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KINGDOM BIBLE STUDIES

“Teaching the things concerning the kingdom of God...”

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Introduction

Originally published October, 1970

If you were to ask several average professed Christians what the Kingdom of God is, you would receive a variety of answers. There are many different ideas, interpretations, conceptions and mis-conceptions among Christians as to what constitutes the Kingdom of God. The terms “Kingdom of God” or “Kingdom of Heaven” automatically conjure up in the minds of many the thought of heaven — some far off place beyond the blue where God and angels dwell. There are other people who consider the church to be the Kingdom. Others think of the Kingdom of God in terms of God’s ancient people — the nation Israel. Still others believe the Kingdom of God and the Millennial Age to be synonymous — thus interpreting the Kingdom to be the thousand year reign of Christ upon earth. Actually, as we shall see, all these above named things are related to the kingdom of God but none of them, of themselves, CONSTITUTE the KINGDOM OF GOD!

THE OLD TESTAMENT DEFINITION OF “KINGDOM”

There are several Hebrew words which are translated “kingdom” in the Old Testament. One of these is “maleku” which is translated as “kingdom” 46 times, “realm” 3 times, and “reign” 4 times. Another Hebrew word, “mamlekuth”, is translated “kingdom” 49 times, “empire” 1 time, “realm” 4 times, “reign” 21 times, and “royal” 14 times. Yet another word, “mamlakuth”, is rendered “kingdom” 108 times, “reign” 2 times, and “royal” 4 times. Another form of this same word is rendered “kingdom” 8 times and “reign” 1 time. Thus we see that all these words mean precisely the same thing and the principle meaning of each is “kingdom” with other slight variations of usage such as “reign”, “realm” and “royal”.

Webster’s dictionary defines “kingdom” as: (1) a government or country headed by a king or queen; monarchy, (2) a realm; domain. Webster defines “reign” as: (1) royal power; authority; supreme rule (2) dominance; prevalence; sway (3) the period or time of ruling of a sovereign (4) a kingdom (5) to rule as a king or queen; wield royal authority.

THE NEW TESTAMENT DEFINITION OF “KINGDOM”

In the New Testament the word “kingdom” is translated from one Greek word, “basileia.” This word carries the identical shades of meaning as the various Hebrew words. Thus it becomes clear that the word “kingdom” is capable of FOUR distinct meanings: (1) the realm over which a monarch reigns (2) the people over whom he reigns (3) the actual reign or rule itself; that is, the exercise of ruling authority; the power of governing (4) the government, comprised of all the people who administer or control the affairs of state, and the system of political administration by which they govern, i.e. the ruling body of people and their management of affairs.

There is one English word which in itself sums up all the various shades of meaning under consideration. That word is RULE. In its most simple definition, then, the Kingdom of God is THE RULE OF GOD!

WHERE IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

“And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, “The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you” (Lk. 17:20-21). Some scholars hold that the Greek word “entos” here translated “within” should be translated “in the midst of.” Thus, Jesus would be saying, “The Kingdom of God is in your midst.” However, a close examination of the word as it is variously translated and used confirms the rendering in the King James version. Furthermore, the Lord’s statement that the Kingdom of God is within is a qualification of His previous statement, “The Kingdom of God cometh NOT by OBSERVATION.” The word “observation” means “outward show.” The Amplified Bible renders this: “The Kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with VISIBLE DISPLAY.” So if Jesus says that the Kingdom comes not by outward show, and then turns around and says that the Kingdom is in your midst, He most surely is contradicting Himself! It is plain that Jesus is drawing a CONTRAST. The opposite of outward is inward. The opposite of something external is something internal. Jesus is here setting forth one of the great principles of the Kingdom of God — that it is not basically an EXTERNAL Kingdom but an INTERNAL Kingdom! “The Kingdom of God cometh not with OUTWARD SHOW for, behold, the Kingdom of God is WITHIN YOU!”

Wherever a king reigns — all the territory and people who are subject to his authority — constitute His kingdom. For example, every nation, province, territory, city and person which is subject to the authority of Queen Elizabeth of England (currently King Charles) is a part of the kingdom of Great Britain. WHEREVER she RULES and WHOEVER she RULES OVER constitutes her kingdom! Even so, the Kingdom of God IS WHERE GOD RULES. Wherever God rules, exercising His authority and dominion, THERE is God’s Kingdom! Whatever and whoever is submitted and surrendered to God’s mighty authority, purpose, plan and will is in all actuality part of the Kingdom of our God. If God dwells IN YOU, and if His rulership and will are being fulfilled IN YOUR LIFE, then indeed the RULE (kingdom) of God is WITHIN YOU!

