The Kingdom of Heaven…
If Jesus, or John the Baptist
for that matter, were to show up on the scene today proclaiming this message ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand!’,
what would you think? How would you react
to His message? Would His message, this message concerning the ‘Kingdom of God’,
cause you to make any changes in the
way you live and how you view life in the 21st century? Would it
affect us today? Would it have an impact on you personally?
How do you see the world that you live in?
Most of us view this world through the eyes of the concept
of ‘the Progression of Man’ …We call it ‘the Human Race’. It is a race to the
future, but, unlike other races, it contains some interesting dynamics.
First, it appears to be a race that has no finish. With each
major accomplishment or major technological breakthrough we quickly push that
discovery behind us and press ever forward. Some would ask ‘To Where?’ or ‘To
What?’ Where are we going? What drives
us? (This relates back to the ‘Betterment of or Progress of Man’ world view). The
goal of this race is not really clearly
defined; if there is a goal, we would have to admit that for most of us it
is a bit hazy what that goal is. However, we know that we are required to
participate in this race in some fashion even if we do not understand the
ultimate goal or purpose of it. If we
don’t participate, we will be left behind.
Underneath or behind this perspective is a strong force that
we call the ‘Global World System’. It is a Global Economic system that unites
mankind together even stronger than any common goal could. It is a system of
survival. It makes a demand on us, saying: ‘Belong or else.’ Although there are benefits to participating
in and plugging into this system, there are also consequences--some of them not
so nice, some even cruel consequences--for not giving it all of your life.
It is the dominant world system of our day and if we were to
think of a dominion as a kingdom this
dominion could be termed as ‘the Kingdom
of Earth’, for it is a kingdom and it includes all nations on the earth. The
Bible has much to say about this world system, kingdom, or power, especially in
the end days which could include us today.
So let’s look at the message and doctrine that Jesus brought
to the world in that day and take a
look at what His message might mean to us here today in the 21st
century. In Mark 1:14-15 it says that Jesus came to Galilee ‘preaching the
Gospel of the Kingdom of God’. Matt. 4:17, a parallel passage to Mk. 1:14-15,
says the same thing, but uses different terminology. Matthew uses
the term ‘the Kingdom of Heaven’ instead
of Kingdom of God. Most Bible expositors would agree that both Mathew and Mark
are saying the same thing using
different terms. It has been suggested that the difference in terminology might
be because of the different audiences
that the authors were addressing. However, both passages refer to a Kingdom and a dominion not of the earth, making it unique and different from the kingdom of earth.
In Mark 1:15 Jesus
makes an interesting statement. He says that the time is fulfilled or complete
as if what he is talking about was in
process prior to this time, waiting for
completion or waiting for the details to be all worked out. But, here in v. 15, Jesus makes a clear
statement. He says that the time is
complete or fulfilled…and that this Kingdom that had not been here before was about
to appear. He continues by giving instruction
and a warning, warning His hearers that they must prepare for the arrival of this new Kingdom, telling
them they must repent of their ways which
were contrary to the ways of this Kingdom and believe the Gospel or the aspects
and principles of this Kingdom. John the Baptist preached the same message
in Matt. 3:1-2 warning that the Kingdom
of Heaven was at hand and that they must
prepare for it.
In Mark 1:38 (Read)Jesus makes the statement that His main purpose for coming was to preach a certain message to the surrounding
towns. In its corollary passage in Luke 4:43 He makes the statement that His
purpose for coming is to preach the
Gospel of the Kingdom of God to other cities.
Ø
So what
is this ‘Kingdom of Heaven or Kingdom of God’? What is the Bible referring
to when it refers to the Kingdom of God? Is the Kingdom of Heaven…. Heaven? Or,
is what He is referring to something else, and if so what?
There are 31 references to the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ in the NT
and 63 references to the ‘Kingdom of God. All of the 31 references to the
Kingdom of Heaven are found in the book of Matthew, whereas the references to
the Kingdom of God are found in all of the Gospels, including the book of
Mathew where it is used several times.
References to the Kingdom of God are also found in the book of Acts and
the Apostle Paul’s Epistles.
But, again, the question comes up, ‘What is He referring to
when He preaches ‘the Gospel of the Kingdom’?
In Matthew Chapter 13 Jesus shares 7 parables with His
disciples explaining the Kingdom of Heaven to them. He spent a lot of time on
this topic. It is interesting that when He tries to explain to His followers
what the Kingdom of Heaven is like He chooses
to use parables to do so, using words to create pictures and examples that
they might already be familiar with.
