving Him in this world.

[ Stephen Tong ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Fv2diFOqo

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“Freedom Class 3. The Kingdom of God”

[ Revived Life ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH8vFiJHC9Q

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“How Do I Seek The Kingdom of God”

Sermon on Matthew 6:23-34. This sermon was preached by Pastor HIlmer on Octobr 20, 2019 at Blessings Christian Church in Hamilton, Ontario.

[ Blessings Christian Church ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmykQrmfYjs

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“Disciple Making: Seeing, Understanding, Entering, Living & Seeking the Kingdom of God”

[ John Barnett ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuQUwKvaaSo

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“Kingdom and Kingdoms”

Jesus Christ is king of all. His kingship over everything in his creation is the clear teaching of the Bible where he is called “the ruler of kings on the earth” (Rev. 1:5) and “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 17:14, 19:16). Since Jesus is king, all his subjects are obligated to serve and glorify him in all their callings.

The implication of the universal kingdom of Jesus is that there is no neutral realm in this world. All are either honoring him or rebelling against him. Clearly all Christians must seek to think and live as Christians in all that they do. In everything, we acknowledge Jesus as king.

While Jesus has one kingdom in the sense that he is king over all, many Reformed Christians have also spoken of Jesus ruling over two kingdoms. John Calvin, for example, made a sharp distinction in his Institutes of the Christian Religion between Christ as king of his spiritual kingdom and Christ as king of the civil or political realm. He wrote: “Therefore,… let us first consider that there is a twofold government in man: one aspect is spiritual, whereby the conscience is instructed in piety and in reverencing God; the second is political, whereby man is educated for the duties of humanity and citizenship that must be maintained among men….The one we may call the spiritual kingdom, the other, the political kingdom. Now these two, as we have divided them, must always be examined separately; and while one is being considered, we must call away and turn aside the mind from thinking about the other. There are in man, so to speak, two worlds, over which different kings and different laws have authority” (III, 19, 15). Calvin is not denying that Christ is king of the church and of the state, but is asserting that Christ’s kingship of the church operates very differently from the way in which his kingship of the state operates.

Later in the Institutes, when Calvin turns to discuss the political authority, he reiterates this point: “…man is under a twofold government…the kind that resides in the soul or inner man and pertains to eternal life…the other kind, which pertains only to the establishment of civil justice and outward morality….we must keep in mind that distinction which we previously laid down so that we do not (as commonly happens) unwisely mingle these two, which have a completely different nature” (IV, 20,1).

Zacharius Ursinus makes a rather similar point in his commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism when he turns to the subject of Christ as king and to his kingdom. He too stresses that while Christ is king of all, he must be seen as particularly King of his Church. He comments on Question 31: “The King of Kings is Christ, who was immediately ordained of God, that he might govern, by his word and Spirit, the church which he purchased with his own blood, and defend her against all her enemies, whom he will cast into everlasting punishment, whilst he will reward his people with eternal life.”

Further he comments on Question 123: “The Kingdom of God is that in which God alone rules and exercises dominion over all creatures; but especially does he govern and preserve the church. This kingdom is universal. The special kingdom of God – that which he exercises in his church consists in sending the Son from the Father, for the very beginning of the world, that he might institute and preserve the ministry of the church, and accomplish his purposes by it….From these things it is apparent that this [special] kingdom is not a worldly, but a spiritual kingdom. This is taught in many of the parables of our Lord, as well as in the declaration that he made to Pilate, saying, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ We are here taught and commanded to pray that this kingdom may come, increase and be defended.”

The language of the two kingdoms (church and state) clearly did not mean for Calvin that one kingdom belonged to Christ and the other did not. It did not mean that one kingdom was for Christian living and the other was not. It did not mean that one kingdom glorified God and the other did not. Christ for Calvin was truly and fully king in both kingdoms, but ruled the two kingdoms differently.

Calvin and the Reformed tradition in the sixteenth century made a sharp distinction between the kingdom of the church and the kingdom of the state as a response to one of the great debates of the Middle Ages. Many theologians and theorists had then debated whether the church or the state was supreme and dominant in a Christian society. Some argued that the church was supreme and that the state must be subordinate to it. Others argued that the state was dominant and that the church was subordinate to it. Calvin rejected both of these positions by distinguishing the two kingdoms of Christ as he did. The spiritual kingdom as the church was directly accountable to Christ alone who was King of the church and completely regulated the life of the church (its doctrine, worship, and offices) by the Bible. The temporal kingdom as the state owed obedience to Christ, but not through or under the church. The state had its own constitution adopted largely according to human wisdom. The Bible should guide the state, but did not exhaustively reveal the answers to all political decisions.

Despite Calvin’s brilliant and critical distinction between the two kingdoms of Christ, in most of Protestant Europe the state in practice came more and more to dominate and subordinate the church. Especially as secular thinking increased in Europe, the influence of Christianity and the church declined. State tyranny was not just a theoretical problem, but became a reality in the French Revolution, and in the rise of communism and fascism.

In this modern situation in Europe, very different from the medieval problem that Calvin addressed, Abraham Kuyper arose as the great Reformed thinker to ponder how Christians could oppose state tyranny and maintain a Christian voice in the great social questions of his day. Kuyper rejected the medieval ideal of an official state church as the way to maintain a Christian influence in society. Rather Kuyper argued, in effect, an extension of Calvin’s two kingdoms idea. Christ properly rules in this world in several kingdoms, or as he characteristically put it, “spheres.” Instead of just two kingdoms, the church and the state, Kuyper recognized several kingdoms. He maintained the kingdoms of the church and the state, each with its unique responsibilities and governance before God. But he added others, most importantly the family. The family as an institution, Kuyper argued, is not fundamentally subservient to either the church or the state, but has its own character and responsibilities before God.

For Kuyper Christ should rule in each of these spheres, but he rules in each differently. In the church he rules through pastors and elders. In the state he rules through constitutional governors. In the family he rules through husbands and parents.

Kuyper argued for other spheres as well (such as science, voluntary associations, business, etc.), but he devoted most of his analysis to the church, the state, and the family. He believed strongly that the education of children (specifically elementary and high school) was the responsibility of parents. He believed that recognizing the family as a distinct kingdom was crucial to breaking the tyrannical tendencies of the state (and of the church). Since education is not neutral at any point, but either glorifies God or rejects him, Christian parents must seek a Christian education for their children.

Kuyper’s commitment to Christian education was not a novelty that Kuyper introduced to the Dutch Reformed community. Conservative Calvinists, inspired by their orthodoxy and piety, had already founded Christian schools at the elementary and secondary levels. Kuyper encouraged those schools and believed that they should receive a fair share of financial support from the state for their work. He also believed that Christian scholars should form a Christian university to pursue academic studies from a Christian point of view. He saw this academic (he would have said scientific) enterprise as a distinct sphere ultimately accountable not to church, state or family, but only to Christ.

Kuyper’s commitment to Christian education reflected a long standing Reformed commitment to school building. In America in the first centuries of our history public schools were often Protestant schools. As American education became more secular, Christian parents saw more clearly the need for Christian schools. Several of America’s greatest universities were founded by Calvinists to be Christian schools, most notably Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Calvinists have all supported Christian education whether they have argued for it in terms of one kingdom, two kingdoms, or many kingdoms.

We can see through this quick survey of the history of Reformed thought that Christians have spoken about one kingdom, two kingdoms, and many kingdoms of Christ. These ways of speaking may sometimes seem a little confusing, but when we understand the different problems they are addressing it is easy to understand them. There may well be somewhat different ways of using these distinctions, and we should continue discussion to clarify all the implications of Christ’s kingship in this world. We may find that as Reformed Christians we do not absolutely agree at all points. But where we are united around the Bible and the Reformed confessions and where we embrace the fundamental insights of Calvin and Kuyper sketched above, we should continue our discussion with kindness and charity. We should recognize the importance of supporting Christian education for the children of Christian parents. And above all we should unite in proclaiming that Christ is King of all.

[ W. Robert Godfrey ]

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“Is the Kingdom of Heaven different from the Kingdom of God?”

10/10/17 edition of Ask the Theologian – Is the Kingdom of Heaven different from the Kingdom of God?

[ Randy White ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j21nxo1CFRk

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“Kingdom of God”

A variety of articles.

[ Monergism ]

Teachings: https://www.monergism.com/topics/kingdom-god

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“Thoughts on the Kingdom of God”

What does it mean to be a citizen of heaven? It means we are under heaven’s government. Christ the King of heaven reigns in our hearts; our daily prayer is, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). The proclamations issued from the throne of glory are freely received by us; the decrees of the Great King we cheerfully obey. Then, as citizens of the New Jerusalem, we share heaven’s honors. the glory that belongs to beatified saints belongs to us, for we are already sons of God, already princes of the blood imperial; already we wear the spotless robe of Jesus’ righteousness; already we have angels for our servants, saints for our companions, Christ for our Brother, God for our Father, and a crown of immortality for our reward. We share the honors of citizenship, for we have come to the general assembly and church of the firstborn whose names ae written in heaven. As citizens, we have common rights to all the property of heaven. Ours are its gates of pearl and walls of chrysolite; ours the azure light of the city that needs no candle nor light of the sun; ours the river of the water of life, and the twelve manner of fruits that grow on the trees planted on the banks thereof; there is nothing in heaven that does not belong to us. “Things present, or things to come” (1 Cor. 3:22) are all ours. Also as citizens of heaven we enjoy its delights. Do they there rejoice over sinners who repent—prodigals who have returned? So do we. Do they chant the glories of triumphant grace? We do the same. Do they cast their crowns at Jesus’ feet? Such honors as we have we cast there, too. Are they charmed by His smile? It is not less sweet to us who dwell below. Do they look forward, waiting for His second advent? We also look and long for His appearing. If, then, we are thus citizens of heaven, let our walk and actions be consistent with our high dignity.

[ Charles Spurgeon – Morning & Evening, Whitaker House, 2002, July 10, morning, p. 396 ]

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“The Kingdom of God in 8 Words”

The number-one thing Jesus talked about is the kingdom of God. It’s everywhere in the Gospels and impossible to miss. But if the theme of the kingdom is so significant, then we need to make sure we know what it means. A good starting place is to have a solid working definition.

Here’s one: The kingdom is God’s reign through God’s people over God’s place.

That’s the message of the kingdom in eight words. Now let’s break down each aspect to begin plumbing the depths.

God’s Reign
The kingdom is first and foremost a statement about God. God is king, and he is coming as king to set right what our sin made wrong. The phrase “kingdom of God” could just as easily be translated “reign of God” or “kingship of God.” The message of the kingdom is about God’s royal power directed by his self-giving love.

Claiming that the kingdom of God is primarily about God may seem obvious, but many today use “kingdom” to refer to the way we as human beings make the world a better place (“kingdom work”) or to refer to all the Christians in the world (“kingdom minded”). Unfortunately, much of the contemporary talk about the kingdom paints a picture of a kingdom with a vacant throne. But if the kingdom is portrayed as a utopian world without mention of God, then the Bible’s vision of the kingdom has been lost. The kingdom of God is the vision of the world reordered around the powerful love of God in Christ.

Much of the contemporary talk about the kingdom paints a picture of a kingdom with a vacant throne.

God is king, and he reigns over his creation. But in a world marred by sin, God’s kingship is resisted, and the peace of his kingdom has been shattered. After Adam and Eve’s rebellion, God’s reign is revealed as redemptive. He’s the king who is reclaiming his creation. His kingdom is not the culmination of human potential and effort, but the intervention of his royal grace into a sinful and broken world.

God’s People
God the Creator-King reigns over all his creatures, but he also reigns through his people. This was his design from the beginning. Adam and Eve were commissioned as royal representatives of the king, called to steward his creation and spread the blessings of his reign throughout the earth. Instead, they chose to seek their own path to power and glory, apart from God. Their rebellion fractured humanity’s relationship with God and shattered the goodness of his creation. Ever since sin entered the world, God’s kingdom project has at its heart a rescue mission for rebellious sinners, drawing them into his renewing work.

God’s reign is a saving reign. The kingdom of God provides a holistic understanding of salvation, including not only what we are saved from, but also what we are saved for:

We are saved from death and for life.

We are saved from shame and for glory.

We are saved from slavery and for freedom.

We are saved from sin and for following our Savior.

We are saved from the kingdom of darkness and for the kingdom of light.

To be saved into God’s kingdom is to embrace God’s comprehensive rule over every aspect of life. This is a far cry from merely “asking Jesus into my heart.” It means a new life, a new identity, and a new kingdom.

God’s Place
The Bible is the story of God making his good creation a glorious kingdom. It all started in the garden, where God commissioned his people to go to the ends of the earth to make the rest of the world like Eden. The garden kingdom was meant to become a global kingdom where people would rejoice and the world would flourish under God’s loving reign.