That the Kingdom of God must always have its inception and base WITHIN MEN is one of the truly great revelations of the scriptures. We were formerly taught to believe that the Kingdom of God is yet future and would be “set up” at the beginning of the Millennium at which time Christ would come and enforce His rule upon the nations by the sheer superiority of His power. We viewed the coming of the Kingdom as a MILITARY VICTORY in which Jesus and His armies would brutally and ruthlessly CRUSH all rebellion and then maintain order and peace on earth for a thousand years by means of superior strength and force. Ironically, this is exactly what the Jews were expecting Jesus to do 2000 years ago! In those days of our babyhood walk in God the Holy Spirit had not yet revealed to us the great truth that the rule of God does not come with observation — outward show or external display — but that the base of God’s operation is within... from within man and NOT from WITHOUT! This is true now… it shall be true during the thousand year reign of Christ... it shall be true in the ages to come… and finally eternally. Jesus says, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will DRAW (not drive or force) ALL MEN unto Me” (Jn. 12:32). That force or compulsion never has and never will bring men into God’s Kingdom is further confirmed in Christ’s statement in Jn. 6:44-45, “NO MAN can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me DRAW HIM... it is written in the prophets, And they shall be ALL TAUGHT of GOD. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me.” The Amplified Bible renders these verses thus: “NO ONE is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me ATTRACTS and DRAWS HIM and gives him the desire to come to Me… it is written in the book of the prophets, And they shall ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD — have Him IN PERSON for their teacher. Everyone, who has listened and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” Again we read in Phil. 2:13, “For it is GOD which worketh IN YOU both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” The ability to DO GOD’S WILL — submit to His RULE — can come only by the working of God Himself WITHIN! No wonder Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is WITHIN YOU!” God spoke the revelation of this truth through the prophet Ezekiel in these words: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A NEW HEART also will I give you, and a NEW SPIRIT will I put WITHIN YOU: and I will take away the stony heart OUT of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU, and CAUSE you to walk in My statutes, and ye SHALL KEEP My judgments, and do them… and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God” (Eze. 36:25-27). In Jer. 31:33-34 we read, “But this shall be the covenant that I shall make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put MY LAW in their INWARD PARTS, and will write it in their HEARTS... and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall ALL know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord!”

THE ROLE OF JUDGMENT

The fact that God’s Kingdom must be brought to pass in the earth via an inworking of God in every human heart does not annul or do away with the JUDGMENT of God. The scriptures reveal that at the close of this age (and we are now living in the generation that shall see this) the nations of earth shall display an unprecedented rejection of God and rebellion against Him. Apostasy, unbelief, lawlessness, corruption, immorality, violence and debauchery of every description will flood over the whole earth on a scale unequalled in history. The nearest thing to the conditions to exist at this time was experienced in the days of Noah, before the flood. The record says of that time, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that EVERY IMAGINATION of the THOUGHTS of his heart was only EVIL CONTINUALLY. The earth also was CORRUPT before God and the earth was FILLED WITH VIOLENCE” (Gen. 6:5,11). Jesus revealed that, “As the days of Noah WERE, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Mat. 24:37). So great shall be the judgment of God against this generation that the Lord says, “For then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved… but for the ELECT’S SAKE those days shall be shortened” (Mat. 24:21-22). To catch a picture of the nature, scope and intensity of the judgments to be experienced SHORTLY by the present nations of earth, study carefully the following scriptures: Isa. chapters 13, 24, 34 and 2:10-22, Zech. chapter 14, Rev. chapter 16.

As we look at these tremendous judgments to come the question arises: Are these JUDGEMENTS — the outpouring of God’s WRATH upon the nations — are THESE the INSTRUMENT of God to BRING HIS KINGDOM TO PASS in the earth? The answer is NO! Not by any means! JUSTICE demands that this present evil world experience JUDGEMENT because of its flagrant rebellion AGAINST GOD. But it is NOT the WRATH of God that shall bring God’s Kingdom to pass in the hearts of men! Judgment, of itself, never produces REPENTANCE and FAITH toward God. This was made very plain to John on Patmos when he saw in vision that “The fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, AND BLASPHEMED THE NAME OF GOD, which hath power over these plagues: and they REPENTED NOT to give Him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, AND BLASPHEMED THE GOD OF HEAVEN BECAUSE of their pains and their sores, and REPENTED NOT of their deeds... and the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues YET REPENTED NOT of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear nor walk: NEITHER REPENTED THEY of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts” (Rev. 16:8-11; Rev. 9:20-21). The TRUTH about judgment, repentance and the Kingdom of God coming within man is clearly set forth in Rom. 2:2-4, “But we know that the judgment of God falls JUSTLY and in accordance with truth upon those who practice such things. And do YOU imagine, O man, when you judge and condemn them who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that YOU will escape God’s JUDGEMENT and elude His SENTENCE and adverse verdict? Or are you so blind as to trifle with and presume upon and despise and underestimate the wealth of His kindness and forbearance and long-enduring patience? Are you unmindful or actually ignorant of the fact that GOD’S KINDNESS IS INTENDED TO LEAD YOU TO REPENT - to change your mind and INNER MAN to accept God’s will” (Amplified Bible)? Verse four in the King James version reads, “Or despisest thou the riches of His GOODNESS and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the GOODNESS OF GOD LEADETH THEE TO REPENTANCE?” Verse two shows that judgment upon gross sin and rebellion is JUST — JUSTICE DEMANDS it! But verse four shows that even though the judgment is just it DOES NOT work repentance and change in men! It is ONLY the GOODNESS of God that leads men to repentance!