He would often start a parable with the phrase, ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is like’, meaning
it is ‘similar to’ and then espouse the parable using a familiar example of a life experience to which they could relate. In
using parables His purpose was to convey a main
point or two along with some of its
details. A parable is not intended
to be over-analyzed for minute details, but it is intended to convey an example
of the big picture or idea. By using parables His followers could relate to
otherwise difficult concepts.
The Kingdom of Heaven had many aspects that were different from any Kingdom here on
earth, so understanding the Gospel of the Kingdom was often difficult. These parables helped to bridge the gap in
their understanding. In the same way these parables can also help us today to
understand what He meant when He talked about the Kingdom of God and may give
us insight to what the Kingdom of God may mean to us today in a practical sense.
So, again, what is the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’? Is it Heaven or is it something else??
Let’s look at some parables concerning the Kingdom to see if
we can get a better idea of what they mean and how they may apply to us today.
Several parables in particular found in chapter 13 of Matthew reveal some
interesting details concerning this Kingdom of God or Heaven.
First, let’s read two of the parables. The first is found in
Matthew 13:24-30. Next read Matthew
13:47-51. Both of these parables are similar in detail and meaning to each
other, highlighting similar details of the Kingdom.
The first parable reveals some interesting details
concerning the Kingdom that require some thought. In this parable we see both wheat and tares mixed in the same field
and the passage makes the statement that the Kingdom of Heaven is like this. It is interesting that later in
this chapter our Lord personally
explains the meaning of the details of this parable. In v. 38 He says that the field talked about in this parable
is ‘the world’. He goes on to say that the ‘good seed’ that are sown are the ‘children of the Kingdom’ and that the
‘tares’ are the ‘children of the wicked
one.’ In v. 37 Christ tells us that He
was the one who sowed the ‘good
seed’ and He goes on in v. 39 and tells us that the enemy or the devil was
the one that sowed the tares or the children of the wicked one.
This explanation continues on into verse 41 where our Lord
makes another interesting statement: He says that He will send forth His angels
and they shall gather out of His Kingdom
all things that offend and do iniquity. Our Lord explaining these
details in this fashion clearly casts
doubts that the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ referred to here can refer to Heaven itself. We know that no iniquity will enter into God’s heaven and the presence of
iniquity that has to be purged out here makes it clear that the kingdom He is
talking about has to refer to something else.
The same is true
concerning the second parable that we read. In the second parable (Matthew
13:47-51) we are given the image of a net that is cast in the sea and a sample
of creatures is gathered into the net for us to see. When brought to shore it
is revealed that there are two kinds of fish.…good fish and bad fish which need
to be separated out at the end of the
age. This again gives the impression that the Kingdom of God is a mixed bag
at present containing both good and bad. Considering these details and the
Lord’s interpretation of these parables, one would have to conclude that the
Kingdom He is speaking about is a Kingdom not found in Heaven itself, but a Kingdom established and initiated by God
on earth, a kingdom coming from heaven or from God. In other words, He is
referring to God’s Kingdom established
on earth!
Israel understood
this concept as they were taught about God’s Kingdom that was coming on earth in the future. As a
matter of fact, when Christ arrived at His first advent they knew when the coming
King would appear and some of them were poised and looking for His arrival. In
other words, those who had studied the Old Testament prophesies concerning the
coming Messiah were expecting the King.
Jesus entered through
the right prophetic door and was preaching the right message when He showed up
on earth. So, when Jesus told His disciples to go and preach the Gospel of
the Kingdom they knew what Kingdom He
was talking about. Christ’s
proclamation to go and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom was also important from
another aspect: by identifying with the fulfillment of the prophecy that the
Kingdom that they were looking for had arrived, He identified Himself as the coming King. (John also witnessed the
same concerning Him, Jn. 3:2-3.) He proclaimed that this coming Kingdom of God which He preached was the one prophesied of
old and it pointed to Him as being the prophesied Messiah!!
TWO WORLDS COLLIDE
When Jesus arrived on the scene two worlds or kingdoms collided! Two kingdoms squared off to oppose
each other. They were now, as it were, ‘in the ring’ and the match was about to
begin. God/Christ had come to earth to reclaim His territory.
It was here that the Kingdom of God gained its foothold, so
to speak, and shortly after a series of events dealt the final blow, winning
the victory, and establishing a permanent
Heavenly Kingdom here on earth. Jesus proclaims this in
Mathew 28:18 where He makes one of the most important proclamations found in
the Bible by telling His disciples: ‘All
authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth!’ As He was
preparing His disciples to be sent out on the earth to preach the Gospel of His
Kingdom, He tells them that the transaction is complete: Satan no longer has a
position of authority in this world. All that is left for him is that he is awaiting
sentencing. Jesus gives the disciples marching orders to make His, Christ’s,
Kingdom a reality on earth. They are also told that they will not go alone (Mt.
