THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Has the Kingdom of God
Opening Statement
* The main expectation
of the prophets of old was that the earth would be restored to the original
state of the garden of Eden without evil and complete with joy, peace and
happiness.
* You would think that
because God created the earth, that the earth would be His kingdom, but that’s
not what the scripture says. The kingdoms
of the earth were given to Satan in the very beginning – And now although
corrupted, it’s still his – But there is a Kingdom of God also –
* Can the two kingdoms co-exist in the same
place? – Well, not physically.
The kingdom of this world
- The kingdoms of this
world belong to Satan, he is the prince of this world, the god of this age,
but he will be driven out. He will
fall like lighting and his dominion destroyed
Luke 4:5-6 – Satan’s
kingdom is the earth
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed
him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
6 And he said to him, "I will give you all
their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can
give it to anyone I want to. NIV
John 14:30 – Satan is the prince of this world
30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the
prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, NIV
2 Cor 4:4 – Satan is the
god of this age
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds
of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God. NIV
1 Cor 2:8 – Satan, the
ruler of this age didn’t know the plan
8 None of the rulers of this age understood
it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. NIV
John 12:31 – Satan will be driven out
31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now
the prince of this world will be driven out. NIV
Luke 10:18 – Satan falls fast as a lighting bolt
18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven. NIV
Matt 12:29 – Jesus will bind Satan and carry us off
29 "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong
man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the
strong man? Then he can rob his house. NIV
1 Cor 15:24 -25 – Satan’s evil dominion will be destroyed.
24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the
kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion,
authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies
under his feet.
Kingdoms defined
- The term “
- The prophets of old likewise
saw God as the ruler of all nations.
- The terms the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are
identically in meaning.
- Heaven is a “circumlocution”
– A way of referring to “God” without using His name which was too Holy to
speak.
Matt 3:1-2 – John called
it the kingdom of heaven.
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching
in the Desert of Judea
2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is near." NIV
Matt 4:17 – Jesus also called it the kingdom of heaven.
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." NIV
The kingdom
of God
- In the parables of
Jesus you can see the implications of the
- In the parable of the
mustard seed – and the yeast in the loaf of bread - His word is inconspicuously planted
and shows the results of its growth.
- The kingdom slowly
invades Satan’s territory without bringing it to an end – YET.
- The parables also
show the characteristics of the Kingdom. – Priceless like a treasure and
only the good.
Mark 4:30 -32 The kingdom starts small but will grow very large.
30 Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God
31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the
smallest seed you plant in the ground.
32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the
largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the
air can perch in its shade." NIV
Matt 13:33 – The kingdom will finally permeate the world
33 He told them still another parable: "The
kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a
large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." NIV
Matt 13:44 – The kingdom is like a hidden treasure
44 "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.
Matt 13:45-46 – The
kingdom is like a priceless pearl.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant looking for fine pearls.
46 When he found one of great value, he went away
and sold everything he had and bought it.
Matt 13:47 -48 – The kingdom will only have the good.
47 "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like
a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.
48 … Then they sat down and collected the good
fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. NIV
The Invasion
- The
- Jesus was giving
clues, that when He was crucified and resurrected, He would usher in the
Matt 16:28 – Some would see Jesus coming in His kingdom
28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing
here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his
kingdom." NIV
Mark 9:1 – Some of the
Disciples would witness the coming.
1 And he said to them, "I tell you the truth,
some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God
Matt 17:1-2 – Peter, James
and John saw Jesus transfigured
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James
and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
2 There he was transfigured before them.
His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. NIV
Acts 1:3 – He appeared for
about 40 days
3 He appeared to them over a period of forty days
and spoke about the kingdom of God
1 Cor 15:4-8 – Many saw
Him in His glory
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then
to the Twelve.
6 After that, he appeared to more than five
hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all
the apostles,
8 and last of all he appeared to me also,
as to one abnormally born.
NIV
Matt 24:32-34 – The
kingdom is at the door – Some saw Him.
32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree:
As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer
is near.
33 Even so, when you see all these things, you
know that it is near, right at the door.
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will
certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. NIV
The spiritual kingdom
- The kingdom comes in
two stages: 1) The birth of Jesus;
The spiritual invasion - 2) His second coming; the physical
rule.