Now we begin to understand why it is that in the book of Revelation we behold such a graphic view of God’s wrath and judgment poured out upon men… but no sooner does the smoke of that judgment clear away, than we see another glorious scene… the CITY OF GOD, New Jerusalem, which is God’s glorified and REIGNING ELECT — God’s government — coming forth in the earth in its ultimate and transcendent glory. And out of the midst of that city comes the gracious voice of the Son of God saying, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him that heareth say, Come! And let him that is athirst come! And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17)! And so we see that what the JUDGMENT of God COULD NOT DO — the life of God… the word of God… the love of God… the glory of God… and the SPIRIT of GOD… SHALL DO! And so, of the New Jerusalem, which is God’s divine government through His body, we read, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And He that sat upon the throne said, BEHOLD I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And He said unto me, IT IS DONE. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely… And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the NATIONS of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the KINGS OF THE EARTH do bring their glory and honor into it... In the midst of the street of it... was there the tree of life... and the leaves of the tree were FOR THE HEALING OF THE NATIONS. And there shall be no more curse: but the THRONE OF GOD and of the LAMB shall be in it; and His SERVANTS shall serve Him... and they shall REIGN FOR EVER AND EVER” (Rev. 21)! What a marvelous picture is this of the saints of God, sharing the glory and exaltation of their glorious Head, Jesus, administering the righteous rule and the GRACIOUS, REDEMPTIVE BLESSINGS of God and His Kingdom until… “The kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our lord, and His Christ!” And thus the ancient promise of God to Abraham shall be fulfilled: “In thy seed shall ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED.”

THE KINGDOM WITHIN

In Lk. 11:2 Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s Kingdom to come. He follows this with the statement, “THY WILL BE DONE, as in heaven, so IN EARTH.” Matthew’s account records the words in this order, “Thy will be done IN EARTH as it IS in heaven.” It is significant to note that neither Luke nor Matthew records Jesus as asking for the Father’s will to be done ON the earth, but rather, IN EARTH. In order to understand the full significance of this we must understand that the disruption of God’s will on this planet did not originate with the mineral, vegetable or animal kingdoms. The rocks and the rivers did not rebel against God’s will and divine order. Neither the vegetation nor the animals rebelled. MAN was the crowning glory of God’s creation. He was made of the EARTH, and was wonderfully and marvelously formed in the image and likeness of GOD and given DOMINION OVER all the earth. And it was this MAN who disobeyed GOD’S WILL and moved out of the divine order. Through man’s disobedience chaos fell not only upon the human family but upon the ENTIRE CREATION over which man had dominion. The standing and state of the entire earthly creation rises and falls with its master — man. Since it is through man that the curse has come upon the whole planet, this condition cannot be rectified by that part of the creation which fell into disorder because of man, but rather, must be rectified BY MAN HIMSELF. So God’s will cannot be done ON earth until it is first done IN MAN. And man IS THE EARTH spoken of in Lk. 11:2. For full confirmation of this see Gen. 2:7, I Cor. 15:47-49, II Cor. 4:7 and Josh. 23:14. Jesus was getting to the root of the problem when He taught us to pray for God’s will to be done IN US — IN THIS EARTH (our bodies) as it is in heaven. The will of God and the Kingdom of God can only come to pass ON earth as it comes and is fulfilled IN THE LIVES OF MEN!

God’s Kingdom can never come through legislation or force. The Lord could come and nail the laws of His Kingdom to every fence post, flash them on every television screen, publish them in every newspaper and magazine and then send His representatives out to ENFORCE them in all the earth — and the only thing He would accomplish would be to fill more prisons and execute more dissenters and foment more rebellion than any regime ever in power. See Romans 8:7-9 and I Cor. 2:14.