After the fall, making the world God’s glorious kingdom would require a reversal of the curse and a renewal by grace. And that’s exactly what God set out to do. The Bible is a rescue story, not about God rescuing sinners from a broken creation but about him rescuing them for a new creation. God’s reign begins in the human heart, but it will one day extend to the ends of the earth. Many Christians today think of salvation as leaving earth for heaven, but the story of Scripture is quite the opposite. The message of the kingdom is not an escape from earth to heaven but God’s reign coming from heaven to earth. The focus of God’s reign is his people, but the scope of God’s reign is all of creation.

The Bible is a rescue story, not about God rescuing sinners from a broken creation but about him rescuing them for a new creation.

Jesus and the Kingdom of God
This understanding of the kingdom of God may be new to you, but it would not have been surprising to the first-century crowds listening to Jesus. Their collective hope was that God would come as king to redeem his people and restore his creation.

What surprised them about Jesus’s proclamation was not what the kingdom is, but who would bring it and how. Jesus fulfills every kingdom promise, but he establishes the kingdom in a way that is different from what they expected and yet more glorious than they could’ve imagined.

In our journey to understand God’s kingdom, this difference introduces a key element. The kingdom message is counterintuitive and surprising, going against the grain of worldly wisdom, because unlike any other kingdom this world has ever seen, Christ’s kingdom is built on grace and advances with compassion. In this kingdom, the throne is a cross and the King reigns with self-giving love.

Editors’ note:
This article is an adapted excerpt from Jeremy Treat’s book Seek First: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything (Zondervan). Used with permission.

[ Jeremy Treat ]

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“What and Where is the Kingdom of God?”

Throughout the New Testament we read that Jesus came to establish a kingdom. In the opening section of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus begins his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15 NIV) His preaching, healing, and exorcism ministry continued throughout the Gospels as a demonstration of the power of the coming kingdom of God. Indeed, in the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he asked of the Father, “Your kingdom come, your will be done…” (Matthew 6:9)

Later, the kingdom also proves to be the substance of the Apostle Paul’s gospel message: “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:23).

But what exactly is God’s kingdom? Do any and all acts of kindness or compassion qualify? Does it exist outside of the church? In today’s Seven Minute Seminary, Dr. Scot McKnight makes the case for what he calls a robust kingdom, which is marked by at least the five following qualities:

1. The kingdom of God has a king, and this king is Jesus.
2. The kingdom of God has a king who rules.
3. The kingdom of God has a distinct people.
4. The kingdom of God has a law.
5. The kingdom of God has a land.

[ Scot McKnight ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUvLkgoy-DI

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“The Kingdom of God”

This video is a whiteboard explanation of the Kingdom of GOD.

[ Calvin King ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVHz34eiSPE

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“The Kingdom of God”

– Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ljumO2Qe_M
– Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-MSpg9XGsI

[ David Pawson ]

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“The Kingdom of God”

Many traditional approaches to evangelism focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While this is vital to the Christian faith, the kingdom of God is the greater story of how He accomplishes His redemption of the world. Teaching from the Gospels, Dr. Jonathan Pennington talks about the importance of understanding the gospel in light of the kingdom.

[ Jonathan Pennington ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7Add4wAzoE

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“What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God?”

What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God ( Matthew 6:33 )? Is seeking the kingdom of God first a matter of priorities?

[ Got Questions ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKZfSjDLKa0

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“Seek First – How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything”

In an age of distraction, everyone is looking for something that gives purpose and perspective on life. Jesus says it’s the kingdom of God. But the kingdom is not just another religious idea. Rather, God’s loving reign brings clarity and coherence to all of life – identity, work, play, relationships, justice, character – in a way that is profound and practical. Seek First brings theology to the streets, giving a vision for the kingdom that will truly change your life.

[ Zondervan ]

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw1KFilsXoY

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“Seek first the kingdom of God – What it actually means (Matt. 6:33)”

“What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God,” and “how to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness” are some regularly asked questions. it may surprise you to find the answer to these questions are a lot deeper then you thought. In this video, Dusty Dahlin will attempt to answer these questions and offer how the answer can lead the believer into a closer relationship with God.

[ Dusty Dahlin ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoAUM8X3zV8

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“Seek First the Kingdom of God | How to Put God First | Matthew 6 33 & Haggai 1”

In Matthew 6 33, Jesus teach us to, “ Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. ” The questions is, how? What does that mean practically for us?

In today’s Bible Study / Bible Devotional in Mathew 6 33, and Haggai 1, we’ll break down that popular Bible verse on putting God first, in three sections, “But seek first the kingdom of God,” then “and his righteousness,” and lastly, “and all these things will be added to you.” By even a very quick look at each section, we’ll see how to put God first in our lives and what that means.

[ Bible Munch ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA5NP_iEcK0

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“SOMETHING WORTH SEEKING”
NO. 2515

A SERMON
INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD’S-DAY, MAY 2, 1897
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON
ON LORD’S-DAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 27, 1885

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33

Sermon: https://www.spurgeongems.org/sermon/chs2515.pdf

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“Counterfeit Kingdom” | Ephesians 5:3-6

[ Conner McMakin ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9JcCRJ-Ig4

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“What is the difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven?”

Answer: While some believe that the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are referring to different things, it is clear that both phrases are referring to the same thing. The phrase “kingdom of God” occurs 68 times in 10 different New Testament books, while “kingdom of heaven” occurs only 32 times, and only in the Gospel of Matthew. Based on Matthew’s exclusive use of the phrase and the Jewish nature of his Gospel, some interpreters have concluded that Matthew was writing concerning the millennial kingdom while the other New Testament authors were referring to the universal kingdom. However, a closer study of the use of the phrase reveals that this interpretation is in error.

For example, speaking to the rich young ruler, Christ uses “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” interchangeably. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 19:23). In the very next verse, Christ proclaims, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (verse 24). Jesus makes no distinction between the two terms but seems to consider them synonymous.

Mark and Luke used “kingdom of God” where Matthew used “kingdom of heaven” frequently in parallel accounts of the same parable. Compare Matthew 11:11-12 with Luke 7:28; Matthew 13:11with Mark 4:11 and Luke 8:10; Matthew 13:24 with Mark 4:26; Matthew 13:31 with Mark 4:30 and Luke 13:18; Matthew 13:33 with Luke 13:20; Matthew 18:3 with Mark 10:14 and Luke 18:16; and Matthew 22:2 with Luke 13:29. In each instance, Matthew used the phrase “kingdom of heaven” while Mark and/or Luke used “kingdom of God.” Clearly, the two phrases refer to the same thing.

[ Got Questions ]

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“Receiving the Kingdom of God as Little Child”

October 20, 1878
Scripture: Luke 18:17
From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 24

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” — Luke xviii. 17.

WHEN our Lord blessed the little children he was making his last journey to Jerusalem. It was thus a farewell blessing which he gave to the little ones, and it reminds us of the fact that among his parting words to his disciples, before he was taken up, we find the tender charge, “Feed my lambs.” The ruling passion was strong upon the great Shepherd of Israel, “who gathereth the lambs with his arm, and carrieth them in his bosom”; and it was fitting that while he was making his farewell journey he should bestow his gracious benediction upon the children.

Beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ is not here among us in person ; but we know where he is, and we know that he is clothed with all power in heaven and in earth wherewith to bless his people; let us then draw near to him this day. Let us seek his touch in the form of fellowship, and ask the aid of his intercession; let us include others in our prayers, and among these let us give our children, and, indeed, all children, a leading place. We know more of Jesus than the women of Palestine did; let us, therefore, be even more eager than they were to bring our children to him that he may bless them, and that they may be accepted in him, even as we ourselves are. Jesus waits to bless. He is not changed in character, or impoverished in grace; as he still receiveth sinners, so doth he still bless children; and let none of us be content, whether we be parents or teachers, until he has received our children, and has so blessed them that we are sure that they have entered the kingdom of God.

Our Saviour, when he saw that his disciples were not only backward to admit the children to him, but even rebuked those who brought them, was much displeased, and called them to him that he might teach them better. He then informed them that, instead of the children being regarded as intruders, they were most welcome to himself; and, instead of being interlopers, they had full right of access, for of children and of childlike persons his kingdom was composed. Moreover, he declared that none could enter that kingdom except in the same manner as children enter. He spoke with divine certainty, using his own expressive “verily,” and he spoke with the weight of his own personal authority, “I say unto you.” These prefatory expressions are intended to secure our reverent attention to the fact that so far from the admission of children into the kingdom being unusual or strange, none can find entrance there except they receive the gospel as a little child receives it. It is this statement of the Master which affords us a subject for this morning, which may the divine Spirit open up to us and impress upon our hearts.

[ Charles Haddon Spurgeon ]

Sermon: https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/receiving-the-kingdom-of-god-as-little-child/#flipbook/

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“Parables of the Kingdom (Mark 4:21-33)”

God uses even the smallest, seemingly insignificant efforts of His people to build His glorious kingdom. In this sermon, R.C. Sproul continues his series in the gospel of Mark by explaining several of Jesus’ parables that describe God’s unfolding plan for the ages.

[ R.C. Sproul ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4hOwa8byhs

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“Principles Of God’s Kingdom”

[ Zac Poonen ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N2YSVV0v8

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“Pressing Into the Kingdom of God”

[ Jonathan Edwards ]

Sermon Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylcKyZwiUIo

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“The Kingdom of Heaven Is a Treasure”

[ John Piper ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ABfkbeG6bU

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“What does it mean that the kingdom of God suffers violence?”

In Matthew 11:12, what does it mean that the kingdom of God suffers violence? Is this Holy Violence? How can the Kingdom of heaven be taken by violence, or subjected to violence? Understanding the Matthew 11 12 meaning requires context. In this video, Pastor Nelson with Bible Munch answers the question, “What does it mean that the kingdom of God suffers violence?”.

[ Got Questions ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0A2RzCimjg

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“Is the Kingdom Present or Future?”

Is the kingdom of God a future reality to be hoped for or a present reality to experience now? That’s today’s question. The answer is that it is partly present and partly future. Many of its blessings are here to be enjoyed now; but many of them are not yet here. Some of its power is available now but not all of it. Some of the curse and misery of this old age can be overcome now by the presence of the kingdom. But some of it cannot be. The decisive battle against sin and Satan and sickness and death has been fought and won by the King in his death and resurrection, but the war is not over. Sin must be fought, Satan must be resisted, sickness must be prayed over and groaned under (Romans 8:23), and death must be endured until the second coming of the King and the consummation of the kingdom.

Now I want you to see this clearly in the New Testament because it is extremely important for your faith. It will inspire you with hope that there is a great and glorious future yet in store for all believers. It will deepen your confidence that the glory of your future in the kingdom is secured by precious past down payments of that very kingdom (Romans 8:32!). It will give you a handle on why so much amazing kingdom power is being unleashed in the world, and yet why so much of sin and Satan and sickness and suffering remains. If you get a handle on the presence and the future of the kingdom of God, you will find yourself on a pathway of spiritual power, which might include the power to perform signs, and will definitely include the equally remarkable power to suffer patiently the cross of grief and pain (Colossians 1:11).

So let’s look at the passages of Scripture that show the kingdom of God to be both present and future. [more…]

[ John Piper ]

Article: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/is-the-kingdom-present-or-future

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“The Kingdom of God”

Look out an airplane window at 35,000 feet, and you’ll see patterns in the landscape below that would be unobservable from the ground. In the same way, when we examine the sixty-six books of the Bible through a wide-angle lens, we discover far more than a collection of disjointed writings. The Bible is one book, inspired by one Author, with one supreme subject: Jesus Christ, who came to secure God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.

In volume one of this two-volume survey of the Bible, Alistair Begg takes us through the Old Testament, showing us how God was perfectly ordering His plan for salvation from the very beginning. Each life and story in the Hebrew Scriptures adds insight to our understanding of humanity’s promised redemption and points us to Christ. From the world’s creation to man’s fall, then through the ups and downs of Israel’s history, we see His merciful hand at work on every page.

Volume 1: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/kingdom-god-volume-1/

Look out an airplane window at 35,000 feet, and you’ll see patterns in the landscape below that would be unobservable from the ground. In the same way, when we examine the sixty-six books of the Bible through a wide-angle lens, we discover far more than a collection of disjointed writings. The Bible is one book, inspired by one Author, with one supreme subject: Jesus Christ, who came to secure God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.

In volume two of this survey of the Bible, Alistair Begg traces Scripture’s main theme as it unfolds in the New Testament. At the advent of Jesus, what was partial in the Old Testament found completion in the arrival of the true King. After His death and resurrection, Jesus then sent out His people to preach His Gospel to the world. But the story doesn’t end there: this same Jesus will return to usher in a perfect kingdom in which all that has been ruined by sin will be restored.