28:20) and that He will remain with them always!
So, the question that we need to ask ourselves is: ‘Is the
Kingdom of Heaven still on earth today or did it leave with Christ on His
ascension?’ And, if it is still on earth, where is it and what is its purpose? How
does it look and what is its destination or final outcome? Where is it headed? Is there an ultimate goal? What practical
applications does knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven being on earth today have
to us as believers in our day? Can it affect our perspective and focus in
ministry while carrying out His orders or directions given in Mathew 28:18?
The Kingdom of earth is loud and cocky and brassy and gives
you the impression that it is the only show in town. In doing so its message to us is one of
tolerance and, all too often, compromise, saying in essence that we must somehow fit in to the kingdom of earth. In other words saying, ‘there are
no other options.’ Knowing that the Kingdom of God already exists in our world
today gives us another choice, the Right
choice. Even though we will have to deal with this present world kingdom, we
can make the choice and align ourselves with His Kingdom and His Kingdom work
already in progress right now in this world.
This view of the presence of the Kingdom of God being active
in our world today makes sense from another perspective. If you recite the Lord’s
Prayer slowly, preferably out loud, thinking about the specifics in that prayer,
you will notice some interesting components. One of the requests found in that
prayer that He instructed us to pray was that His Kingdom would come and His
will would be done on earth as it is
already done in heaven. I don’t know about you, but knowing that the Father
always heard Jesus’ prayers and that, I believe, every prayer that Jesus prayed
was in accordance with the Fathers will and therefore will come to pass, then
the Kingdom will come and is already coming on earth as in heaven heading
toward the Day of it being fully operable and fully established.
Christ had a purpose and objective in sharing these parables
found in Matthew chapter 13 with His disciples. Seeing our world through
Christ’s perspective and vantage as explained through His parables and
teachings reminds me that this kingdom of earth that seems so dominant and
appears so confident may not be as all powerful as it wants us to believe. Its
approach to gain support and secure followers is through threats evoking fear if
you don’t comply and also through the use of intimidation. We know from Scripture
that this current world kingdom/system along with its leader has a limited amount
of time left before receiving their judgment. This kingdom of earth we know from
Scripture will not last, nor will its leader.
Knowing this, should we as His followers not embrace the
Kingdom that is coming, and is already here, and its King even though this
Kingdom is in process? We know that this Kingdom of Heaven is a Powerful
Presence in our world even today and we are told that this Kingdom will fully
make its presence completely known with the return of our Lord at the end of
the Great Tribulation. The Bible tells us that this Kingdom of Heaven will one
day be the dominant and only world system on the earth. All others will be put
down and the Kingdom of God and its King will take center stage and will be IT,
the only and the right choice.
Not all will agree with this, Christ’s, message. Some/many
will align with the Kingdom of earth. However, we as believers and followers of
Christ and His message indeed have another choice. Not a future choice, but one
present and available today. What Christ
offered His followers in that day was a Kingdom that had indeed arrived and was
right now available to them. Does He not offer us the same and more today? We
need to be strong in embracing God’s Kingdom in our world in our day. His Kingdom
has come to earth. It did so upon His first arrival and according to the
Scripture has remained here ever since. His Kingdom is coming and will continue
to manifest until God’s plan for His Kingdom on earth is complete. Ponder these
things…Matt. 6:33 Dan. 7:13-4 Jn. 1:49
The Lord’s prayer
Recite the Lord’s Prayer slowly thinking about the meaning
of each phrase of that prayer…
Our Father
Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth
As it is I heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
Preaching the coming
of the Kingdom of God was always a central part of the Gospel message…Share
this message with your friends!
Richard A. Richett
D.C.
August 11,
2012
The Road to Jerusalem
So guys what is your destination…Where are you headed in
life? Where will your journey on earth eventually take you? What are the steps
that you are going to take to get there? It is said that without clear goals
set in front of a man he has no focus in life…Nothing to shoot for. He has
nothing to go after… no challenge.
Last night we talked about The Kingdom of Heaven that God
established here on earth at His first advent and about how we should have a
more focused goal to align with and go toward that Kingdom while we are here on
earth. In doing so we would have a different focus than the world and world system
around us. We saw that God/Christ came to this world with a message. In
actuality He came to this world with a warning. What was His warning? ‘The
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ Mk. 1:15 What was the purpose of this warning in
that day? What is it in our day? What was the reason for this warning? What reaction
was God looking for from us in response to this message? How would a response
to this message actually look in our life?