Christ can never establish His rule through legislation, force or tyranny. Man has tried to rule by all of these and they only breed contempt and more rebellion. Every kingdom established by those principles has fallen apart. The ONLY WAY that GOD’S KINGDOM can eternally be fulfilled on the earth is for MEN to be CHANGED — TRANSFORMED ON THE INSIDE — so that the will of the Father shall be done IN EARTH as it is in heaven. No man will ever enter God’s Kingdom BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN FORCED TO! ALL must be BORN into the Kingdom. Jesus said, “Except a man be BORN AGAIN he CANNOT ENTER THE KINGDOM.” This new birth produces a NEW NATURE which is the basis of God’s righteous Kingdom. The new birth brings a new LIFE with a new MIND and a new WILL. See Jn. 3:3-7, Lk. 17:20-21, Eph. 2:1-5, Col. 3:5-9, II Cor. 5:14-18, Jer. 31:33 and Rev. 21:5.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

Ignorant men have long tried to make a distinction between the “Kingdom of God” and the “Kingdom of Heaven.” They often explain that the Kingdom of Heaven is the church during this present age and the Kingdom of God is the coming Millennial Kingdom. The simple truth is that the two terms are used interchangeably in many places in scripture. To cite only one of several such examples, when Matthew recorded the sermon on the Mount he quoted Jesus as saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” But when Luke recorded the same statement of Jesus in Lk. 6:20 he said, “Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the Kingdom of God.” Let us note that God does not have TWO KINGDOMS — He only has ONE. There is not one Kingdom of God and another Kingdom of Heaven. There is only ONE Kingdom. However, the two terms, Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven, are not without their special significance. For heaven is a REALM and God is a PERSON. The Kingdom has its origin in the REALM OF HEAVEN and in the PERSON OF GOD. The term “Kingdom of Heaven” speaks of from WHENCE or WHERE (from what place or realm) the Kingdom proceeds while the term “Kingdom of God” speaks of from WHOM (from what person) the Kingdom proceeds. When we consider from what PLACE or REALM the Kingdom is — it is from the heavenlies — the invisible realm of the Spirit. But when we consider from what PERSON the Kingdom is — it is from God. Daniel brings these two together when he says in Dan. 2:44, “And in the days of these kings shall the GOD (person) of HEAVEN (place, realm) set up A KINGDOM, which shall never be destroyed.” Jesus then brings the two together in Jn. 18:36 when He says to Pilate, MY (person) Kingdom is not of THIS WORLD (place, realm): if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now MY (person) Kingdom is not from HENCE (place). If Christ’s Kingdom is not of this carnal, fleshly world order then it must be from another realm - the heavenlies. So the ONE KINGDOM is from GOD — but also from the HEAVENLIES!

WHEN WILL THE KINGDOM OF GOD COME?

In Lk. 17:20-21 we see that both the Pharisees and the disciples of our lord were concerned to know WHEN the Kingdom of God would come. It is interesting to note that Jesus answered that question by declaring that the Kingdom of God is within. In this connection it is also interesting to note that the terms “Kingdom of God” and “Kingdom of Heaven” do not appear even one time in the Old Testament. These are both strictly New Testament terms and both begin to be used early in the opening chapters of the Gospels. In Mat. 3:1-2 we read, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND!” John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus whom God sent to “prepare the way for the Lord.” He was the first prophet to use the term “Kingdom of Heaven” and he said that the Kingdom was “at hand.” The next mention of the Kingdom is in Mat. 4:17: “From that time JESUS began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND.” As Jesus began His public ministry He reiterated the message of John, declaring that even then the Kingdom of Heaven was AT HAND. This term, “at hand,” is translated from the Greek “eggizo” which means “to be nigh” or “to come nigh.” To say that something is at hand means that it is near — near enough to be accessible. Webster defines “at hand” as: (1) nearby; close by (2) ready; prepared. As I write this article I have several versions of the scriptures plus concordances, dictionaries, reference books etc. — and I keep them all close “at hand.” They are scattered over the table where I work and on nearby shelves, always within arms reach, so as to be accessible to me at all times by simply stretching forth my hand. Thus, they all are constantly AT HAND. Even so it is that when Jesus came 2000 years ago declaring that the Kingdom was even then at hand He was saying that the reality of the Kingdom — God’s INTERNAL RULE BY HIS SPIRIT — was even then accessible and attainable to all who would then lay hold upon it. This is further established when Jesus says in Mk. 1:14-15, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel (good news) of the KINGDOM OF GOD, and saying, THE TIME IS FULFILLED, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (the “good news” of the Kingdom).” Again in Lk. 16:16, “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the Kingdom of God is preached, AND EVERY MAN PRESSETH INTO IT.” And again in Mat. 11:11-12, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; YET he who is least IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is greater than he. AND FROM THE DAYS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST UNTIL THE PRESENT TIME the Kingdom of Heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force AS A PRECIOUS PRIZE — a share in the heavenly Kingdom is sought for with most ardent zeal and intense exertion!” — Amplified Bible.

When Jesus came He did not preach primarily the message of salvation, or the church, or other great doctrines such as justification, sanctification etc. These subjects were only lightly touched in the ministry of Jesus. He commenced His ministry by declaring, “The Kingdom of God is at hand!” From that time forward the great teachings of Jesus centered in the Kingdom truth. He touched on the other doctrines only as they related to or were included in the REALITY OF THE KINGDOM.