Volume 2: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/kingdom-god-volume-2/

[ Alistair Begg ]

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“The Kingdom of God”

Dr. S. M. Baugh joins us to speak about his book, The Majesty on High: An Introduction to the Kingdom of God in the New Testament. Beginning with a definition of the kingdom of God based on the new creation, Baugh introduces the reader to the kingdom and its foundational issues.

[ Dr. S. M. Baug ]

Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUnRUG-eGHI

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“The Kingdom of God”

If you enjoyed this film, please consider making a donation of any amount to my ministry to help me continue making biblical films…and I ask you to SUBSCRIBE and SHARE this film with your family and friends to help support me. SOLI DEO GLORIA!

[ Apologia Studios ]

Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9wyC3rjs7M

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“The Kingdom of God”

The Kingdom of God is like something small that grew to be something really big. Taken from the message “What Every Last Days Believer Needs to Know “, from the Follow Me! Series by Pastor Greg Laurie.

[ Greg Laurie ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftx7M4Q9FAI

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“The Kingdom Of God”

[ Zac Poonen ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCQQMwoxiEs

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“The Kingdom of God is Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit”

[ John Piper ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRm60ZUoZSg

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“What did Jesus mean when He said, ‘The kingdom of God is within you’?”

What did Jesus mean when He said, “The kingdom of God is within you”? What is the Kingdom of God? Where is the Kingdom of God according to Luke 17:21? Is it true that the kingdom of God is within man? When people ask, “ was Jesus a mystic ” do they have a valid reason according to Luke 17 21? In this video, Pastor Nelson with Bible Munch answers the question, “What did Jesus mean when He said, ‘The kingdom of God is within you’?”

[ Got Questions ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdJdkN-mW2s

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Lesson Three
The Kingdom: Past, Present, Future

KEY VERSE:
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matthew 25:34)

INTRODUCTION
The previous lessons introduced the Kingdom of God and the ruler of this Kingdom, the Lord Jesus Christ. This lesson presents an overview of the past, present, and future of the Kingdom of God. It also presents basic facts about the Kingdom.

There is a basic theme that unites both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. That theme is the Kingdom of God and the King. The phrases “Kingdom of God” and “Kingdom of Heaven” do not appear in the Old Testament. These are New Testament terms. But as you will discover as you study the past history of the Kingdom of God, its foundations were laid in Old Testament times. The present and future forms of the Kingdom are built on these Old Testament foundations. [more…]

Article: http://lhfbacktobasics.weebly.com/43-the-kingdom-past-present-future.html

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“Kingdom Come”

Pastor Brandon Thomas introduces our new series, “Kingdom Come” and describes why we need a king. Jesus is our good king. We are called to seek Him first and all other things will be added to you.

[ Brandon Thomas ]

Kingdom Come: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFztfoxYI50
The Coming Kingdom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0-ERO02AaA
Kingdom Identity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6syAvuz6F2A
Family and the Coming Kingdom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHTi95KXD2Y
Born to Win: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC6P_66Syo8
Kingdom Voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZTi-GwY0qE
Kingdom Power: The Holy Spirit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sz0G4fIaS4
Kingdom Built: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4_bsqk1SIk
Kingdom Gifts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGVgPJxrZ9k
Counterfeit Kingdom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl9ArMVcHgY
The Kingdom Mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caXA5Gtz7_I
Kingdom Stewardship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfpcFi45BHg
Kingdom Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELuMaOzqbds

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What Does It Mean to Pray “Thy Kingdom Come”?

In this excerpt from his teaching series The Lord’s Prayer, Albert Mohler explains what it means to pray “Thy Kingdom Come.”

What in the world would it mean to pray “Thy kingdom come”? Well, it is first of all, an understanding that God has promised a kingdom, that He is Himself a sovereign king, and that in His incarnation and in His saving work—His death, burial, and resurrection-Jesus has inaugurated a kingdom, a kingdom that is not yet fully consummated.

In this sense, inevitably we have to speak, regardless of what may be the specifics of our biblical eschatology, we would we all have to understand that we are right now living in something of an in-between times. We are living between the ascension of Lord Jesus Christ and the decisive events of His coming. Then we understand His coming as affirmed by Scripture going to be a historical, space-time, physical return in glory. We understand that it’s going to be visible to all humanity. We understand that it will set into sequence a series of events that will include God’s judgment upon humanity and then the full consummation of the kingdom.

In the book of Revelation and in other biblical texts we see how the sequencing of all these things then comes together in such a way that what is revealed at the end is the absolute consummation of the kingdom of Christ. There are so many biblical teachings about this, there’s such a richness to what that Kingdom will represent. And when we pray, we pray “Your kingdom come.” God promised that there would be forever, one who would reign on the throne of King David. And there are not only earthly consequences, there are cosmic consequences. The reign of Christ is not only for those who are His own in terms of the church, in terms of His reign—it’s over all.

And then we come to understand that redemptively, His kingdom consists of those who are drawn from every tongue, and tribe, and kindred, and nation—as we see—from every people group, from every nation, who were redeemed from all the nations. And we come to understand that He will execute judgment over all. And He will reign on His father David’s throne. The prayer “Thy kingdom come” means nothing more and nothing less than may Christ establish His kingdom soon.

[ Albert Mohler ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI9ACPZ_dCU

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“What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God?”

What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God ( Matthew 6:33 )? Is seeking the kingdom of God first a matter of priorities?

[ Got Questions ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKZfSjDLKa0

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“What Are the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven?”

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyg-JDTHMGg

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“Is There a Dominion Mandate?”

Abstract
This paper discusses the concept of the dominion mandate. It examines the key passages of Scripture in which the dominion mandate has found its origin. It explores the observational evidence of man’s interaction with nature and questions if there is any true dominion that can be observed. It then proceeds to examine the Bible for evidence of the original dominion of Adam being extant and offers a rebuttal to the idea of a dominion mandate with a counter position. [more…]

[ Darek Isaacs ]

Research Paper: https://answersingenesis.org/environmental-science/stewardship/is-there-a-dominion-mandate/

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“The Reestablishment Of The Kingdom Of God Through Jesus”

It’s quite notable that the Kingdom of God located in the heavenly realm is something that Jesus had a lot to say about during His earthly ministries. He came primarily to reveal it to humanity who was lost in their sins under the pervasive dominion of the kingdom of darkness. The core foundation of His teachings along with His sacrificial death on the cross was centered specifically on making it possible for mankind to enter God’s Kingdom by pulling them by force out of the kingdom of darkness.

However, one thing that we should realize is that Kingdom had already been into existence way before Jesus’ ministries even started. Moreover, that Kingdom had already been established before the kingdom of darkness was. In short, that Kingdom took root from eternity; therefore, it’s an eternal Kingdom.

The main purpose of the coming of Christ Jesus in this evil world was to reestablish that Kingdom on earth. Why? The physical realm that was created by God for humans to dwell in was nothing more than an expansion of that Kingdom. The physical realm in its original state was a visible manifestation of the Kingdom of God on earth.

The reason that God created the physical realm was to further expand His reign and rule of His spiritual Kingdom located in heaven to a physical kingdom on earth. He created the human race for the purpose of ruling that physical realm with the very same principles found in His spiritual Kingdom, thus enabling both realms to be in sync with each other. God’s original plan was for the spiritual Kingdom to dominate every aspect of that physical realm through the obedience of mankind. [more…]

[ Living For Jesus Alone Ministries ]

Article: https://www.living-for-jesus-alone.org/the-reestablishment-of-the-kingdom-of-god-through-jesus.html

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“What Does it Mean to be a Born Again Christian”

What is a born again Christian? What does it mean to be a born again Christian? When Jesus said, you much be born again, what was He talking about? In this video, Pastor Nelson with Bible Munch answers these questions and explains how to be born again.

[ Got Questions ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tjqsBH_R6Y

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“What exactly is the Kingdom of God?”

Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology & Culture at Regent College

[ Dr. John Stackhouse ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS05ZsWWlIo

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“The Invisible Kingdom of God, Part 1 (Luke 17:20-21)”

Open your Bible, if you will, with me to the 17th chapter of the gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 17. In our continuing study of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ as written by one of the four gospel writers, Luke, we come to what is a very, very important section. And I want you to look with me today at the subject of the visible King and his invisible kingdom, the visible King and his invisible kingdom.

As we come to Luke chapter 17 and verse 20, we are embarking into a very, very important and foundational subject. The subject is the kingdom of God with a particular emphasis on its future realization, its future consummation, its future fulfillment. This takes up the remainder of the 17th chapter and this is not the last time we will look at this subject. It will appear again in more detail in chapter 21. So as we come to the final sections of this great gospel, we’re going to be looking into the future at the glorious Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, not with a fictional view, but with a biblical, accurate, factual view.

But before we can really take a good look at what the kingdom will be in the future, we need to understand what the kingdom is in the presence. Before we can understand the future reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to understand the present reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is where we begin in verses 20 and 21.

Verse 20 begins like this, “Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is.’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.'” [more…]

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCFRWb2DRiY

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“The Invisible Kingdom of God, Part 2 (Luke 17:20-21)”

We want to talk today about the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God. And in particular we want to talk about the visible King and His invisible kingdom. I would imagine that the most elaborate event that the world ever sees, the most magnificent event, the most grandiose ceremony that is ever held is a coronation. I’ve never been to a coronation, but I’ve seen a few on television. And they really pull out all the stops, even, in fact, when the person being crowned has a rather insignificant actual role to play. But that’s a holdover from days when the crowning of a king was intended to be grandiose and it was intended to make a massive, if not awesome and even frightening impression on people, because after all, a king was a king and a king or a queen, in some cases, has absolute power, absolute authority to do absolutely whatever he wills, whenever he wills, with whomever he wills. This is what it means to be a king.

We’ve all seen on television the vestiges of a coronation. And we have seen what a grand event it is in the most austere and magnificent building available to a people, with the most lavish kinds of clothes, attended by the most erudite and significant and important of all people. These are all signs of the power and signs of the privilege and signs of the authority. These are the magnificent emblems of what it means to be the monarch, to have absolute supremacy and absolute sovereignty in a nation.

Our Lord Jesus made a claim to be a King. But there was no such coronation. There was a very meager coronation, as a matter of fact, at least from the public’s viewpoint, a few sort of low-life shepherds showed up in a filthy stinking stable to bow down to a baby in a manger one night in obscurity in a small town called Bethlehem. There was another coronation of sorts some time later when some Persian king-makers, strangers and foreigners, showed up and came to that same child and offered gifts, indicating that this indeed was a King, but this too was a very private event and it was purposely kept private. And in fact it so upset the reigning king that even with a threat that it could be a real king who was born there, he decided to kill every single baby who might not…who might be that king and might be a threat to his throne some day. You might even say that the greatest King that ever came into the world came in without an appropriate coronation, that would certainly be true.

But then again, not only was His coronation not like any other coronation, His kingdom was not like any other kingdom either. In fact, it was He who said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” It was actually Jesus who said, “The kingdom is here and I’m the King.” And the people didn’t believe it. He just didn’t look like a king, He didn’t act like a king, and there was no pomp and circumstance to indicate the establishment of any kingdom. [more…]

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/42-222

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“The Kingdom Agenda”

God’s Kingdom isn’t just about theology and church. It isn’t just a quaint religious idea, or an obscure theological concept. It is about a whole new way of seeing our world and our place in it. When we grasp the full power of Kingdom-thinking and embrace a Kingdom agenda, it will transform every area of our lives including our thoughts, our actions, and our goals. In The Kingdom Agenda, Dr. Tony Evans offers the most comprehensive book he has ever written about what it means to live out the meaning of God’s Kingdom in every area of our lives.

[ Tony Evans ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrATAsm51LU

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“Kingdom Power”

This morning I want to invite you to turn back to the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark. As you remember, Mark opens his history of the life and ministry of Jesus in verse 1 with a declaration of truth; that is, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That is the affirmation that Mark will prove. He says it at the beginning, he is going to write a history, at least the beginning of the history of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

To say that any man is the Son of God is a grandiose statement, must be supported, and so Mark begins immediately to give unmistakable testimony to the fact that his identification of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, is supportable. [more…]

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KImJKy4yXQc

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“The Kingdom of Christ and God”

Every Christian called to be a saint; the danger of idolatry; the common error of being subjective in our approach to salvation and redemption; no fellowship between opposites; holiness the ultimate objective of Christianity (happiness a by-product) and this differentiates it from the cults; only the holy shall enter the kingdom; holiness the first priority; justification and sanctification explained.

[ Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0IJ7clSg8w

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“The Heart of Christ in Prayer, Thy Kingdom Come”

Are you praying like Jesus? Jesus modeled how our prayers should look. How often is our prayers focused on ourselves instead on God. Do you want God’s kingdom to come on earth? Do you want homes to be filled with Peace? Do you want marriages to be glorifying God? Do you want kids to grow up loving Jesus?