I believe that the purpose for His radical message was to
help us to change our focus establishing for us a different goal for our life. Whether
we realize it or not we all have goals for this life. These goals may not be
clear to us all the time, and/or they may not be that ambitious, but we all
have and hold goals and we make our daily decisions based on them.
Some of us live our life having goals like we make our
living, from paycheck to paycheck or from goal to goal. Or in other words, our
goal focus is more short term in nature. By the way, if we find ourselves stuck
in the paycheck to paycheck existence of life maybe we need to examine or
change our expectations or how we set and execute our goals for life. If life
is out of balance maybe we are not setting the right goals in life, short
and/or long term goals. It could be that we are not focused on the right thing,
the right goal. That is what this study is all about.
Jesus’ message to us was to set our focus and goals on the Kingdom
of Heaven, which as we saw last night was not reserved just for some time in
the future, but includes our current world today. The Kingdom of Heaven being
present on earth in our day puts a different value on life and existence while
we are here on earth. What we do here is important. Having this focus and
perspective that our life here is an investment not only in the present, but
caries on into eternity can make even the simple and routine things of this
life important.
I want to use Abraham as our example for this part of our
study. When you first look at Abraham’s life you might get the impression that
he was a man that did not have any real ambitious goals. When looking at his
life as portrayed in Scripture it appears that Abraham was a wonderer in
life..going from place to place, or like us from paycheck to paycheck not
having any long range plan. But, upon full examination of Abraham’s life we
find that nothing could be farther from the truth.
In Hebrews chapter 11 we find a summation account of
Abraham’s life. Heb. 11:8-19 When looking at this account we see some
interesting dynamics as far as Abraham’s approach or game plan to life. First
we see in v. 8 of Hebrews 11 that Abraham had a calling on his life which in turn
seemed to prompt him to take certain actions. We see in Hebrews 11:8 that God
had made a promise to him. Some of us might be jealous of Abraham because he
received this promise or prompting from God as to what to do with his life. It
is true that Abraham was indeed special receiving directions for his life, but as
we will see and often miss so have we.
In the promise that God gave Abraham initially He did not
give Abraham all of the details. We see in v. 8 of Hebrews that the promise
that Abraham received contained only a destination and a general direction to
begin his journey. With not much to go on and taking not much with him he left
familiar settings heading toward God’s promise for him.
Again, what was Abraham’s response to God’s directive for
his life? It tells us in v. 8 that he obeyed and went in the direction that God
told him to go. When receiving his
direction from God his response was not that he needed more details or that someday
he would get around to it, and he did not go down to AAA and ask them for a trip
tic or program it into his GPS. But, it seemed from his action of packing up
and leaving that God’s promise was enough to obey God and begin his journey.
So what was his goal? What was Abraham’s destination? Fame?
Fortune? Security? Pleasure? No, it was a dwelling place, a destination, a home
that included the Presence of God. Evidently Abraham could not dwell with God
and serve Him as God desired for him from where he was. Evidently, there were
things that got in the way of his relationship with God and his ability to
serve Him fully.
God gave Abraham a long range plan for his life. As we will
see it was a plan that was more than just a plan for Abraham’s time on earth.
God’s promise to him also contained some eternal dimensions to it that extended
far past his years on this earth. It is interesting that even though God’s plan
for Abraham extended past his life here on earth that Abraham’s response to
God’s plan was a bold one. In watching him we find Abraham extending his arms out
past the boundaries of this life and embracing God’s promise to him in its
entirety leaving the fulfilling of these promises and the timeframe of
receiving it up to God. As we will see, Abraham essentially did not receive his
promise during his lifetime here on earth and some of that promise may not even
be fulfilled yet today. But, God had made a promise to him. Is Abraham still
waiting for his promise to be fulfilled?
In looking at our Scripture references in Hebrews 11 it actually
mentions that many of the examples of faith talked about in that chapter did
not receive what they were promised during their lifetime. This poses a
question to us in our day. What is our focus for our life and what we are
looking for out of it? Does it contain promises that can only be fulfilled and
redeemed here in this life… in the here and now? Or can our focus also extend
past this life into eternity continuing to receive God’s promises that He had made
to us while we were on earth?