You cannot have a kingdom without a king. Neither can you have a king without a kingdom! If you have a king without a kingdom then the kingship of the king is sheer fantasy and not fact. The Kingdom of God has a King — JESUS! And Jesus, therefore, HAS A KINGDOM! When God sent Jesus into the world 2000 years ago He came as the King of God’s Kingdom. We read in Lk. 19:37-40, “And when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praised God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen; Saying, BLESSED BE THE KING THAT COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, Master, rebuke Thy disciples. And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out!” This multitude cried out and declared Jesus to BE THE KING that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus says that if they had not cried this out the very stones would have declared it!

Again we read in Mat. 21:4-5, “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, BEHOLD THE KING COMETH UNTO THEE, meek, and sitting upon an ass.” Jesus is not going to come as KING — He came as King 2000 years ago! The Kingship of Jesus is not only a FUTURE REALITY but a PAST and a PRESENT reality. Jesus again asserted His Kingship when He responded to Nathaniel’s declaration in Jn. 1:49-50, “Nathaniel answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the KING OF ISRAEL. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, BELIEVEST THOU? thou shalt see greater things than these!” This fact that the Kingdom of God on earth and the revelation of the King of that Kingdom BEGAN with the coming of our Lord 2000 years ago is again made plain by Jesus Himself in His reply to Pilate in Jn. 18:37, “Pilate said to Him, Then You are a King? Jesus answered, You say it! YOU SPEAK CORRECTLY, for I AM A KING - Certainly I am a King! This is why I was BORN, and FOR THIS I HAVE COME INTO THE WORLD, to bear witness to the truth (that I am a King). Everyone who is of the truth... hears and listens to MY voice.” Here our Lord not only declared Himself the King, but identified the citizens of His Kingdom as “those who are of the Truth (who) hear and listen to My voice.” The reason people don’t understand this marvelous truth is because they, like the Jews of old, are so carnal and fleshly until they can only think of the Kingdom in terms of a carnal, fleshly, materialistic and military Kingdom. But Jesus came and the Kingdom came. But it was not a carnal, fleshly, physical Kingdom operating by carnal, fleshly and physical laws! Jesus established this Kingdom (in its “embryo” stage) by spending three years teaching people the spiritual principles of the Kingdom — and walking out those spiritual laws and principles before the people in His walk and relationship of Sonship to the Father. Then He died, shedding His Own precious blood to atone for our sins, thus making us clean vessels so that the Holy Spirit could enter into us and dwell within us. Now Jesus can rule over each and every one of us as He ascends the thrones of our hearts as KING of our lives! As Jesus thus initiates His rule over us by the Spirit, the powers of God’s Kingdom within us increase from one glory to another as we learn to walk in the Spirit. God’s purpose is to rule over us until every enemy of the world, the flesh, and the devil within us is conquered and we have matured to the measure of the stature of the FULLNESS OF CHRIST. So Christ is now ruling over His Kingdom, not from the outside, but FROM THE INSIDE. Paul states that the Kingdom is a present reality in Col. 1:13-14, “The Father has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and HAS TRANSFERRED US into the KINGDOM OF THE SON of His love” — Amplified Bible.

THE “SPIRITUAL KINGDOM” AND THE “LITERAL KINGDOM”

Many Bible teachers speak of a “Spiritual Kingdom of God” and a “Literal Kingdom of God.” These are carnal, man-made terms and are entirely unscriptural. Nowhere do the scriptures speak of a “Spiritual” Kingdom as contrasted to a “Literal” Kingdom. God does not have TWO Kingdoms. He only has ONE. That ONE KINGDOM is both spiritual and literal. It is a spiritual rule of God worked out by the Spirit in the lives of literal people, in literal places and affecting very literal circumstances. Man, as well as the whole earth, is “literally” affected by the rule of God in and through His chosen ones. The nations and rulers of earth shall yet IN A TOTAL SENSE become affected “literally” by God’s Kingdom and dominion in the earth. But dead religious tradition has falsely interpreted the Kingdom of God in its PRESENT REALITY during this age as being a “Spiritual Kingdom” and the Kingdom of God in its FUTURE aspect during the MILLENIUM as being a “Literal Kingdom.” But the truth is that the Kingdom of God has never been any more or any less “Spiritual” than it is RIGHT NOW! And it shall never in the future be any more or any less “Spiritual” than it now is. By the same token, the Kingdom has never been any more or any less “Literal” than it is right now and it shall never in the future be any more or any less “Literal” than it now is! The difference will be in the SCOPE of the Kingdom. The word SCOPE means: (1) the area or field within which any activity goes on; range or extent of action, (2) length; extent; sweep. In other words, during this present age, the rule of God has not REACHED OUT to TOTALLY AFFECT and bring under its dominion the scope of persons, places, circumstances and events that it SHALL AFFECT during the coming Millennial Age. It is not that the Kingdom changes at the end of this age from a purely spiritual rule into a literal rule. During the next age the scope of the Kingdom shall be expanded, extended, and broadened so that ALL THINGS shall be brought directly under the authority of God and His Ruling Ones — where now only SOME things are directly and completely surrendered to God’s righteous rule.