[ Paul Washer ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6mpIyEL7BA

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“Jesus and Nicodemus – A Conversation”

Except a man be born again … he cannot see the Kingdom of God… an ultimatum of sorts offered to this wealthy and influential Pharisee by none other than Jesus Christ. Will we meet Nicodemus in heaven one day? Where else do we find him in Scripture? Did he understand the only way to heaven and was he given eternal life? Gary takes on one of the deepest and most quoted chapters in the Bible, the 3rd chapter of John. Light and darkness … good and evil … salvation and condemnation … time to put on your thinking cap! Like Nicodemus!

[ Gary Stearman ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0TOhc8Fo68

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“When the Kingdom of God Is Not Good News”

Unless Jesus dies in our place, his victory over death and his coming kingdom are not good news. In fact, they are absolutely terrifying.

[ John Piper ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaAAAls8_Ko
Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKa2QIwOXQs

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“Where Did Satan’s First Desire for Evil Come from?”

We may not be able to explain how Satan became evil. But we do know that God did not compromise his goodness or glory in allowing Satan to fall.

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECPCLhe3UQo

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“How Much Authority Does Satan Have in the World?”

All Satan’s power is by permission. He has no authority to do anything God does not permit for infinitely wise purposes.

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IUgh5NTCi0

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“How is Satan god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4)?”

Answer: The phrase “god of this world” (or “god of this age”) indicates that Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people. His influence also encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions.

Satan is also called the “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2. He is the “ruler of this world” in John 12:31. These titles and many more signify Satan’s capabilities. To say, for example, that Satan is the “prince of the power of the air” is to signify that in some way he rules over the world and the people in it.

This is not to say that he rules the world completely; God is still sovereign. But it does mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate in this world within the boundaries God has set for him. When the Bible says Satan has power over the world, we must remember that God has given him domain over unbelievers only. Believers are no longer under the rule of Satan (Colossians 1:13). Unbelievers, on the other hand, are caught “in the snare of the devil” (2 Timothy 2:26), lie in the “power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19), and are in bondage to Satan (Ephesians 2:2).

So, when the Bible says that Satan is the “god of this world,” it is not saying that he has ultimate authority. It is conveying the idea that Satan rules over the unbelieving world in a specific way. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the unbeliever follows Satan’s agenda: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” Satan’s scheme includes promoting false philosophies in the world—philosophies that blind the unbeliever to the truth of the Gospel. Satan’s philosophies are the fortresses in which people are imprisoned, and they must be set free by Christ.

An example of one such false philosophy is the belief that man can earn God’s favor by a certain act or acts. In almost every false religion, meriting God’s favor or earning eternal life is a predominant theme. Earning salvation by works, however, is contrary to biblical revelation. Man cannot work to earn God’s favor; eternal life is a free gift (see Ephesians 2:8-9). And that free gift is available through Jesus Christ and Him alone (John 3:16; 14:6). You may ask why mankind does not simply receive the free gift of salvation (John 1:12). The answer is that Satan—the god of this world—has tempted mankind to follow his pride instead. Satan sets the agenda, the unbelieving world follows, and mankind continues to be deceived. It is no wonder that Scripture calls Satan a liar (John 8:44).

[ Got Questions ]

Teaching Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-EpVWh28SA

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How much power does Satan possess?

Answer: Satan was an angel created by God who turned against God’s authority (Isaiah 14:13) and became the head of a kingdom of evil spirits called demons, his “angels” (Matthew 25:41). His power both in the heavenly realm and on earth is great and should not be underestimated. However, while Satan and his forces are formidable enemies, Jesus Christ crushed Satan’s power, fulfilling the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. The cross of Christ won the victory (John 12:31). “The prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:11), and Jesus will one day destroy Satan’s power completely and purify creation (2 Peter 3:10).

Satan’s power in the heavenly realm / spirit world:
Satan’s power has repute in the spiritual realm (Jude 1:9), where he has limited access to the presence of God (Job 1:6). The book of Job provides insight into the relationship between God and Satan. In Job 1:6-12, Satan stands before God and reports that he has been “walking up and down” on the earth (v. 7). God asks Satan if he has considered godly Job, and Satan immediately accuses Job of insincerity—he only loves God for the blessings God gives. “Stretch out your hand,” Satan says, “and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face” (v. 11). God grants Satan permission to affect Job’s possessions and family, but not his person, and Satan leaves. In Job 2, Satan comes again into God’s presence and is, this time, permitted to affect Job’s personal health. (The rest of the book is from Job’s perspective, providing an example of how to deal with suffering.)

This is an important passage because it shows Satan’s place in the spiritual realm. He is able to accuse God’s people in His very presence, and Jude 1:9 shows that even Michael the archangel needs the Lord’s help in overcoming him. However, Satan is obviously restrained from enacting his full fury; he is still a created being under God, and his power is limited.

Satan’s power on the earth:
Job 1 also reveals that Satan does enact evil and cause direct harm on the earth. The most well-known and important of his actions on earth occurred in the garden of Eden. Genesis 3 tells of Satan’s temptation of Eve, the “mother of all the living” (v. 20), and her subsequent first sin. It was this act, and that of Eve’s husband Adam, that brought sin into the world, and it is the reason all humankind must be redeemed from sin in order to be with God.

One day, Jesus met a woman who had been “crippled by a spirit for eighteen years” (Luke 13:11). Jesus attributes the infirmity to Satan, who had kept her “bound” (verse 16). Satan’s power was real, but it was easily overcome by our Lord: “He put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God” (v. 13). Jesus’ miracle was a clear demonstration of His authority over Satan.

Since his instigation of evil on earth, Satan has been named the “prince,” “god,” or “ruler” of this world (John 14:30; cf. John 12:31; 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 2:2; Colossians 1:13). He is the enemy of God and truth (Matthew 13:24-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12), and he does everything he can to tempt individuals (Genesis 3; Luke 22:31; 1 Timothy 3:7) and larger groups of people (1 Thessalonians 3:5; Revelation 2:10). He “leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9). Satan accomplishes this by various means, including appealing to man’s pride (1 Timothy 3:6; 1 Corinthians 4:6), interfering with the transmission of truth (Matthew 13:18-22, 38-39), and placing false believers within the church (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; Revelation 2:9; 3:9). In John 8:44, Jesus says that Satan “is a liar and the father of it.”

God still grants Satan some authority in this world, which means that his power is not yet completely broken—except in one area: his power of death. Hebrews 2:14-15 says that Jesus came as a man to die in order to “destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil,” a power Satan had held “from the beginning” (John 8:44). The salvation Jesus provides has released us from Satan’s stranglehold. Death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Satan’s power – the conclusion:
The Bible says that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19), and we must “be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Yet Christians have a great hope, for Jesus Christ (John 16:33) and our faith in Him (1 John 5:4) have overcome Satan’s evil. “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

[ Got Questions ]

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“Christ Reigns over All: Biblical Survey of God’s Kingdom”

Before I start to trace out the theme of kingdom through the Bible, it will prove helpful, I think, to make four distinctions about how the word “kingdom” is used in the Bible. These are distinctions that every Bible reader comes to terms with, with time, but they really are very important.

1. The notion of kingdom in the Bible is often closer to what is sometimes called king dominion, that is, reign. When we speak of kingdom today, we often think of a realm rather than a reign: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the United Kingdom. We are thinking of a geographical area with its people and buildings and institutions and so on. The kingdom is that over which the king reigns. And there are some usages like that in the Bible, of course, like the kingdom of Israel. And the kingdom of God can be seen as the domain over which he reigns. But very frequently kingdom has to do with more of the reign of God rather than the realm of God’s reign. And that will become important as we will see in due course.

2. This is a republic here in America. So, our mental associations connected with kingdom are not necessarily very positive. The last king that Americans acknowledged didn’t turn out too well and, hence, the American Revolution. Moreover, if we think nostalgically about a monarchy today, probably for many Americans the first monarch that they think of is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, II. And she is a constitutional monarch. She has precisely two powers apart from her enormous personal influence and integrity and all the rest. But she has two powers: (1) She signs legislation that gets through parliament into law and (2) she can dissolve parliament any time she wishes to. Yet, in point of fact, if she did either of those things over against what the Parliament wanted, over against what the Prime Minster wanted, it would precipitate a national crisis, and there would be an election called, and whatever party was in power would be returned with a massive majority. [more…]

[ D.A. Carson ]

Interview: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/christ-reigns-over-all-biblical-survey-of-gods-kingdom

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“Satan Always Asks Permission: Seven Ways God Reigns over Evil”

Satan is powerful and active, but he has no authority apart from God. He may be a roaring lion, but he may not attack where God forbids.

[ John Piper ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4jqdj4wdQo

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“The Gospel Message From Acts 28 – Enter God’s Kingdom”

The Discipline Of Disciple-Making – Paul – Used By God To Change The World

[ John Barnett ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgCWVZdrVCA

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“Who Can be Saved?”

Who can be saved? Can anyone be saved? Can Jesus save anybody? Is there any type of person God can’t save?

[ Got Questions ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zs4A-FOcos

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“The Present and Future Kingdom of God”

“Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed the nearness of God’s kingdom (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15). A literal translation is “has come near.” The long-awaited rule of God was near. This message was called the gospel, the good news. Thousands of people were glad to hear this, and many responded to this message of John and Jesus.

But consider for a moment what the response would have been like if Jesus had preached, “The kingdom of God is 2,000 years away.” This would not have been news, nor perceived as all that good. The message would have been disappointing, and public response would also have been disappointing. Jesus may not have been popular, Jewish religious leaders might not have been jealous, and Jesus might not have been crucified.

However, John and Jesus preached a kingdom that was near in time to their audiences. The message said something about what people should do now; it had immediate relevance and urgency. It aroused interest—and jealousy. The message challenged the status quo and implied that changes were needed in civil government, in religious teachings, and in personal behavior. [more…]

[ Michael Morrison ]

Article: https://learn.gcs.edu/mod/page/view.php?id=4240

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“The Church is the Kingdom of God”

[ John MacArthur ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqzTwBdEecY

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“Thy KINGDOM Come: Connecting God’s Kingdom & The Antichrist”

Thy KINGDOM Come Means to Ask for Christ’s Coming to Rule: We are to start each time we pray by pointing our prayers (and our hearts and minds) above. To exactly where above? To our Father in HEAVEN. Where is our Father in Heaven each time we pray? Seated upon the Throne as the Almighty God the Father. That scene around the Throne is what we just saw last time in Daniel 7. That scene is what we extensively studied in Revelation 4 & 5. That Throne Room of the Universe is where every single prayer of each of us believers throughout all the ages is directed, and is received. What does the Lord’s Prayer remind us about?
Thy Kingdom Come means Satan’s Plan will fail
Thy Kingdom Come means God will Win
Thy Kingdom Come means I must surrender to His Reign
Hallelujah. Our God reigns.

[ John Barnett ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk7h421tylY

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“Counterfeit Christianity”

COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANITY: People counterfeit a lot of things–money, jewelry, & artwork are just a few. In this message, Adrian Rogers warns of the extreme dangers when it comes to counterfeiting your faith!

[ Adrian Rogers ]

Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=makOe6OoET0

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“The Counterfeit Kingdom”

While the majority of people go about their daily business completely ignorant, not only of what is going on now, but of what is to come upon the world shortly, preparations are being made for the greatest social and political changes that the world has seen in centuries. [more…]

[ S. H. Venour ]

Article: http://www.lastdays.org.uk/the-counterfeit-kingdom.html

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“Not Far from the Kingdom”

[ James Renwick ]

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqAJDPPUjgE

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“What Does Jesus Mean by ‘I Never Knew You’?”

When Jesus says, “I never knew you,” he means, “I don’t recognize you as my disciple, as my follower. You are a spiritual stranger to me.”

[ John Piper ]

Teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i9TQtU6c4Q

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“How can I become a child of God?”

Answer: Becoming a child of God requires faith in Jesus Christ. “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

“You must be born again”

When visited by the religious leader Nicodemus, Jesus did not immediately assure him of heaven. Instead, Christ told him he had to become a child of God, saying, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).

The first time a person is born, he inherits the sin nature that stems from Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. No one has to teach a child how to sin. He naturally follows his own wrong desires, leading to such sins as lying, stealing, and hating. Rather than being a child of God, he is a child of disobedience and wrath (Ephesians 2:1–3).

As children of wrath, we deserve to be separated from God in hell. Thankfully, Ephesians 2:4–5 says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” How are we made alive with Christ / born again / made a child of God? We must receive Jesus by faith!

Receive Jesus

“To all who have received him—those who believe in his name—he has given the right to become God’s children” (John 1:12, NET). This verse clearly explains how to become a child of God. We must receive Jesus by believing in Him. What must we believe about Jesus?

