Much has been said about the Kingdom of God/heaven; messages are preached, and books have been written in an attempt to define and communicate the Kingdom. There are many varied concepts of what the Kingdom may be, including:
-
A far-off place that is attained when a believer dies.
-
A spiritually transforming event that is anticipated when Jesus returns.
-
Something that has already been established now and its full expression is dependent on the church's revelation and demonstration.
-
And to some, defining the Kingdom escapes them.
In this article, it is my intent to share some of the insights I have garnered about the Kingdom. My desire is to add a little to your faith and maybe bring a nugget of insight to your purpose!
Jesus first message was, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Jesus had just stepped out of his wilderness temptation, in the power of the Spirit, and his first message was about the Kingdom. It had to be important if it was his first message!
Looking at the Biblical word for kingdom, we see in the Old Testament the work "mamlakah," and according to Strong's it means "dominion." Further it is from the work "malak" and again, according to Strong's means to "reign." In the New Testament we see the word for kingdom is "basileia" and means "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule, not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom" (emphasis added, Thayer's). Based on these words we can see that kingdom is not some far off place or event, but it is dominion or reign, not necessarily a physical or specific location.
Kingdom is dominion or reign, not necessarily a physical or specific location.
So back to Jesus' first message; "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," he was stating repent because the dominion or reign of heaven was at hand! In Mark 1:15, he states "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (ESV). The implication of this statement is that there was a timeline of Kingdom manifestation and its appearance was the good news, or the Gospel.
Stop a Moment
We need to grasp, the Gospel is more than salvation, it is the restoration of Kingdom or dominion and reign. We must go beyond the born-again experience of the Gospel and move into the Kingdom phase or dominion and authority! Jesus came to earth bring Kingdom or authority and dominion of God to men. It is still His desire today that all would enter His kingdom!
There is much the scripture tells us about the Kingdom, Jesus message and our involvement. Some of the exciting and most encouraging texts tell us:
-
Jesus' first message was about the Kingdom - Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" – Matt. 4:17
-
Jesus preached good news of Kingdom and demonstrated its power by healing – Matt. 4:23
-
We are "translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." – Col. 1:13
-
We have been called into His kingdom - 1 Thess. 2:12
-
We are to seek first the kingdom - Luke 12:31
-
It is his good pleasure to give us the Kingdom – Luke 12:32 (personally one of my favorites!)
-
We are presently receiving a kingdom - Heb .12:28
These and many more texts present the idea that Kingdom - authority and dominion is both a NOW and yet a COMING. We currently possess it and yet its full manifestation is coming.
We have much more to say about the Kingdom and the demonstration of it in our lives. But for this blog, realize Kingdom = dominion, reign or authority! When you read the scripture now, I challenge you, when you see the word kingdom, substitute dominion or authority; see how it changes the context and can be a powerful faith motivator.
Martin Schmaltz
Visitor Comments (0)