THE INCREASE OF THE KINGDOM

“Of the INCREASE OF HIS GOVERNMENT and peace there shall be NO END, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that latter time forth, even for evermore” (Isa. 9:7). It is interesting to note in Daniel 2 that the Kingdom BEGINS as a small stone and then GROWS UNTIL IT BECOMES a great mountain that fills the WHOLE EARTH. This is the order of God’s Kingdom. It began with the stone in the mountain — the overcomers within the church from the days of Jesus until now. And so, this mighty army of overcoming saints who are to rule and reign over the earth, has been in the process of being formed, century after century, one generation giving birth to another, and in each generation the foundation was laid for what God purposed to do in the succeeding generation. For 2000 long years the Kingdom has been here in its embryo stage — at times quite apparent and at other times not so apparent — but it has been here nevertheless, forming, working, progressing... from one dealing of God to another... generation after generation... LEADING UP to this present hour when at last the stone (the overcomers) shall be cut out of the mountain (the church) and come crashing down with mighty power and swift authority to deal a crushing blow to the kingdoms of this world at the end of this age.

Though there are cataclysmic events which shall in our day bring this present age to a close and usher in the great Millennial Day, even then, in that glorious age, the Kingdom of God shall continue to be a PROGRESSIVE work of God to SUBDUE ALL THINGS unto Himself.(Phil. 3:20-21; I. Cor. 15:22-28; Eph. 1:9-12). This age shall surely end with great judgment, the manifestation of the Sons of God, and the return of their glorious Head — Jesus. But many expect the Lord to come flashing down out of the skies, in a moment of time to execute judgment upon all the nations, instantly subduing all His enemies — ending all rebellion and settling all scores so that He can then reign as Sovereign over the earth. But nowhere do the scriptures teach that Christ must first put all enemies under His feet and THEN RULE. Rather, Paul says, “Then cometh the END, WHEN HE SHALL HAVE delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, WHEN HE SHALL HAVE PUT DOWN ALL RULE and all authority and all power. For He must reign, TILL He hath put ALL ENEMIES under His feet” (I Cor. 15:22-28). In man’s carnal reasoning he so often gets the cart before the horse. It is not God’s plan to put all enemies under the many-membered Christ SO HE CAN REIGN, but rather, to cause Him to reign so that through His reign HE CAN SUBDUE ALL ENEMIES UNDER HIM! He must reign UNTIL! This is in harmony with Daniel’s revelation concerning the stone that grows UNTIL it becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth. Jesus sets forth the same truth in Mat. 13:31-32 when He says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed IS THE LEAST of all seeds: but when it is GROWN, it is the GREATEST among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” Then in verse 33 Jesus uses another parable to explain the same truth: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, TILL THE WHOLE WAS LEAVENED.” Some would tell us that leaven is always a type of sin or error and that Jesus is here speaking of the error that would creep into the churches. If this is true, then how pitiful and hopeless our condition! For Jesus says that this parable reveals to us WHAT THE KINGDOM IS LIKE! And He goes on and says that the leaven works until THE WHOLE IS LEAVENED. Does this really mean that the WHOLE Kingdom of God is to be filled with sin and error? God forbid! Jesus is setting forth the great truth that it is THE KINGDOM OF GOD that is working and growing PROGRESSIVELY in the earth and shall continue to work and grow until ALL THINGS are TOTALLY affected and subdued unto Christ Jesus our Lord!

THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD FOR THE NEXT AGE

The apostle James made a statement to the council at Jerusalem in which he clearly defines the complete outline of God’s purpose for the age of grace in which we live and the dispensation of the Kingdom which is to follow. “Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, AFTER THIS I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That THE RESIDUE OF MEN might seek after the Lord, and ALL THE GENTILES, UPON WHOM My name is called, saith the lord, Who doeth all these things” (Acts 15:14-18). Dispensationally, this is one of the most important passages in the New Testament. It gives God’s divine purpose for this age and the next age. James says that the purpose of God during this present age has been to visit the Gentiles TO TAKE OUT OF THEM A PEOPLE FOR HIS NAME. God’s purpose for this age has not been the conversion of the whole world. This never was God’s plan for this dispensation. God’s purpose then, in this church age, is to “call out” a people for His name. Out from among the billions of earth God is choosing an ELECT COMPANY to bear His name. God has been forming His CHURCH, His BODY. The church is the “ecclesia” — the “called out ones.” Precisely this has been in progress since Pentecost. The gospel has never, anywhere, converted all, but everywhere has called out SOME. It is here, in the true church, that Jesus Christ first establishes His government that He might rule and reign on the throne of men’s lives. God’s purpose in His church is not merely to save men from hell and take them off to some far off heaven somewhere. God’s plan is to first set up His government in the hearts of His Elect and then as they become totally subdued unto Him to imbue them with His own mind, Spirit, thoughts, will and nature until they have grown up into the measure of the fullness of the stature of the Christ. But most Christians will never come to this! They are too busy playing church, rejoicing that they are not going to hell or that they are going to heaven when they die, or blundering around in the carnal programs and immaturity and shame of a wretched, fleshly, Babylonian religious system which falsely calls itself the “church.” But even as the dispensation of the law, at it’s conclusion, brought forth that which it typified and pointed to — Jesus Christ the Son of God — even so this present church age must, in these last days, at it’s conclusion, bring forth that for which it was intended and unto which it pointed — a many-membered BODY OF CHRIST; perfected, matured, overcoming and full grown into the exact likeness and fullness of its Head and Lord until it can in truth be said, “As He is, so are we in this world” (Eph. 4:11-16). God never intended that Christ should rule over all the earth during this age. His reign is confined completely to that company of footstep followers who have heard His voice and will follow Him all the way into the fullness of Sonship to God thus becoming the VERY EMBODIMENT OF HIS GOVERNMENT. This may seem to be an extremely slow method and a very small Kingdom for such a great and eternal King, but we cannot over emphasize the importance of this lowly beginning for a government whose authority is destined to “subdue ALL THINGS.” So let us see that not only is God establishing His government in the lives of an Elect company of believers, but through His dealings with them He is actually FORMING THEM INTO A GOVERNMENT — a ruling body of Sons of God! God is calling out a people to bear His name! But WHY? WHERE? WHEN? To bear His name only through their short life-time in the flesh during this age? NO! James says, “AFTER THIS, (after the Lord has completed His work of calling out and forming this people), I WILL RETURN and build again the tabernacle of David... THAT THE RESIDUE OF MEN MIGHT SEEK AFTER THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES... saith the Lord.” The “residue” of men denotes “all the rest” of men. God is now forming a government made up of faithful Sons (the true tabernacle of David) whom He shall use in the coming age as Kings and Priests after the order of Melchizedek to bring God’s Kingdom to pass in all the earth. Through them ALL THE REST OF MEN... OF THE GENTILES... SHALL SEEK THE LORD. The Kingdom cannot come until this body is fully trained and prepared. God, through 2000 years, has been slowly, surely and wisely choosing that governing body of Sons, preparing them through the fiery furnaces of trials and affliction to sit together with Him on His throne — for those that SUFFER with Him shall also REIGN with Him.

There is no more tragic error propagated among Christians than the old traditional heresy that all Christians are going to rule and reign with Christ. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Salvation by grace and the forgiveness of sins does not automatically qualify one for the throne. It is interesting to note in chapter seven of Revelation that there is a “great multitude” which no man could number, clothed with white robes, because they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. But verses 9 and 15 tell us that they stand BEFORE the throne and BEFORE the Lamb. They are never pictured as sitting ON THE THRONE or IN THE THRONE. You see, the book of Revelation was written to two distinct groups of people. First, it is addressed to the “seven churches.” Seven a number denoting perfection, fullness and completeness. Thus, the seven churches represent the whole church — every saved person belonging to Christ through faith in His shed blood. But everything in the book is NOT addressed to everyone in those churches. In chapters two and three another smaller group is addressed which is called “overcomers.” These overcomers are part of the people in the churches but do not constitute the whole church. To the whole church the Lord says, “I have somewhat against thee... repent!” He then promises them JUDGEMENT if they do not repent. The seven churches represent the church as a whole — an immature, carnal church made up of ever so many classes of Christians. And the church is even more carnal today than it was in John’s day! But again the Lord speaks to an Elect company of “overcomers” out of this carnal church and says, “To Him that OVERCOMETH will I give…” and great promises are made to this class. It is evident that the vast majority of Christians, though saved by grace, are so immature, carnal, faithless, undependable, and spiritually ignorant until they can’t be trusted with even the least responsibilities in the church! And though their sins are forgiven them for Jesus’ sake — do you think for one moment that God is going to turn the GOVERNMENT OF THE WORLD over to them? Is that the army you would send out to conquer Satan and bind him a thousand years? Would YOU put in the White House as President of the United States some poor soul who can’t even be trusted with a Sunday School class in a church? Salvation is by grace… but the “High Calling of God in Christ Jesus” is a PRIZE. Study carefully Phil. 3:10-16 and Rev. 20:4-5.