First, the child of God recognizes that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became man. Born of a virgin through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus did not inherit Adam’s sin nature. Therefore, Jesus is called the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22). While Adam’s disobedience brought the curse of sin on the world, Christ’s perfect obedience brings a blessing. Our response must be to repent (turn from sin) and seek forgiveness in Christ.

Second, the child of God has faith in Jesus as Savior. God’s plan was to sacrifice His perfect Son on the cross to pay the punishment we deserve for our sin: death. Christ’s death frees those who receive Him from the penalty and power of sin. His resurrection justifies us (Romans 4:25).

Finally, the child of God follows Jesus as Lord. After raising up Christ as the Victor over sin and death, God gave Him all authority (Ephesians 1:20–23). Jesus leads all who receive Him; He will judge all who reject Him (Acts 10:42). By God’s grace, we’re born again to new life as God’s child. Only those who receive Jesus—not merely knowing about Him but relying on Him for salvation, submitting to Him as Master, and loving Him as the supreme treasure—become children of God.

Become a child of God

Just as we had no part in our natural birth, we cannot cause ourselves to be born into God’s family by doing good deeds or conjuring up faith of our own. God is the one who “gave the right” to become a child of God according to His gracious will. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). Thus, the child of God has nothing to be proud about; his only boast is in the Lord (Ephesians 2:8–9).

A child grows up to look like his parents. Similarly, God wants His children to become more and more like Jesus Christ. Although only in heaven will we be perfect, a child of God will not habitually, unrepentantly sin. “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:7–10).

Make no mistake—a child of God cannot be “disowned” by sinning. But someone who consistently engages in and enjoys sin without heeding Christ and His Word reveals that he was never born again. Jesus told such people, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire” (John 8:44). The child of God, on the other hand, no longer craves the gratification of sin but desires to know, love, and glorify his or her Father.

The rewards of being a child of God are immeasurable. As God’s child, we are a part of His family (the church), promised a home in heaven, and given the right to approach God in prayer (Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 1:3–6; Romans 8:15). Respond to God’s call to repent of sin and believe in Christ. Become a child of God today!

Have you become God’s child through reading this article? If so, please click on the “I have accepted Christ today” button below.

[ Got Questions ]

Teaching Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=723WxJkIiHE

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“The Kingdom of God”

What are we really looking to receive?
Is it: Money, Fame, Success, or Promotion?
Secret lusts of the heart create problems;
are we willing to risk, His Salvation?

Living to get things will never satisfy;
without proper priorities and pursuits,
righteousness, peace and joy isn’t obtained.
Knowing your identity in Him, His fruit,

mercy and grace becomes obviously evident.
Seeking His face will insure that His hand
remains open towards those desiring Him.
However, are we doing what He had planned?

Are we delighting ourselves in Him alone?
Are the goals of God, something we discuss?
He always should be the King of our Life
and the Kingdom that is… inside each of us.

[ Joseph J Breunig III ]

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“Jesus Is Coming Again”

“Maybe morning, maybe noon,
Maybe evening, and maybe soon,
Coming again, coming again,
Oh, what a wonderful day it will be,
Jesus is coming again.

“I’m waiting for the dawning
Of that bright and blessed day
When the darksome night of sorrow
Will have vanished far away;
When forever with the Savior,
Far beyond the vale of tears,
We will spread the song of gladness
In the everlasting years.”
[ John W. Peterson ]

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“When We See Christ”

“It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!
[Earth]’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ.
One [look at] his dear face all sorrow will erase.
So, bravely run the race till we see Christ.”

[ Esther Kerr Rusthoi ]

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“This world is not my home,
I’m just a-passing through;
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.”

[ J. T. Benson, “This World Is Not My Home” ]

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SONGS:

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“Build Your Kingdom Here”

Come, set Your rule and reign
In our hearts again
Increase in us we pray
Unveil why we’re made
Come, set our hearts ablaze with hope
Like wildfire in our very souls
Holy Spirit come invade us now
We are Your church
We need Your power in us

We seek Your kingdom first
We hunger and we thirst
Refuse to waste our lives
For You’re our joy and prize
To see the captive hearts released
The hurt, the sick, the poor at peace
We lay down our lives for Heaven’s cause

We are Your church
We pray: revive this earth

Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray

Unleash Your kingdoms power
Reaching the near and far
No force of Hell can stop
Your beauty changing hearts
You made us for much more than this
Awake the kingdom seed in us
Fill us with the strength and love of Christ

We are Your church
We are the hope on earth

Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray

Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray

[ Rend Collective ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbdJXKqVgtg

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“We Declare that the Kingdom of God is Here”

We declare that the Kingdom of God is here (we declare that the Kingdom of God is here)
We declare that the Kingdom of God is here (we declare that the Kingdom of God is here)
Among you (Among you)
Among you (Among you)
We declare that the Kingdom of God is here (we declare that the Kingdom of God is here)
We declare that the Kingdom of God is here (we declare that the Kingdom of God is here)
Among you (Among you)
Among you (Among you)

The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame men are walking
Sickness flee at his voice
The dead live again and the poor hear the goodnews
Jesus is King so rejoice

We declare that the Kingdom of God is here (we declare that the Kingdom of God is here)
We declare that the Kingdom…

[ Ron Kenoly ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pm6yoYekcM

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“Amazing Grace”

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
than when we first begun.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
was blind, but now I see.

[ Alan Jackson ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBoUQCdzSdg

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“Ten Thousand Years”

Soon I’ll come to the end of my journey
And I’ll meet the One who gave His life for me
And I will thank him for the love that He gave me
And ten thousand years or more I’ll reign with Him

We will just begin to sing loves sweet story
And it’s a song that the angels they just could not sing
And I’ve been redeemed by the blood of my Savior
And ten thousand years or more I’ll praise His name

Ten thousand years, We’ll just be started
Ten thousand years, We’ve just begun
The battle will be over, And the victory is won
Ten thousand years, And we’ve just begun

Chorus 2
Ten thousand years, We’ll just be started
Ten thousand years, We’ve just begun
The battle will be over, And the victory is won
Ten thousand years, And we’ve just begun
For the battle is over & the victory’s been won…

Ten thousand years and we’ve just begun.

Ten thousand years… And we’ve just begun

[ Bill & Gloria Gaither ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_TBCYcQGMw

*****************************
“Kingdom of God”

Oh that I could see your face
How I’m longing for the day
Brighter sun of holy grace
Make my heart a holy place

Blessed are the poor who have nothing to own
Blessed are the mourners who are crying alone
Blessed are the guilty who have nowhere to go

For their hearts have a road to the kingdom of God
And their souls are the songs of the kingdom of God
And they will find a refuge for theirs in the kingdom of God

Beauty shining from your face
Always longed to see this place
Is there somewhere I can stay?
Even just a couple days?

Blessed are the poor who have nothing to own
Blessed are the mourners who are crying alone
Blessed are the guilty who have nowhere to go

For their hearts have a road to the kingdom of God
And their souls are the songs of the kingdom of God
And they will find a refuge for theirs in the kingdom of God

The Lord is a shepherd, we shall not want
In valley or pasture, we shall not want
Our cup runneth over and over
For now and forever
For now and forever

[ Jon Guerra ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq6sa7NCYFc

*****************************
“The Kingdom of God”

[ Amen Choir Of The First Baptist Church · The National Philharmonic Orchestra ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR9ttUpgmBM

*****************************
“Kingdom of God is Here”

We declare that the Kingdom of God is here (echo)
We declare that the Kingdom of God is here (echo)
Among you (echo)
Among you (echo)
(Repeat)

The blind see
The deaf hear
The lame men are walking
Sicknesses flee at His voice
The dead live again
And the poor hear
The good news
Jesus is King so rejoice

We declare that the Kingdom of God is here

We declare that the Kingdom of God is here

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRS5XKGv5xY

*****************************
“I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
‘Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down,
Thy head upon My breast.’
I came to Jesus as I was,
So weary, worn, and sad;
I found in Him a resting-place,
And He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
‘Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink and live.’
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream.
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
‘I am this dark world’s Light.
Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise
And all thy day be bright.’
I looked to Jesus, and I found
In Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that Light of Life I’ll walk
Till traveling days are done.

[ Horatius Bonar ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74kyfROS4q8

*****************************
“We’re the People of God”

With our lips, let us sing one confession.
With our hearts, hold to one truth alone.
For He has erased our transgressions;
Named us and called us His own, His very own.

We’re the people of God, called by His name;
Called from the dark; and delivered from shame.
One holy race, saints everyone;
Because of the blood of Christ Jesus, the Son.

So Hear us, O spirits of darkness.
So you will know where we stand.
We are His servants purchased with scars;
Bought by the blood of the Lamb, the blood of the Lamb.

[ Wayne Watson ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNOkUTs43bI

*****************************
“Seek First The Kingdom of God”

[ Eva Fry ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK-3z6LJv1k

*****************************
“Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”

[ Malibu Presbyterian Church ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHfzAJS7IRc

*****************************
“This World Is Not My Home”

This world is not my home
I’m just a-passing through
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.

Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home
Then Lord what will I do.

The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.

I have a loving mother
Just up in Gloryland
And I don’t expect to stop
Until I shake her hand.

She’s waiting now for me
In heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.

Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home
Then Lord what will I do.

The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.

Just over in Gloryland
We’ll live eternally
The saints on every hand
Are shouting victory.

Their songs of sweetest praise
Drift back from heaven’s shore
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.

Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home
Then Lord what will I do.

The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore…

[ Charity Youth Choir – Words by Albert E. Brumley ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJP5XGFbcUQ

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdOOxuQii_s

*****************************
“We Are the People of God”

With our lips, let us sing one confession.
With our hearts, hold to one truth alone.
For He has erased our transgressions;
Named us and called us His own, His very own.

We’re the people of God, called by His name;
Called from the dark; and delivered from shame.
One holy race, saints everyone;
Because of the blood of Christ Jesus, the Son.

So Hear us, O spirits of darkness.
So you will know where we stand.
We are His servants purchased with scars;
Bought by the blood of the Lamb, the blood of the Lamb.

[ Wayne Watson ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNOkUTs43bI

*****************************
“When We See Christ”

Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,
We’re tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;
But Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away,
All tears forever over in God’s eternal day.

Refrain:
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a ray of light,
We’re tossed and driven on, no human help in sight;
But there is one in heav’n who knows our deepest care,
Let Jesus solve your problem – just go to Him in pray’r.

Life’s day will soon be o’er, all storms forever past,
We’ll cross the great divide, to glory, safe at last;
We’ll share the joys of heav’n – a harp, a home, a crown,
The tempter will be banished, we’ll lay our burden down.

[ The Browns – Written by Esther Kerr Rusthoi ]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPuWdy1v_aA

*****************************

 

*****************************
*****************************

APOLOGETIX SONGS

*****************************
*****************************

“Babylona”
(Parody of “My Sharona” by The Knack)

Ooh my little city was pretty tough
When it was the kingdom called Babylona
Ooh, I made a golden god — and told the mob
Got to come and bow before my persona
Everybody dropped, givin’ up
Such a pretty sight, they all were givin’ up
All the town, ‘cept three Israelites
Why, why, why, why, why?! Whoa!
Ba-ba-ba-babylona
Called the little jokers up — said “Bring ’em up
Close enough to look in my fire’s aroma!
Hebrew children, listen to me, you’re dissin’ me
Come and bow or simmer like Rice-a-rona!”
“Never gonna drop,” they said “We’re not
“Such important guys, but God will get us out!”
Told the guards, “Throw them in the fire!”
Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye! Whoa!
Ba-ba-ba-babylona
Ba-ba-ba-babylona
Said to throw them into the rotisserie
Sizzlin’ like a platter of fried bologna
“Kids you’re just a recipe, so rest in peace!”
But they didn’t burst in flames and die — why? Don’t knowa
Never would have thought they’d live at all
Such a burnin’ fire — I saw them with their God
Called them out — Now they’re friends of mine
My, my, my, my, my! Whoa!

[ ApologetiX – “Keep The Change” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQYFnc_KRpY

*****************************
“Iraq & Iran”
(Parody of “Jack & Diane” by John Cougar Mellencamp)

Little ditty ‘bout Iraq & Iran
Two very ancient kingdoms growin’ up near the Holy Land
Iraq it used to be a superpower
Known as Babylon, that’s the scene of that big tower

Babylon was really strong but over time would taste defeat
Iran sittin’ on the Iraqis’ map They had the Persians and the Medes
Iraqis they hated Iran but they were cut off in 539 B.C.
Babylon had fallen but what would Persia do about Greece

Say, uh
Oh, yeah, life goes on
Long after the threats of little nations
Oh, yeah, life goes on
Long after the best of civilizations Are all gone

After this happened, the Greeks would fall to the Romans
Back in a hundred and forty-six B.C.
Well, then those Romans, they had a run of sitting pretty
That ended, badly, in the 5th Century
And as we said now

CHORUS

So when they talk about control
Look at Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome
No longer sitting as strong as they can
Change can come around real soon, make us little again

CHORUS

Little ditty ‘bout Iraq & Iran
You American kids do your best to understand.