- Jesus hinted that the
kingdom was already present among the believer spiritually.
- It is presently
expressed in the church and will not be perfectly realized until
the second coming of Christ.
Matt 12:27-28 – Jesus is
the kingdom of God
27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom
do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of
God, then the kingdom of God
Luke 17:20-21 – The kingdom of God
20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the
kingdom of God kingdom of God
21 nor will people say, `Here it is,' or `There it
is,' because the kingdom of God
Luke 4:17-21 – Today the
scripture is fulfilled.
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was
handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he
has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the
blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's
favor."
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to
the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened
on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is
fulfilled in your hearing." NIV
John 18:36 – The kingdom of God
36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this
world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the
Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." NIV
Co-existence
- Paul’s conversation
speaks of a co-existence; a righteous living within our community.
- He goes on to address
those who will never see the kingdom.
1 Cor 6:9 – Paul speaks of
the kingdom in the future tense.
9 Do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God
Gal 5:21 – Some will not see the kingdom now or in the future.
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I
warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit
the kingdom of God
1 Cor 4:20 – Kingdom alive now in power
20 For the kingdom of God
1 John 5:19 – We presently co-exist with evil
19 We know that we are children of God, and
that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. NIV
Rom 14:17 – The kingdom is living righteous.
17 For the kingdom of God
Matt 5:20 – We are to co-exist and live righteous
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly
not enter the kingdom of heaven. NIV
Matt 6:33 – Seek righteousness
33 But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. NIV
A new creation
- Flesh and blood
cannot inherit the
2 Cor 5:17 – You are a new creation
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! NIV
1 Cor 15:42-53 – Flesh and
blood cannot enter the kingdom
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the
dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a
spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all
sleep, but we will all be changed-
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed.
53 For the perishable must clothe itself with
the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. NIV
The physical kingdom of God
- Jesus told us to pray
for the
- In the end, God will
bring the physical kingdom to us and dwell with us.
- Jesus will drink the
fourth cup of the Passover meal with us.
Matt 6:9-10 – The physical
kingdom of God
9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
"`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.
NIV
Rev 21:1-3 – We will dwell
with God
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any
sea.
2 I saw the Holy City
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. NIV
15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and
there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign
for ever and ever NIV
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ NIV
John 14:1-3 – We will be
where Jesus is.
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust
in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not
so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
NIV
Phil 3:20 -21 – We are citizens of heaven with a new body
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we
eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who, by the power that enables him to bring
everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that
they will be like his glorious body. NIV
Luke 22:18 – He will drink
the forth cup with us in His Kingdom
18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the
fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God
- The kingdoms of this
world belongs to Satan
- The
- The
- The Spiritual kingdom began with the birth
of Jesus.
- The Physical kingdom will be established
with the second coming of Christ.
- We co-exist in
Satan’s physical world as spiritual children of God.
- Satan will be
defeated with His kingdom turned over to God.
- The
- We become new
creations in Christ and enter into the physical kingdom.
- We will be in the
presence of Jesus and drink the fourth cup of the Passover with
Him.
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I
am grateful for those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture verses.
Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further than I
otherwise ever could have.
An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words – W.E. Vine
Biblical Ethics
– Robertson McQuilkin
Bible Almanac:
The – Packer Tenny White
Bible Dictionary – Harper
Expositor’s Bible Commentary; The – Frank E. Gaebelein
Great Doctrines of the Bible: Soteriology – W.A. Criswell
Historical Atlas of the Bible; The – DR. Ian Barnes
Illustrated Bible Dictionary – Nelson
Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The – Tyndale
International Dictionary of the Bible: The- Zondervan
International Dictionary of the Bible:- Douglas - Tenny
King James Version of the Bible – KJV
Nave’s topical Bible - Zondervan
New International Version Bible - NIV
Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; The– Zondervan Tenny
Today’s Dictionary of the Bible - Guideposts
Unraveling the Big
Questions about God –
Kenneth Boa
Victor Journey through the Bible: The – V. Gilbert Beers
Webster’s New World College Dictionary – Webster
Where to find it in the Bible – Ken Anderson
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