Thus we read in Rev. 2:26-27, “And he that OVERCOMETH, and keepeth My works unto the END, to him will I GIVE POWER OVER THE NATIONS: and He shall RULE THEM with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers.” Again in Rev. 3:21, “To him that OVERCOMETH will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Yet again in Rev. 5:9-10, “And now they sing again a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals that are on it, for you were slain and with Your blood You purchased men unto God — from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have MADE THEM A KINGDOM AND PRIESTS to our God, and they SHALL REIGN AS KINGS OVER THE EARTH!” (Amplified Bible). This great truth cannot be any more wonderfully presented than it is by Daniel when he declares, “These great beasts which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the SAINTS OF THE MOST HIGH SHALL TAKE THE KINGDOM, and POSSESS the Kingdom for ever, even forever and ever. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; UNTIL the Ancient of days came, and JUDGEMENT WAS GIVEN TO THE SAINTS OF THE MOST HIGH; and the time came that THE SAINTS POSSESSED THE KINGDOM. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws... BUT THE JUDGEMENT (of the saints) SHALL SIT, AND THEY (the saints) shall take away his dominion, to CONSUME AND DESTROY IT unto the end. And THE KINGDOM and DOMINION and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of THE SAINTS of the Most High, Whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him” (Dan. 7:17-18, 21-22, 25-27).

We were living in Cuba during the time of the Cuban revolution. When Fidel Castro arrived in Cuba from Mexico with a handful of men to spark the revolution he was almost unknown. He spent time gathering around him men who were fired with the same zeal as he to see their country under new government. At the beginning they were only a few men with Castro as their leader. But after some incidents had been created, the Cuban people became aware of them and their professed objectives. Little by little men commenced to leave their homes and jobs to join Castro’s forces in the mountains and help “liberate” their country. Soon, support began to increase, the numbers of soldiers, sympathizers, and supporters began to swell, and the passions of the Cuban people were stirred. Castro highly organized his forces and ruled and controlled the mountain areas where his armies roamed. His men were well trained and equipped and fought courageously. The area of the country under his domination became known as “Free Cuba” and had its own government — Castro and his top men. But at this point most of the Cuban population, territory and industry was still under the control of the Batista regime. This was true right up to the day President Batista fled the island and the revolution was victorious. But — although Batista had departed, and, technically, the revolution had triumphed — Castro was still not, in a practical sense, “in control” of the nation. He and his troops began the long journey up the island to Habana. From that point in time he had to begin taking over every function of government from the top to the bottom and many months passed before ALL THINGS were firmly established under the revolutionary order.

This is a most beautiful type of how the Kingdom of God is being formed and shall ultimately triumph in all the earth! Originally, the seed of the Kingdom was planted in one man — the leader and initiator - Jesus Christ. Jesus was practically unknown in the earth. He gathered around Himself a handful of men and into them He impregnated the life and revelation of the Kingdom. They in turn, with Jesus directing, declared that the Kingdom had come and that finally this Kingdom would rule from pole to pole. Through all ages many have defected from the kingdom of darkness, from the kingdoms of this world, to become citizens of God’s Kingdom. These constitute the FREE TERRITORY ruled over by Christ — for Christ is King over His own domain. For 2000 years Christ’s army has been in the process of being meticulously trained and adequately equipped. These Sons of God have fought many battles. Long has been the preparation and long the struggle. And even now, at the end of the age, it still seems that the whole world lies in the lap of the Wicked One. But soon — yes, VERY SOON - there shall be a glorious victory! Jesus, together with all the glorified Sons of God who have qualified to reign with Him, shall come forth into full manifestation (Rom. 8:14-23) and lay hold on the dragon, that ancient serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and shall bind him to a bottomless pit of shame and restraint for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-6; II Thes. 1:7-12; Rev. 12:9-11; Rom. 16:20). But even as the Sons of God make their appearance, marching forth, all will not yet be as it should and for this reason they must REIGN FOR A THOUSAND YEARS... and on and on and on… until “ALL ENEMIES are put under His feet.”

That our work only BEGINS at the opening of the Millennial age is made clear in Rev. 20:4,6 “Then I saw THRONES, and sitting on them were those to whom AUTHORITY TO ACT as JUDGES and PASS SENTENCE was entrusted... Blessed and holy — spiritually whole, of unimpaired innocence and proved virtue — is the person who shares in the first resurrection… they shall be MINISTERS (priests) of God and of Christ, the Messiah, and they shall RULE WITH HIM a thousand years.”

There is simply no point in being a MINISTER of God unless there is something that needs ministering to! And there is no point in being a JUDGE unless there is a judicial work to be carried out. The great PURPOSE of the MINISTERING, JUDGING and RULING of God’s Sons during the Kingdom age is made even plainer in Dan. 7:25-27, “And he (the little horn) shall speak great words against the Most High God, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High... BUT THE JUDGEMENT (of the little horn) shall be set BY THE COURT of the Most High, and THEY (the judges, the SAINTS) shall take away his dominion, to CONSUME IT GRADUALLY and to destroy it SUDDENLY IN THE END” (Amplified Bible).

No wonder Isaiah stated of the government of the Christ: “And of the INCREASE OF HIS GOVERNMENT and of peace THERE SHALL BE NO END!”

J. PRESTON EBY

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