[ ApologetiX – “Future Tense” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WYv4KsUAPY

*****************************
“I Dealt with You”
(Parody of “I Melt With You” by Modern English)

Using Your Word, losing all my friends
Placing trust in You I’ve never second-guessed
I saw the world flashing baubles ‘round my face
Never really loved me – it was always commission-based

I shopped for pearls and dealt with You
You seemed so different and this gem it glitters all the time
That stuffy huge Hope Diamond won’t do
I shopped for pearls and dealt with you

(Who would know better?)
I seek a precious prize – the kind which never breaks
(You showed me love)
Crafted in place of those sad generic fakes
(Who could do better?)
I made a pilgrimage my savings to exchange
(You took me up)
Never have regretted that day from long gone by (
That I shopped for pearls, shopped)

I shopped for pearls and dealt with You
(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
You’ve seen the Scriptures and it’s Matthew 13:45
(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
There’s nothing new that I want too
(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
I shopped for pearls and dealt with you

The jeweler knows the price

(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
I shopped for pearls and dealt with You
(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
Why deal with strangers when the gem Inventor’s on the line
(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
That’s something humankind won’t do
(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
I shopped for pearls and dealt with you

My future hope is Christ

I shopped for pearls and dealt with You
(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
Truth gleams and glistens and now Heaven’s gates are open wide
(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
That’s something human eyes won’t view
(Yeah, shopped for pearls, shopped)
I shopped for pearls and dealt with you.

[ ApologetiX – “You Can’t Say Euphrates WIthout the 80’s” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlYTQAuBEmM

*****************************
“Come To Father”
(Parody of “Come Together” by The Beatles)

Don’t become all flattered because
You do stuff stuff only to get
Viewed by rivals as one holy roller
You’ve got prayer down to a “T”
Got to keep it covert when you’re doing good deeds

Keep prayer clandestine
You should go and look till you’ve got
Someplace secret you can go to Father
Because He sees you secretly
Public pride can fail you if you’re not too discreet
Come to Father right now … covertly

No big productions – He wants smallness from you
Because God knows what you need before you ask Him
He don’t need Thou’s and Thy’s and Thee’s
Told you if you’re honest; He’ll fulfill all your needs
Come to Father right now … honestly

Right!

Pray Holy Father, way up there in Heaven
Let Your kingdom come and let your will be done and
Please forgive our sins, fulfill our needs
God, don’t lead us to temptation, save us from evil
Come to Father right now … on your knees

Come to Father
yeah
Come to Father
yeah
Come to Father
yeah
Come to Father
yeah
Come to Father
yeah!
Come to Father
yeeeah!
Come to Father
yeeeeah!

[ ApologetiX – “Orchard Avenue” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXIbLv86R1g

*****************************
“Parable Guy”
(Parody of “American Pie” by Don McLean)

A long, long time ago, I can still remember How amusing He could make things sound And I knew if I’d had my pen
That I should take notes even then
And maybe then I’d have them for you now

But every word He said was clever
And every parable I remember
Matthew has recorded – and Luke, I think, has more yet I can’t remember if I try

What I learned about in junior high
But some things taught by Jesus Christ
Remain, refusing to die

So bye, bye Mr. Parable Guy

Got my blessin’ through the lessons taught by Heaven’s Messiah
Them good old days of seekin’ wisdom divine
Sittin’ list’nin’ to the Parable Guy
Listen to the Parable Guy

Did you like the Book of Luke
And do you like fables that are true
If you like I’ll tell you some

Cause a true believer’s crop is slow
When seed gets wasted on the road, but
Plant ‘em deep and plow the land and they’ll grow

Now I know the storms will come again
So don’t start your mansion in the sand
He won’t pick off the fruits if that fig tree didn’t produce

And if a lowly widow won’t give up
She can make her case and win a wicked judge
But the new wine is powerful stuff
It waits for you to try You gotta drink it

CHORUS

Now, if a shepherd’s sheep are all at home
And one goes out on his own alone
Well, that’s not where he needs to be

Won’t the shepherd search for the missing sheep
And of course, a woman doesn’t sleep
Till the coin she can’t find is retrieved

Oh, and while the kid was gettin’ down
And spendin’ all his money in town
Of course his father yearned – oh, for him to return

And all the weddin’ guests who don’t get smart
The Lord just catches them off guard
And leaves them virgins in the dark the day the groom arrives Bells were ringin’

CHORUS

Selfish wealth it isn’t gonna help if
Your barns are stocked like a fallout shelter
Grain piled high with all your cash

The wedding has a lot of guests
Today it’s time for your formal best
I’d suggest you follow guidelines when you dress

Now at halftime there were things to do
So the farmer paid another crew
They all got paid for that – Oh, but the jealous ones were mad

And as the treasure finder pays takes the field
The merchant says this jewel’s a steal
They’ll lose it all for such a deal
And pay the fullest price

They got the kingdom

CHORUS

Oh, and there they were all in one place
From every nation, tongue and race
With goats and lambs apart in pens

So c’mon, drag the fishnet, catch the fish
Don’t splash that on your candlestick cause
Flour with the leaven’s gonna spread

Oh, and as they robbed him on the way
The man was left in disarray
No neighbor stopped to help
And he couldn’t save himself

And as a stranger finally pulled aside
He spied the battered Israelite
I saw Him save him gladly with delight
He made it through the night

He was strengthened

CHORUS

The little children sang the blues
And they blasted forth some happy tunes
But things just failed to turn their way

“I went out and I made some more!”
Said the servant who got his reward
But the man that had excuses couldn’t pay

And when the wheat was filled with weeds
The mustard climbed from the smallest seed
And all the birds were hopin’
The birdhouse now was open

And the thing that I admire most
From all those funny parables
They taught the lessons for the folks
Whose faith was rooted in Christ

Cause they were seekin’

CHORUS

[ ApologetiX – “Jesus Christ Morningstar” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWTKFlKwqsc

*****************************
“Rollin’ in the Yeast”
(Parody of “Reelin’ in the Years” performed by Steely Dan)

Your Everlasting Father, you can’t see no faith in that
So you have to preach on something that you think is more abstract
Well, you wouldn’t even know a Bible if you held it in your hands
The things you think impressive I can’t understand

Are you rollin’ in the yeast
So you can make it rise
Are you fattenin’ up the geese
Have you had ‘em stuffed with lies
Are you really just a weed
Growin’ up late at night
I’ll be gatherin’ up the sheep
That you’ve scattered left and right

You’ve been tellin’ me you worshipped Jesus till you were 17
Around that time they told you Christ was only just a dream
They weakened you in college till you turned out like they planned
You think you have some knowledge I can’t understand

Are you rollin’ in the yeast
So you can make it rise
Are you fattenin’ up the geese
Have you had ‘em stuffed with lies
Are you reelin’ in the fish
Don’t even waste your time
You’d be better off than this
If you led a life of crime

I’ve seen a lot of funny things but never thought I’d find
A Christian wagin’ holy war against the Lord divine
After all the things He’s done for me I’m fine with what I am
The finks who make like Judas I can’t understand

Are you rollin’ in the yeast
So you can make it rise
Are you fattenin’ up the geese
Have you had ‘em stuffed with lies
Are you feelin’ unbelief
Throwin’ away your life
Are you sad, you Sadducee
Are you mad at Matthew 5

[ ApologetiX – “Singles Group” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbNl5upyPM4

*****************************
“Death”
(Parody of “Beth” by KISS)

Death I hear you callin’
But I can’t come over right now
Me and the Lord are prayin’
And it just came time to bow
Guess you’ll lose your powers
And I’ll free my soul from you
The sting I feared is stolen
O, death, what can you do?
Death, what can you do?

The grave will be so empty
But now hell just ain’t my home
I’m goin’ somewhere else
Where the Lord’s always on the throne
Yes, you’ll lose your powers
And I feel my soul renewed
Your kingdom here has fallen
O, death, what can you do?
Death, what can you do?

Death, I know you owed me
But my hope’s in Jesus Christ
And me and the Lord will be stayin’ – alive
Alive

[ ApologetiX – “Soundproof” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VmdwtUUafk

*****************************
“Born Above”
(Parody of “born To Run” by Bruce Springsteen)

In the day he went about on the streets
Doing run of the mill Pharisee things
At night he met with his master, the Lord, he said
Show us what You mean
I’m a sage but You’re highly divine
Your wisdom’s respected and second-to-none, top of the line Oh – Jesus said, Now, if you’re born from above
You can get that – you can go where I’m at
You gotta get it while you’re young
‘Cause you can’t find much, baby till you’re born above That’s what He told Him

Yeah, He said to Him, you gotta be born again
If you want God to increase your vision
Just like the wind blows just where it wills
The same thing happens to Christians
You never see it make its path – yet somehow you know Baby, whenever it blows past
Oh – will you walk with Me out on the water?
Cause baby I can prepare you to know the Father
If you wanna know, here’s the deal:
You must become a little child
If you wanna know that God is real

Oh, let Me show you. John 3:3

Beyond this planet, Heaven’s got a home
Seems like it’s really far
The world’s not aware but it’s really near
And they don’t have to look so hard
The amusing part is the door’s in your heart
It’s just somehow out of reach in your midst
You gotta die with Me daily or you wait to die
And get everlasting death

The highway’s jammed with folks whose steering’s
Gonna get them burned alive
Well, everybody wants on the road to God
But there’s no way there but Mine
Together, Nicky, we can live at this address
I’ll scrub you of all the badness in your soul
Someday when you’re born again
You’re gonna get to that place you really wanna go
And you’ll walk with the Son
But till then – can’t find much baby till you’re born above Uh, buddy – can’t find much baby till you’re born above C’mon with Me – can’t find much baby till you’re born above

[ ApologetiX – “Grace Period” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ56scF8NME

*****************************
“Nicky”
(Parody of “Mickey” by Toni Basil)

Oh, Nicky, you’re so blind
Open wide your soul and mind, hey Nicky, hey Nicky
Oh, Nicky, you’re so blind
Open wide your soul and mind, hey Nicky, hey Nicky
Oh, Nicky, you’re so blind
Open wide your soul and mind, hey Nicky

Hey, Nicky
You come around at night and ask about the Law
You like to talk to Christ ’cause you think He comes from God
Why can’t you see the light so you can teach them all, Nicky?
The wind blows where it wills and no one sees it blow
The same with those He fills – they believe, they just know
Every night you still leave with heart of stone, Nicky

O, Nicky, what a pity, you don’t understand
Salvation’s kind of hard when you ain’t been born again
No, Nicky, there’s some things you can’t do as a man
But God likes you, Nicky
He’ll help you through, Nicky, through Nicky
Open your heart, Nicky

Hey, Nicky
Now when you take these Bible truths
Then you’re gonna know
Every time you do you’ll get a little more shown
There’s nothing to confuse
So don’t play dumb, Nicky
So come on now, Nicodemus, anybody can
Any man or woman who believes is born again
The breeze in the trees still leaves its evidence, Nicky

O, Nicky, what a pity, you don’t understand
Salvation’s kind of hard when you ain’t been born again
No, Nicky, there’s some things you can’t do as a man
But God likes you, Nicky
He’ll help you through, Nicky, through Nicky
Open your heart, Nicky

Oh, Nicky, you’re so blind
Open wide your soul and mind, hey Nicky, hey Nicky
Oh, Nicky, you’re so blind
Open wide your soul and mind, hey Nicky, hey Nicky
Oh, Nicky, you’re so blind
Open wide your soul and mind, hey Nicky

O, Nicky, what a pity, you don’t understand
Salvation’s kind of hard when you ain’t been born again
No, Nicky, there’s some things you can’t do as a man
But God likes you, Nicky
He’ll help you through, Nicky, through Nicky
Open your heart, Nicky

O, Nicky, John 3:3 through 21 expands
You take this all to heart and you’ll take the Promised Land
O, Nicky, 7:50 there in John again
We find out you, Nicky
Still want the truth, Nicky, truth, Nicky
Open your heart, Nicky

Oh, Nicky, John 19 verse 39 I scanned
You play a vital part in the Savior’s burial plan
Oh, Nicky, when it’s finished then you’ll understand
What God must do, Nicky
He loves you, too, Nicky, too, Nicky
Open your heart, Nicky

O, Nicky, what a pity, you don’t understand
Salvation’s kind of hard when you ain’t been born again

[ ApologetiX – “Nicky/Album
You Can’t Say Euphrates Without the 80’s” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmvKbWuMExk

