The Kingdom of God
Jesus Christ truly came to die for our sins so that we might have atonement, however He lived to preach and show the glad tidings of the Kingdom so that we might obtain eternal life. For Jesus came “preaching the gospel 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.” [Mark 1:14-15]. Nevertheless, what is the Kingdom? When asked when the Kingdom of God should come, Jesus answered, saying, “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.” [Luke 17:20-21]. In other words, the Kingdom is not necessarily temporal, but spiritual. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” [Romans 14:7].
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The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines a “kingdom” as “the territory or country subject to a king; an undivided territory under the dominion of a king or monarch; the inhabitants or population subject to a king; the place where any thing prevails and holds sway as the water kingdom; and in Scripture, the government or universal dominion of God.” The Kingdom of God is verily similar, for anything which does not subject itself to the will of the Father will not have place within it, as Jesus prayed, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” [Matthew 6:10]
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Only those who are seeking light and truth and are willing to obey will be able to press into the Kingdom. For it is unlike any country or dominion in existence today where an individual might point to a globe and say here is the United States or here is China. Rather instead, it is a spiritual domain where the Gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ are the government. For Isaiah wrote of the Master, saying, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there is no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” [Isaiah 9:6-7].
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If the Kingdom is spiritual, how do we enter into it? Jesus explained to Nicodemus that “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Moreover, He said, “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, 5]. Thus, in order to be a citizen of God’s Kingdom, we must first be baptized even as Jesus was, meaning by the water and the Spirit by one having authority. For in order for Jesus to be King of this Kingdom, He had to become a citizen of it as well. As King, the Lord Jesus desires His disciples to carry the Gospel message unto all the world for a witness unto all nations that the Lord is God, and that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whosever should believe on Him might have everlasting life. For truly the Kingdom of God and His Christ will break in pieces and consume all other kingdoms of the world. [Daniel 2:44-45].
Scriptures to Consider
Luke 4:42-43 (KJV)
4:42 And when it was day, He departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought Him, and came unto Him, and stayed Him, that He should not depart from them. 4:43 And He said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
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Mark 1:14-15 (KJV)
1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
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Luke 8:1 (KJV)
8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
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Luke 9:1-2, 6 (KJV)
9:1 Then He called His twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 9:2 And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick… 9:6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.
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Luke 16:16 (KJV)
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.
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Luke 17:20-21 (KJV)
17:20 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: 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
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John 3:1-5 (KJV)
3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3:3 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. 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 3:5 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.
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Matthew 24:14 (KJV)
24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
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Daniel 2:44-45 (KJV)
2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