In other words, God makes promises, but is He limited to
time and this life to fulfill them? If not, when will they be obtained? Will
Abraham finally receive his full and complete promise one day, or did the
ability for God to complete His promise to Abraham end at Abraham’s passing? We
know that God does not go back on His promises.
How about us? Can we like Abraham see the fulfillment of the
promises that God makes to us being fulfilled past this life obtaining some of them
sometime in eternity? It seems in looking at Abraham’s life that he came to the
point of only seeing and setting his sights on the promise, even if he did not
receive it during his lifetime. He held on knowing that God’s promise was sure
not being limited by temporal things. Will some of our promises also be
fulfilled after we leave this life? Should our focus and our goals extend out
past this life as they did for Abraham? Will we receive or obtain them in faith
and wait for them to be fulfilled, even if fulfilled past our time on earth?
It is true that God
does supply and we should expect God to fulfill some of His promises to us in
this present life. He did this for Abraham. Abraham was blessed tremendously by
God. We read in Scripture that God blessed Abraham with material goods..., sheep,
servants, honor, receiving in this life part of his promise for a nation in and
through Isaac. But, Abraham did not receive the full promise that God had given
to him while he was alive on earth. He had been promised a nation. Because of
this promise he left his home with everything that he had. Here in Hebrews it
says that he left with that destination or goal set by God in mind to find the
city of God, the dwelling place which God would establish for him and his
descendants.
But, what did Abraham receive? Although he received many
things from God, he did not reach his final destination promised to him in this
lifetime, I. e. a city whose foundations and principles were laid down by God.
Yet, God had promised this to him. Heb.11:8-10
We read some interesting things about Abraham and how he saw
things while exercising faith as he moved towards God’s promises. When called
to sacrifice Isaac, knowing that in Isaac was the promise that God had given to
him, he did not try to figure it all out. Instead he believed God. He believed
God so much that he embraced principles that are bigger than those found in this
life bordering on the eternal and the supernatural. He did not put boundaries
upon God’s abilities. In doing so we see Abraham reach out into eternity and
embrace God and His promises for him counting that God was faithful to deliver
the promises that were given to him. Abraham’s faith extended way out in front
of him.
One might ask, ‘Where was Abraham headed? Where was he
going?’ What was he focused on? The answer is simple. He was heading toward
something that would last. He was headed toward eternity. He was headed toward
Jerusalem, the city of God, built on God’s foundations and principles. Evidently
God had in mind for Abraham to continue in his journey a while longer past his
life on earth before he reached his final destination and the complete
fulfillment of the promise made to him.
There are two Jerusalem’s mentioned in Scripture. One is the
earthly Jerusalem which is the current capitol of the nation Israel. The Bible
tells us that this earthly Jerusalem will after Christ’s return become the
capitol of the world during God’s Millennial Kingdom reign. This earthly city,
Jerusalem, definitely is a focus in the Scripture and should be one of our
destinations or focuses as we by faith embrace what God has also for us. Obtaining
and reaching this goal may also extend past this life for us as it did for
Abraham.
But, was this earthly Jerusalem what God had in mind as the
fulfillment of His promise to Abraham. Many Bible scholars do not think so for
there is another Jerusalem mentioned in Scripture that comes closer to the
description of the city promised to Abraham having its foundation flawless as
to how it is established and how it operates. In Scripture it is call the New
Jerusalem which will be manifest at the end of the age. Most scholars believe
that this ‘New Jerusalem’ will finally be the fulfillment of the promise made
to Abraham. As incredible as it may seem, Abraham is still waiting for his
promise to be completely fulfilled. In other words, his journey still
continues. But,…not forever. One day he will reach his final destination and
receive in full God’s promise to him.
So where is Abraham headed, still, even now… in our day? To
Jerusalem, of course. One might ask which
Jerusalem? Well eventually the New Jerusalem, but first he, as we will also, will
make a pass through the earthly Jerusalem and experience Christ’s millennial
reign. We may not have really thought about it, but in reality according to the
Scriptures Abraham’s destination is really also our destination and his promise
is really our promise. As believers God has given us the same promise and
destination as He did Abraham. In other words Abraham’s goal is our goal.
Because of this should we not adopt Abraham’s focus as our
focus?? According to Scripture we too are headed eventually to the New
Jerusalem. But, first we also must travel through this earth’s Jerusalem and
Christ’s millennial reign. If Abraham were able to speak to us today he would
probably ask us if we would want to travel with him headed toward his
destination…Jerusalem. If his and our paths diverged for a season we might hear
him give us a parting blessing, saying, ‘See you in Jerusalem’. Set your sights
on Abraham’s destination. Abraham will not mind the company…
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