*****************************
“Once Livin’ Twice Died”
(Parody of “Once Bitten Twice Shy” by Great White)

Well it’s time to get a start that’s new, little girl
You’ve been huntin’ and you’re stumblin’ all over God’s Word You can’t remember where you got so much sin
And you don’t know just how we’re born again
You didn’t know what a rotten soul was
Until you read in John where chapter three told us
Christ was there with Nick at nite
Be born again, He said, or else you’ll stay died … yeah

Now it’s the middle of your life and you’re growin’ old
You see there’s God’s word in a hotel drawer
You look inside – the Book is kinda neat
The written word ya read sure knocks you off your feet
You didn’t know how a rotten soul cooked
Until you caught the rich man in the gospel of Luke
That hit home and your heart got hot
You said, “It looks like it’s time
I was gettin’ right with God”

I said, my, my, my – you’re once livin’ twice died, babe
My, my, my – I’m once dead and twice alive, babe
My my my – you’re once livin’ twice died, babe

Woman you’re a mess gonna die in your sins
There’s blood of the Lamb if you let Christ in
Can’t keep Him out – confess with your mouth
You best read Romans 10 cause that’s where it’s found
You didn’t know that a rotten soul burned
Now you’ve got the manual and you’ll live if you learn You’ve got the picture – you’ve got to speak
Come to Him and pray and make it short and sweet CHORUS
You didn’t know they let rotten souls in Heaven
Until you saw the scripture there in Romans chapter 7
You told me, “I want to know the Son”
And look at you now – your darkness is gone

CHORUS

[ ApologetiX – “Spoofernatural” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ6LiDVcZLY

*****************************
“Don’t Stop Till Egypt”
(Parody of “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey)

Just a small town girl – living in a Roman world
She took a late-night trip out of Bethlehem
Just a bitty boy – born to make the world rejoice
He took a late-night trip out of Bethlehem

The king is in an OK mood – until the wise men leak the news
For a while they can spare their lives
If they run, and run, and run, and run

Angels racin’, comin’ down to pull them out
There’s bad folks searchin’ in the night
Flee, wise people
Heaven sends a warning, Joseph
Hide Him somewhere near the Nile

Well, King Herod, he ain’t quite thrilled
“Every baby must be killed!”
He’ll do anything – he’s cold as ice – what’s one more crime?
Run from Him – One with you’s
The Son of God, the King of the Jews
For His kingdom never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

Angels racin’, comin’ down to pull them out
There’s bad folks searchin’ in the night
Flee, wise people
Heaven sends a warning, Joseph
Hide Him somewhere near the Nile

Don’t stop till Egypt – go down to the pyramids
Flee, wise people, oh oh oh
Don’t stop till Egypt – go down, yeah
Flee, wise people, oh oh oh

[ ApologetiX – “Wise Up and Rock” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtZMjgISv8M

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“One More Wall”
(Parody of “Wonderwall” by Oasisi)

Today is gonna be the day
Those in Jericho will have to move
Right now the trumpets gonna sound
We will rise up and conquer you
You don’t believe that anyone can
Really break on through behind your wall

I see the warriors laugh at me
From the tower as they all look out
They’re sure the wall is so secure
And they never even had a doubt
They don’t believe that anyone can
Really break on through behind the wall

But all who war with Joshua are finding
In all the fights it seems the Lord’s behind me
There are many Israelites
To fight today with you – but you won’t come out So, baby
Our God will make your wall just cave in
‘Cause after all
You’re just one more wall

Today the story is the same
As in Joshua in chapter six
Right now there’s walls comin’ down
Even like the one in East Berlin
Why don’t you read Second Corinthians*
10, ‘cause when you do, it tells you how

Our weapons are not fleshly but they’re mighty
For pulling down all fortresses and high things
Every single thing that tries
To fight the way of truth – will be broken down
And then Satan
Is gonna see his kingdom taken It has to fall
It’s just one more wall
I said, Satan
Is gonna be the one that’s shaken He has to fall
He’s just one more wall
I said, Satan (said Satan)
Is gonna be the one that’s shaken (that’s shaken)
Is gonna be the one that’s shaken (that’s shaken)
Is gonna be the one that’s shaken (that’s shaken)

[ ApologetiX – “Apoplectic” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M_tONY0lXg

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“Shoestring Tie-Er”
(Parody of “Shooting Star” by Bad Company)

Johnny was a little boy
When he heard ‘em say Jesus would come
In the womb, I think he was
And from there he started kickin’ his mom
Wound up in the desert
Used to stay there every night
Now he’s known as Johnny the Baptist
And everyone knows why
Don’t you know?

Johnny told his followers
Hey – Messiah is on the way
I’m gonna get you baptized
So we need to get started today
Many came to the Jordan to hear ‘bout the Messiah
Johnny said, I’m not worthy – Messiah’s shoes to tie

Don’t you know?
Don’t you know that I’m not His shoestring tie-er
Don’t you know?
Don’t you know that I’m not His shoestring tie-er
And I with water wash you – but there’s one
That’s gonna use fire

Johnny waded in the river
And made ‘em go underwater
Suddenly everyone loved to hear the things he taught there One day the Lord dropped by
And tried to get baptized too
Johnny looked astounded and said
Well, I need to be baptized by you
Don’t Ya know?

Don’t you know that I’m not Your shoestring tie-er
Don’t you know?
Don’t you know that I’m not Your shoestring tie-er
And I with water wash You – but there’s one
That’s gonna use fire … that’s You, Messiah!

LEAD

CHORUS

Johnny died one night – died a prison death
Daughter of the queen – she demanded Johnny’s head
Jesus Christ said that John was the world’s greatest man
But the least one in the kingdom is still greater than – John

CHORUS

[ ApologetiX – “The Boys Aren’t Backin’ Down” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7m_dbvhQ1Q

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“Simp Liztik”
(Parody of “Nookie” by Limp Bizkit)

He came into this world for the rejects
Look into the Bible – then you need to size up the facts
Dwell upon the facts – and learn about His grace
Everything’s in First Corinthians Verse 1:28
Hey, I think about the day
When the world He came to save went astray
And they nailed Him to a tree
How He stuck with ‘em though they did that stuff
And went on just to suffer and got lumped with us all

(Hey) like the chumps, like the tramps, like the drunks
Like the punks, like the bums, like the scum, like us all

We’ve all been really bad (Oh?) No one is really good (No?)
It’s kinda sad – Christ’s the laughin’ stock of the neighborhood
And you would think He’d try to prove ‘em wrong
But Christ He suffered like I said, stuck up on the death cross
He said that they just made a mistake
And God should give ‘em a break
We oughta praise Jesus’ name
Saved us from Hell, what you want me to say?
I know why and I can’t deny

He did it all for the crooked (Come on!) the hookers (Come on!)
So you can be bad lookin’ and still get up to Heaven!
Still get up to Heaven! Still get up to Heaven!
Still get up to Heaven!

REPEAT CHORUS

Why did He save those bums? Why did He save those scum, huh?
Can’t figure it out, but He said it in Matthew 21:
31 and still they didn’t get it
He came to treat the guys who were diseased
Cause the well don’t want a doctor’s help or hospitality
He had to get ‘em all better
Like tax collectors, harlots and lepers and self-righteous hecklers (Hey) like the chumps …

CHORUS

I’m goin’ to Romans – just so you’ll read verse 3:10
Religious Pharisees
They’ll tell you – They’re very good
That’s easier said than done
Psalm verse 53:3 – Righteous? No not one
Jesus alone – Jesus alone – Just Jesus alone

What we wanna say is humans don’t obey
And I could quote the same verse in Psalm 14 verse 3
All have gone astray but you can know the way
The righteous ones are scarce here – We’re all in need of grace
What’s it gonna take for you to go and pray
‘Cause Christ just wants to save you
And all you need is faith

CHORUS

[ ApologetiX – “Keep The Change” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qdugQzzNDU

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“Too Wicked for Paradise”
(Parody of “Two Tickets to Paradise” by Eddie Money)

Caught in our crimes I guess that we both knew
Someday that both of us would both be wanted and doomed
We did so wrong, we did so wrong
We did so wrong, we did so wrong

I’m on a stake my arms outstretched not from Him
They’ve got two wicked men on crosses now hanging
With One who didn’t sin
He did no wrong, He did no wrong
He did no wrong, He did no wrong

I’m not too quick to prepare to die
But I’m going to act real fast with Jesus Christ
I’ve got two seconds to verify
I’m not too wicked for Paradise

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I’m gonna beg you, Lord, forgive those awful years
And when your kingdom comes I hope You’ll save me
He said, “Listen here – you know what?”
I’ll take you along, take you along
Take you along, take you along

I’ve got true riches in Paradise
And those who ask Me that won’t be denied
I’ve got you with Me in Paradise
So don’t you act real sad, you’ll see tonight
I’ve got true riches in Paradise
And those who ask Me that won’t be denied
I’ve got you with Me to Paradise
I’ve brought you with Me to Paradise

[ ApologetiX – “Easter Standard Time” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEo-1GU-PfU

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“The Voice of Sodom”
(Parody of “The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley)

Nobody down below, I’m on the mountain peaks
A chill is in the air, the sulfur smell, it reeks
It’s too late, can’t retreat to some ghost town below
I’m tryin’ to find a house far enough for our home

But I can’t see you; the mountain’s higher than I thought
Look how the air’s coal black; this was some act of God, baby
And I can’t tell you what Lot will do; I’m still in shock
After Gomorrah and Sodom have gone

I never will forget those guys, they wandered into Sodom’s streets
Remember how I made them stay with me
The men in town all made a scene
Now I don’t want to say what happened; things got rough
But, baby when the men attacked
They found out those two guys were angels

I can’t see you; our town’s been swallowed by the sun
But you were walkin’ too slow, baby, why didn’t you ever run
But I did tell you that lovely view would self-destruct
After the boys of Sodom were judged

All of the folks in Canaan saw the black cloud thicken in the aftermath
I heard a noise, looked straight ahead
Said don’t look back, but you went and looked back
I thought I knew my loved ones, what did I know?
Those caves look good for shelter, I should just get in those, but

I can’t see you and mountain climbing isn’t fun
I brought our daughters out and they need a mom, baby
I can’t help you, my love turned to a pillar of salt
After the boiling sulfur had fallen

I can’t see you, our town’s been blown to kingdom come
They got to tear old maps up and make brand new ones, baby
I can tell you my love for you will fill this song
After Gomorrah and Sodom have gone

[ ApologetiX – “New and Used Hits” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS-6ZhWgdQ4

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“Lamentations Song”
(Parody of “Ramble On” performed by Led Zeppelin)

I see the wall has fallen down — time I was on my way
And still, they might decide — to let some peasants stay
But now it’s time for me to go — their orders we must obey
The Babylonians came — and we’re their slaves
And we’re heading that way
Ah, the town I love’s on fire
But I know I’ve got one place I’ve got to move

Babylon
Now’s their time, we’re down and out
Their kingdom’s strong
They’re gonna rule the world, they got their flags unfurled
On my way
We’ve been displaced — sin leads to disgrace
Babylon
The prophecies are all complete

It’s not the time to sign a truce
The time has come to be gone
And for our selfish ways and countless crimes
We’re bound for Babylon

Babylon
And now our crimes have found us out
Their kingdom’s strong
They’re gonna rule the world, they got their flags unfurled
On my way
We’ve been displaced — sin leads to disgrace
We’re goin’ to Babylon
Because the prophecies are all complete

I can tell you know why

Jeremiah detailed that on fancy scrolls
But freedom died slow here
‘Cause years ago Isaiah foretold and Habakkuk did declare
Plus in the darkest depths of Moses, I’ve read it also there
But Solomon and his evil wives
Messed up the blissful way we were, were, were, yeah
There ain’t nothing I can do now
I guess I’ll be gone

Babylon
And what a shame
Sing my song
I’ve got a lamentation
I’m goin’ to Babylon
Because of things done wrong
I’m gonna work all day
They’re gonna rule the world
(Babylon) Baby, baby, yeah
Do do do do do (baby) my baby (Babylon baby)
Uh-do do do do do – do-de do-de do-de do-de do-de do-oo
I can’t stop to breathe and it’s so hard
But there’s no time to think about complaining I really must depart
I gotta keep searchin’ for my family
(Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby)
I gotta keep a-searchin’ for my family
(Mmm my my my my my my my family )
Yayy yeah-eh
(My my my my my my baby)
Uh yeah-eh-yeah, uh yeah-eh-yeah
Yay-a-yay, yay-a-yay, yay-a-yay, yay-a-yay, yay-a-yay
Ooooh my my my my – my my – my my
I can’t fight those troopers
I guess I’m gonna do what they say, but I
I guess that’s my future
(Keep travelin’, baby)
Uh – uh – yeah!
(A-keep travelin’, baby)
Keep – keep – keep

[ ApologetiX – “Braggadocious” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUyauHU3uJI

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“Superficial”
(Parody of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder)

Very superficial
Whitewash on the wall
Very superficial
Letter of the law
There’s too much obeying
No one’s looking past
Leaven’s in the breadbox
Spreading pretty fast
And do you really think
That the Lord judges man on the surface Superficial change your ways
Ooh, Pharisee official
Wash your face and hands
Sifting out the small bugs
Swallowing a camel
Keep doin’ the same things
Even though they’re wrong
You don’t want to change things
You’ve had ‘em so long
When you receive these things
That you know come from man
And you’re stubborn
Your traditions taint your faith
There is true forgiveness
Nothing more than grace
Carry your traditions to 29 Isaiah Thirteenth verse, oh baby
Go and look into that
7:6-9 in Mark
Put it in your past
And do you really think
That the Lord judges man on the surface Superficial change your ways

[ ApologetiX – “Wordplay” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K70LrK7zyZE

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“Animals I Have Begun”
(Parody of “Animal I Have Become” by Three Days Grace)

I can’t explain this well
So many kinds of life
But I still can’t yet find
Somebody friendly who is like me
I can’t console myself

So, Lord, if you concede a partner’s right for me
Someone to help me name these animals I have begun
Help me, please — don’t want no chimpanzees
Someone to help me name these animals

I can’t just date myself
So let me find a bride
But not the dangerous type
Somebody pretty who has nice hair
I can’t just hold myself

So, Lord, if you concede a partner’s right for me
Someone to help me name these animals I have begun
She’ll be petite and someone real sweet
Someone to help me name these animals I have begun
We’ll be a team ’cause she’ll agree with me
Someone to help me name these animals

Someone to help me through this life here
I can’t just clone myself
Somebody shapely on my side, yeah
To share this space I dwell

So, Lord, if you concede a partner’s right for me
Someone to help me name these animals I have begun
I’ll be complete — and she can clean for me
Someone to help me name these animals I have begun
Beneath the trees, we’ll grab a bite to eat
Someone to help me name these animals
These animals I have begun

[ ApologetiX – “Future Tense” album ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcT-cQI1oQc

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*****************************
*****************************

DEEP THOUGHTS:

*****************************
*****************************

“I want there to be no peasant in my kingdom so poor that he cannot have a chicken in his pot every Sunday.”
[ Henry IV ]

“Had I been present at the Creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe.”
[ Alfonso X, King of Castile ]

“I would rather have a Scot come from Scotland to govern the people of this kingdom well and justly than that you should govern them ill in the sight of all the world.”
[ Louis IX , King of France ]

“For even he who is most greedy for knowledge can achieve no greater perfection than to be thoroughly aware of his own ignorance in his particular field. The more be known, the more aware he will be of his ignorance.”
[ Nicholas of Cusa ]

“Justice is the constant and perpetual wish to render every one his due.”
[ Emperor Justinian ]

“When I investigate and when I discover that the forces of the heavens and the planets are within ourselves, then truly I seem to be living among the gods.”
[ Leon Battista Alberti ]

“Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing higher, nothing stronger, nothing larger, nothing more joyful, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth.”
[ Thomas à Kempis ]

“If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.”
[ William Law ]

“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon Earth.”
[ John Wesley ]

“Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever.”
[ Brennan Manning ]

“When you become an instrument in God’s hands as He transfers someone from the realm of darkness into the kingdom of His Son, you make a difference in the person’s eternal destiny. Not only that, but Satan also receives a devastating blow.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“Outside the kingdom of the Lord there is no nation which is greater than any other. God and history will remember your judgment.”
[ Haile Selassie ]

“In the kingdom of heaven it is His work that will be crowned, not yours. Anything in you that He has not wrought Himself will count for nothing.”
[ Johannes Fauler ]

“It is the childlike mind that finds the kingdom.”
[ Charles Fillmore ]

“The kingdom of God is the visible demonstration of God’s comprehensive rule over every area of life.”
[ Tony Evans ]

“The doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven, which was the main teaching of Jesus, is certainly one of the most revolutionary doctrines that ever stirred and changed human thought.”
[ H.G. Wells ]

“God’s plan for enlarging His kingdom is so simple – one person telling another about the Savior. Yet we’re busy and full of excuses. Just remember, someone’s eternal destiny is at stake. The joy you’ll have when you meet that person in heaven will far exceed any discomfort you felt in sharing the gospel.”
[ Charles Stanley ]

“As every divided kingdom falls, so every mind divided between many studies confounds and saps itself.”
[ Leonardo da Vinci ]

“Your legal career is but a means to an end, and… that end is building the kingdom of God.”
[ Amy Coney Barrett ]

“The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.
[ Albert Einstein ]

“I see the Past, Present and Future existing all at once Before me.”
[ William Blake ]

“The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.”
[ Alice Morse Earle ]

“The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.”
[ Thomas S. Monson ]

“Never erase your past. It shapes who you are today and will help you to be the person you’ll be tomorrow.”
[ Ziad K. Abdelnour ]

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
[ Albert Einstein ]

“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”
[ Bil Keane ]

“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.”
[ Albert Einstein ]

“The past exists only in our memories, the future only in our plans. The present is our only reality.”
[ Robert M. Pirsig ]

“The future depends on what we do in the present.”
[ Mahatma Gandhi ]

“You have to know the past to understand the present.”
[ Carl Sagan ]

“We are all here for some special reason. Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.”
[ Robin Sharma ]

“The future hasn’t happened yet and the past is gone. So I think the only moment we have is right here and now, and I try to make the best of those moments, the moments that I’m in.”
[ Annie Lennox ]

“If you worry about yesterday’s failures, then today’s successes will be few. The future depends on what we do in the present.”
[ Mahatma Gandhi ]

“Learn from yesterday, live for today.”
[ Albert Einstein ]

“The truth brings the past into the present and prepares us for the future. That’s what truth does.”
[ Maya Angelou ]

“You are a success when you have made friends with your past, are focused on the present, and are optimistic about your future.”
[ Zig Ziglar ]

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
[ John F. Kennedy ]

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
[ Peter Drucker ]

“The circle is a reminder that each moment is not just the present, but is inclusive of our gratitude to the past and our responsibility to the future.”
[ Kazuaki Tanahashi ]

“The time is now, the place is here. Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for.””
[ Dan Millman ]

I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.”
[ William Allen White ]

To build up a future, you have to know the past.
[ Otto Frank ]

“Remember the past, plan for the future, but live for today, because yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.”
[ “Luke the Evangelist” ]

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RELATED SCRIPTURE VERSES:

PAST VERSES…
Here’s a summary of what was said in the Scriptures in the ‘PAST’ (Before Jesus and including Jesus) by using only biblical verses:

“The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” [ Psalm 103:19 ].

(During Jesus’ Time):
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” [ Mark 1:14-15 ].

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven” [ Matthew 6:10 ]

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my Kingdom is not from the world’” [ John 18:36 ].

“Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you’” [Luke 17:20-21 ].

“And saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” -[ Mark 1:15].

“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” [ Matthew 12:28 ].

“So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [ Acts 1:6 ].

“But he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose’” [ Luke 4:43 ].

PRESENT VERSES…

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” [ Matthew 6:33 ].

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven” [ Matthew 16:19 ].

“Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” [ Acts 28:31 ].

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” [ Matthew 5:3 ].

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” [ Matthew 5:10 ].

“And he answered them, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given’” [ Matthew 13:11 ].

“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’” [ John 3:3 ].

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” [ Matthew 5:20 ].

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’” [ Matthew 7:21 ]

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” [ Matthew 24:14 ].

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven’” [ Matthew 19:14 ].

“He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds’” [ Matthew 13:24-25 ]

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” [ Matthew 13:44 ].

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” [ Matthew 7:13-14 ].

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago”
[ Acts 3:19-21 ].

“Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” [ Matthew 5:19-20 ].

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The Parable of the Sower
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears,[a] let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.[b] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Parable of the Weeds
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds[c] among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants[d] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

Prophecy and Parables
34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:[e]

“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

FUTURE VERSES…

“And the Lord will be king over all the Earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one” [ Zechariah 14:9 ].

“Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice” [ Isaiah 32:1 ].

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven” [ Matthew 6:10 ].

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” [ Revelation 11:15].

“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years” [ Revelation 20:4-6 ].

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new Earth, for the first heaven and the first Earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” [ Revelation 21:1-4 ].

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your Kingdom is a scepter of uprightness” [ Psalm 45:6 ]

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” [ James 4:14 ].

KINGDOM OF GOD VERSES

I have discussed some details of the past, present, and future of the Kingdom of God. Here is kind of a summary with Scripture verses:

“The Lord hath prepared His throne in the Heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all. (Psalms 103:19)

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

“Thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. (Psalms 145:13)

“And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:33)

“But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy Kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8)

“How great are His signs! And how mighty are His wonders! His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation. (Daniel 4:3)

“Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. (Hebrews 12:28)

“Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matthew 25:34)

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

“And I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me. (Luke 22:29)

“For the Kingdom is the Lord’s; and He is the governor among the nations. (Psalms 22:28)

“For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. (Matthew 6:13)

“And the Lord shall be King over all the Earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one. (Zechariah 14:9)

“The Lord hath prepared His throne in the Heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all. (Psalms 103:19)

“And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God. (Luke 13:29)

“Jesus answered, 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)

“For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17)

“For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. (I Corinthians 4:20)

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (I Corinthians 15:50)

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

“Jesus answered, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. (John 3:3 and 5)

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven. (Matthew 16:19)

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“A quick summary of the Christian “Gospel”:
JESUS’ PROPITIATION made our SINS FORGIVEN and IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS to us so that we have GOD’S ACCEPTANCE into His Heaven and receive ETERNAL LIFE.”
[ Mark Besh ]

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Hope you enjoyed some of these insights—share them with your friends and colleagues—so we can have a larger ’pool’ to receive from, and more to share with! Also, remember to include your name as the “source,” if some of this wisdom is of your doing—I would like to give credit where credit is due!

 

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FOCUS VERSES:

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“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
[ Genesis 1:26-27 ]

“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”
[ Genesis 1:31 ]

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”
[ Genesis 2:16-17 ]

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
[ Genesis 3:15 ]

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
[ Genesis 12:2-3 ]

“I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you”
[ Genesis 17:7 ]

“They shall speak of the glory of Your Kingdom and talk of Your power, the glory of the majesty of Your Kingdom. Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.”
[ Psalm 145:11-13 ]

“The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.”
[ Mark 1:15 ]

“You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
[ Mark 12:34b ]

“The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” he used terms common to his day. These terms were understood by the nation of Israel, for the hope of the promised Kingdom and its King burned in the heart of every Jew: “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
[ Matthew 3:1-3 ]

“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
[ Matthew 6:10 ]

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
[ Matthew 6:19-21 ]

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
[ Matthew 6:33 ]

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
[ Matthew 7:13-14 ]

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
[ Matthew 7:21-23 ]

“The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you.”
[ Matthew 13:11 ]

“The Parable of the Weeds
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
[ Matthew 13:24-30 ]

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[b] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
[ Matthew 13:31-33 ]

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
[ Matthew 13:44-46 ]

The Parable of the Net
“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
[ Matthew 13:47-50 ]

He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
[ Matthew 13:52 ]

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven.”
[ Matthew 16:17-19 ]

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
[ Matthew 18:3-4 ]

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the Hell of fire.”
[ Matthew 18:7-9 ]

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”
[ Matthew 23:13 ]

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”
[ Matthew 25:34 ]

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”
[ Matthew 28:19-20 ]

“I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also for I was sent for this purpose.”
[ Luke 4:43 ]

“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
[ Luke 9:62 ]

“Where your ‘treasure’ is, that’s where your heart will be.”
[ Luke 12:34 ]

“The Coming of the Kingdom
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
[ Luke 17:20-37 ]

“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
[ John 3:5-8 ]

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
[ Acts 17:11 ]

“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on Earth and under the Earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
[ Philippians 2:9-11 ]

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
[ Philippians 3:7-8 ]

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
[ 1 Corinthians 2:9 ]

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
[ 2 Peter 3:9 ]

“The whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
[ 1 John 5:19 ]

“Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
[ Hebrews 11:6 ]

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended.”
[ Revelation 20:1-3 ]

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
[ Revelation 21:4-5 ]

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.”
[ Revelation 22:1-9 ]

Mark

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If you have a ‘neat’ story or some thoughts about an issue or current event that you would like me to try to respond to, I would be glad to give it a try…so, send them to me at: mbesh@comcast.net

Disclaimer: All the above jokes & inspirations are obtained from various sources and copyright are used when known. Other than our name and headers, we do not own the copyright to any of the materials sent to this list. We just want to spread the ministry of God’s love and cheerfulness throughout the world.

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